CONSEQUENCES
Judges 2:11–23
Last week we read the final words of Joshua. His mission was completed. They had conquered most of the promised land. As he neared death, Joshua renewed the covenant that Moses had initiated with God. The Book of Joshua concludes with his death.
The Book of Judges begins with these words: “After the death of Joshua.”
It was time to continue the conquest of Canaan. Victories were celebrated. However, Manasseh, Asher, Ephraim, Zebulun, Naphtali and Dan did not drive out the inhabitants of the land. In chapter 2, the people are confronted with the truth that they did not keep the covenant with the Lord and had not driven out all of the pagan people. In response, “the people wept loudly” (v. 4).
The Evil (11–15)
The preceding passage shares that a repentant people served the Lord for the rest of their days. However, a new generation was born who did not know the Lord nor the things that God had done for Israel. It’s possible for us to be only one generation away from a godless society.
One of my concerns with our COVID-19 crisis is the impact it has had on the kids of this generation. Not only did they fall behind in their schooling, but they also fell behind in their spiritual training. Even in the aftermath of COVID-19, many families have not returned to Sunday School or church. Many adults are now watching the livestream of their church worship services — but where are the kids?
Unless the parents return to church and bring their kids with them, we could lose the next generation. This “new generation” in Canaan incorporated many foreign gods into their religious experience. As I shared in the prior lesson, that practice is called syncretism, and it is abhorrent to God. They had become enemies of God and suffered the consequences of their disobedience.
The Cycle (16–19)
The children of Israel fell into a sad cycle of sin and repentance. Because they chased other gods, Jehovah allowed them to be captured and plundered by evil men.
They would cry out to God. “But God, who is rich in mercy” would raise up a judge to deliver them (Eph. 2:4). However, after a short season of repentance, a new beginning and eventually the death of the judge, they would fall back into their old ways and suffer the consequences. Each time would be worse than before.
How do these judges reflect God’s desire of “not wanting any to perish” (2 Pet. 3:9)? How do they foreshadow the ministry of Jesus?
The Declaration (20–23)
Because of this cycle of disobedience and continually chasing pagan gods, God declared that He would no longer drive out the pagan nations. They would have to live among these unbelievers.
They would live in this sinful world and be tested to see if they would remain true to the covenant their forefathers had established with the Lord. They would be hounded and oppressed by the surrounding nations, including the Philistines, Canaanites, Sidonians and Hivites. What parallels do you see between the world of the Israelites and the world in which we live as Christ-followers?
By Don Fugate
Senior pastor of Foxworthy Baptist Church in San Jose, California
