Judges 2
In Judges 2, we see the introduction focusing on Israel’s faith. It’s a summary that describes the people’s spiritual spiral downward.
HAYLEY’S BIBLE BENDER:
While not a Bible bender for me, Judges 2 highlights how the nation prostituted themselves. Susan reminds of this, “What does that mean they prostituted themselves? It means they have been unfaithful to God in the worst way. It means they have broken the first commandment in the Old Testament in Exodus 20.
3You shall have no other gods before me.
And the greatest commandment in the New Testament in Matthew 22
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[c] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
The covenant between Israel and God was like a marriage. So God uses prostitution as a metaphor for Israel when they leave Him to worship other gods. God sees all idolatry as adultery. Whether Israel or us, when we serve an idol, we enter into an intense relationship with it. We become vulnerable to it. And can even become a slave to it.
In both the Old and New Testament, God calls himself or Jesus the bridegroom and the Israelites or the church is the bride. In the covenant God had with Israel and the new covenant God has with us, he wants a deep, faithful relationship. A relationship that frees us from slavery. However, as in marriage, the bridegroom is jealous for his bride, he will not share her and he will be angry if she is unfaithful. His anger is an expression of his love, he loves his people, the Israelites then and the church now. And as we will see in the book of Hosea, he is a faithful forgiving husband, desiring only for the bride to return to Him.”
Are you idolizing anything or anyone above God?
What was your Bible bender from Judges 2? Did you learn anything new?
VERSES MENTIONED:
SHOW NOTES MENTIONED:
The 12 Judges of Israel
The author of this article is Hayley Mowatt, producer of Bible Book Club.
