The story of Naomi, Ruth and Boaz is beautiful. Naomi, who temporarily had lost security in life, was loving and kind to her daughters-in-law. Ruth had developed a heart for the Lord and had faith to stay with Naomi and go in a foreign land: to serve the God of Israel. Ruth had a noble character. Finally, Boaz was compassionate to Ruth, a foreigner woman, just as God had told the Israelites to do.
At the end all three of them are blessed for their faith. Naomi gets a family to take care of her in her old age. Ruth gets a gracious husband, and Boaz gets a wife of a noble character. Aside from the current troubles the nation of Israel is in, it's great to see how God lovingly works in the life of each person and especially how He reveals His faithfulness to those who persevere in their faith.
There is a great song the lyrics of which are based on the story of Naomi and Ruth. It focuses on the moment when one woman kisses her mother-in-law then leaves her, but the other woman stays with her mother-in-law, in faith. We make the same type of choice every time we might feel that we are standing at a crossroad in our faith: to leave or stay and believe.
a kiss
a kiss is a clue to the heart
a window that lets light impart
or hides you away in the dark
the dark can consume and it will
your will an enemy still
and it will be forever until
you kiss and tell
me what you’re thinking
kiss and tell me what you believe
are you brave enough
have faith enough to stay...
truth
truth is the one thing we trust
worthy of all that we must
give up to gain to matter what
what if the road’s not paved with ease
what if storms are all you see
will you kiss and leave
or stay and still believe
don’t trade your inheritance
for a moments worth of pleasure
it only adds to emptiness
a world of worthless treasure
(sang by Crystal Lewis)
Monday, March 22, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
March 21: Judges 10 to 12
Today's passage continues the story of Israel's judges and focuses primarily on the figure of Jephthah. There are 12 judges mentioned in the book, covering a period of 400 years. In the history of Israel under the judges, we can trace our own spiritual histories: we seek the Lord earnestly during times of trial but neglect Him when skies are blue. Only the coming of further trouble would draw the people back to the Lord. Judges 21:25 tells us: "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit." God deserved the rightful place as Israel's king, but the people pushed Him aside.
In Chapter 10, we read that the Israelites sought the Lord only out of desperation, having witnessed the Ammonites' approach from across the Jordan. God noted, however, that the Israelites had "forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!" Yet, Israel repents, drawing God's compassion for their "misery."
Then, Jephthah arrives on the scene. His brothers had cast out this "might warrior" because "you are the son of another woman." There is an interesting tie between Israel's desperation choice of following God and the people's choice of Jephthah as their commander. His previous betrayal made him cautious in accepting the leadership assignment before receiving their assurances that he would indeed have their support.
Jephthah receives a special anointing, saved for only a few characters in the Old Testament: "Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah." God had anointed Jephthah for his service, bestowing wisdom and insight upon him in order to serve the Israelites. Yet, in the same paragraph, Jephthah then seeks to abuse God's blessing through a foolish vow: "If you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the LORD's, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering."
God does deliver on His end of the vow, and Jephthah faces disappointment when his daughter comes to greet him after the great victory. Jephthah upheld his word, despite the cost.
We do have a puzzling question about the nature of the sacrifice. Did Jephthah offer his daughter as a human sacrifice? Four times in the Scriptures, we read that God disallows human sacrifice, and Jephthah must have had familiarity with the Law. The priests would not have authorized such a sacrifice, and such a blunder would have disqualified him from placement in Hebrews 11's "Hall of Faith."
Instead, Jephthah had vowed or committed his daughter to a life of dedication to the Lord's service. Her two-month wandering allowed her to mourn her inability to marry and bear children, not to mourn her upcoming death. Jephthah's family line would die out with her. The note in Judges 11:39 about her "virgin" status would not make sense in light of a full sacrifice.
Jephthah acted as a man of honor in carrying out his promise and presenting his daughter as a living sacrifice to the Lord. His commitment to God outweighed even family loyalty and personal happiness. Lesser men would have renounced the vow the moment they saw their precious daughter walking through the front door.
QUESTIONS
1. How can you seek the Lord in all seasons, even when the skies are blue?
2. Have you committed to the Lord in something and not yet completed it? How can you take steps towards this goal?
In Chapter 10, we read that the Israelites sought the Lord only out of desperation, having witnessed the Ammonites' approach from across the Jordan. God noted, however, that the Israelites had "forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!" Yet, Israel repents, drawing God's compassion for their "misery."
Then, Jephthah arrives on the scene. His brothers had cast out this "might warrior" because "you are the son of another woman." There is an interesting tie between Israel's desperation choice of following God and the people's choice of Jephthah as their commander. His previous betrayal made him cautious in accepting the leadership assignment before receiving their assurances that he would indeed have their support.
Jephthah receives a special anointing, saved for only a few characters in the Old Testament: "Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah." God had anointed Jephthah for his service, bestowing wisdom and insight upon him in order to serve the Israelites. Yet, in the same paragraph, Jephthah then seeks to abuse God's blessing through a foolish vow: "If you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the LORD's, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering."
God does deliver on His end of the vow, and Jephthah faces disappointment when his daughter comes to greet him after the great victory. Jephthah upheld his word, despite the cost.
We do have a puzzling question about the nature of the sacrifice. Did Jephthah offer his daughter as a human sacrifice? Four times in the Scriptures, we read that God disallows human sacrifice, and Jephthah must have had familiarity with the Law. The priests would not have authorized such a sacrifice, and such a blunder would have disqualified him from placement in Hebrews 11's "Hall of Faith."
Instead, Jephthah had vowed or committed his daughter to a life of dedication to the Lord's service. Her two-month wandering allowed her to mourn her inability to marry and bear children, not to mourn her upcoming death. Jephthah's family line would die out with her. The note in Judges 11:39 about her "virgin" status would not make sense in light of a full sacrifice.
Jephthah acted as a man of honor in carrying out his promise and presenting his daughter as a living sacrifice to the Lord. His commitment to God outweighed even family loyalty and personal happiness. Lesser men would have renounced the vow the moment they saw their precious daughter walking through the front door.
QUESTIONS
1. How can you seek the Lord in all seasons, even when the skies are blue?
2. Have you committed to the Lord in something and not yet completed it? How can you take steps towards this goal?
Saturday, March 20, 2010
March 20
Develop your conflict resolution and leadership skills
Judges 8:1-3 Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, "Why have you treated us like this? Why didn't you call us when you went to fight Midian?" And they criticized him sharply.
2But he answered them, "What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren't the gleanings of Ephraim's grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer? 3God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?" At this, their resentment against him subsided.
Picking up on a lesson from the last paragraph of yesterday’s reading.
Gideon was a reluctant leader but God gave him an amazing victory. With 300 men they were able to defeat an army described as “thick as locust.” It is clear that God blessed him. Yet Ephraim’s leaders felt left out because Gideon had not called them to join the battle. They felt slighted because they were only called in for “mopping up” operations. So they criticized Gideon sharply in an angry confrontation. While Gideon wasn’t much on bravery he was great on conflict resolution skills and leadership. Rather than strike back, give them the silent treatment or battle with them, he was gracious to them, because of his confidence in God. He diplomatically points out that the rear guard actions were actually greater than his own actions. WOW!!
Four lessons for us…
1. When we lead there is no way to avoid criticism. Leading means we will take heat. In our leadership we must have pleasing our God as our motivation. We must do every action to please an audience of one. We will have to wait until the judgment day to have a review of our leadership. A leader must have the heart of a dove and the hide of a rhino.
2. When criticized show grace. The pull of the human heart is to strike back, demand our rights…. God wants us to show grace. A great leader shows grace and can build a team even when people are criticizing.
3. Just because a job is highly visible it doesn’t make it more important. There are no second class roles in God’s kingdom. A cup of water given in Jesus’ name is as vital as preaching before thousands. Pride causes people to think they need to be up front and visible. We need to encourage people to be faithful in working even when no one sees except God.
4. One additional lesson on leadership found in today’s reading is the legacy you leave behind. Abimelech usurps the throne, kills his 70 brothers and becomes the leader of Israel. But what is his mission? His mission is to make a name for himself. At the city of Thebes that mission comes to an end. A woman drops a millstone on Abimelech’s head and cracks his skull. He says to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and kill me, so that they can’t say, ‘A woman killed me’.” So his servant ran him through, and he died. His mission to make a name for himself even dominates his death. Some very interesting words then appear. “When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they went home.”
“Well, that mission is over. I guess I have to go home and vacuum the house and wash the chariot today.”
Great leaders have a mission that is eternal, that transcends their lives. The mission of great leaders is not to make our names known but to make God’s name known. Otherwise when you die, people will come to your funeral, eat some potato salad, and go home to vacuum their houses.
Judges 8:1-3 Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, "Why have you treated us like this? Why didn't you call us when you went to fight Midian?" And they criticized him sharply.
2But he answered them, "What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren't the gleanings of Ephraim's grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer? 3God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?" At this, their resentment against him subsided.
Picking up on a lesson from the last paragraph of yesterday’s reading.
Gideon was a reluctant leader but God gave him an amazing victory. With 300 men they were able to defeat an army described as “thick as locust.” It is clear that God blessed him. Yet Ephraim’s leaders felt left out because Gideon had not called them to join the battle. They felt slighted because they were only called in for “mopping up” operations. So they criticized Gideon sharply in an angry confrontation. While Gideon wasn’t much on bravery he was great on conflict resolution skills and leadership. Rather than strike back, give them the silent treatment or battle with them, he was gracious to them, because of his confidence in God. He diplomatically points out that the rear guard actions were actually greater than his own actions. WOW!!
Four lessons for us…
1. When we lead there is no way to avoid criticism. Leading means we will take heat. In our leadership we must have pleasing our God as our motivation. We must do every action to please an audience of one. We will have to wait until the judgment day to have a review of our leadership. A leader must have the heart of a dove and the hide of a rhino.
2. When criticized show grace. The pull of the human heart is to strike back, demand our rights…. God wants us to show grace. A great leader shows grace and can build a team even when people are criticizing.
3. Just because a job is highly visible it doesn’t make it more important. There are no second class roles in God’s kingdom. A cup of water given in Jesus’ name is as vital as preaching before thousands. Pride causes people to think they need to be up front and visible. We need to encourage people to be faithful in working even when no one sees except God.
4. One additional lesson on leadership found in today’s reading is the legacy you leave behind. Abimelech usurps the throne, kills his 70 brothers and becomes the leader of Israel. But what is his mission? His mission is to make a name for himself. At the city of Thebes that mission comes to an end. A woman drops a millstone on Abimelech’s head and cracks his skull. He says to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and kill me, so that they can’t say, ‘A woman killed me’.” So his servant ran him through, and he died. His mission to make a name for himself even dominates his death. Some very interesting words then appear. “When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they went home.”
“Well, that mission is over. I guess I have to go home and vacuum the house and wash the chariot today.”
Great leaders have a mission that is eternal, that transcends their lives. The mission of great leaders is not to make our names known but to make God’s name known. Otherwise when you die, people will come to your funeral, eat some potato salad, and go home to vacuum their houses.
Friday, March 19, 2010
March 19
Accountability day .... don’t get distracted by the beautiful weather. Make sure to give God time to speak to you. Once you have, send me an email.
Daring to dream again
One of my favorite films is “October Sky.” It’s the true story of Homer Hickam, who grew up in the mining town of Coalwood, West Virginia during the 1950s. Everyone believed the sons of Coalwood were destined to be coal miners. The only exceptions were the lucky few who made it to college on a football scholarship. But young Homer had a different dream for his life. On an October night in 1955 Homer saw the Soviet Sputnik satellite in the night sky orbiting high above the earth. That single event changed Homer’s life forever. Seeing Sputnik sparked a dream of flying rockets. As the movie unfolds, Homer chases his dream of launching his very own rocket. For Homer, living his dream meant lifting his eyes beyond the confines of Coalwood and looking skyward.
How about you? What dreams do you have for your life? In our present economy the dreams of today are to hold onto your job and keep your house. But I think God wants us to have bigger dreams than that. I am talking about dreams that count for eternity. Big, scary, out of the box dreams that attempt to change the world.
Today in our reading we stumble upon a man hiding in a winepress threshing his wheat. What is interesting about the encounter with the Lord is the address. “The Lord is with you, MIGHTY WARRIOR!!”
That greeting is a huge oxymoron. There is Gideon, the picture of defeat and discouragement, a man living in the pits, and the Lord is calling him, “Mighty Warrior.” That was the purpose of the visit of the angel of the Lord (Preincarnate Jesus). He came to Gideon to call him to a new dream of living in freedom from Midianite oppression. God had a dream of liberation… he needed to find someone who would share this dream on earth.
New dreams start with a new identity. God saw Gideon differently than Gideon saw himself. There are 2 ways to view every individual.....
Some see Clark Kent but God sees Superman
Some see Peter Parker but God sees Spiderman
Some see childless Abraham but God see the Father of nations.
Some see “Foot in Mouth Peter” but Jesus sees Rocky.
If your dreams have faded or even died.
If the pain from the past has crushed all hope of a better future.
Even if you have become resistant to the idea of dreaming again.
Ask the Lord to Lord to allow you to become a dreamer. Lift your eyes above the pit and see that with God we can be all be “Mighty Warriors.”
Daring to dream again
One of my favorite films is “October Sky.” It’s the true story of Homer Hickam, who grew up in the mining town of Coalwood, West Virginia during the 1950s. Everyone believed the sons of Coalwood were destined to be coal miners. The only exceptions were the lucky few who made it to college on a football scholarship. But young Homer had a different dream for his life. On an October night in 1955 Homer saw the Soviet Sputnik satellite in the night sky orbiting high above the earth. That single event changed Homer’s life forever. Seeing Sputnik sparked a dream of flying rockets. As the movie unfolds, Homer chases his dream of launching his very own rocket. For Homer, living his dream meant lifting his eyes beyond the confines of Coalwood and looking skyward.
How about you? What dreams do you have for your life? In our present economy the dreams of today are to hold onto your job and keep your house. But I think God wants us to have bigger dreams than that. I am talking about dreams that count for eternity. Big, scary, out of the box dreams that attempt to change the world.
Today in our reading we stumble upon a man hiding in a winepress threshing his wheat. What is interesting about the encounter with the Lord is the address. “The Lord is with you, MIGHTY WARRIOR!!”
That greeting is a huge oxymoron. There is Gideon, the picture of defeat and discouragement, a man living in the pits, and the Lord is calling him, “Mighty Warrior.” That was the purpose of the visit of the angel of the Lord (Preincarnate Jesus). He came to Gideon to call him to a new dream of living in freedom from Midianite oppression. God had a dream of liberation… he needed to find someone who would share this dream on earth.
New dreams start with a new identity. God saw Gideon differently than Gideon saw himself. There are 2 ways to view every individual.....
Some see Clark Kent but God sees Superman
Some see Peter Parker but God sees Spiderman
Some see childless Abraham but God see the Father of nations.
Some see “Foot in Mouth Peter” but Jesus sees Rocky.
If your dreams have faded or even died.
If the pain from the past has crushed all hope of a better future.
Even if you have become resistant to the idea of dreaming again.
Ask the Lord to Lord to allow you to become a dreamer. Lift your eyes above the pit and see that with God we can be all be “Mighty Warriors.”
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
March 18
Judges 4-5 Reluctant Leadership
Judges 4:9 "Very well," Deborah said, "I will go with you. But because of the way you are going about this, the honor will not be yours, for the Lord will hand Sisera over to a woman."
Deborah (whose name means “honeybee”) was both a prophetess and a judge (she was leading Israel).
The Bible records several women who held national leadership positions, and Deborah was an exceptional woman. Obviously she was the best person for the job, and God chose her to lead Israel. God can choose anyone to lead his people, young or old, man or woman. Don’t let your prejudices get in the way of those God may have chosen to lead you.
How about Barak? Was he a coward or just a guy with shaky faith? We don’t know Barak’s character, but we see the character of a great leader in Deborah, who took charge as God directed. Deborah told Barak that God would be with him in battle, but that was not enough for Barak. He wanted Deborah to go with him. Barak’s request shows that at heart he trusted human strength more than God’s promise. A person of real faith steps out at God’s command, even if he or she must do so alone.
So how did Deborah command such respect? What accounts for her leadership?
1. She cared about the people. She wanted justice which many times goes in favor of rich and powerful people. She was the original Judge Judy in that people came to her to have disputed cases adjudicated. This is amazing because the structure of culture was decidedly patriarchal.
2. She was in touch with God. God spoke to her and she relayed the message to Barak.
3. She was not afraid of the iron chariots. If you remember from the recent past, this was an issue for the tribe of Judah. She had her eyes focused on God and not the chariots.
4. She was motivated to action by the decline in her country. In her song in chapter 5 she reveals her passion for victory. The nation was so crippled by their enemies that people had to sneak about on winding pathways; they would not drive on route 95. These enemies also brought in new gods and yet 40,000 men did nothing about it. They abandoned their position as leaders and as a result, up to the plate steps this “soccer mom” or in 2010 terms a “hockey mom.”
The story of Deborah and the courageous woman, Jael, demonstrates what God can obviously do through women. They are certainly capable of doing whatever task needs to be accomplished. Yet the reason for her having to step up to the plate was that the men had neglected their role as spiritual leaders.
The question for both men and women is: Am I fulfilling to the best of my ability whatever role God may have given me?
March 17
Judges 2:10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.
What do you fear? One of the greatest fears I have as a father is of being greeted in heaven by the many people I have led to the Lord but failing to find my own children there. When I think about that possibility of that occurring it causes me sleepless nights. Now I know that God in his sovereignty is working everything out, but it is difficult from a human position to contemplate the reality. Over the centuries there have been many famous Christian’s whose children have not followed in their footsteps. D.L. Moody, A.W. Tozar, Charles H Spurgeon were men who faced this issue. This was also true for the first generation after the death of Joshua.
My hope on this beautiful spring day is that there are ways to guard against raising children who are spiritual wash outs. The strategy is not to raise perfect children, but children who. when they are older. will choose to love and serve God.
Here is a picture of the spiritual slide in the generations:
1st Generation. See the miracles and workings of God. They choose to live to please God and not people. They pray, read the word and are concerned with reaching outsiders. They are radically generous and have great joy in their walk with the Lord.
2nd generation. They are carried to church and do not see any radical change in their lives. 75% of them are saved before age 14. They don’t have the personal stories of God working mighty miracles in their lives. They never take a risk with God. They play it safe and live in their comfort zone. This generation places materialism in the place of God.
3rd Generation. They come to church but question WHY? It’s boring; it is hopelessly out of touch. The second generation says, “I know, but come to church anyhow.” The 3rd generation watches their parents and sees the inconsistencies and cry out “hypocrite.” When they come to me for counseling the 2nd generation says, “Didn’t I give you everything?” “I did it all for you.” But the third generation says, “I didn’t want your money, I wanted a parent.”
So what is the plan to move our children back to a first generation experience with God?
As parents we must “burn out” for Jesus. There is no place for lukewarm, comfortable Christianity in this world. When we think of the cross and the commitment Jesus made for us, this gives us the fuel necessary to make the radical commitment. “Yawning Christianity” is extremely dangerous. If you want the next generation to catch the Christian virus, we must be contagious.
I don’t know what this contagious Christianity will look like in your life and your family, but it is the only hope for your children. We can turn the tide, but it will only occur one life at a time.
What do you fear? One of the greatest fears I have as a father is of being greeted in heaven by the many people I have led to the Lord but failing to find my own children there. When I think about that possibility of that occurring it causes me sleepless nights. Now I know that God in his sovereignty is working everything out, but it is difficult from a human position to contemplate the reality. Over the centuries there have been many famous Christian’s whose children have not followed in their footsteps. D.L. Moody, A.W. Tozar, Charles H Spurgeon were men who faced this issue. This was also true for the first generation after the death of Joshua.
My hope on this beautiful spring day is that there are ways to guard against raising children who are spiritual wash outs. The strategy is not to raise perfect children, but children who. when they are older. will choose to love and serve God.
Here is a picture of the spiritual slide in the generations:
1st Generation. See the miracles and workings of God. They choose to live to please God and not people. They pray, read the word and are concerned with reaching outsiders. They are radically generous and have great joy in their walk with the Lord.
2nd generation. They are carried to church and do not see any radical change in their lives. 75% of them are saved before age 14. They don’t have the personal stories of God working mighty miracles in their lives. They never take a risk with God. They play it safe and live in their comfort zone. This generation places materialism in the place of God.
3rd Generation. They come to church but question WHY? It’s boring; it is hopelessly out of touch. The second generation says, “I know, but come to church anyhow.” The 3rd generation watches their parents and sees the inconsistencies and cry out “hypocrite.” When they come to me for counseling the 2nd generation says, “Didn’t I give you everything?” “I did it all for you.” But the third generation says, “I didn’t want your money, I wanted a parent.”
So what is the plan to move our children back to a first generation experience with God?
As parents we must “burn out” for Jesus. There is no place for lukewarm, comfortable Christianity in this world. When we think of the cross and the commitment Jesus made for us, this gives us the fuel necessary to make the radical commitment. “Yawning Christianity” is extremely dangerous. If you want the next generation to catch the Christian virus, we must be contagious.
I don’t know what this contagious Christianity will look like in your life and your family, but it is the only hope for your children. We can turn the tide, but it will only occur one life at a time.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
March 16
In today's passage, we read about Joshua's and Eleazar's death. This is significant because they were a direct link to the Moses and Aaron. Moses named Joshua as his successor and Aaron appointed his son Eleazar as high priest. Unfortunately this means that the nation of Israel will never be as united under God as they once were. God does not communicate to His people in the same way that He did with Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and Eleazar. The Israelites slowly start to drift away from the Lord.
This deviation from God's word and commands starts immediately. The Lord commanded the Israelites to completely conquer the Promised Land, driving out all the other inhabitants. God knew the Israelites would be tempted to follow false gods and teachings. If the Canaanites were not removed or eliminated, the Israelites would end up being curious about their religious practices and then possibly stray from the one true God.
In Judges 1, we learn that many of the tribes failed to drive out all of the Canaanites. The tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, Judah, Benjamin, Zebulun, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan did not complete the task of thoroughly conquering the land. In Judges 2:1-5, an angel of the Lord informs the people of their wrongdoings. Since they did not obey God, He would not drive the remaining Canaanites out of the promised land. They would be left there and be a thorn in the side of the Israelites.
It's important to understand that God loves his children and always has their best interest in mind. If they had fully obeyed God, the Israelites would have more fully enjoyed the land given to them. Because of their disobedience, they would not live in the promised land free of obstacles and stumbling blocks. Remember that there are always benefits to obeying God (even if we don't see it right away) and there are always consequences for disobeying Him. He knows what's best for us and loves us all very much.
This deviation from God's word and commands starts immediately. The Lord commanded the Israelites to completely conquer the Promised Land, driving out all the other inhabitants. God knew the Israelites would be tempted to follow false gods and teachings. If the Canaanites were not removed or eliminated, the Israelites would end up being curious about their religious practices and then possibly stray from the one true God.
In Judges 1, we learn that many of the tribes failed to drive out all of the Canaanites. The tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, Judah, Benjamin, Zebulun, Asher, Naphtali, and Dan did not complete the task of thoroughly conquering the land. In Judges 2:1-5, an angel of the Lord informs the people of their wrongdoings. Since they did not obey God, He would not drive the remaining Canaanites out of the promised land. They would be left there and be a thorn in the side of the Israelites.
It's important to understand that God loves his children and always has their best interest in mind. If they had fully obeyed God, the Israelites would have more fully enjoyed the land given to them. Because of their disobedience, they would not live in the promised land free of obstacles and stumbling blocks. Remember that there are always benefits to obeying God (even if we don't see it right away) and there are always consequences for disobeying Him. He knows what's best for us and loves us all very much.
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