And they were left, that He might test Israel by them, to know whether they would obey the commandments of the Lord, which He had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.
Judges 3:4 (NKJV)
In Judges chapter 3, we see that God left a couple of the Canaanite nations behind because Israel was not faithful in driving them out. God had initially told Israel to drive out these nations, and they had failed to do so, instead they collected tributes from them. Therefore, God decided to use their very own disobedience as a medium of training for them. One might rightly say that it was a combination of both their choice and God’s will.
What this shows us is that, even though God’s will for our lives remains the same, like we see with the Israelites – to devote themselves unto God in the promised land, with all inhabitants driven out, so they may serve God alone. Still the choices of Israel were still in play here. And God in all His wisdom is able to use ‘every’ and ‘any’ situation to achieve His purpose. His end goal is that His people learn to put their faith in Him and live lives solely dependent on God.
Many times also in our lives, we make choices that are not consistent with the plan of God for our lives. And in cases like this, what does God do? He ends up using those same situations we have put ourselves into as a medium of training us. Anytime I think about this, I am amazed about the wisdom of God. It shows that God can never be caught unaware, nor can He be clueless. He is able to still achieve His purposes even in our disobedience. But, we must not become bad examples of God’s wisdom. Instead, we must align with His plan and live our lives to please Him.
Therefore, check yourself and your current situation, are you walking in the plan of God or are you walking in the consequences of your actions. Whichever your case is, God is able to achieve His will through it all. Just repent and know what the will of God is. There is still so much to learn about His ways and plans as we walk with Him daily.
PRAYER
Father, I come before you today, have mercy on me for the times I have chosen to do things my way and brought consequences upon myself. I repent today and choose to live in obedience to your commands. Help me to see how you are leading me even in times like this, and help me to remain obedient to your Word.
