Title: Only Look to God
Judges (11) Look only to God (Judges 4:11-24)
<God leads the way ahead>
Among the descendants of Moses' father-in-law was Heber the Kenite (verse 11). The descendants of Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, moved to Palestine and lived in the territory of the tribe of Judah. Heber left there and moved to the Saananim oak, the territory of the tribe of Naphtali. However, God causes Sisera to die through Heber's wife, and if you watch that scene, you will realize once again God's mysterious providence.
At that time, when Barak heard the news that he had gone up to Mount Tabor with ten thousand men, Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, gathered nine hundred iron chariots and his men along the plains of the Kishon River, just as Deborah had prophesied (verses 12-13). Then Deborah said to Barak. “Wake up! This is the day the LORD gave Sisera into your hand!! Jehovah will go ahead of you!” These words indicate that the actual war fighter is God, not Barak.
At Deborah's words, Barak gained courage and sent down the 10,000 men who had been ambushed on the hill of Tabor and launched a surprise operation. The surprise caused all Sisera's chariots and army to be in chaos, and Sisera got off the chariot and fled on foot. It was because of God's help that Sisera's army, which was armed with powerful iron chariots, was so easily defeated (verse 15). In this way, if God leads the way ahead of us, we will eventually win.
Then Sisera walked and fled to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the house of Heber (verse 17). Heber's wife Jael greeted Sisera and welcomed her when she saw Sisera's return from the battle. Sisera then went to bed in peace, unattended. Then Heber's wife Jael, with a tent stake, a rod in her hand, went quietly to him, and drove the stake into his temple, and the stake pierced through his temple and pierced the ground, and Sisera fainted and died (verse 21).
< Give glory to God alone >
On that day, God brought Jabin king of Canaan to submit before the children of Israel, and after that, the children of Israel gradually suppressed Jabin king of Canaan and finally destroyed him (verse 24). Deborah, Barak, and Jael played a great role in the whole process of the war, but in the end, it was God who gave the victory. Therefore, we should only give glory to God.
Now, with the rapid development of civilization, the consciousness of God is dwarfing. How stupid is that? A civilization without God becomes evil. When America first tested the atomic bomb, they built a pylon in the desert, placed an atomic bomb on top of it, and then pushed a switch hundreds of kilometers away. After the explosion, all the large pylons were blown away, and the desert was dug deep beyond imagination. Then the scientists pounded the ground and wept, crying out, "We have created Hell."
If you turn away from God because of civilization, hell will unfold. But do not be discouraged by the dark side of modern civilization. Elijah was exhausted from fighting falsehood during the reign of King Ahab and pleaded with God. "God! They all fell on their knees to Baal, and I was the only one left, but now please kill me too!” Then God spoke. “Don’t worry, Elijah. Seven thousand remain.”
Even now, the world seems to be getting darker, but there are still people left. Have the dream of such a remnant. Mission is to call and nurture the remnant. Who Should Mission? Everyone should. Now, don't get discouraged, just look to God and move forward according to your mission. When it is dark, even a small amount of light has power. And the saints who live according to the truth and the mission will ultimately have victory.
It is only God who gives victory in all life's battles. That fact is one of the greatest truths of the Bible. However, people easily agree in their heads that God gives victory and makes the impossible possible, but when they face difficult trials, their faith is shaken. But even if God accomplishes things quietly and late, He will surely make all circumstances work together for good.