Beware Of What Happens When You Point Fingers
Musings from Judges 8
As I read through the Old Testament, I see how many times Israel, God’s chosen people, turn their backs on God and go back to living and serving other gods.
As I read this chapter down deep inside, I felt like saying, “not again!”
God showed His mighty favor and strong arm in battle through the leadership of Gideon. The people followed him, and God, until Gideon died. Then they went back to the old Baal worship.
As I evaluated my first gut response what came to me was a pointing finger.
I am sure you have heard the warning about pointing your finger at someone in accusation. Beware because there are three pointing back at you.
I ask myself the question: why did God leave this for me to read? What relevance does it have in my life?
That is a personal question for us all to ask when we are reading the scriptures. The answer may be different for each one of us. We are all different people in different places in our lives.
My heart swells with gratitude on that note because God loves us all and is intimately acquainted with everything about us… even the number of hairs on our head, (Matt 10:30). He knows our downsitting and our uprising Ps 139:2.
I could go on for a very long time, but my point is, He knows us, and He speaks to us individually as to the needs we have in our lives right now!
We are not left on our own to figure out what God is saying, if we endeavor to be still and listen, He will comfort, instruct, convict, and equip us as we need it.
The only finger pointing we should look forward to is God’s finger on our life, because that means He wants to bring us into the victory He bought for us, in the area He has pointed out.
Have you ever had someone point their finger in accusation? It is not a nice feeling, is it? In my heart rings the verse Judge not lest ye be judged (Matt 7:1).
How many times in a day do we cast judgment?
Most of us don’t do it verbally. We know better but say, “that was stupid, and you ___________________.”
Sometimes we are incredibly good at even judging ourselves: “I am so stupid” “I will never_____________…
You get the point.
We are not to judge but to pray for one another! Hmmm, that might even work for ourselves. 😊
Once again, I find myself so grateful for the blunders of Israel and the others in the Bible, and that God leads men to record them for us to receive wisdom and instruction from.
Another point that I am being reminded of is that God was always there for them in their struggles. Yes, sometimes they had to wade in the mud for a while until their heart was really ready to repent.
God was right there the whole time. He pursued Israel. He made a promise to Abraham and He will keep it.
He is so faithful to us, let us do all that we can to be faithful to Him and His word. Let us not judge but bless and intercede when things are brought to our attention that we might be tempted to judge.
