Israel’s Corrupt Behavior

God’s great love for His people made Him raise up Judges to rescue Israel from calamity. God made a necessary method because of their repeated failure.

In Judges 2:16-19, it stated:

Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. They quickly turned from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the Lord’s commands. Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them. But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their ancestors, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.

Even if God raised up judges, the Israelites did not listen to them in the matter of spiritual leadership. They wanted the judges as political leaders but not as spiritual leaders. The Israelites carried on the spirit of fornication. God raised up judges to lead Israel to deliverance.

During the time of the judges, the Israelites only depended on God during desperate times. When the people cried out to God, He answered with faithfulness and love. God wants constant relationship and not seasonal relationship. God’s desire was for His people to be fully dependent on Him.

When the judges died, they returned and behaved more corruptly than their fathers. The pattern of bondage, deliverance, and blessing; followed by sin and bondage again. It was a very disappointing situation.

As Christians, if we are living in this kind of pattern, it is very discouraging. It was more understandable during the ancient times because today, we are under the New Covenant and the presence of the Holy Spirit is always present. Today is a privilege for us to live under the New Covenant.