Bible Studies
Beware The Influences of the World (Judges 2:1-4)
Series: Studies in the Book of JudgesIntroduction:
1. It is said of God’s people that we are “in the world, but not of the world.” Peter describes us as “a chosen race” and “a peculiar people” (1 Pet. 2:9). Paul quotes a passage from Isa. (52:11) where God said, “Come out from their midst and be separate” (2 Cor. 6:17). 2. The people of God are to be totally, completely and exclusively His. No book of the Bible is clearer on this than the Book of Judges. It appears to be written to show how the influence of the people of the world leads to forsaking the Lord. 3. It is not a matter of one group of people being better than another for we are all descended from Adam. 4. It is not a matter of racial superiority or inferiority for we are all created in the image of God. 5. It is a matter of covenant loyalty to the Lord. 6. Reading of Judges 2:1-4.Discussion:
I. Initial observations from this text.A. God said, “I will never break My covenant with you.”
1. Thus God viewed His relationship with Israel as a covenant.
2. Elsewhere in Scripture a “covenant” is equivalent to a marriage.
a. God was married to Israel. He was her husband.
b. The relationship was meant to be exclusive.
1) God had spoken to Pharaoh with the language of exclusivity. “Let My people go” (Ex. 10:3).
2) He had spoken to Israel similarly “I will take you for My people, and I will be your God” (Ex. 6:7). His relationship with Israel stemmed from His special relationship with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Ex. 6:2-5).
3) It is clear from the first two commandments that God gave on Sinai (Ex. 20:3-5).
a) “You shall have no other gods besides Me.”
b) “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them.”
B. When Israel entered Canaan they were to make no covenant with the people of the land, but they were to tear down their altars.
1. Already we see that the issue is not covenants with the people, but the exclusivity of their relationship with God.
2. Covenants with the people would lead to the worship of their gods.
C. Here in Bochim the angel of the Lord says, “You have not done as I told you and therefore I will not drive out the peoples of the land. They will be thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you.”
D. The people wept.
II. The opening chapter of Judges describes the circumstances in Canaan after the death of Joshua.A. Moses had warned the nation and implored their loyalty to God in Deut. 6.
B. At the time of Moses’ death God predicted that they would break His covenant (Deut. 31:16-18).
C. Joshua’s farewell address called on Israel to be loyal to the Lord and to not associate with the nations among them. He knew that doing so would lead Israel to serve their gods (Josh. 23:4-8, 16).
D. Chapter 1 of Judges describes the military actions against the Canaanites.
1. Judah and Simeon were relatively successful. The iron chariots of the inhabitants of the valley hindered their objectives (1-20).
2. The Benjaminites did not drive out the inhabitants of Jerusalem (21).
3. The house of Joseph—Manasseh and Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites in some areas (22-29).
4. Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, Naphtali and Dan did not drive out the inhabitants of some areas (30-36).
E. The confrontation at Bochim was the result (2:1-4).
III. “After Joshua another generation arose who did not know the Lord, nor the work which He had done for Israel” (2:10).A. And so they “did evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals, and forsook the Lord, and followed the gods of the peoples who were around them” (2:11-12).
B. The writer of Judges summarizes the situation in 2:14-23.
C. Over and over the cycle repeats itself. They forsake the Lord. They are severely oppressed. God is moved to pity. He raises up a judge to deliver them. There is rest for a period and then they forsake the Lord and the cycle repeats itself.
IV. Covenanting with the people of the world leads to the worship of other gods and distress ensues (3:1-6).A. Things waxed worse and worse from one generation to the next (2:19).
1. One wit observed that the first generation finds the things of God a part of their identity. The next generation finds then to be an inconvenience, and the third finds them a nuisance.
2. For Israel it seems that the deterioration occurred even faster. One untaught generation produces apostasy.
3. How important it is that we communicate the message of God to the people!
B. Israel’s problem stemmed from “living among the Canaanites,” and if that was not enough “they took their daughters for themselves as wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods” (3:5-6).
1. We may reason today that it is not sin for the child of God to be married to an unbeliever.
a. There is certainly evidence in Scripture of believers being married to unbelievers (1 Cor. 7:12-14; 1 Pet. 3:1ff; Acts 16:3; 2 Tim. 1:5).
b. But should we not take warning from these passages?
2. Should we not take warning from the experiences of Israel?
3. Sometimes I am afraid that we are more concerned about our son or daughter marrying someone of different skin color than we are of their marrying someone who is not loyal to the Lord. Do we not understand that loyalty to the Lord is the chief priority? For us? For our children? For our grandchildren? Do we not understand that we are powerfully influenced by our spouses?
4. I have performed wedding ceremonies for Christians who married people who were unbelievers. I am persuaded not to do this again. Not because I believe it is sin for Christians and unbelievers to be married, but because I believe it is a recipe for Christians becoming disloyal to the Lord, for children being taught to worship idols rather than God, for distress rather than peace.
Conclusion:
1. Beware the influences of the world. 2. Israel was led away into idolatry, oppression and distress. 3. Do not break covenant with the Lord.
