MARCH 11 and the LORD was with Judah; and he drove out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron (Judg. 1:19) Clearly and plainly, the Scripture says, “The Lord was with Judah.” But yet Judah failed to take advantage of the might and power of the Lord, which could have helped them do anything. While “chariots of iron” may have been a formidable obstacle to Judah, they were nothing to the Lord. But yet Judah did not depend entirely on the Lord as they should have, and the enemy remained. They looked at the “chariots of iron” instead of looking at the “Arm of the Lord,” and so became the miserable bondmen of those whom they should have utterly destroyed. They first permitted to remain in their midst the inhabitants of the land, and then, very soon, became insensible of the existence of these sources of evil and misery. Such is the sad history presently of many a Christian, and many a Church. The faith of a weak woman, Achsah, and the courage of her cousin, Othniel (Judg. 1:12–15), are here again recorded by the Holy Spirit; they stand out in contrast to the cowardice and unbelief of the Tribes. By the victories given to Judah, Simeon, and Manasseh, God showed what he could do for the heart that trusted Him. But the ground won by faith can only be held by faith; and very soon, therefore, the Canaanite and the Philistine recovered possession of what they had lost, which proved to be a terrible thorn in the side of Israel, and was so all the days of the Judges, a time frame of over 400 years. We learn from Judges that the “Promise” is different than the “Possession.” The “Promise” does not contain a “Possession” free of the enemy, but, most of the time, filled with the enemy. However, as Faith claims the Promise, likewise, it must claim the Possession of the Promise. The principle now is the same as then. While Israel of old fought physical enemies, we today fight spiritual enemies, but, as stated, the principle is the same. The Lord has given us the Promise, but, if we do not trust Him, the “chariots of spiritual iron” will never be dispossessed.
Posted on: Tue, 11 Mar 2014 11:34:58 +0000
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