To Test and To Train

June 26

Read: Judges 2:20-3:6

To Test and To Train

Have you ever thought it would be easier if God simply made it so that you COULD NOT sin once you came to Christ? Like, he simply removed the possibility for it to even happen. Poof! In an instant… totally changed. You know God has that capacity, right? Yet he didn’t. The fact of the matter is that God doesn’t always “drive out” our enemies. We see that here today:

“I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died, in order to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the LORD as their fathers did, or not.” (v. 2:21)

God is very willing to allow enemies to remain in order to “test” his people. This idea is reiterated again at the beginning of chapter 3: “Now these are the nations that the LORD left, to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan.” We see something bigger at play here. God is most definitely concerned with our sinning… but he is even more concerned with our ability to navigate sin and resist it - even if it means that at times we fail. This is why he leaves the nations to “test” Israel. God is fully aware of what will happen. He knows that Israel will be ensnared by the false idols. It is more important to him to “test” his people. There is more to it though.

“It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before.” (v. 3:2)

God also leaves these nations to teach his people to fight. There were complete generations that did not know how to fight… they did not know the struggle of God’s people. These generations had it easy. They had been exempt from war for a season. God not only wants to test his people… he wants “to teach war to those who had not known it before.” Do you know war? Have you wrestled with sin and brokenness? Do not be afraid or discouraged. God is with you in this. This process of testing and training refines you. God leaves behind enemies for us to test us and to train us. Why is this? Because we are in God’s image and our God is a warrior who battles against sin, death, and Satan.

Our own battles with the enemies that remain around us can be discouraging at times. The accuser will use our moments of failure against us… he will make us feel like there is no hope. Do not despair! God is training you and testing you… he is teaching you how to endure. The struggle is a good thing… the battle is a good thing. What we are about to see in Judges is that in EVERY STRUGGLE when the people of God call out he comes alongside them and fights with them. I know it seem like it would have been better for God to just snap his fingers and remove every enemy so that we never ran the risk of sinning… but he prefers that we are battle tested and trained to fight. There is a spiritual battle all around us and God is refining us and preparing us for that battle through our own battles against sin. This is why Paul says, “we are MORE THAN conquerer’s in Christ”. (Rom. 8:31-39) Remember this the next time you are in the midst of the battle! Love you guys! - JDP