by Pastor Malcolm Harrison
This past Sunday morning our text for Preaching time was Judges 11:1-24(a), with emphasis on verse 23 & 24 “So now the Lord God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it? 24 Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess?”
The context of the chapter is, in and of itself, very interesting but for sake of time and space let me summarize it. The ‘Children Of Ammon” have come out to set themselves in battle formations against the children of Israel. Just as the wicked are setting themselves against Christians today!
“Possessing Peace” Bible Study by Loretta Walker (Click on the image for more information.)
The Children Of Israel had appointed a great captain over themselves who sent messengers to the Ammonites to ask them why they were confronting the children of Israel? Their answer, in short, was “you took our land and we want it back”. The Children if Israel replied ‘no, we didn’t take it from you, God gave it to us’! Moreover, since God gave it to us, should we then just hand it to you? Should we give away the precious gifts of God to you? Jepthah went on to ask them the question: “If your god gives you something will you not possess it?”
Hey Christian, let me ask you something! Our Lord has given us many precious gifts, like hope in the finished work of Christ on the cross – should we instead put our hope in the world? Our God has given us the assurance of his eternal inheritance, his eternal salvation, his eternal redemption – shall we rather place our confidence, not in the eternal intercessor, which is Christ [Hebrews 7:25], but in man? Our God has given us confidence in prayer; shall we turn instead to the world, which offers no real answers, no loving sure plan for an expected end [Jeremiah 29:11] or to the Father of Mercy? Jepthah’s reply is bold and exudes confidence in God. “No! God has given this to us and you cannot have it!”
“Principles of Proper Weight Control (From a Glutton’s Point of View)” by Frieda Cowling $6 (Click on the image for more information.)
Why then do so many Christians turn to the physical world for spiritual help, hope, acceptance, rescue and deliverance? Why do so many Christians conduct themselves as if the world were their redeemer? May I remind you that those things surrendered to the world; your testimony, your witness, your faith, your walk, your hope and your confidence – you likely won’t get back. Those things you surrender to the world, if you do ever get them back, it will be at great personal cost. As such why give them away? If your earthly father gave you a gift of great value, perhaps a family heirloom of immense importance, wouldn’t you cherish it? Wouldn’t you keep it protected and guard it with your life? If some lunatic came along who demanded that you hand it over to him, would you do so without so much as a whimper?
I see Christians doing just that! Husbands handing over their children to the world. Mothers handing over their modesty to the world. Teenagers handing over their chastity to the peer pressure of dogs. Christians have much to be thankful for that should not be handed over to the world. Why hand your testimony over to the world and the devil? Why hand over to the enemy those precious things which God has given you? Let the world possess those things it’s god {Lucifer} gives it and let us possess those things which our God gives us!
