“Failing the Test” Judges 2:10-14, 18, 20-23

Back in my seminary days, the evangelism professor made the comment that we are always only one generation away from being a Christian nation. At the time he said that, I wasn’t sure we were a Christian nation at all, but I never thought the Christian faith could die out in a generation.

Current events and thoughts being shared, however, leads me to believe that Professor Brister may have been correct all along. When one generation of believers comes to think they don’t need to live out and share the gospel, then the ministry can wither on the vine. While Christianity will never die out, it can be greatly reduced when we turn our backs on our calling and our Lord.

Today’s passage lets us know the reality of this truth.

Background

For over 45 years, God has led the nation of Israel in a very real and often dramatic manner. From the calling of Moses through the death of Joshua, God has used plagues to destroy Egypt and set Israel free; He has led them safely through the desert to Sinai where God gave Moses the Law, including the Ten Commandments. God led the people for 40 years in the wilderness as a punishment for rejecting God’s promise of the land, and God had led His people through the conquest of the rulers of the Promised Land.

Joshua, getting too old to continue the fight, but having completed most of the major battles, called the nation to choose whether or not they would follow God or turn to other gods. The people had affirmed that they would always follow God. They cited His leadership from Egypt to the present and their faith in Him as they watched Him lead them for the many years. There were times they had questioned God, it’s true. But now, as they stood in a land flowing with milk and honey, with homes and peace, they knew they would follow God.

The Bible says Israel was true to their commitment for as long as Joshua and the generation that had witnessed all that God had done lived. The book of Judges speaks of the turmoil and suffering Israel suffered as a result of their inconsistency in following God. Judges 1 speaks of further conquests, but also speaks of those native people who had not been driven out. The first part of Judges 2 reveals a statement from the angel of the Lord.

The angel of the Lord, thought by many to be the Old Testament manifestation of Jesus, reminded them that He had led them out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. He reminded them of the covenant that was made between God and Israel. Then He says, “Yet you have disobeyed Me. Why have you done this? Now therefore I tell you that I will not drive them out before you; they will be thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you” (vs. 2b-3).

Hearing these words, Israel expressed remorse and wept bitterly. But shortly after that, the Bible tells us that, “After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord not what He had done for Israel. Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served Baals” (2:10-11). The events that follow reflect God’s compassion and His holiness and wrath. It shows us how God deals with His people when they turn away from Him.

Central Truth: God allows us to be tempted to test our faith.

Israel’s sin (10-14)

It’s not unusual for one generation to depart from the ways of the previous generation. As we are growing up, we learn from our parents as we watch them and listen to them. There are many things we take with us from that generation, but there are also things we see that are flawed and need to be changed. Each generation wants to put their own stamp on the world.

Unfortunately for Israel, the next generation saw no need to follow God. They had only known the prosperity and peace that had come with the conquest of the land as God led Israel to great victories. Though God had commanded that all the people be destroyed, there were still pockets of resistance throughout the land. For the most part, those native people who remained became Israel’s servants and slaves, but there were some who resisted more forcefully and maintained their independence.

As Israel lived among the natives, it was only reasonable that Israel would begin to learn things from those they had conquered. After all, the natives knew the lands better than Israel did. They knew the seasons and what to expect, important in an agrarian society. Inevitably, in talking about how best to grow crops and flocks and herds, references to the local gods would creep into the conversation. It wouldn’t be too hard a stretch to begin to think that there was no harm in calling out to the local gods while staying true to the One God. Never mind that such an idea was a violation of God’s law and that there cannot be One God if there are other gods to worship as well.

If one allows him- or herself to become swayed by other gods, it’s not too hard to begin to see the local gods as being just as important as the One God. Soon, the other gods begin to take the primary loyalty, and the One God becomes secondary. Sure, we’ll continue to observe the rites and sacrifices God had commanded, but in everyday life, we’ll follow the new gods.

This mindset provoked God’s anger. “They provoked the Lord to anger because they forsook Him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths” (vs. 12b-13). As a result, God began to allow life to become harder for Israel. Whereas before they had known victory in battle, now they found themselves victims of raiders and losers in battles. Because God’s hand was withdrawn from Israel, the Bible says Israel was no longer able to resist their enemies who surrounded them.

As a result, the Bible says, Israel was in “great distress” (v. 15b).

God’s compassion (18)

God’s love for His nation was not dead, though. He was disappointed in them, yes, even angry, and in His anger God allowed Israel to suffer. The suffering was in the hopes that they would see the error of their ways, repent and return to Him and serve Him only. Then they could once again enjoy all the blessings God wanted to give to them.

As the people suffered, God would send them judges. These judges were usually elders or respected leaders. They would be used by God to bring Israel relief from their enemies. As v. 18 says, “Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them He was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord had compassion on them as they groaned under those who oppressed and afflicted them.”

Think of this as a time when a child rebels against mom and dad. The child tries to go his or her own way, ignoring the parents’ warnings. Inevitably, something goes wrong. Mom and Dad are reluctant to intervene, deciding that the child needs to learn from their mistakes. But parents love their children, and when the child suffers the consequence of their actions, the parents step in. No, the parents don’t stop the consequences from happening, but out of their love for the child, they are there for them as the child goes through the consequences. Mom and Dad support their child, because they love their child.

God loves Israel and wants Israel to learn from their mistakes. Time and time again, throughout the book of Judges, God hears the groans and afflictions of His people, and He sends a judge to deliver them.

We should not read into this that God is a hopeless romantic, gullible to the ways of Israel. God knows all things and is not “caught by surprise.” It is not that God is gullible, but that He is patient. God wants us to repent, He wants us to fellowship with Him. He will give us every opportunity to come to Him, up to a point. That’s why the Bible says, “’In the time of My favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

It is because God is love that He gives us repeated chances to repent and seek His salvation. He did it for Israel throughout the Old Testament; He does it for us today.

God’s test (20-23)

The Bible tells us that Israel would revert to their old ways as soon as the judge would die. So God had a plan in place.

As a result of Israel’s violation of their covenant with God, God decided that He would no longer drive out the various people who had lived in Canaan before Israel conquered the land. God’s reasoning: “I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their forefathers did” (v. 22).

God’s plan was to allow the nation of Israel to be tempted to break their covenant in the hopes that Israel would see the foolishness of their ways and choose to follow God. Following God is always a choice that each person must make. God does not force Himself on us; He does not make us to that which we do not wish to do. It’s not that He can’t, but that He won’t. It is God’s choice that He will allow us to come to Him voluntarily, to love Him with our entire being and to demonstrate that love in the way we relate to others. We show our love for God by choosing to obey His word and by loving others in His name.

God’s decision for Israel was to give them choices, just as He did Adam and Eve and you and me. That’s why God does not remove Satan from our world and our lives the moment we become saved. God wants us to follow Him in a world where temptation is always available. He wants us to grow in our faith by learning how to turn to Him when temptation arises. Only then can we find growth and greater faith.

Conclusion

God gives us the Old Testament in part to show us that the world doesn’t really change all that much. We may have advances in technology and making life easier, but people are still the same. We succumb to temptation. We still need the Lord.

And God hasn’t changed, either. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. His mercy and His grace is always available to us.

Today, let us choose to follow the One who gave us His Son to atone for our sins and bring us into fellowship with God. Let us commit this day to be true followers of Christ. Let us be what God wants us to be.