Pastor Leon’s SOAP:  Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer
March 27, 2025: SOAP #5593:  Judges 1-3; 1Corinthians 12

SCRIPTURE:  Judges (NIV) 3:1 These are the nations the LORD left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan 2 (he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience): …
4 They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the LORD’s commands, which he had given their forefathers through Moses.

OBSERVATION:   God had a plan laid out very clearly through Moses that they were to completely drive out all the inhabitants of the land.  However, they did not obey.  Here (verse 1,2,4) we see that God can even use their disobedience.  God is sovereign.  He is never boxed in.  Our disobedience may foil His best plan, but He remains with numberless ways to bring about His plan.  What trouble these remaining Canaanites would cause the Israelites, but God would use them for His glory.

God used these nations to teach the Israelites who had no battle experience how to war.  God would use these nations to bring temptation to Israel, to put a choice before Israel.  Who would Israel choose to serve?  Would they remember what God had done for their nation, or would they forget and make their choices based on present conditions? 

Israel’s choices would be obvious to all; and God’s pleasure/blessings would also be obvious to all.  Not only was God teaching Israel, He was/is also teaching all who would read and learn.

APPLICATION:   The same God has laid the same choices before us today.  If we have lived long enough we should be able to see how God has blest us when we walked close to Him and the difference in how the world treated us when we did not follow God’s ways. 

If you have not been a believer very long, talk to someone who has been a believer and follower of Jesus for years and see if they can give some personal examples of the difference of living close to Jesus verses living without relying on Him. 

PRAYER:  Lord, I want to have a close, daily relationship with You.   Be my best friend.  Amen

Pastor Leon
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