ATTENTION: Please note that this is The Adult Sunday School Lesson, Listen to God’s Judges, on Judges 2:11-19 for the 7-10-11 International Sunday School Lesson. You will find the 7-03-11 lesson, God Responds to Disobedience aka God Reacts to Disobedience directly beneath this message and on the right side.
Jed
Listen to God’s Judges
Judges 2:11-19
International Sunday School Lesson
July 10, 2011
Commentary
By
Jed Greenough
When you are gone, will your children remember what you taught them? For me the thought of their not is heartbreaking and troubling to say the least.
Also troubling to me is the idea that these people in our scripture for today en masse turned from the ways of their fathers in the very next generation. Though we make our own choices, I would judge myself as a failure if my descendants in the very next generation chose this path. Should I make the same call on Joshua’s generation? Let’s examine those that followed Joshua.
Our scripture for today says that they “neither knew the Lord nor what He had done for Israel.” By this I read that they did not have any relationship with Him nor did they care what He had done for their people.
Because they did not have this relationship with God or care, they attempted to fill the void that naturally exists within each of us when this occurs. They started to serve other gods and in turn God did what He said He would do.
Outside of His protection they received the brunt of His seething anger. No longer His protectorate they became His target, yet God offered them escape. Through those men, those judges, who God raised up, Israel again succeeded. But even after rising up and prevailing for a time, as each judge passed away, the people of Israel sank even lower in their depravity.
As we began I said that I would judge myself a failure if my next generation of descendants took this path but let’s look at it a different way. Does our generation’s faith resemble that of those who went before us?
I cannot mask the fact that I feel that for the most part we are only a shadow, a poor copy of the great faith we have had demonstrated by our forbearers.
Too often what we demonstrate is just another spin on what we are looking at in Judges today. Many today claim to know God, to remember God, but what they show is prophesied in 2 Timothy 3 as a form of godliness, but very little remains that resembles the faith of our fathers. By this I don’t just mean dad and I don’t just mean their generation. I think that we in many ways mirror these Israelites. We have had our greats rise up and save us through God’s mercies but as with those in today’s scripture, we return to ways even more corrupt.
As with them, God will do what He promised He would do.
For Discussion:
1. Discuss whether you think we are like the generation of Joshua or the generation that followed.
2. Of course God knew this would happen and told Moses before he died, read Deuteronomy 31:14-32:47
3. Under the strong leadership and teaching of Moses and Joshua the people for the most part did not stray. Discuss ways that you and yours can stem the tide of possible apostasy.
4. What do you know of Baal and the Ashtoreths?
5. Become a champion for true Bible Study type classes as opposed to the classes that many would rather participate in today.
6. When the judge died, once again the people returned to the evil ways. Many that could still lead us retire from active leadership within our churches. The judges led obviously for life, encourage the continued participation of those who can offer so much.
7-17-11: Use God’s Strength Judges 3:15-25, 29-30
7-24-11: Let God Rule Judges 7:2-4, 13-15; 8:22-26a or Judges 7:2-4, 13-15; 8:22-25
7-31-11: Return to Obedience (Return to God’s Ways) Judges 10:10-18 or Judges 10:10-18; 11:4-6, 32-33
8-07-11: Walk in God’s Path Judges 13:1-8, 24-25
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved
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