Judges 3:14,15
“And the sons of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab for eighteen years. But when the sons of Israel cried out to the LORD, the LORD raised up a deliverer for them, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjaminite, a left-handed man. And the sons of Israel sent tribute by him to Eglon the king of Moab.”
This is the cycle in the time of the judges. Israel would be freed by a judge. They would be happy and grateful, but would forsake the Lord in ten or so years. They would be captured by a foreign king and be subservient to them until they got weary of it. They would cry out to the Lord and He would raise up a judge and he would deliver them.
This passage caught my attention because they tolerated being enslaved for 18 years before calling out to God. We all sin and stumble. We feel remorse, confess to God and He forgives and restores us. We want a quick turn around time. The Prodigal Son had his rebellion and walked away from the father. We’re not sure of the time frame, but it doesn’t seem that long. He ran out of money and his friends left him. His job was feeding a farmer’s pigs. It was there that he saw his error. He decided to go home and be a servant there. It would seem to be about six months.
Why did it take them 18 years? It may be these were raised by parents in rebellion and didn’t know the ways of God. They hadn’t experienced the goodness of God and all the blessings available to them. They may not have known that they should repent and return to God. There may have been God fearing people amongst them who began to get an audience. Word was spreading about how God could deliver them and bless their lives. That began to spread and it became common talk amongst the people. More and more people began to pray for deliverance. It eventually caught on and many prayers were ascending to God.
The lesson is don’t live with sin, but confess it and ask God to deliver us from it. Addictions make this difficult. We may have a strong attraction that addiction. There is a spectrum as to how much we are addicted. Some will steal and lie to keep it going. Some could walk away from it, but like it enough that it’s still part of their lives.
Make these issues of prayer. Tell friends who can pray for you. God can keep us from addiction. We need to let Jesus’ words in Matthew 16:24 be a part of our lives, ‘Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.”‘ Denying ourselves needs to be a part of our lives. Anything that enslaves us is an idol. If we can’t say no to something from time to time we are addicted. We need help. Celebrate Recovery is a great ministry. The Lord has used it to allow many to say no.
Lord, thank You, for keeping me close and for keeping me free. Help us to keep You Lord and to not be enslaved. Thank You.
