Then the Israelites put aside their foreign gods and served the Lord. And He was grieved by their misery.-Judges 10:16

The Philistines, Sidonians, Hivites and several other nations were defeating the people of Israel. The reason? God's people were disobeying Him. They were doing detestable things in His sight, such as worshiping the images of Baal and Ashtoreth. The people of Israel were giving their daughters to sons of pagan nations, and allowing their sons to marry the daughters of pagan nations as well. Before their deaths, Moses and Joshua reminded the people of Israel not to turn their backs on the Lord.

The One who rescued them from the evil tyranny of Egypt. Who gave them water, mana, and meat during their time in the desert. The One and Only Sovereign God who made sure their sandals and clothes didn't wear out. After realizing that their handmade images weren't doing a single thing to save them from their enemies, the people of Israel realized only one thing could be done. They needed to return to their roots.

They needed the Lord's mighty help. Psalm 84:11 says that the Lord will not withhold any good thing from those who do what is right. When the Lord saw the people of Israel putting aside their images, He was grieved by their misery. The Lord knew it was time to act.

Turn from your wicked ways brothers and sisters. Put aside things, actions, hobbies, concepts and relationships that will only lead you away from the Lord's favor and grace. Once we run back to His feet, wholeheartedly repenting from our sins we can expect the Lord to fight our battles for us. And of course win them all.

For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.-Psalm 30:5