Aug 31, 2017
This is episode two in our series on the book of Judges. It’s entitled “Our Standard Achievement Test” and covers chapters two and three. These two chapters serve as a kind of preface for the rest of the book, providing a backdrop against which to evaluate all that will take place in the subsequent chapters. In chapter two, God reminds the people of Israel that it was He who brought them out of captivity in Egypt and delivered them to the land of Canaan. But He also reminded them that they had been disobedient and had failed to follow His commands. Rather than rid the land of its pagan inhabitants, they had chosen to make alliances with them. And before long they found themselves worshiping the false gods of these very same nations. Chapter two also records the death of Joshua, their God-appointed leader. This led to the various tribes scattering to their own territories to live out their lives separately and independently from one another. There was no king or central government. And on top of that, we’re given the not-so-good news:
“And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work he had done for Israel.” – Judges 2:10 ESV
And then chapter two tells us that the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They worshiped false gods instead of the one true God. So, God was forced to discipline them and test them. But He wasn’t just punishing them. He was preparing them