Forgotten To History

The period of Judges lasts for close to 350 years. During this time men (and a woman) were raised up by God to free his people and bring them back to him (Judges 2:16-20). It never seemed to work.

The people wanted the freedom but not the faith required to sustain it.

We know a good deal about a few of the Judges (the majority of the book of Judges deals with Barak/Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, Samson). But mostly we have a record of major events, a bit about their families, the battles they fought, the length of their reign. Their names are a little more than a footnote in history.

That seems rather odd. These were people of significate in their time and a major factor in the history of Israel. Why don’t we have more?

It’s because the story isn’t the history of Israel thought that is what is taking place. It is the story of God’s plan for mankind. It tells that tell us not only what he is doing but the why of it.

The period of the Judges shows us that mankind needs God but doesn’t want to accept that fact. They over and over again make the same mistake, rejecting what God is giving for their betterment. We want the freedom. We want to be saved from the consequences of our misdeed. We want the enemy kept at bay. Yet we aren’t willing to stay committed to the way that will keep us there.

The judges were not perfect. Some were good, some were ok some were downright menaces. Yet they could at least help for a time. But over and over again the lesson they brought were forgotten. Man keeps thinking he could just do what he thought was right and it never worked (Judges 17-21).

In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Judges 21:25

The old saying is ‘those that forget history are doomed to repeat it’. It true for us. The Bible gives us example after example of those that gave up the faith that could save and the destruction it brought. God sent a perfect savior and judge to set us free.

Are we listening to him? Or are we making the same old mistakes?

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