Does It Matter Where You Go?

O. T. #503  "Does It Matter Where You Go?"
April 20, 2015
Judges 1-Part 2
And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites... Judges 1:9
And Judah went... Judges 1:10,17


LET IT GLOW

Does it matter where you live? We have lived all over our state and in another state, serving the Lord in his ministry. During those years we learned many life lessons. We are serving in the same church for our soon to be eighteenth year. We have traveled throughout the world on mission trips, also. It does matter where you go and live. Does God want you to take the gospel to another people in another place? Are you willing to move when He says go? Or travel and endure hardships for a short time in order that others may hear the Good News of Jesus? What a blessing it is to go. 
Judah had to go, even within their homeland, so they could conquer their cities located in their Promised Land.

We left the tribes of Judah and Simeon with cities they had captured and conquered in their area. Jerusalem was one of the more important ones. Hebron became the early Judean capital, located 20 miles south of Jerusalem in the highest mountains of Judah. You will recall that it was the burial ground of the patriarchs of Israel (Gen 23). It had been assigned earlier to Caleb (Num. 14:24) in anticipation of his subsequent conquest, which is also related in Joshua 15.  (Falwell)

Stay with me through this history stuff. It does have some interesting events.
And then there was the city of Debir, which may have been of interest to Caleb if it was in the territory that he and the other 11 spies went to years earlier. Anyway, it was so important to Caleb that he possess it that he offered his daughter in marriage to the man who conquered Debir, formerly known as Kirjath-sepher. (verse 12)

Well, Othniel did so and he was rewarded with Achsah as his wife, Caleb's daughter. Now this brave Othniel was Caleb's nephew and later became the first judge of Israel. You will recall that Ashsah requested from Caleb a field where the springs of water were. This was very important since this region was vary arid.
Discoveries in this area have revealed many water shafts, or well, that could provide adequate water for those living in the area. (Liberty Bible Commentary)

Does it matter where you live? Just so you are living where God wants you to live and where He wants to use you in kingdom work. Yes it does matter.

This account first appears in Joshua 15:13-19. The author of Judges repeats it here to remind readers that God honors such courage, initiative, and determination when His people pursue what He has asked them to do. (D. Jeremiah)

LET IT GROW

Mentioned are the children of the Kenites, Moses' father in law, who joined Judah, living in Jericho, the city of palm trees. If we keep following Judah and Simeon tribes in their conquest of the land from the Canaanites, we discover that they took control of Gaza, Askelon, and Ekron cities. These cities later formed part of the Philistine pentapolis.

Gaza. Hasn't that been a place of controversy in the Middle East for years, where the Palestinians say the land belongs to them instead of Israel? Well, the Bible is clear on that matter.

Judah was not able to drive out the inhabitants of the valley because of their use of chariots of iron.
It would be many years until the Israelites acquired a knowledge of ironworking, giving the Canaanites a superior advantage in this skill which they had learned from the Hittites. (Falwell)

The Israelite foot soldiers were absolutely powerless when a speeding iron chariot bore down upon them. This is why Israel preferred to fight in the hills where chariots couldn't venture. (Life Application Study Bible)

In repeatedly failing to drive out all the Canaanites from the Promised Land, the Israelites directly disobeyed the Lord's instructions (Deut. 7), which were intended to protect His chosen people from corrupting influences. Where evil is tolerated, it will be accepted and then imitated. (The Jeremiah Study Bible)

Wait, we can't leave it there. Look at verse 20, And they gave Hebron unto Caleb, as Moses said: and he expelled thence the three sons of Anak.

Now we can leave it there, peace for Caleb and his family in his own city, on his mountain.

Are we Christians tolerating sin in America, allowing the queers to marry and adopt children? What will happen to our next generation if it continues? We need to take a stand against sin and things which are an abomination to God.

LET IT GO

Stand up for God's ways and Word.

Do not tolerate sin.

Go where God tells me to go.