14 DECEMBER

THE CHOSEN ONE

“When the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer for the children of Israel, who delivered them:

Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.”

(Judges 3:9, NKJV)

Othniel was a man of courage and a great warrior, married to a woman of unwavering faith, diligence, humility and courage. For over eight years, Othniel and his wife Acsah farmed the land her father had given them and prospered greatly. Even though the land was dry, the extra gifts of the upper and the lower springs watered the fields and gave them extraordinary yields year after year. They lived in peace choosing to worship Jehovah, the only one and true God. They refused to be corrupted by the prevalent evils in the land.

The marriages between the Israelites and the surrounding nations had caused the Israelites to compromise their faith and worship pagan gods. They had also imbibed the immoral practices of these gods. The anger of the Lord burnt against them and He gave them into the hands of the king of Aram for eight years. Eventually, they cried out to the Lord and He chose a man after his heart, Othniel, and raised him as a deliverer. Othniel went to war, overpowered King Aram and saved his people. He became Israel’s judge for forty years, during which the land had peace.

Sometimes our friendships and marriages with those who do not know our God and His standards of morality, cause us to compromise and become entangled in their sinful lifestyles. And the consequences are, most often, suffering and spiritual or physical captivity.

We may also wonder how the Israelites would have left the mighty God who had done so much for them to worship other gods, made with human hands – gods of wood or stone. But the truth is that we also do same when any other person, thing or activity in our lives becomes more important and takes priority over our Lord in spite of the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Anything that is more important than God in our lives is an idol. God must take first place.

ACTION:  Worship God and Him only.  Take away anything that serves as an idol in your life.

PRAYER: Keep me from serving any form of idol in my life, Oh Lord.