The Same Ol' Cycle

The Same Ol’ Cycle

Judges 2:11-19

“Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals; ¹² and they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the LORD to anger. ¹³ They forsook the LORD and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. ¹⁴ And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. ¹⁵ Wherever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for calamity, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn to them. And they were greatly distressed.
¹⁶ Nevertheless, the LORD raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them. ¹⁷ Yet they would not listen to their judges, but they played the harlot with other gods, and bowed down to them. They turned quickly from the way in which their fathers walked, in obeying the commandments of the LORD; they did not do so. ¹⁸ And when the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them. ¹⁹ And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way.”

At the moment I am doing a study in the Old Testament and we are in the chapter of Judges. I’ll be honest; I have never read the entire book of Judges before. It just seemed so... so… boring. There, I said it.

However, as I am reading through it this time, I really identified with what is happening in this book. You see, after leading the people to the Promised Land, Joshua has died. All the while when Joshua is alive the Israelites are very faithful to God. However after his death, the Israelites are left without a leader, and this new generation was not properly taught by their parents about God. So, naturally the new generation of Israelites is easily led astray. They begin to serve other idols and they forsake God. This angers God, who in turn decides to deliver the Israelites into the hands of their enemies. The people then cry out to God in their distress and God in His mercy raises up judges for them. The Lord is with the judges and the people are delivered out of the hands of their enemies, and the Israelites are once again faithful to God. Until the judge dies… then the cycle begins again.

I don’t know about you, but this cycle rang true in my mind as I read it. How many times in my life have I been a good and faithful servant when I have someone in my life that is leading me and showing me the way to go, but as soon as that person is gone, I am at a loss for what to do. Sometimes that person is a church leader, sometimes that person is a friend, and always it is someone who I look up to spiritually. I am so quick to depend on another person for my spiritual stability, when I should really be turning to God for that stability in my life. Why do I need a middle man?

One thing the book of judges is showing me is that I am not alone in this struggle. And this book is also teaching me a thing or two about God’s mercy. Even though the Israelites kept sinning and turning from Him, He continued to send them a middle man – a mediator to deliver them from their enemies.

Jesus Christ is our mediator – once and for all. He came and took care of the need for a middle man… and He freed us so that we can now enter right into the Holy of Holies for ourselves and seek God. I guess I need to remember that better when I am struggling and floundering for spiritual guidance. All you and I need to do is ask the Holy Spirit who dwells within us to guide us. Man…. How lucky are we??

Have you ever had a time when you struggled as the Israelites did in the book of Judges? Have you ever felt alone in your spiritual walk and felt the need for your own “judge”?