March 19 - Judges 3-5: Cycles of Evil & Rescue

This rollercoaster ride with the Israelites in the time of the Judges has just begun and I'm already feeling a little nauseous!  Up and down, round and round.  Do evil.  Forget God. Anger God. Cry out to God. God raises up a savior to rescue.  Quiet.  Repeat cycle.

Interesting how it makes me sick to read this about someone else's life, but apparently I can be quite comfortable with the cycle in my own life.  Thank God that He let us off the rollercoaster in the person of Jesus Christ who is the last Word, the eternal Savior.

So now we have a high priest who perfectly fits our needs: completely holy, uncompromised by sin, with authority extending as high as God's presence in heaven itself.  Unlike the other high priests, who have to offer sacrifices for his own sins every day before he can get around to us and our sins.  He's done it, once and for all: offered up himself as the sacrifice.  The law appoints as high priests men who are never able to get the job done right.  But this intervening command of God, which came later, appoints the Son, who is absolutely, eternally perfect. Hebrews 7:26-28 (Msg)

I'm changing direction a little here, but another sin stronghold in the story of the Israelites, is their fear of iron chariots.  We read in Joshua (17:16) and now in Judges (1:19; 4:13) about the number of chariots their enemies had and how they could not stand up to this weapon of war in their own strength.  But, God prevailed over chariots, this visible strength of the enemy had no power over Him.

Now this I know:
   The LORD gives victory to his anointed.
He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary
   with the victorious power of his right hand.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
   but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.  Psalm 20:6-7 (NIV)

The chariots of God are tens of thousands
   and thousands of thousands;
   the Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary.
When you ascended on high,
   you took many captives;
   you received gifts from people,
even from the rebellious—
   that you, LORD God, might dwell there. 
Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior,
   who daily bears our burdens.
Our God is a God who saves;
   from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death.  Psalm 68:17-20 (NIV)

He is our eternal Savior, the victor over chariots.  Where am I putting my trust?  In my ability to confess enough, to get it right, to rid myself of strongholds?  Or from My Sovereign Lord who is the escape from sin and death?