The Bible Course预览

The judges, the cycles of rebellion and the warning – Israel stuck in a loop

Reflect:

We live in the age of music streaming. We know little of broken records, but not long ago, a broken record could get stuck, and it would play the same notes over and over again.

After Joshua’s death, what was Israel’s story?

A new generation grew up knowing ‘neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel’. They’d forgotten everything God had done. This was always a danger as they entered the promised land. The surrounding peoples worshipped many different gods.

The god of rain was called Baal. The Canaanites believed he controlled the harvest. Canaanite gods were bribed to get them to do what you wanted. You could do this through cultic rituals, shrine prostitution, and even the horrific practice of child sacrifice. When it didn’t rain, Israel was tempted to turn to these other gods rather than trusting in the Lord.

In response, God showed Israel his heart (verses 1–2). He reminded them of their story and his fierce commitment. God’s language here is the language of marriage, not of business. It’s covenant, not contract. The Bible does not present God as an invisible, emotionless force in the sky; rather, we see his emotions running deep. His love is passionate.

They failed to see how damaging their worship of Baal was for their soul and community, so God gave Israel over to their desires and into the hands of their enemies. This handing over is a form of judgement from God, but it’s an act of mercy, not cruelty. It shows Israel their need of him.

What does God do in response to Israel’s unfaithfulness? What does he do today?

God’s mercy does not stop there. He goes on to raise up judges (verse 16). He provides a means of rescue. Despite their rebellion, God remembers his commitment. The faithfulness of God to rescue us does not depend on the goodness of people but on his own nature.

God created us so he could love us, but we’ve walked away from him. The story of the Bible is that he comes running after us! God has loved us to the point of death.

Respond

The cycle of rebellion described in the book of Judges is similar to what we experience today. What negative cycle are you stuck in? Go to Jesus. He understands, and he’s mighty to save – he can set you free!