From Judges 2, describe the cycle of obedience-disobedience. Cite scriptural references in your answer.
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Fall 2009 New Brunswick Theological Seminary
Tuesday, 6:20 - 10:00 PM
The Hebrew Bible
Professor Charles M. Rix
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In the second chapter of Judges, the cycle of obedience and disobedience is clearly illustrated. Joshua led the Israelites into Canaan and conquered the promised land through his submission to God. This caused the angel of Lord to say "...I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land that I swore to give to your forefathers. I said, "I will never break my convenant with you." (Judge 2:1) After the death of Joshua, the Israelites began to disobey God's law by worshipping other gods. "Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. They forsook the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshipped various gods of the peoples around them. They provoked the Lord to anger because they forsook him....the Lord handed them over to raiders who plundered them." (Judges 2:11-14)
ReplyDeleteAgain, the Lord sent judges to help them to repent but they would not listen to the judges.
The cycle of obedience and disobedience is the theme of this chapter in the book of Judges. The Lord, while angered, still had compassion and attempted numerous times to help the people of Israel but they "refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways" (Judges 2:19)
In Judges 2: 8-11 after Joshua died, the Israelites turned once again, as they did with the Golden Calf, to idolatry. Here they worshiped other gods known as the Baals. This made the Lord angry and he allowed Israel to be defeated in battle and allowed the Israelites to be sold back into slavery. (Judges 2: 14)
ReplyDeleteIn Judges 2:16-19, it says that the Lord ‘raised’ up the judges, who then saved the Israelites. The judges were able to bring God’s order to the people. Yet every time a judge died, the people would revert back to the ways of idolatry and misbehavior and God would then appoint another judge repeating the cycle.
This repetition of sin, punishment, a resting time, then renewed sin shows man’s unfaithfulness in the Lord. Yet it also shows Gods attempts at discipline and his timeless patience and forgiveness.
In Judges 2 it high lights the recurring cycle of God’s chosen people experiencing prosperity, abandonment of their commitment to YHWH, His punishment through oppression by their enemies, repentance and God’s signs of forgiveness by the deliverance from their enemies. In Judges 2 the judges are the vehicle God uses to deliver His people from their oppressors. After the death of the Joshua, Judges 2:11 states” Then the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and worshipped Baal”, and in verse 14 “ the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and He gave them over to plunderers…”
ReplyDeleteJudges 2:10 is an ominous foreshadowing of the disobedience of the Israelites,"...and another generation grew up after them, who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel", which is confirmed in the very next verse that states,"Then the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord..." This exact pattern of disobedience is repeated several times, in Judges 3:7,3:12,4:1,6:1,10:6,and 13:1. Each time Israel disobeyed, the Lord punished them by handing them over to several countries that were stronger than the Israelites. Each time,however, when the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help, he raised up a judge to deliver them from their troubles 3:9,3:15,4:4,6:12,11:23. When a judge rescued the Israelites there was peace in the land and they were obedient for the lifetime of the judge. When a judge died, they fell into disobedience and the cycle starts all over again.
ReplyDeleteThe saga of Israel’s journey from Egypt to Canaan is wrapped in an unending tension of obedience and disobedience. After Joshua led the people into Canaan, he did the best he could to get them to remain faithful to the commandments of the Lord (Joshua 24); however, because this was a new generation who had not known the great works that God had done in bringing them out of Egypt they disregarded what Joshua was saying to them. Their instructions were to drive out all the Canaanites from the land but instead the people became entangled with them through forced labor and intermarrying that resulted in enslavement to worshipping Baal and other Canaanite gods.
ReplyDeleteIn Judges 2: 1-2, the angel of the Lord confronts the people for refusing to the follow the Lord’s instructions that forbad them from aligning themselves with “the inhabitants of this land”. Their command was to “tear down their altars” which was secured by the promise to their ancestors that “I will never break my covenant with you. Like their ancestors before, the people disobeyed the words of the Lord and the consequence let to the Lord not driving out the inhabitants of the land and making them antagonist to them declaring that “their gods will be a snare to you”(Judges 2:3-4).
After the hearing the words of the angel, the people realized what they had messed up and did become remorseful. They even worshipped the Lord for the remaining days that Joshua lived but because their hearts were not in it, no sooner had Joshua died they returned to their disobedient ways and “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and worshipped the Baals” turning away from the Lord and their forefathers whom God had delivered out of Egypt. Since idolatry is a huge problem for God his anger was kindled and he allowed their enemies to overpower them taking their freedom from them (Judges 7-16). During these times of control there was no visible leader or government for the people and so Israel saw much failing and confusion but the Lord never gave up on them altogether. In spite of their failings, The Lord rose up judges to govern and lead the people but they continued their worship of Baal and other gods. During those times when they were obedience to the judges, the Lord had pity upon them and delivered them from their enemies; however, as soon as they went back to worship Baal and wandered away from the covenant, they suffered (Judges 2:16-19).
Judges –
ReplyDeleteThe redemptive cycle is based on God’s covenant that He made with His people (Israel) on Mount Sinai. We see the pattern back in Egypt when they cried out for mercy and for His help from the misery and oppression of the Egyptians. No matter how far gone His people might be, when they cry out to Him for help, the Lord will surly come to rescue and deliver His people. (Judges 2:1)
Spurgeon said
"if you turn aside from God’s words by a hair’s breadth you know not where it will end. The rail diverges but a little where the switches are turned, but before long the branch line is miles away from the main track. Backslide a little and you are on the way to utter apostasy. The mother of mischief is small as a midge’s egg: hatch it, and you shall see an evil bird larger than an ostrich. The least wrong has in it an all but infinity of evil. You cannot say to sin, “Hitherto shalt thou go, and no farther, and here shall thy proud waves be stayed.” Like the sea when the dyke is broken, it stretches forth its band to grasp all the surrounding country. The beginning of sin is hike the beginning of strife, and that is said to be as the letting out of water: no man knows what a flood may come when once the banks are burst. So Israel went aside farther and farther from God because they regarded not their way, and did not in all things obey the Lord."
After the death of Joshua, a new generation arose and they did not know the Law (Judges 2:10) and because they did not know the Law, they forsook God and served Baal (Judges 2:11-13).
Spiritual slackness is always accompanied by spiritual distress. The greater the lack of righteousness, the greater the domination of evil. There is no neutral stage.
God brings trouble in v 2:14-15..And the anger of the Lord burned against Israel. And in v 18 God raises up a deliverer which are the judges. The Lord’s covenant with His people means that even when they are doing wrong (13:1), He is already preparing for a deliverer (13:2-25). That’s His amazing grace. We must learn to be patient and wait for the salvation of God. Peace is restored in verse 2:16 …Then the Lord raised up judges who delivered them from the hands of those who plundered them.