Judges 5:23, 31 – Choices 

(23)  Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the LORD, to the help of the LORD against the mighty. 

(31)  So let all thine enemies perish, O LORD: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years. 

Choices are an everyday part of life. Here we see two groups of people who decided to make a choice. The first group is the people of Meroz. The Bible doesn’t mention this city anywhere else in the Bible, but we do know that they must have been in a position to help Israel (or God would not have rebuked them for not doing so) but instead chose to do nothing. God did not need them to secure victory, however, that did not negate their responsibility to get involved and aid in the effort. When Israel needed help, these people chose to do nothing rather than back God’s plan. What were the consequences of their actions? God’s curse on them.

Next, we see a contrast to those that love the Lord! Here, those that love the Lord are commended and Deborah asks God to make them like the sun at its fullest. Loving God is a choice, and that choice resulted in God’s blessing.

You cannot choose what happens because of your actions, those are you consequences. However, you can choose your actions that will result in certain consequences. Choose to get on board with what God is doing. Make the choice today to make right decisions that will result in good consequences. Whether it is doing your best at your school work, choosing to do right, choosing to do wrong, or even larger decisions about your future, choose to put God first!

Life Step: Think about it…

What kind of decisions do you have to make?

How can you put God first in these decisions?