The Logic of God's Provision

Scripture: So now the Lord, the God of Israel, has conquered the Amorites for the benefit of his people Israel. Do you intend to take their place? Should you not possess what your god Chemosh gives you to possess? And should we not be the ones to possess everything that the Lord our God has conquered for our benefit? Judges 11:23-24

Observation: In his message to the Ammonites, Jephthah uses logic to dissuade their attack. By this argument, the Lord gave Israel victory 300 years ago, therefore all they are doing is living in a land that the Lord has given them. If the Ammonites have a quarrel then, it is with their god who has ... given them a different land, or maybe no land at all. He questions the king of the Ammonites if he truly believes it is in his right to overturn what his own god has decided, let along what the Lord has done.

Application: Everyone today, myself included, seeks to earn more and more. We desire what we don't have, and work hard to have more. I have ideas about what I will do, how I will earn, where my job should progress, what 'stuff' I can buy with my money.

It is hard to know if I am simply living within the Lord's provision for my life, or if I am taking what the Lord has not given. However, certainly one way of telling is when someone takes from someone else. At the extreme, we call that theft, and it is driven by covetousness. However, at a less extreme end of the spectrum is simply taking things in life - opportunities, experiences, advancements, property - by using resources that were not intended for those purposes, or by competing and beating others. These may be situations where I am not following God's plan, and thus taking something he did not intend. These are things of which I must be careful, because I am not meek in my nature, and can certainly take what I should not simply by proceeding strongly on a course of action.

And this applies to many in this generation. There are SO many who just take ... who declare the "deserve" or feel that they (or their ancestors) were wronged and thus are "owed" something. This is, in fact, a driving force in societal issues today, just like the Ammonites declaring they were owed certain possessions despite the outcome of a matter that occurred 300 years prior.

It is difficult to know the Lord's for every possession, and his intention for every good thing. I know the Lord has blessed me, and I hope I live content in his blessing without taking more. I desire a society in which everyone does the same, for if they did the Lord's love would so richly bless everyone. What a paradise that would be.

Prayer: Lord, I long to live truly in your kingdom, where only thy will is done. It would be paradise. It will be paradise! Come, Lord Jesus. Amen.