Religion & Spirituality
Because of Israel’s disobedience, the Philistines ruled them for 40 years. Instead of appreciating what He did and continuing to follow and love the true God, the Israelites drifted away spiritually over time. Israel replaced the God who wanted their faith with gods they could feel. You will drift away from whatever you are not focused on! Seeing them abandon the God who loved and cared for them, God gave them over to trusting in the nonexistent gods they worshiped. To punish them, the Philistines were allowed to overtake them and disrupt their lives. Cultural disruption isn’t a sign of God’s non-existence or ineptitude but is often His method of spiritual awakening. Disruption isn’t a lack of presence or power but rather a plan with purpose. When God decided to rescue them, He appeared to Manoah’s wife and prophesied she would have a son to rescue the people. Even with this news, it would be 20 years before he would be ready. God’s plan can take time, but it always arrives on time!