The Story: The Plot Thickens: Judges

Ron Burcham | April 28, 2024

Israel is caught in what seems like and endless loop. They are faithful to God and they are blessed, they sin and fall away from God, God allows them to be oppressed as a way of calling them back, they cry out to God and He rescues them. It seems that no sooner do they return to God that they fall away. Of course, in reality it is many years later that they get lax in their devotion to God and it never turns out well. Specifically, through Gideon and Samson we can see some pretty unlikely people being used by God. Gideon the small fry with a fraction of his army is victorious and Samson who is always doing something rash bring havoc on the Philistines. In the end it is God who rescues. We are caught in the same loop, but it doesn’t take years – sometimes only minutes. At one moment we are walking in step with God and the next not so much. We can learn two dangers from Israel that can lead us down the path of sin. First our environment. Israel did not rid the land of all the false gods and they ended up being enticed by them again and again. Second they failed to teach their children about the one true God. The good news is God is still rescuing his people. He sent the ultimate savior, His son.

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