March 31st

Judges 1:1-3:30

We began the book of Judges, which captured the apostasy (falling away) of Israel after the death of Joshua. As a result, God fulfilled the warnings He had given them before they entered Canaan. The various tribes, which were not removed from the land, were used by God in His judgment. They grew to power, subdued the Israelites, and forced them to slave labor. Then, God’s people regretted their mistakes, repented of their sins, and desired to return to the Lord. Because of their change of heart, God would send a deliverer, whom they called a judge, one who was blessed by the Spirit and who would have the power to rescue them from their slavery. But, “when the judge died, the people returned to their corrupt ways, behaving worse than those who had lived before them. They followed other gods, worshiping and bowing down to them, and they refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways” (2:19).

This cycle of sin, judgment, repentance, deliverance, and restoration repeated itself seven times. In the end, God would send fourteen judges. This ridiculous cycle causes even the most casual observer to ask the question why. Why did this keep happening, and why couldn’t they break the cycle? The answer comes in the key verse of the entire book — Judges 17:6, “In those days Israel had no king, so the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.”

What happened to Israel happens to us today.

When moral authority or moral restraint is removed, we oftentimes do not sense an obligation to do what’s good or right. In essence,
we do what comes naturally; and what we do naturally is sin and rebel against God.

We will see, throughout the course of this year, that, apart from Christ and the internal governing work of the Holy Spirit, man is incapable of governing himself. Thus, if he cannot govern himself, then he is in need of someone else to govern him, someone who exerts strong external force or restraint. In the case of Israel, they had Moses for 40 years and Joshua for nearly as long. They had someone holding them accountable for their actions; but as soon as these men died, the restraints were gone and the people reverted to their perverted ways. This truth explains why they behaved well when a judge called them to account, but they repeated their wickedness after he or she was gone.

Daily Reflection

The Lord has given you a conscience, to know right from wrong. How are you doing at following it, particularly when no one is watching?

The Period of the Judges reminds us that we all need accountability. It is never good to live life on your own, apart from other godly influences. Describe here those who help keep you accountable to following the Lord. How has it helped your relationship with Him?

BiAY.org | Day 90 — 275 Days to Go