Judges 2:11-15

Israel’s Unfaithfulness

^{11 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the Lord to anger. 13 They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. 14 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. 15 Whenever they marched out, the hand of the Lord was against them for harm, as the Lord had warned, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress}

Because of today’s passage in Judges 2:11-15, I am reading a historical paper on American church history. In particular, the decline and fall of New England churches during the time when our nation was a colony of England. The religious struggles in the new world experiment, according to the author, Angus Stewart, occurred at the very onset. In the old world, the pilgrims were persecuted because of their belief in having a pure church. In the new world, on the other hand, not much has changed. For example, when the pilgrims arrived in the new world, there were 145 passengers on board the Mayflower. Only 35 passengers were actual pilgrims. The remaining 110 were the ship’s crew members, indentured servants, and skilled laborers who were needed to help build the infrastructure for the new colony to survive. The small congregation had to make difficult pragmatic decisions to ensure their safety and continuance. Would their fight to maintain a ‘pure’ church continue in their struggle? Their position was plainly purposed by the words of Christ in Matthew 5:14, which says, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.” Yet, within a generation, the orthodoxy of living according to God’s righteousness (e.g., having a God-pleasing work ethic), was quickly replaced with materialism and secularism. The children of the puritans did not revere the God of their parents. Therefore, the church in the early colonial period of our nation’s history fell into decline and needed a revival.

This provides us with an actual parallel account from our nation’s history, to what happened in the Book of Judges. God’s Word is truth and necessary for all generations. After Joshua and those in the older generation who saw the majestic deeds of God at the Red Sea and in the wilderness, had died, there arose a generation that did not revere God. Verse 2:11, in our passage, says, “And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals.” How sad! How dreadful it is to see the quick decline in religious thought and belief. Verse 2:12 says, “And they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the people around them, and bowed down to them.” This is the very thing that God warned them not to do. They quickly abandon and rejected the God of their fathers, and worshiped the gods of people around them, those who they did not destroy and drive out of the land. Instead, they allowed them to live and they became their neighbors and dwelt among them. They became unequally yoked with unbelievers. Therefore, the Lord became angry with His people. Verses 2:14-15 tells us what the Lord did to discipline His people. God gave them over to plunderers, and they plundered them. Sometimes, the payment was on gold; and other times, the plundering nation demanded grain, wine, olives, or other fruits as a mainstay. God would also sell them into the hands of other nations, where they could no longer defend themselves and were considered enemies. Not only were they plundered, but they also were given over to servitude. In verse 2:15, it says that whenever the armies of the Lord would go out, He was not with them, and they would come back distressed. O the pain and agony when the Lord turns His back because people are still in their sin. Scripture tells us that hell is a literal place where the fire is never quenched and the worms never die. It is a total pit of total darkness where there is a gnashing of teeth. In other words, the wrath of God will abide on them and they are forever separated from God, the source of all love and light. While liberal theology dismisses the literal torture and agony in hell, they say it is either an annihilation of the unrepented soul or just a separation from God. They say it is not terrible and horrific as Scripture says. Scripture, on the other hand, says in John 3:36, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”

In application, this passage presents a dire warning. Not only must we teach our children about God and His righteousness, but we must also pray earnestly, consistently, fervently, and intently that God will save our children. It is not a definitive promise that all children from godly parents will love and serve the Lord as their God. We must raise children like Job, who sacrificed and prayed to God for fear that one of his children may have unintentionally blasphemed the Lord. There is no guarantee and every parent should fall on their knees in intercessory prayer for their children. Additionally, we must take every effort to ensure that God’s righteousness and glory are never hindered by the consternation of those who love and honor the Lord. God placed us in one body, one church, with the sole responsibility to worship and glorify our Lord Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, we are accountable to others within the body of believers. Like the watchman in Ezekiel 33:1-6, if the watchman sees danger and does not warn the people, he is guilty. And if he does warn people of danger and the people do not heed, then the people are held responsible and the watchman is free of guilt. In the same way, we as believers in Jesus Christ, have a responsibility to look into the word of God and to proclaim God’s words as warnings and blessings to others. We must teach and preach Christ, and Him crucified. We must do all we can to preserve the legacy and continuance of our children’s prosperity by doing our best to help keep them firmly rooted in Jesus Christ.

[On a side note: In continuation of America’s church history, there was a decline in faith in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. However, God by His divine providence brought great men of God who preached the unadulterated Word of God in truth and power of the Holy Spirit. This, by the will of God, brought the “First Great Awakening” to the colonies of America in the early to middle 18th century. And in the 19th century, the great protestant missionary movement propelled God’s call to the nations throughout the world. In the early 20th century, liberalism corrupted the protestant seminaries and churches. Today, America is again in dire need of a revival. Today’s missionary efforts are being carried out by predominantly non-western churches (e.g., Central and South America, Africa, and Asia) and we give all praise and glory to Him for the evangelistic work that is being done throughout the world].

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My Lord God and Savior, I worship and praise You for Your word that teaches me to instruct my children to love and revere You in all things so You may be glorified. O precious Lord, save my children. Open their hearts and their minds to the truth of Your word. In prayer, I pray that the strongman, who is Satan, be tied and bound because he has blinded my children to the truth of the gospel. Free them, O Lord. Open their hearts to the gospel message of Jesus Christ and may the truth set them free to serve you and not be enslaved to the enemy. I also pray for foreign missionaries. And for the Lord to raise us missionaries from my home church and in all gospel-preaching churches in America. May we be that “city on a hill” once more! In Jesus’ Name, I pray, amen!

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God of Our Fathers, by Daniel C. Roberts, 1876