Theft, Judges (April 2)

In those days, Israel had no king.

They answered him, "Be quiet! Don't say a word.  Come with us, and be our father and priest.  Isn't it better that you serve a tribe and clan in Israel as priest rather than just one man's household?"

Once again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and because they did this evil the Lord gave Eglon kin of Moab power over Israel.

Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he gave them a deliverer- Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the benjamite.  The Israelites sent him with a tribute to Eglon king of Moab.

Ehud reached with his left hand,  drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king's belly.  Even the handle sank in after the blade, which came out his back.  Ehud did not pull the sword out and the fat closed over it.

After Ehud died, the Israelites again did evil in the eyes of the Lord.  So the Lord sold them into the hands of Jabin, a king of Canaan.

But Jael, Heber's wife picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, ehausted.  Whe drove the peg through his temple into the ground and he died.
         From Judges 18 & 3-4 NIV

An illegitimate preist, conscripted into the service of a wayward tribe of Dan, taken north to basically set up Idol worship.  When we turn to the left or turn to the right, we may become hopelessly lost. 

The tribe of Dan is very creative in worship.  Setting up worship in the north when the Lord's temple is in Shiloh.  It has been said that Dan invited travelers to Shiloh to worship in Dan, thus saving distance and time in sojourners' travel to Shiloh. 

Lost Israel returns to the Lord for help and the faithful, just Lord responds by providing a judge, a servant, who in these cases gains Israel's freedom by ending the life of the ruling king.

How does the account of God's provision for Israel encourage you today?

What do you do to ensure that you are not worshipping in "Dan?"

Pray for the Word to be clearly preached, for hearts and minds to be prepared to hear the word, and for the strength and wisdom to apply the word to daily life.

In Christ,

David P