DAD'S RAMBLINGS – YO-YO
"And when the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them. And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly than their fathers, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way." (Judges 2:18-19)
As we work our way through the book of Judges, it is well to remember the last verse of the book: "In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone what was right in his own eyes" (Joshua 21:25).
The book of Judges is the story of the ups and downs of a nation. It is the story of Israel's sin, God raising up a judge for deliverance, then sin, then God's deliverance, then sin, then deliverance. Well, you get the picture.
God had told them to destroy all of the nations which they conquered, to cleanse the land. But for one reason or another, they failed to do this. Because of this failure, they were plagued with a thorn in their side, and the gods of these nations became a snare to them (Judges 2:3). The Israelites were drawn to the worship of these foreign gods, which caused the yo-yo effect.
This is a lesson for us. If we allow things in our lives which are forbidden by God, we will also be yo-yo Christians. Victorious for a season, and defeated for another season. I am thinking of a man I knew who would not let go of the things of the world. He would confess his sin, but a few months later, he would be back confessing his sin again with no true repentance. This happened over and over again.
God is gracious and full of pity and hears our groanings. But this is not His not his plan for victorious living. His plan is for us to forsake the sin and live in His freedom. Israel failed to understand this. And so do I, sometimes.
Love, Dad
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