STIRRINGS

  Witty Leagues … Secret Altars Judges 2:2 And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? ...KJV The people of Israel were in league with the inhabitants of this land (later to be named Bochim meaning land of weeping). They had covenanted with unbelievers and God had warned them not to since there are negative consequences. Inappropriate associations can result in either you being influenced, or you are influencing others.  In a time when Israel had no clear-cut leader (many years after the death of Joshua there was a leadership vacuum save occasionally a man of God comes in to make pronouncement. If you recall after the death of Joshua and the leaders within that period had died the new generation had no clue of what God had done for them from Egypt through to the wilderness and the promised land. Consider this - will our children and descendants know, understand,...

  WATCH YOUR SIDES Judges 2:1-5 The individual referred to as the "Man of God" moved from Gilgal to Bochim. Gilgal was the initial campsite for the people of Israel, and it is noted as the location where the reproach of Egypt was removed from the people of Israel. It is the place where prophets reside Samuel and Saul offered sacrifices to God and was the same place Samuel was made a Judge and Saul a king.   It can therefore be said to be a holy ground. Joshua made Gilgal his command centre – Gilgal appears 41 times in 39 books of the bible showing the significance of the area. The number 39 refers to the number of stripes Jesus was scourged with which can be linked to the sacrifice of Jesus to humankind. Joshua, Samuel and Saul offered burnt sacrifices to the Lord at Gilgal. Note that Gilgal was a dwelling place of prophets since it is about 7km away from Shiloh and Bethel. The prophet left Gilgal a place where reproach was taken away, a place where sacrifices are made to Go...