The Great Works of the Lord

So the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord which He had done for Israel. 

Judges 2:7 (NKJV)

Judges chapter 2 begins by showing us that an Angel of the Lord appeared to the Israelites and gave them a brief history of where God had taken them from and how far He has brought them, reminding them that God’s Covenant with them will never be broken from God’s end. But they have to preserve this covenant by not making any other covenant with the people of the land, but destroying their altars. But the Israelites have failed to do this, which means that they have held up to their end of the covenant. This led the people to repent and walk in the ways of the Covenant.

Now, vs 7 shows us that it was because their Leaders (Joshua and the Elders) had seen the great works of the Lord. Therefore, they were able to instruct the people to walk in the ways of God. Their leaders had seen how much God did for Israel as a Nation, from Egypt until they got to the promised land. These experiences in God gave them faith and helped them to instruct the people rightly because they have evidence of the ways and works of God.

However, the problem began when these people were gone. Even though the stories of the works of God were still present, there were no people who had experienced it. Therefore, the faith of Israel as a nation began to decline, as we see in the book of Judges. It kept on dwindling from one point to another.

What is the main point of all these? A man without experiences in God can only tell stories, and it is impossible for ordinary stories to change the heart of a generation to God. Our lives are meant to interface with God so much that it becomes our life experience that we have seen the hand of God, we have experienced the ways of God and seen His wonderful works. This is how we can transform a generation and turn them to God. This is how God expects us to transform our families, friends, colleagues, and everyone who comes in contact with us. When our life has become a practical example of the ways and works of God. People see it and they believe, because we are not speaking stories and fables, but truth.

Apostle John, in 1John 1:1-3 speaks about the things that our eyes have seen, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life. That is what we declare to you. The point here is to say that Moses, Joshua, the Elders, the Apostles, and all men and women of faith in the Scriptures and in our generation now are able to instruct people in the way of God, not because they read it, or because they were told. But because they experienced it, handled it, saw it and it has become life. This is what we pass unto others, and how we transform our generation, when the Word of God becomes real to us, and becomes our very own experiences.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, I come before you today. I have heard of your great works, your mighty power, the glorious things you have done with men of old and are doing with people now. Here I am, I present myself to you. Make my life a platform that you will display your wonders and your ways, that I may instruct my generation to hold unto you with faith a hope because you alone are the Living God.