THEY DID THAT WHICH WAS EVIL IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD

Proclamation:

“After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither The Lord nor what He had done for Israel.  Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of The Lord and served the Baals.”  Judges 2:10-11 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are the words of God which were written by Samuel under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, across the Red Sea, (Exodus 14:21-22) to the edge of the promise land. (Exodus 16:35)  Because of their lack of faith, that generation wandered in the wilderness for forty years until the adults all died. (Numbers 14:16)  Joshua then led their children, the next generation, across the flooded Jordan River into the promise land (Joshua 3:15-17) and through a series of victorious battles over the inhabitants of the promise land. (Joshua 12:1-24)  Then he divided the lands that they conquered among the tribes of Israel, (Joshua 13:8 to 19:51) and that generation served The Lord God.  However, when they died off, the next generation did not know The Lord God or what He had done for their parents and grandparents.  This new generation of Israelites did not serve The Lord God as their ancestors had done, they did evil in the sight of The Lord.

Application:

It is our responsibility as believers to teach our children, the next generation, about The Lord God and all that He has done. (Leviticus 10:11, Deuteronomy 6:7, and Proverbs 22:6)  It is our job to raise up our children in the fear and admonition of The Lord. (Ephesians 6:4)  We should not only tell them about His ways, but we should be living examples of His Holy Word.  Our children should see in us that which we expect them to exemplify.  If we do not teach them the ways of The Lord God, then we should not be surprised when they stray and begin to do that which is evil in His sight. 

DO NOT WORSHIP ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE LORD GOD

Proclamation:

“Do not worship any other god, for The Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”  Exodus 34:14  “Do not make any idols.”  Exodus 34:17 (NIV)

Explanation:

These are the words of God which were written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After The Lord God gave Moses specific instructions for the Israelites regarding the Sabbath Day, He gave him two tablets of stone inscribed with the Ten Commandments and His covenant law. (Exodus 31:18)  However, because Moses stayed on the mountain of God so long, the people made themselves a god, an idol cast in gold in the shape of a calf, and worshiped it. (Exodus 32:1-8)  When Moses came down from the mountain of God and saw the golden calf and the dancing, he threw the stone tablets at them and then he destroyed the golden calf. (Exodus 32:19-20)  Then he said, “Whoever is for The Lord, come to me.”  All those who did not come to him were killed. (Exodus 32:26-29)  The Moses then chiseled out two smooth stone tablets, like the one he had broken and went back up to the mountain of God. (Exodus 34:1-5)  This time when Moses came down from the mountain of God, his face was radiant and the people listened to him. (Exodus 34:29-35)  Then the Israelites gathered all of the materials as The Lord God had instructed and the built the tabernacle (Exodus 36:8-38), the Arc of The Covenant (Exodus 37:1-9), and all of the other things as He had instructed them. (Exodus 37:10 through 40:33)

Application:

The first of the Ten Commandments is: “You shall have not other gods before Me.” (Exodus 20:3)  In His explanation of the second of the Ten Commandments He said, “… for I, The Lord your God, am a jealous God …” (Exodus 20:5)  Here in this text, He is reiterating that He is jealous, and that He wants nothing to be worshiped but Him.  Unfortunately, today some people worship other gods, and some people worship other people as their god.  Some people worship their spouse, their love one, or their children.  Some people even worship their cars, their homes, or some other material object which they possess.  Worship of anything other than The Lord God is a sin, and that offends His jealous nature.

THE LORD GOD DOES WHATEVER HE PLEASES

Proclamation:

“The Lord does whatever pleases Him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths.  He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from His storehouses.”  Psalm 135:6-7 (NIV)

Explanation:

This psalm was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by an unknown human author.  It is thought to have been written by King David because the beginning is similar to Psalm 134, and it begins and ends with “hallelujah” like Psalm 113.  This is another one of the hallelujah psalms, a song of praise.  After exhorting the saints to praise The Lord and presenting the justification for doing so, (Psalm 135:3-5) the psalmist presents the awesomeness of God. And His power. (Psalm 135:6-7)  He follows this with several examples of things which The Lord God did. (Psalm 135:8-12)  Then he repeats the description of the idol gods and the people who worship them. (Psalm 115:4-11 and 135:15-18)  He ends the psalm by encouraging the people of God to praise The Lord. (Psalm 135:19-21)

Application:

Believers are encouraged to praise The Lord for He is good and He is great. (Psalm 135:3 and 5)  It is He who controls the weather and not Mother Nature. (Psalm 135:6-7)  Do not give credit which belongs to Him to anyone or anything.  This world is His, He made it. (Genesis 1:1)  We should not put anything ahead of God.  Nothing should be more important to us than The Lord God.  Most of us spend more time watching television than we do praising The Lord.  He is all powerful and deserves our praise and worship.