“Glory to the Precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ”

Jeremiah 17: 10 I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen

Hallelujah 

When God is testing us, the bride, the church we must never leave God and be truthful.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in the portion of the Bible that we meditated upon in the past days, we meditated that in our heart, the altar of our, the bride, the church there should not be a place for foreign gods, and we must renew ourselves.

Next, what we are meditating is that Judges 2: 6 – 23 And when Joshua had dismissed the people, the children of Israel went each to his own inheritance to possess the land.

So the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord which He had done for Israel. 

Now Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died when he was one hundred and ten years old. 

And they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Heres, in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash. 

When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel.

Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals; 

and they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the Lord to anger. 

They forsook the Lord and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. 

And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. 

Wherever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for calamity, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were greatly distressed.

Nevertheless, the Lord raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them. 

Yet they would not listen to their judges, but they played the harlot with other gods, and bowed down to them. They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked, in obeying the commandments of the Lord; they did not do so. 

And when the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them. 

And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way.

Then the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and He said, “Because this nation has transgressed My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not heeded My voice, 

I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, 

so that through them I may test Israel, whether they will keep the ways of the Lord, to walk in them as their fathers kept them, or not.” 

Therefore the Lord left those nations, without driving them out immediately; nor did He deliver them into the hand of Joshua.

When we meditate upon the above-mentioned verses, when Joshua had dismissed the people, the children of Israel went each to his own inheritance to possess the land. So the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord which He had done for Israel. After Joshua died, the generation that was there at that time, were gathered to their fathers another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel. Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals; and they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the Lord to anger.

My dear people, what the Lord had said not to do through Joshua, the children of Israel did the same things. Therefore, God’s anger was provoked against the children of Israel. This is because the children of Israel left God and served Baals and the Ashtoreth. Therefore just as God had said He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. Not only that wherever they went out, but the hand of the Lord was also against them for calamity. In this manner, they were crushed by God. 

Then the Lord raised up judges who delivered and saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. Yet they would not listen to their judges, but they played the harlot with other gods, and bowed down to them. They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked, in obeying the commandments of the Lord; they did not do so.   And when the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge and delivered and saved the Israelites out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them. But when the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way.

Then the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and if walk transgressing his covenant I also will no longer drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, so that through them I may test Israel, whether they will keep the ways of the Lord, to walk in them as their fathers kept them, or not.” Therefore the Lord left those nations, without driving them out immediately; nor did He deliver them into the hand of Joshua.

But my dear people, all the above-mentioned facts we must think well and compare our spiritual life to these facts and see. When we see in this manner, we will see many mistakes in us. That is, our Lord whatever he is saying not to do, we do that, and we break the covenant of God. Therefore, the hand of the Lord is against us. But we do not realize that. If we do not realize that our Lord does not drive out the enemies that rise up against us. But however God corrects us many go to harlotry and follow other gods. But they are not leaving their stubborn life. 

Therefore God becomes angry and because they are not obeying to his word God does not drive away the Gentiles. In this manner because God is not driving them away from our soul we cannot become holy. Therefore God is testing us to see how we are walking. But, my dear people God will test us and let us submit ourselves completely to God so that when he will see our mistakes he will not submit us into the hands of the enemies.

Let us pray. May the Lord bless you all abundantly. 

- To be continued