God's Way Leads to Peace

 Matthew 4     Psalm 136     Judges 3-5

When Jesus is led into the wilderness, a barren land, he fasts for 40 days and is temped by the very things he already possesses. His focus remains, even in this very difficult time, on the ways of God and is prepared to challenge the tempter.

As Jesus begins to teach and draw people into his call for change and new life. After John’s arrest he moves to the northern end of the Sea of Galilee and settles in Capernaum. From there he begins travelling and calling disciples to follow him. They leave their way of life behind and not only follow his teaching but his way of life as they learn how to live by his example. His travels take him throughout Syria and the Kingdom expands beyond the borders of Israel.

Song 136 reminds us repeatedly that the Lord’s lovingkindness is everlasting. That God had traveled with them wherever they went and continues to go with us today.

As the people begin living in the promised land the Lord had left a few nations to see how faithful the people would be to his instructions. It doesn’t take long for them to do exactly what he warned them not to do and the result was as he promised as well. They intermarried with those nations and people were led to abandon God’s ways and follow their gods. Then there is a cycle of being taken captive, crying out to the Lord, being delivered, experiencing peace, godly leader dies, they fall again to abandoning the ways of the Lord.

After several generations the prophetess Deborah is judging Israel when she summons Barak, leader of the armies of Israel, and tells him the Lord is going to deliver them once again. He refuses to lead the people unless she goes with him. She then tells him that the Lord will deliver Israel as she has said but it will be into the hands of a woman, rather than the leader of the armies. Through cunning, the fleeing king ends up in the tent of one of the women of Israel, who kills him and claims the victory. Deborah and Barak than sing a son of deliverance and the faithfulness of the Lord. Once again, the land knows 40 years of peace.

Today we are reminded that God always goes with us wherever we go and when we put our trust in him we are delivered from our enemies. The struggle between following the Lord, his commandments and directions, and believing the power to decide is ours, is real and goes on even today. These stories are put here to remind us that good only comes from following the Lord and his ways.