The Vicious Cycle
Whether as individuals, families, or nations, we continue that same
cycle: first we turn away from God, then we suffer consequential problems,
finally we realize the need for repentance, and inevitably, help from God comes
just when we need it the most!
Many of us
Christians have very little familiarity with the Old Testament, especially
since numerous passages are difficult to understand, or are just plain
ponderous reading! If you've never really "gotten into" reading the
Old Testament, consider trying the Book of Judges - it's juicy, dramatic,
exciting, and even occasionally familiar (not to mention a bit gory at times!).
Some highlights will be presented in the next few days, but since the
lectionary cycle of readings skips a lot, I encourage you to read the whole
book!
This book is toward
the beginning of the Bible, right after the Book of Joshua, and basically
starts where Joshua leaves off - after the Israelite conquest and settlement of
the land of Canaan. Understandably, this was a time of "getting
settled" - there wasn't very much routine or certainty about anything. The
book of Judges reports, however, that a certain routine did get established:
the cycle of disobeying the Lord by turning to false gods, consequential disasters,
realization of the need for repentance, and help from God in the form of a
"judge."
Today, we think of
a judge as a public official who deliberates on a legal case and passes a
sentence of justice, but the judges mentioned in this book of the Bible,
however, have the more difficult task of doing themselves whatever it takes to
restore justice and righteousness (which usually means ridding the land of an
oppressive invader!).
This all makes for
not only thrilling history, but also instructive history. Whether as
individuals, families, or nations, we continue that same cycle: first we turn
away from God, then we suffer consequential problems, finally we realize the
need for repentance, and inevitably, help from God comes just when we need it
the most! Ideally, reading the book of Judges will help us learn a bit from
mistakes of the past....