King James Daily Bible Study: Heart, Mind, & Soul
Date: Saturday March 26, 2011
Chapters: Judges 10-11
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-march-26
Details of Today's Reading: Tola and Jair judge Israel, Israel forsakes God again and is given into the hands of the Philistines, Israel repents, God sends Jepthah to help.

Hello My Friend/Guest,
While God is a God of mercy, grace, and forgiveness, He will not be mocked, He knows when we are sincere and when we have no intention of changing our ways. The Bible says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” - Galatians 6:7-9. As long as we follow God with all our heart, mind, and soul we will see blessings come out of it, but those who really have no intention of following God, only to seek His help when they are in trouble will go through a lot of suffering before God will hear their cry.

For eighteen years the Israelites had been under the control of the Philistines, they had done evil in the sight of the Lord once again, forsaking Him for the false gods of not only the Philistines, but the Amorites, Ammonites, and every other man made god of the people dwelling in Canaan. This time when the Israelites went to God for help they did not get the answer they were waiting for.

“And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand. Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation. And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day. And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.” - Judges 10:11-16.

God did help them after they sincerely repented and got rid of their false gods, a false god is more than some statute, symbol, or god that someone made up, a false god is anything that takes the place of God. If a job, hobby, person, or lifestyle takes first place in a persons life, God sees that as a god. Now, God does not want you to quit your job or sit in a corner all day and do nothing, but if that job, hobby, person, or lifestyle goes against your morals or is corrupting you, of course, God wants you to remove that from your life. God's soul will not grieve over a soul that has no intention of removing the false gods from their lives. Yes, it takes time to overcome some sins, but if one is truly sincere God will hear their misery and His soul will grieve for them. “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” - Matthew 5:6-8.

God sent a man named Jephthah to help deliver the Israelites out of the hands of the Philistines. Now, Jephthah was rejected by many, including his half brothers, because he was the son of a harlot, a prostitute, but that rejection soon turned into a plea for help when the Ammonites started war with the Gilead.

“Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. And Gilead's wife bare him sons; and his wife's sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father's house; for thou art the son of a strange woman. Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him...And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon. And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father's house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress? And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.” -Judges 11:1-3,6-8.

Now, Jephthah could have refused to help Gilead, but he knew that it was God's will that he go and that it was the right thing to do. God had forgiven Israel, therefore, Jephthah knew it was fitting for him forgive them for the way they treated him. We can not be blamed or need not be ashamed of the parents that we are born into. God has a reason for why He chooses to bring us into the world the way He brings us and while we may not understand right now there will come a time when we do. God chose to send Jesus through the lineage of Judah, who slept with his daughter-in-law, whom God used to bare the son who would carry on the seed of Judah (See Genesis 38:11-26). “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.” - Psalm 139:13,14.

You know, God knows we carry around this flesh with us and because of that we are going to sin, but there is a difference between a person truly wanting to follow God with all their heart, mind, and soul and one that has no intention of ever following Him. So many people think that salvation gives them the right to do as they please without any repercussions however, serious repercussions result in abusing God's good graces. While one may not be cast into hell they will suffer here on earth before they are allowed to see paradise. Ever wonder why the wicked always seem to prosper and live longer? God wants them to suffer. The amazing thing is that while we think they are living the good life, they are suffering, they just do not want to admit it. The hard thing is not saying, “I told you so.” when seeing them fall. Praise God that His soul grieves for those who truly repent and is faithful to forgive us, even if we have stopped following Him with our heart, mind, and soul. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” - I John 1:9.

Jesus Christ Revealed: Today Jesus is revealed through Jephthah's only child as she wholly submitted to her father's will (11:34-40). Jesus, who is the Son of God and God in the flesh, wholly submitted His heart, mind, and soul to the Father's will. “And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” - Matthew 26:39.

Thanks and God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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