Judges 1-2

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges%201-2&version=NIV

We continue on into Israel's conquest of the Promised Land. Chapter 1 deals primarily with the continuing battles with the remaining Canaanite cities.

On the attached map, you will see the cities which were still not under Israelite control. It is interesting to note that at this time Jerusalem is not under the control of the Jews. Not until 2 Samuel 5 does Jerusalem officially become central to the Israelites.

But as we saw the foreshadowing at the end of chapter 24 of Joshua, we see that the Israelites are falling away from the Lord.

^"10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. ¹¹ Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals. ¹² They forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They provoked the LORD to anger ¹³ because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. ¹⁴ In his anger against Israel the LORD handed them over to raiders who plundered them. He sold them to their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. ¹⁵ Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the LORD was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress."

As a result of this, God sent Judges to deliver the people. The process typically was as follows:

1. apostasy: the Israelites do what is evil in the sight of the Lord;
2. servitude: God allows the nation to be conquered and oppressed by a neighboring nation;
3. supplication: the people cry out to God; and
4. salvation: God sends a judge to deliver the Israelites. (See the attached graphic.)
   

The cycle then repeats after the judge dies.

The thing that strikes me so, is how quickly the people forgot the Lord. How true that is for us today as well. Today is Good Friday. What a wonderful time to remember, and not forget, what the Lord did for us on Calvary.

As a society, we are only one generation removed from total apostasy. As the book of Judges shows, this is a very real reality.

So we must look back and always reflect on God's Word and what He has done and will do for us in the future.

As Moses wrote in Deuteronomy 6:4-9 :

" ⁴ Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. ⁵ Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."

Soli Deo Gloria

Today's post was submitted by Russ Shellhamer.