THURSDAY (12/24/20) CHRISTMAS EVE

Hi, my name is Cathy, and I’ve been part of the Elder team with my husband Dale for the past two years. We have been part of Riverside since it was first planted 11 years ago. During most of that time we have also been part of the Missions team, and have traveled several times to Asha Children’s home in India.

The passage you are going to read today is Judges 2.

Israel has entered the promised land, and their leader Joshua has died. Without strong spiritual leadership in the generations that followed, compromise occurs as they continue to occupy the land. This begins a change in Israel’s relationship with God. The angel of the Lord appears to the people and speaks to them of their failure to drive out the inhabitants of the land, along with their idol worship and corrupt practices. God removes His agreement to help them conquer the land, and they are soon oppressed by those they allowed to remain. The people weep and are sorrowful for their disobedience. In God’s mercy, He raises up judges to save them from their oppressors. This sets the stage for a repeating cycle of sin, judgment, and repentance that is fleshed out in the rest of Judges.

Although God no longer gave Israel the upper hand with the inhabitants of the land, God’s overriding covenant with the people of Israel remained. His promise to make Israel a nation through whom the whole world would be blessed remained. Although the people strayed from God time and again, His promise remained steadfast.

What stands out to me in this passage is that just as God showed mercy to the people of Israel, He has done the same for us. Instead of giving us the judgment that we deserve, He showed His mercy by providing an escape from the penalty of sin and death, through Jesus Christ.

Now do the Know, Be, Do method of studying the chapter.

  • KNOW (What does the text say about God?)
  • BE (What does the text say about us?)
  • DO (What is the text calling me/us to do?)