“You Again?”

​​“And the children of Israel again did evil
in the sight of the Lord…”
Judges 4:1a

     The Book of Judges is a history of the children of Israel being rescued by God from various calamities caused by their refusal to be obedient to Him.   We read chapter after chapter about how their defiant, wicked behavior results in God removing His protective barrier allowing their enemies to ransack their communities putting them into financial and emotional distress.  Of course some faithful Israelites are beseeching God to intervene once more.  And again and again, we find God riding to the rescue, raising up heroic leaders to overcome their enemies and restore peace and prosperity to their land.

     As you read, you can’t help but wonder why, after the umpteenth time, that the Israelites don’t figure out that they should just be obedient to God and live according to His protective commands.  It is very easy to accuse them of being pretty stupid especially when they receive such prosperity and safety during the times they are being compliant with God’s instructions.  “What’s wrong with these people?” Well, clearly we can’t get too harsh with our criticism of Israel without considering our own tendencies toward repeated failures.  How many times did we make promises to God that we have never kept?  How many times have we pledged never to do THAT again and find ourselves right back at once more?

​     This is never truer than in the life of an addict.  I have answered the calls from someone with a shaky voice asking for help again.  They’ve hit the bottom and are ready to take the long walk back home to becoming normal once more.  It is easy to turn away leaving them to the ruin of their own terrible decisions.  But it is godly to participate in their recovery.  It is what our heavenly Father would do for us.