The Cycle of Forgetfulness and the Faithfulness of God

Judges

Week 6 — The Cycle of Forgetfulness and the Faithfulness of God

1. The ___________ of God.

2. The ___________________________ of a generation.

3. The _______________ of rebellion and rescue.

¹¹ The people of Israel committed evil in the eyes of the Lord. They served the Baals, ¹² and they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were around them. They bowed down to them, and they angered the Lord. ¹³ They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtartes. (Jdg 2:11–13)

After the king sought advice, he made two golden calves and said to the people, “Going up to Jerusalem is too much trouble for you. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!” (1 Ki 12:28)

¹⁴ So the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he delivered them into the hand of raiders, who plundered them. He sold them into the hand of their enemies around them, and they were not able to stand up in the face of their enemies. ¹⁵ Whenever the men of Israel went out, the hand of the Lord was against them to bring disaster on them, just as the Lord had said to them and just as the Lord had sworn to them. So they were greatly distressed. (Jdg 2:14–15)

I will set my face against you. You will be beaten by your enemies, and those who hate you will rule over you. You will flee, even though nobody is pursuing you. (Le 26:17)

The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies. In one direction you will go out against them, but in seven directions you will flee from them, and you will become a horrible sight to all the kingdoms of the earth. (Dt 28:25)

יְהוָה (Yahweh) which is translated “Lord,” is God’s personal name that stresses _________________________ to his _______ and _____________.

⁶ The Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed: “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, and overflowing with mercy and truth, ⁷ maintaining mercy for thousands, forgiving guilt and rebellion and sin. He will by no means clear the guilty. He calls their children and their children’s children to account for the guilt of the fathers, even to the third and the fourth generation.” (Ex 34:6–7)

[Jesus said] ¹⁶ “For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. …¹⁸ The one who believes in him is not condemned, but the one who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only-begotten Son of God. (Jn 3:16, 18)

⁸ The anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan Rishathaim … ⁹ Then the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. (Jdg 3:8a–9a)

¹⁶ Nevertheless, the Lord raised up judges, who saved them from the hand of those who plundered them, (Jdg 2:16)

¹⁸ Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, the Lord was with that judge and saved them from their enemies during all the days of that judge, because the Lord had compassion when he heard their groaning under their tormenters and oppressors. (Jdg 2:18)

¹⁷ but they did not listen even to the judges! Instead, they prostituted themselves to other gods and bowed down to them. They quickly turned from the way in which their fathers, who had obeyed the commands of the Lord, had once walked. This generation did not act the same way their fathers had acted. (Jdg 2:17)

because your Maker is your husband. The Lord of Armies is his name. Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. He is called the God of all the earth. (Is 54:5)

⁷ Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory, because the wedding of the Lamb has come. His bride has made herself ready, ⁸ and she was given bright, clean, fine linen to wear. (In fact, the fine linen is the “not guilty” verdicts pronounced on the saints.) ⁹ The angel said to me, “Write: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb.” He also said to me, “These are the true words of God.” (Re 19:7–9)

¹ The Lord said to me, “Go again. Show love to a woman who is loved by another man, a woman who keeps committing adultery. Show love just as the Lord loves the people of Israel, even though they keep turning to other gods and loving the raisin cakes.” ² So I bought her for myself for fifteen pieces of silver and nine bushels of barley. ³ I said to her, “You will stay with me for many days. You must not be promiscuous. You must not be with any other man, and I will also be for you.” (Ho 3:1–3)

⁵ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will be one flesh’? ⁶ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. (Mt 19:5–6a)

4. The ___________ of judgment.

¹ The following are the nations that the Lord left in place in order to test all the Israelites who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan. ² (This was done so that the generations of Israelites who did not know war would learn how to wage war.) ³ Those who remained were the five serens of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who dwell in the mountains of Lebanon from Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath. ⁴ They remained there to test Israel, in order to know whether or not they would obey the commands of the Lord, which he commanded to their fathers by the hand of Moses. (Jdg 3:1–4)

² Consider it complete joy, my brothers, whenever you fall into various kinds of trials, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces patient endurance. ⁴ And let patient endurance finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (Jas 1:2–4)

Be my rock and my refuge to which I can always go. You give the command to save me, because you are my high ridge and my stronghold. (Ps 71:3)

Points to Ponder

1. What is one thing that stood out for you from this week’s message?
2. What stands out to you about the repeated cycle of rebellion and deliverance? What does this reveal about human nature — and about God’s character? The Lord allowed enemies to remain in the land “to test Israel” (3:1–4). What do you think God was testing?
3. How might God use challenges or trials in our lives to test and strengthen our faith? Verse 16 says, “Nevertheless, the Lord raised up judges, who saved them from the hand of those who plundered them.” How do you see God’s grace and faithfulness even in the midst of his people’s unfaithfulness? How does this shape your understanding of God’s patience with us today?
4. In both Judges 2, we see people turning away from God and suffering the consequences. What causes people to forget God or turn away in our time? What helps us “come to our senses” and return to him?
5. God’s “tests” were meant to teach Israel faithfulness (3:4). How can we discern when God is using a situation in our lives as a test or opportunity to grow spiritually? What might a faithful response look like?
6. The cycle in Judges can feel discouraging — but it also reveals that God never gives up on his people. How have you personally experienced God’s mercy when you didn’t deserve it? How can that experience help you show mercy to others?

Read: Judges 3