CAC LIVING WATER DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR JULY 13, 2022 : TOPIC – As it was in the days of the Judges
Christ Apostolic Church Living Water Daily Devotional Guide
Wednesday, July 13, 2022
As it was in the days of the Judges
Read Judges 2:1-16
1 Now the Angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And He said, I brought you up from Egypt and have brought you to the land which I swore to give to your fathers, and I said, I will never break My covenant with you;
2 And you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; but you shall break down their altars. But you have not obeyed My voice. Why have you done this?
3 So now I say, 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 to you.
4 When the Angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the Israelites, the people lifted up their voice and wept.
5 They named that place Bochim [weepers], and they sacrificed there to the Lord.
6 And when Joshua had let the people go, the Israelites went every man to his inheritance to possess the land.
7 And 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 did for Israel.
8 And Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being 110 years old.
9 And they buried him within the boundary of his inheritance in Timnath-heres in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.
10 And also all that generation were gathered to their fathers, and there arose another generation after them who did not know (recognize, understand) the Lord, or even the work which He had done for Israel.
11 And the people of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals.
12 And they forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers, Who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods of the peoples round about them and bowed down to them, and provoked the Lord to anger.
13 And they forsook the Lord and served Baal [the god worshiped by the Canaanites] and the Ashtaroth [female deities such as Ashtoreth and Asherah].
14 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and He gave them into the power of plunderers who robbed them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could no longer stand before their foes.
15 Whenever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn to them; and they were bitterly distressed.
16 But the Lord raised up judges, who delivered them out of the hands of those who robbed them.
MEMORIZE: But the Lord raised up judges, who delivered them out of the hands of those who robbed them. (Judges 2:16).
EXPOSITION
God who is the Lord of the universe instituted the ministry of judges, and placed them amongst His people for leadership and their deliverance from their oppressors and captors. The ministry of judges is a notable ministry and dear to God. Not only those men and women listed in the book of Judges were Judges you see in this ministry. God raised some people to function in this office even before the judges came on board. Moses functioned as a lawgiver, prophet and judge unto the people. Some priests also functioned in this institution. Even some prophets were equally judges – Samuel, Elijah, and Elisha. Also, some people who showed military prowess in the Bible functioned in this ministry for God and His people.
On the other hand, some royal and political agents such as Esther, Mordecai, Daniel, Nehemiah, and Zerubbabel functioned as Judges. All these people serve God’s purpose in delivering His elects from oppression, according to our memory Scripture. Jesus Christ our Lord, Peter, John, Paul, as well as some Church fathers (Augustine Constantine, and Martin Luther among others) functioned in this office.
Has God changed? NO! Of course, He can’t and won’t change (Heb.13v8). He is still relating with us as before, which means God still raises people as judges amongst us today. And the reality is that the Church of God needs this ministry as a matter of necessity and for survival, even as we are in the end time, when salvation is close to us more than when we first believed. Therefore, pray for God’s ordained judges in our time and nations! This is, and would be the ministry of the Two Witnesses (Rev.11v3-13). Come, Lord Jesus. Amen
HYMN FOR TODAY: CAC GHB 480
PRAYER POINTS
1. Ask for the grace to stand for God as His true representative, even in the face of the worst and painful treatment.
2. O Lord, raise for us effective leaders who will deliever Your people from tyranny.
3. Speak against every contrary wind, blowing evil and destruction against our peace, in Jesus name.
Extra Reading for Today: Proverbs 13-15
Author: CAC Worldwide