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Published: March 9, 2019, 2:07 p.m.

Israel returns to rebellion. They forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. Even after witnessing God's unceasing care and provision and His strong hand, conquering their enemies, they decided to turn from Him. Since they rejected God, in those days Israel had no king. The result? Everyone did as each saw fit. Sin and chaos further darkened Israel's soul as they chose to serve the other peoples and their gods rather than the True God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Rejecting Him as King, God decided no longer to do for them what a king does. He did not go out before them in battle. He no longer drive out Israel's enemies from before them. 

What was their response to losing their King and His forces? Instead of continuing to conquer the peoples to gain their promised land, they started to merge themselves with peoples around them through intermarriage. "If You Can't Beat Them, Join Them"! This caused worse sinning and even further rebellion to reign over them as they served the others' gods.

The beginning of Judges begins to chronicle this period in Israel's history as they continue to settle into the Land.

Judges witnesses to Israel’s incomplete possession of the Land, their insufficient victory over evil, and their inconsistent manner of life. It lays open the history of God’s chosen as infected by great spiritual decline after such great spiritual and physical blessings by their God.

More importantly, it shows the character of God Who, though His unending grace and faithfulness, pursues and restores and preserves a remnant of these people through even this. 

Join us in this lesson to learn more about this early time in the history of God's plan for His people, Israel.

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