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From Eternity Past
The Lord answered them through one of His prophets: “Did I
not deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the
children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? ... Ye cried to Me, and I
delivered you out of their hand. Yet ye have forsaken Me, and served
other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry unto the
gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your
tribulation.”
The Israelites now humbled themselves before the Lord. “And they
put away the strange gods from among them, and served Jehovah.” And
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the Lord’s heart of love “was grieved for the misery of Israel.” Oh, the
long-suffering mercy of our God! When His people put away the sins
that had shut out His presence, He heard their prayers and at once began
to work for them. A deliverer was raised up in the person of Jephthah,
who made war upon the Ammonites and effectually destroyed their
power. For eighteen years at this time Israel had suffered under the
oppression of her foes, yet again the lesson taught by suffering was
forgotten.
As His people returned to their evil ways, the Lord permitted them
to be oppressed by powerful enemies, the Philistines. For many years
they were constantly harassed, and at times completely subjugated,
by this cruel and warlike nation. They had mingled with these idol-
aters, uniting in pleasure and in worship until they seemed to be one
with them in spirit and interest. Then these professed friends of Is-
rael became their bitterest enemies and sought to accomplish their
destruction.
The Bible plainly teaches that there can be no harmony between
the people of God and the world. Satan works through the ungodly,
under cover of pretended friendship, to allure God’s people into sin.
When their defense is removed, then he will lead his agents to turn
against them and seek to accomplish their destruction.
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