Judges 2:1-23


Since the children of Israel refused to continue to fight against the people of the land as God had commanded; God decides to use these people as a test for the people and now He refuses to drive the other nations out.  Sin always has consequences.  We are free to choose to sin if that is what we want to do.  However, we are not free to choose the consequences of our sin.  Very often the punishment for sin is more sin which becomes a very slippery slope for believers.  We must learn to be zealous in our fight against sin and never become tolerant of it or it will begin to dominate us.  The children of Israel end up being caught in a cycle of sin and the consequences of sin.  Only Christ can set us free from this cycle.  We must be submissive to Him and His messengers.
ISRAEL REFUSES TO FIGHT IN ORDER TO REMOVE THE PEOPLE: Israel’s problems started when they refused to remove the other nations from the land as God had commanded.  God punishes this refusal on their part by deciding to leave the people there as a test to them.  Tolerating sin is a very dangerous thing because it can easily lead us to a place where we no longer have the ability to be free from of that sin we have tolerated for so long.  A hard heart is a very real danger that we face when we become tolerant of sin.
ISRAEL REMAINS FAITHFUL AS THEY REMEMBER JOSHUA: Even though the other nations were permitted to live among the people of Israel; they remained faithful to God all through the life of Joshua and the people who knew Joshua.  The generations that had seen the mighty works of God and had experienced the terrible consequences of sin were faithful to follow the Lord for the most part, but their children paid dearly for their refusal to obey God completely.  It is vital to prepare succeeding generations by constantly reminding them of the wonderful works of the Lord and the pain of disobedience.  Each generation must be faithful to pass on this truth to the next generation.
ISRAEL REBELS FROM GOD BY RUNNING AFTER IDOLS: Eventually the children of Israel who did not know Joshua and the works of God began to chase after the idols of the people who were living around them.  They did just as Moses had predicted they would do.  This is why the previous generation should have removed this influence completely from the land.  What the parents tolerate in moderation their children will practice in excess.  They failed the test of faithfulness and God became angry with them and permitted them to be defeated by their enemies.  Sin seems pleasurable when we start off in sin; but it inevitably results in more suffering than we could ever imagine.
ISRAEL REPENTS FROM SIN THEN RETURNS TO IDOLATRY: This cycle of repentance followed by a return to sin is the summary of the entire book of Judges.  The people will suffer the consequences of sin and be taken captive.  The people will repent of their sin because of their suffering.  God will rise up a judge to deliver the people from their captors.  The people will rejoice in their new freedom. Then when that generation passes; the people will return to the sin that led them astray in the first place and they will find themselves chasing after idols all over again.  Unfortunately this same cycle will often repeat itself in our own fights with sin.  We must constantly fall before God in brokenness and repentance so we do not return to serve false idols.

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