What Comes Around

What Comes Around

What kind of devotional about God gets told from Judges 1? Let’s find out a little of what God has to teach from the beginning of this chapter. Brace yourself because it’s not pretty. Humiliation never is, but with God in control, it always has a beautiful result.

Judges 1:1 – Sometime after Joshua had died, the Israelis asked the LORD, “who is to lead us against the Canaanites in our opening attack against them? 2 – The LORD replied, “the tribe of Judah is to lead you. Look! I’ve given the land into their control.”

verse 3 – But the tribe of Judah told the tribe of Simeon, the descendants of Judah’s brother, “Come with us into our territory, and we’ll both fight the Canaanites. In return, we’ll go with you when you fight in your territory.” So the army of the tribe of Simeon accompanied the army of the tribe of Judah.

Verse 4 – When the army of the tribe of Judah went into battle, the LORD gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their control, and they defeated 10,000 men at Bezek. 5 – They located Adoni-bezek, fought him, and defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites.

Verse 6 – Adoni-bezek ran off, but they pursued him, caught him, and amputated his thumbs and big toes. 7 – Adoni-bezek used to brag, “Seventy kings without thumbs and big toes used to eat what was left under my table. God has repaid me for what I’ve done.” They brought him to Jerusalem, and he later died there. 8 – Then the arm of Judah attacked Jerusalem , captured it, executed its inhabitants, and set fire to the city.

Adoni-bezek bragged at all the kings he had humiliated and probably had no idea that God would permit him to be one day humbled in the same manner before his death – scrounging for food with no thumbs and no big toes.

I remember when I was a kid I used to make fun of kids who not only had braces but had to have the full headgear. Then one day after visiting the dentist my parents broke the news to me. Harold, you have to go see an orthodontist, you have a over-bite that, if not corrected, will bother you later on in life. So we went to see the orthodontist and she recommended a brief term of braces for 2 years to correct what was going in my mouth.

Oh the ache and the pain of getting those things installed and then tightened on a regular basis. Having to eat soft foods until the pain eased. Having to be way more meticulous about keeping my teeth clean. That was all a hassle but the icing on the cake was when I was informed that everything they were doing was not working. The braces did not come off at the two-year mark. Instead they were doing to add to them. And I endured 3 more years of a variety of head-gears. All 5 years of high-school I spent wearing braces and head-gears. Was God punishing me? Was God repaying me for all the kids I’d made fun of?

I’ve since forgotten words, been stranded on the side of the road and run out of money just to name a few things that have happened to me….things that I’ve witnessed others go through; things that I’ve mocked others for experiencing.

But the day came and the braces came off. I’ve seen the transformed smiles of those who’ve endured similar suffering. Wow!!!

I’ve also witnessed God giving me words out of nowhere, sending help and providing money at just the right time – showing me that He still wants to be Lord of my life.

Adoni-bezek was not permitted to die before he was to experience what he put 70 kings through. Was his life transformed for the better? I don’t know. But he acknowledged God. God was exalted in his life before he died.

Isaiah 2:11 says “Proud men will be brought low, arrogant men will be humiliated; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day. 12 – Indeed, the LORD who commands armies has planned a day of judgment, for all the high and mighty, for all who are proud – they will be humiliated…”

Jerusalem is going to burn again along with the whole world before being replaced by the New Jerusalem when the new heavens and the new earth are made. Don’t worry, It’s Jesus’ plan for us all to be brand new too if we will let him transform us.

Let’s live today according to Hebrews 12:2 and 3 “keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. For the joy set out for him he endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 – Think of him who endured such opposition against himself by sinners, so that you may not grow weary in your souls and give up.”

That old cliché says: What goes around …. comes around

With God…When life goes around – watch for Jesus to come around and make something beautiful. May God richly bless you today!