King James Daily Bible Study: Paying Tribute
Date: Tuesday March 22, 2011
Chapters: Judges 1-2
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-march-22
Details of Today's Reading: The incomplete victories of Judah, Benjamin and Manasseh, a review of Israelites invasion of Canaan up to Joshua’s death, the results of incomplete obedience, and judges are instituted.

Hello My Friend/Guest,
The Book of Judges is the seventh book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains twenty-one chapters. The author of the book is Samuel and it was written to the Israelites, the time line of these events took place approximately 1425 BC to 1120 BC. The purpose of the book was to record the Israelites journey after the death of Joshua, their repeated sin, and the judges God sent, who ruled, to get them redeemed and right with God. What we are to learn from the book is that God's chastisement is for the benefit of all God's people to turn us away from sin and to the Savior. “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 10:15,16.

The word tributary is defined as paying tribute (money) to another, either from compulsion, as an acknowledgment of submission, or to secure protection, or for the purpose of purchasing peace. The Bible says, “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil...Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” - Romans 13:1-4,7,8.

God is in control of everything that happens, all the wars, storms, earthquakes, fires, fighting, even this thing called evolution, are all under one power and that is God. Now, no matter what generation we live in someone always thinks they have more power than God or that thy are a god. So, not one, but all of us are affected by some ego who thinks they have everything under control. “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” - II Timothy 3:12-15.

If you live in America than you know what I am talking about, slowly, no quickly, our nation is falling under control of foreigners as we are subject to paying tribute and debts owed to them. The sad thing is that it's not our government that is affected, it is every person in America. Paul called it when he said, “But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” - I Timothy 6:9,10.

The Israelites are now facing life without their leader Joshua, what were they to do. There were to do just as Joshua said, drive all the inhabitants from the land and follow God's commands. Well, they followed some of the commands, but failed to do one important thing, drive all the inhabitants from the land. The tribes of Judah and Simeon worked together to get the people out of their towns, but the rest of the tribes did not want to fight or were afraid of them, the result, either the Canaanites paid them or even worse the Canaanites paid them to keep the peace.

“And it came to pass, when Israel was strong, that they put the Canaanites to tribute, and did not utterly drive them out. Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer; but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them. Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites dwelt among them, and became tributaries...Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Bethshemesh, nor the inhabitants of Bethanath; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land: nevertheless the inhabitants of Bethshemesh and of Bethanath became tributaries unto them. And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain: for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley: But the Amorites would dwell in mount Heres in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim: yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became tributaries.” - Judges 1:28-30,33-35.

When we make a promise to live our lives for God, He pays attention and expects us to follow through, now, He knows there are going to be snares that slow us down, but He is always watching. As God watched the Israelites compromising with the Canaanites, He did what He promised, that they would always be a snare in their side. God confronted the Israelites, reminding them of that very thing.

“And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you...And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed. Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.” - Judges 2:1-3,14-16.

While God did make the Canaanites a snare to the Israelites, allowed them to follow their gods, and allowed them to suffer for it, He did send judges (leaders) from time to time in hopes that they would turn from their gods to Him, the one and only, Almighty God. That is all God ever asks of His people. “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” - Galatians 5:19-25.

When Jesus Christ died on the cross He paid tribute to God for every sinner, paid the debt owed to them for peace with God. All who call on Christ are secured, the debt is paid in full, and peace is made with God. What better way to give thanks for the debt paid is by honoring the promise we made. God will never expect us to do something we are unable to do, therefore He will never ask us to do it. What He does ask is that we give it our all. “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.” - Mark 12:30,31.

Jesus Christ Revealed: Today Jesus is revealed through the Angel of the Lord (2:1), Jesus, is God in the flesh ans Spirit, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” - Revelation 1:8

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

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