Judges 2:7-10.
ISRAEL had made their choice. When called upon of Joshua to choose whom they would serve, whether the Lord, or the false gods which their fathers had served, they said, “God forbid that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods.” Then, after magnifying the Lord for what He had done for them they said, “The Lord our God will we serve, and His voice will we obey.” This was a noble choice, and if only it had been acted upon, all would have been well. And for a short time they did serve the Lord; but when the elders, who outlived Joshua, had passed away and a new generation had come upon the scene; the Lord was forgotten. Then Israel forsook the Lord God of their fathers, and turned to the gods of the people about them, and bowed down to these lifeless images made by the hands of men. This caused God’s anger to awake against them, and He delivered them over into the hands of their enemies. And wherever they went, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil. And they were greatly distressed.
Why did Israel so soon turn away from the living God to dumb idols hewed from a tree, or graven by tools in the hand of man? God tells us they “knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which He had done for Israel.”
As long as His hand in power and in might was manifest among them, they owned Jehovah; but now the new generation do not see His works, and they forget Him. No doubt their fathers recounted to them the wonderful works of the Lord, but it seems to have been without power.
Such is man. And such is human resolution. Nothing but the grace of God will suffice to carry us on and mark it well, dear young reader, your resolve to do right, or to do better, will fall to the ground. You may run well, apparently, for a little time, but it will not hold out. How many have “turned over a new leaf,” only to have to turn it over and over again, and perhaps in the end go down to ruin. Human resolve will not do. There is no strength in it. If you are unsaved, do not try to make yourself fit for God’s presence, for this you can never do. All your good doing will be rejected by Him. “Filthy rags”— “filthy rags,” is His estimate of it. Do you ask, what then am I to do? Give up your doing. Own yourself a sinner, LOST and HELPLESS. When you come to this point, the One who came to seek the lost will find you, and the One who is mighty to save, will save you.
“Look unto Me, and be ye saved,” Isa. 45:22.
“Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour.” Acts 5:31.
“Neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12.
ML 06/10/1906