King James Bible Study – “And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” – Mark 8:34
Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2020
Chapters: Judges 3-5
Message: The Snares of The Devil
Hello My Friend,
As I was praying, and as I read the chapters for today, I could not help, but get a reminder as to why God says that His faithful are not to be yoked with those of other faiths or of the world. We think that we have the power in our own flesh to change someones mind about salvation and God’s ways, we think we have the power to get them to see Jesus as we know Him, we thing we have the power to get them to see what the Bible says, and follow it like we did. The sad truth is, we, saved, born again, Christians, no matter how strong our faith, we do not have the power within ourselves to change someone, only God can, but they too must be willing to submit to Him. And, let me tell you, if we are not grounded in Christ, it is not we who change them, they will change us. How? Without Christ, we have no power against the snares of the devil.
“Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” – II Timothy 2:19-21,24-26.
Snare; Any thing by which one is entangled and brought into trouble. God said that He was going to leave some of the inhabitants in Canaan to be a snare to the Israelites since they would not remove them all from the land, and that is exactly what He did. Why? To prove them, to test them to see if they were going to turn on Him. This was not about someone committing sin, this is about the one after another forsaking God, and turning to the world, all of its evils, and false gods. Once Joshua died it did not take long for them to turn on God, so, He would give them up to the snares. However, each time things would get so bad that they knew their only option was to call on God, He was there to deliver them, in which He appointed judges to help remove the snares from them. As long as there was a godly judge they did pretty good, but as soon as that person died it did not take long for them to turn on God. The first judge of Israel was Othniel, God used him to judge Israel for forty years.
“Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan; Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof; Namely, five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baalhermon unto the entering in of Hamath. And they were to prove Israel by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves. Therefore the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushanrishathaim eight years.” – Judges 3:1-4,7-8.
“and forgat the LORD their God,” You see, this is what it is all about, we are all sinners, but there is a difference between those who sin against God and those who forget God. Those who sin against God walk with God, they come to Him confessing their sin, seeking forgiveness, and help to overcome their sin. Those who forget God, they have forgotten everything that Jesus has done for them, and turned to false gods, which include religions that condone and even accept evil. Those who forget God will be entangled with the trouble that comes from the god in which they have turned to. These are those who actually have gotten saved, then turned away, and they will die in their sin because it will overtake them. “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.” – II Peter 2:20-21.
“and he sold them into the hand” And here is another thing, this is not just one person worshiping a false god, this is an entire congregation. God will not just sit there and watch His people with their false gods, acting like they know Him, and leading so many into sinful, and immoral living, He will give them into the hands of the snares. However, He is faithful to forgive and help those who come to Him willingly. Account after account is given of God delivering Israel out of the snares once they came to Him, and this is what the judges were for.
“And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the LORD delivered Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushanrishathaim. And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died. And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD. But when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, the LORD raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab. And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: and he also delivered Israel.” – Judges 3:10-12,15,31.
“the LORD raised them up a deliverer,” Who is our deliverer from the snare of Satan? Jesus Christ, of course. This is why we need someone godly to guide us, if we do not have that guide, then we will fall as we attempt to do things in our own understanding, and not God’s. And this is why Jesus uses under shepherds, these are the pastors and ministers that lead His Church. God uses every willing vessel to get His people to see that they need Christ more than just for their salvation. God knew that as long as Israel had a godly leader they would remain faithful to Him. Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, judged Israel after they became so oppressed by their enemies that they cried out to God, and He delivered them. Then we come to the fourth judge, a woman named Deborah, God used her to judge Israel for over forty years.
“And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, when Ehud was dead. And the LORD sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose host was Sisera, which dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles. And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD: for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel. And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the LORD God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun? And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand. And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go. And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arose, and went with Barak to Kedesh.” – Judges 4:1-4,6-9.
“for the LORD shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Back then, and still in many parts of the world today, if a man was led by a woman it was a disgrace to the man. Deborah knew this, but she still obeyed God and led the people peaceably for forty years. God uses every willing soul for His work, if the men will not step up, He will appoint a woman to do it. I do not know how many times I get a man telling me that I am to remain silent about teaching the Bible. God never said that a woman cannot teach the Bible, He just said that a woman is not to have authority in His Church, and to remain silent from arguing the views of His under shepherd. “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” – I Timothy 2:11-14.
Me, knowing that I am a sinner, has such a hard time understanding why God continues to use me. I asked God why the snares when He knows I fail Him. Do you know what He said to me? “My grace is sufficient.” You know, there is another difference between those who sin against God and those who forget Him, the ones who sin against Him cry out to Him daily, knowing they are sinners, they feel the pain they caused by failing their Father. They wonder why He never leaves nor forsakes them, even though they do not always do what is pleasing to Him. Yet, His grace abounds. Let me tell you, it is the guilt of sinning against God that hurts more than the sting of the sin itself. Yet our Father is forever faithful to forgive and cleanse us of our unrighteousness when we come to Him confessing our sin, (I John 1:9). Amen! After God delivered Israel, Deborah and Barak sang a song, praising God for all that He had done.
“Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying, Praise ye the LORD for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves. Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the LORD; I will sing praise to the LORD God of Israel. In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways. The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel. Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty. So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years.” – Judges 5:1-3,6-7,23,31.
“that I arose a mother in Israel.” Sometimes, God will use a woman to lead a guy in the way that He wants him to go. Women are the influence, they can make or break a guy, a godly woman truly is a virtue to the man that God led him to. “Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.” – Proverbs 31:30-31. God will place snares in our lives to prove us, to grow us, to keep our eyes on Him, and our heart tender and fearing Him. He will also use snares to separate His people from the weeds. “He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.” – Matthew 13:28-30.
Today’s Prayer: God, I know that I am nothing without You and that the snares in my life are allowed to prove my faithfulness to You. Lord, purge me from the things that prevent me from being who You want me to be, lead me and guide me, help me to find the strength to stand before You as a virtuous vessel of honor, let me be an encouragement to others, a good and godly teacher of Your Word in word and deed, help me to be strong for those who may need a helping hand, and to keep serving You however You lead me. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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