Monday, February 1: Judges 1- seeds of disobedience

 

For years we planted vegetable gardens. It is pretty amazing, really. You push small seeds into soil, add some water, sun, and a little care and in a while plants begin to grow. Before you know it, you’re eating fresh vegetables. Once the seeds are planted and germination begins, it doesn’t take much effort, seeds just seems to grow.

In today’s account I watched as Israel planted disobedience-seeds. Up through verse 20 things are going well. Different tribes connect for particular battles, one clan helping another. A wise strategy.

Then somewhere in the white space between verses 20 and 21 things change. Benjamin, a small tribe, is not able to oust the Jebusites from Jerusalem. It is one thing to not have the strength at present to finish the job, unfortunately, the text includes a little ‘seed of disobedience,’ the diminutive preposition ‘with;’ …to this day the Jebusites live there with the Benjamites(21). Seems harmless, ‘if you can’t beat them,’ join them, but God specifically forbade any mixing. Israel was to destroy all inhabitants. A little seed of disobedience…

Next we read that Manasseh takes the easier road of subjugation rather than defeat. But Manasseh did not drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor or Ibleam or Megiddo and their surrounding settlements, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that land. When Israel became strong, they pressed the Canaanites into forced labor but never drove them out completely (27-28).

Benjamin didn’t bother to call for help from his brothers and lived with the enemy. Manasseh, who was strong enough to defeat the enemy, went further opting for subjugation rather than battle.

At this point God began to nudge me. “See how easy it is to slip? A minor deviation from My way here, another one there and before you know it, Bill, you are not following My instructions at all. You have substituted your way for Mine…” Sometimes it is tempting not to write the full tithe check…. I’ll just take a little off. It is so easy to neglect the speed limit, everyone else does. It is so simple to adopt belittling or vulgar language at work/school, just like everyone else. Life gets hectic and I go a day without devotions, then 2…. no one will know…

None of these are devastating, yet each reveal a seed planted, which left to its own, will continue to grow.

My heart caught God’s message and so I began to pray,

Okay, Lord, I see. I need to be vigilant. I need to scrupulously attend to Your business in Your way allowing Your character to flourish in my life. Lord, show me areas of inattention where I have let the ways of people not walking with You infiltrate my life.

Please, Lord, as difficult as it might be, show me seeds of disobedience I have planted. In Jesus’ name…