Not Without a Fight

June 18

Read: Judges 1:1-7

Not Without a Fight

Entering the “promised land” that God has for us - his people - never happens without a fight. The overly-simplified “name it and claim it” mentality is not found in the scriptures. It is a cartoonish representation of the truth to think that the way God works is that he simply “hands you” whatever it is you want. No, this is not the case. What God does is call his people into cooperation with HIM in what he is doing. God calls us into PARTICIPATION with him in his work. In short, the blessing of the promise land will always come after a fight.

Likewise, that blessing doesn’t happen without leadership and co-operation… first and foremost the leadership of the Lord and cooperation with HIM. Secondly the human leadership and cooperation God has called his people too. As we start the study of the book of Judges, we see all of these truths laid out here in the opening chapter: “After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel inquired of the LORD, “Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?” The LORD said, “Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand.” The people of God KNOW they need leadership, and they ask God who they should rally behind. Have you asked God who you should be following? Are you lining up behind the person God has called to lead you. It is not a bad thing to seek the Lord as ask for his direction in the way he is leading THROUGH his people. God gives a stamp of approval to Judah and he takes the lead… but he does not act alone.

“And Judah said to Simeon his brother, “Come up with me into the territory allotted to me, that we may fight against the Canaanites. And I likewise will go with you into the territory allotted to you.” Notice this cooperation. Who are you working with to carry out the mission that the Lord has sent you on? Who are you fighting alongside to help THEM enter into the fullness God has for them. God blesses Judah’s efforts, so this seems to tell me that He approved of Judah’s seeking out of Simeon. Judah sought Simeon out even though the Lord had already said that He would deliver the enemy into his hand. (cf. v.3) It was not a sign of Judah “lacking faith” that he teamed up with Simeon… it was a picture of how God calls us to work - in unity with one another.

Judah agreed to help Simeon fight for his place as well. They were helping one another carry out the work God had called them too. In summary, the blessing of God’s promised land for you will never come without a fight, and you need God ordained leadership and the help of each other to carry out the battle. This is the normal way God chooses to bless his people. God leading through the leader he raises up, calling them to work together so that the people of God can war against those enemies which seek to stop them from entering into God’s blessing.

There is one other foreshadowing of the need for Christ that we see here. Look at king Adoni-bezek: “Adoni-bezek fled, but they pursued him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and his big toes. And Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to pick up scraps under my table. As I have done, so God has repaid me.” What a weird and gruesome picture. Thumbs and big toes cut off. We see that the king refers to this as a case of “what goes around comes around”. It was God who repaid the king this way. This is a sobering truth: without some sort fo intervention, God will pour our “poetic justice” on humans. This king got what he deserved… he got a retributive justice poured out on him. What if WE got what we deserved? What if we had played out on us everything mean thing that we have dished out? This is where Jesus comes into play. Christ has absorbed for the children of God every bit of “poetic justice” that we should receive. Christ has had his proverbial “thumbs and toes” cut off so that WE do not have to. It is a true statement that the normal trajectory of the universe is that you keep what you sow, but Christ breaks those chains for us so that we receive blessing even when we do not deserve it. Christ has shielded us from “getting what we deserve”.

Are you ready for the fight? Where you expecting to just “walk into” the promise land of God without effort or resistance? Are you trying to “go it alone”? Are you fighting alongside someone else for THEIR chance to enter into “the land” the Lord has for them? Who are you allowing to “lead” you, and have you asked the Lord about them? That you Jesus for letting us keep our “thumbs and big toes”. Thank you that we don’t experience life “under the table eating scraps.” (cf. v.7) Looking forward to this book with you all. Love you guys. - JDP