When God’s people fail to hold one another accountable for their covenant relationship with Him, He may, as part of His passive discipline, bring enemies against them to correct their errant ways. Israel would come to know this painfully well.

At times in Israel’s history nothing short of oppression and persecution would cause them to come to their senses and turn from their sinful ways. We see this over and over in the Book of Judges, as well as in the records of the historical prophets. God warned His people in His Law that this was an option in His tool kit of passive disciplines, and He did not hesitate to bring it into play when necessary.

Such oppression did not always come as a corrective. At times it came as a test – we’ve seen the difference between tests and trials. Would the people, faced with persecution or oppression, look to the Lord and be made stronger in Him?

God still uses this discipline today, and we need to remember that even the trials foisted upon us by hostile outsiders are part of God’s will and plan to draw us more deeply into our covenant relationship with Him. When these trials occur – whether the enemies are humans or spirits – we must, first, give thanks; then we must seek to discover if any sin in us has provoked this. Finally we must move to overcome the trial through repentance or to strengthen ourselves to persevere through it by waiting on the Lord.

For a more complete exposition of the promises of God, order a copy of T. M.’s book, I Will Be Your God, from our online store. For additional guidance in responding to trials, read T. M.’s article, “The Testing of Your Faith.”