Psalm 78:9-10

Psalm 78:9-10

Spiritual strength v world strength

You will remember that Ephraim and Mannasseh, the sons of Joseph, were adopted by Jacob and treated as his successors. Jacob already had 12 sons but when it came to dividing up the Promised Land the Levites were not allowed to take a share, so he could only apportion the land 11 ways. By adopting Ephraim and Mannasseh he had a replacement for Levi and a son of Joseph who could represent his father. Ephraim was a powerful tribe and later came to represent the 10 northern tribes of Israel, while Judah and Benjamin later merged to become one – the Jews.

There is no record in Scripture of the Ephraimites, or the northern tribes turning back on the day of battle, as described here. These men had a reputation for being fierce fighters and brave on the battlefield. Maybe the clue lies in verse 10, “they did not keep God’s covenant and refused to live by His law.” In other words, they were physically strong and never acted in a cowardly way when at war, but when it came to God’s truth they retreated and allowed the enemy to overcome them. You see, it is possible to be strong and mighty and fearless in the world’s terms, but weak and cowardly and ineffective in the spiritual realm. God is not impressed by our physical prowess, or our possessions, or our wealths or out worldly status. All of that stuff comes from Him anyway! He does not even sit up and take notice of our righteousness and good intentions. What impresses Him is humble faith, obedience and love. Those are the greatest qualities and the ones that allow us to draw close to Him. As usual the spiritual assets are the opposite of what the world values. 

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