If I were to ask you your favorite book in the Old Testament, I’m willing to bet that Judges has a 0% chance of claiming that status. The pattern of disobedience, followed by enemy attacks, followed by a judge being raised up to lead the people continues throughout this period of Israel’s history. Somehow, each time the Israelites are disobedient they manage to think of new and horrible ways to disobey; and yet they always manage to be surprised when they experience the natural consequences of their actions.
As I read Judges, including the story of Gideon which is our reading for today, a couple of things stand out to me time and time again. The first is the human capacity to distance ourselves from God. It’s almost impossible to read Judges and not come to the conclusion that human beings hate the life God calls us to. I know that’s a strong statement. But every time you read “The people did what was right in their own eyes,” you know things are about to get ugly. The kicker is, God has said very specifically how to live well in the land. And yet, the people simply will not obey. They repeatedly choose destruction over and over ad nauseam.
The second thing that stands out, however, is God’s enduring faithfulness. If there is one thing we can take from a book like Judges – it is the enduring nature of God’s faithfulness to us in spite of the fact that we often hate his commands. He meets us, like he met Gideon, to remind us that we belong to him and that he will not give up on us. Our lack of faith is not a surprise to him and it is not a stumbling block to him either. God will always prevail over evil and God will always be willing to receive us back to him again no matter how many times we default back to what looks right in our own eyes.
Questions for reflection:
- What are the ways you rebel against God’s commands, even when you know they are good for you?
- How has God been faithful to you despite your rebellion?
- Take a moment to pray and ask God for forgiveness and thank him for his amazing grace.