Judges 2:11-15 – God’s Disciplining Hand
When a generation arose who did not remember the mighty deeds God had done on behalf of Israel and who did not know the LORD, they did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. What did they do that was so evil? They “served the Baals.” Verse 12 tells us they abandoned God. In verse 13 we find that they are worshipping the Baals and Ashtaroth. Baal was a god of storms, rain, and fertility worshipped by the Canaanites and other surrounding nations. Ashtareth (plural Ashtaroth) was a fertility goddess worshipped widely in the ancient Near East. Many cities had a different version of this god and goddess, with their own tales and beliefs concerning them. Thus, there really were many Baals (or Baalim) and Ashtaroth worshipped by the peoples of the land. Israel apparently worshipped them all.
The Angel of the LORD had warned that the gods of the nations of the land would be a snare to Israel. Now we see that snare has entangled a new generation of Israelites. As a consequence, the LORD caused Israel to be plundered by invaders and gave them into the hand of their enemies. However, as we will see, this was not because God had abandoned Israel. Rather, He was simply dealing out the discipline He had promised in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28. Though Israel was faithless, God remained faithful. His disciplining hand against them caused them to cry out to Him, and He turned and rescued them.
Sometimes we find God’s disciplining hand upon us. Our sins often have dire consequences in this life. Adversities in our lives come for many reasons, but one possible reason is to awaken us to our need to repent. When we receive God’s discipline, may we cry out to Him and return to Him.
Questions
- Why did God allow Israel’s enemies to have victory over them?
- What should we do when God disciplines us?
Prayer Points
- Pray that we would repent when God disciplines us.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.