How's THAT workin' for ya?

Judges 1-5

"How quickly they turned away from the path of their ancestors, who had walked in obedience to the Lord's commands."
(2:17)

Disappointed, but not surprised.  It was foretold, after all.

After Joshua died and another generation rose up, they began to forget what God had done for them.  They chased other gods and abandoned their Lord.

Now, a lot of their problem goes way back to when God told their ancestors to drive everyone out of the land when they moved in and took over. 

But they didn't.

They forced some of the Canaanites to work as slaves for them.  Hmmm - pride, greed, power - I wonder...what was their driving force?  All of the above, perhaps?

But THAT was the old generation.  Now, the new generation has the Canaanites living in their land, among them.  Their gods a constant temptation.

So, God began to do exactly as He promised.  When they went into battle - He fought against them.

But even then, God was faithful - even when His people were not.  He took pity on them.  He began to rise up men and women to rescue them.  Judges, to deliver them.

And so a cycle begins:

• The Israelites fall into sin, and usually begin worshipping other gods.
• God gets mad and hands them over to kings.  They stay under that king's rule for years.
• Israel cries out to God after years of oppression.
• God sees their renewed commitment and rises up judges - someone to rescue them.
• There is peace.  Sweet salvation.

 This is repeated SEVEN times throughout the book of Judges - about 350 years.  Boy, God IS patient!  I suppose 350 years for Him is like a breath.   

But, you'd think they would have noticed a pattern after about, oh say, a couple of hundred years...wouldn't ya?

It's too bad Dr. Phil wasn't around back then.  I'm sure he would have asked them - "How's that workin' for ya?"