Judges 2:1-23
2:1 The Angel of the Lord has a heart-to-heart conversation with the children of Israel. The Bible is a love story, the love of a Parent for His children. God has knit each of us in the womb, He has been with humanity even before its infancy.
The Angel of the Lord pours out His heart: He explains that He was present, compassionate and powerful on behalf of this group when they were enslaved. He loved them when they had nothing, not even hope. Even before that, He planned their rescue with their ancestors. He promised to be faithfully committed to their well-being. Why then, are they unfaithful to Him? Why are we?
2:2 He has promised to never break His covenant with us, but we have the freedom to break our covenant with Him. Several tribes of the children of Israel, as we read in the previous chapter, have disobeyed God: they have allowed corrupt society into their own.
Instead of pouring their reverence out for the God who created them, the earth and all the universe, they adopt idolatry. The begin to worship the inanimate gods of cults. God allows each individual to choose what their beacon will be. What beckons you? The beacon that is God is light. Love. Compassion. But false idols are tempestuous things, tempting us out of alignment with God.
Instead of believing that God is able and willing to establish joy in our lives, idolatry tells us that happiness can only be obtained through material wealth, vanity, and power. Suddenly people find themselves slaves to greed and lust and anger. Obedient only to the laborious work of trying to fill a bottomless pit.
It anguishes God for the covenant to be broken. God takes His covenant with us seriously, He has invested His whole entity in loving us and breathing life into our lungs. When we turn away from Him it hurts. It is personal to Him:
Matthew 18:11 explains the reason why the presence of God is on the earth: to gather the lost! He does not easily write us off or shut the door when we get lost. When we are weak, He becomes His strongest, because He passionately wants us returned to Him, 2 Corinthians 12:10. He is willing to go the distance:
Matthew 18:12-13
12 “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying? 13 And if he should find it, assuredly, I say to you, he rejoices more over that sheep than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray.
So the Angel of the Lord comes to the children of Israel not simply to reprimand them (as any vigilant parent would), but also to remind them each of their personal journey with God, their true creator.
2:3 The consequence of abandoning God is that we leave ourselves vulnerable to the world. God's focus is on driving out evil, and He welcomes us to work with Him in that endeavor. However, the children of Israel have decided not to drive out evil. They disavow themselves. Well, if they are not going to drive out evil... they will subsequently have to live among evil. And that won't turn out well for them. It never does for any of us, either. But God is always willing to restore what is broken.
2:4 The children of Israel weep because of the truth of these words. We learn here that there was disobedience beginning to fester even at the time of Joshua's passing. The group was fragmented, already some tribes were associating themselves with corrupt nations.
We always want to keep the line of communication with God open and clear. Not only to receive blessing but also to receive leadership and caution. As long as we are in a constant, life-long conversation with Him, we avoid damaging our covenant with Him. And if our covenant with Him is strong, so are we. Our joyous relationship with God pours joy into our lives. As we read the book of Judges, we will see the Israelites drain their lives of joy as the venture further and further from God.
2:5-10 This particular insert is out of sequence, perhaps as a reminder to readers that these events follow immediately after Joshua's passing, Joshua 24:28-30.
2:11-13 The children of Israel begin participating in evil practices and serving the corrupt, fake god Baal. In a substantial way, this is the beginning of a metaphor that is used through the Bible after this point. Even in the New Testament, and throughout the major prophets, our relationship with God is symbolized as a marriage. John 3 speaks of Jesus as the bridegroom. This "marriage" is not the kind of marriage we partake in on the earth. It is the covenant symbolized. Those who are faithful to God are symbolized as the virginal bridge. The faithful soul has reserved itself for God, and has never "cheated" on Him or allowed another to claim it.*
2:14 The children of Israel's regression is deeply frustrating for God. All of the good and faithful effort He has exerted is ruined by their abandonment. They allow evil to flood back in. They begin to participate in it!
2:15 The children of Israel begin to feel the consequences of their choices and they grow to be greatly distressed. The weight of their actions begins to crush them.
2:15 Out of faithfulness and compassion, God continually advocates for their well-being. As soon as one of God's children realizes their mistakes and earnestly wishes to learn from, and grow away from them, God intercedes.
The Book of Judges receives its name because God will send a series of people to come and restore the faith of the children of Israel. This entire book is a cyclical rise and fall of faith and unfaithfulness. Each time the children of Israel repent and are ready to be better, God provides an way, Psalm 100:5.
2:16-17 *Played the harlot is a phrase used throughout the Bible, which refers to this symbolic marriage between God and a soul. In Hosea 2:20 God speaks of betrothal, continuing the metaphor of marriage. To His faithful children, He offers an eternal and faithful relationship. But each time God re-emphasized His faith, the children of Israel would abandon Him again.
2:18 Each time God was moved to pity on their behalf, He sent a judge to lead them out of the corruption and chaos. Psalm 103:13-14 is further reminder that God remembers, conveniently for us, that we are feeble. He lovingly comes to our rescue because we really can be quite pitiful.
2:19 The boundless nature of God's forgiveness is prominent in the book of judges because as we read here, each time God would send a judge, Israel would come back to Him. But as soon as that judge passed away, they would revert back to evil practices.
2:20-23 God allows the children of Israel, and us, to choose who are associates are. Much of the world exists as a choice for us. Our creator does not force reverence. However, as we live in the world and learn the ways of the world, God's hope is that we will see He is the only choice worth making.
2:14 The children of Israel's regression is deeply frustrating for God. All of the good and faithful effort He has exerted is ruined by their abandonment. They allow evil to flood back in. They begin to participate in it!
2:15 The children of Israel begin to feel the consequences of their choices and they grow to be greatly distressed. The weight of their actions begins to crush them.
2:15 Out of faithfulness and compassion, God continually advocates for their well-being. As soon as one of God's children realizes their mistakes and earnestly wishes to learn from, and grow away from them, God intercedes.
The Book of Judges receives its name because God will send a series of people to come and restore the faith of the children of Israel. This entire book is a cyclical rise and fall of faith and unfaithfulness. Each time the children of Israel repent and are ready to be better, God provides an way, Psalm 100:5.
2:16-17 *Played the harlot is a phrase used throughout the Bible, which refers to this symbolic marriage between God and a soul. In Hosea 2:20 God speaks of betrothal, continuing the metaphor of marriage. To His faithful children, He offers an eternal and faithful relationship. But each time God re-emphasized His faith, the children of Israel would abandon Him again.
2:18 Each time God was moved to pity on their behalf, He sent a judge to lead them out of the corruption and chaos. Psalm 103:13-14 is further reminder that God remembers, conveniently for us, that we are feeble. He lovingly comes to our rescue because we really can be quite pitiful.
2:19 The boundless nature of God's forgiveness is prominent in the book of judges because as we read here, each time God would send a judge, Israel would come back to Him. But as soon as that judge passed away, they would revert back to evil practices.
2:20-23 God allows the children of Israel, and us, to choose who are associates are. Much of the world exists as a choice for us. Our creator does not force reverence. However, as we live in the world and learn the ways of the world, God's hope is that we will see He is the only choice worth making.
