I studied the Book of Judges during my recent devotion, and it is hard to understand why the Israelites were so rebellious at that time. They did what Jehovah God considered evil in the land of Canaan (today’s Palestine), and God let foreigners abuse them, which could last from ten to several decades. Their crops, cattle, and sheep were robbed. Yet God showed mercy and raised judges (civil leaders) to lead them to fight against the foreigners. The Israelites won the battles and could enjoy peace for ten years or a few decades. But after the death of the judge, the people sinned and did what was evil in the sight of the LORD again. This vicious circle was repeated numerous times.
When we read these records, we will inevitably shake our heads and sigh at why the Israelites’ sinned against God again and again. But have we ignored God’s mercy? It’s easy to jump to a conclusion that God punishes people simply because they have broken His commandments, stopped honoring Him, and turned toward idols. Some people even think that Jehovah God is too “self-absorbed” and enjoys people’s worship. They don’t understand one of God’s attributes is self-sufficiency. He doesn’t need our worship at all. Faith is directly related to our moral values. Worshiping different gods means having different moral values and lifestyles. This is exactly the situation in the era of Judges.
At that time, the religious ceremonies in Canaan often involved dancing and revelry, feasting and drunkenness, and fornication with priestesses/temple prostitutes. This practice was opposite to God’s temperament, which includes self-discipline, eating in moderation, respecting children and the opposite sex, and maintaining fidelity to spouses. In other words, the worship of foreign gods led people to act dissolutely, violating each other and destroying the beauty of God’s creation. Of course, God’s wrath was kindled.
In that situation, God still raised judges to save His people because He made a covenant with their ancestors. He loves them and wants them to repent. This kind of compassion, from a human point of view, is to accept and forgive those who have offended you, hurt, and disappointed you. Yet God has one condition—repent and be saved.
(Ken, retired pastor. Ken served in 3 different churches from 1987-2020.)
