The easiest way to live is without compromise.

Sermon Notes from Judges Chapter 1

Israel's victories were all from God:

"I [the Lord] have given the land into his hand" (1:2)

"As I [Israel's defeated enemy] have done [mutilated people] God has repaid me" (1:7)

"the Lord gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hands" (1:4)

"the Lord was with them (1:19,22)

Because the Israelites made covenants with the Canaanites and inhabitants of the land and did not tear down their alters, the inhabitants lived among them and became thorns in their sides and a snare to them (2:3).

When we compromise our loyalty to God alone, it will corrupt us and lead to anguish, regret, depression. Compromise is like inviting a virus that will reprogram our desires. Sever easy connections to evil. There is no substitute for obedience.

Caleb's daughter Achsah may seem greedy, but she was not. She was the ideal woman, pursuing God's blessing. She urged her husband to ask for land, and she took initiative to provide for her descendants. For those who trust God and obey, God blesses overflowing beyond their own life.