Rescuer
I remember a time when I was in college and I was going home for the weekend. My car broke down on a long stretch of I-75 North of Knoxville. I was on Jellico mountain and there were no exits. If I could have made it to the other side of the mountain, I could have possibly coasted to a repair shop for help. I couldn’t make it. The car was overheating, and I had no water source. This was before cell phones. An acquaintance from the college I attend recognized us on the side of the road and stopped to help. I was rescued. I have been rescued many times since then, not just for car trouble. I’ve had help along the way of life and I’m thankful for the most important rescue of my life – the Lord rescued me from me. I was so full of me, that I had no room for Him.
The people of Israel had not been in the promised land long, when they forgot how many times they had been rescued. They wandered from the Lord, but He sends a rescuer. Check this out….
7 The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. They forgot about the Lord their God, and they served the images of Baal and the Asherah poles. 8 Then the Lord burned with anger against Israel, and he turned them over to King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim. And the Israelites served Cushan-rishathaim for eight years.
9 But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, the Lord raised up a rescuer to save them. His name was Othniel, the son of Caleb’s younger brother, Kenaz. 10 The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge. He went to war against King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram, and the Lord gave Othniel victory over him. 11 So there was peace in the land for forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died. (Judges 3:7-11 NLT)
I love that the first judge was Caleb’s (one of only 2 survivors of the 40 years of wilderness wandering) nephew. There was generational leadership in that family for sure. The Lord sent a rescuer to turn them back around and help them get headed in the correct direction.
I have been rescued more than once. My first rescue didn’t last 40 years. I have wandered many times from my Rescuer, Jesus. God’s One and Only Son is my rescuer. He turned me back around and pointed me in the correct direction – seeking the very Heart of God. He took my sin upon Him and I’m now clean, pristine and pure hearted because of His Rescue. He didn’t just rescue me once; He’s rescued me many times. I’m so thankful for His patience and His grace that I’ve experienced many times over the years. I don’t deserve to be rescued. I deserve to be punished. I’m thankful for the mercy and grace of God that I’ve been rescued from my own self-centered ways.
Pressing On!
Dwayne