Many people are like children. But will these children ever learn a lesson? I’m speaking of the Israelites in the Book of Judges. These verses are about Jephthah and the Philistines’ oppression.
Each chapter in Judges usually begins with either; Israel found favor with the Lord or they did wrong in the eyes of the Lord.
It’s like watching a seesaw as the people continue to sin against God and again lose the respect and protection from Him.
God – The Last Resort – Bible Study Lesson from Judges 10
Then the sons of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against You, for indeed, we have forsaken our God and served the Baals.”
The Lord said to the sons of Israel, “Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the sons of Ammon, and the Philistines?
Also when the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, you cried out to Me, and I delivered you from their hands.
Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods; therefore I will no longer deliver you.
Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your distress.”
The sons of Israel said to the Lord, “We have sinned, do to us whatever seems good to You; only please deliver us this day.”
So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord; and He could bear the misery of Israel no longer. – Judges 10:10-16 NASB
The Sins of Israel
The people of Israel know they have sinned but they only seem to realize it when unbearable times come upon them.
They once again found themselves a conquered nation at the hands of the Philistines and Ammon.
This went on for about 18 years before Israel cried out to God.
First Response – Anger
At first, God gave them what they deserved. He told them to get help from those other gods they had worshiped all these years.
The stark dose of reality fell on the people. God had turned His back on them!
I can’t imagine the feeling of hopelessness without God, yet there are many in our world today who do not know Him. Where do they turn?
Second Response – Compassion
In verse 16 God could not turn away from His people any longer. They had repented and stopped worshiping the idols – knowing that He was the only one who could truly help them.
God shows great compassion here.
Instead of giving the nation what they deserve, He pulls them once again from the grip of their captors. He relieves their misery and suffering.
Why Did They Wait?
We are quick to condemn Israel for falling away from the one true God who delivered them from bondage time after time.
Why didn’t they come to Him 18 years before?
What Did Jesus Do?
How does this compare to what Christ did? He came to earth to live and die for our sins.
He paid a debt He didn’t owe to keep us from getting what we deserve.
This is why we are so much like the people of Israel. We fall away from God and then cry out to Him when disaster happens in our lives.
Why do we wait?
We are people just as the Israelites were, and it’s tougher to see God working during the good times.
The tough times in our lives brings us closer to God; just as they did for Israel.
“Just a Closer Walk with Thee”
Let’s try to remember that God is always there for us, during the good times as well as the bad.
God always comes to our aid when we are in need. We need to remember Him even when we’re not having problems.
Love in Christ
– Bob
If you would like to discover more about the love and life-changing experience of Jesus Christ, please take a moment to read John 3:16 here.