"What a Mess"

This past Sunday we had a ball in middle school Sunday education!  We had a ton of middle schoolers all gathered to look at Scripture together (some more than others of course).  

We began our time by way of review.  We briefly scanned the history of the children of Israel from Abraham to the time of Joshua.  We looked especially at God's Covenant with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the whole of the children of Israel.  

This review landed us in the Promised Land just before the time of the Judges.  We especially noted that God is always faithful to His Covenant.  Yet, we, like the Israelites, often break that Covenant.  Such was the case at this particular time in Israel's history.  It was in deed a mess of a time.

The children of Israel were keeping the Covenant while Joshua was alive and even unto the time after Joshua while his elders were still alive.  However, the elders eventually died and the text tells us that the next generation arose and had no knowledge or memory of God and His work among the children of Israel.  Thus, they did evil in God's sight and turned away from Him to follow after pagan gods.  

What a mess!  

This is one of the most distressing parts of Scripture for me as a Student Leader to read.  This is because the generation I am working with have the very real possibility of being described in this way.  Thus, we here in the Student Ministries, by God's grace, are spending ourselves in the service of His students, "the next generation."  It is our earnest hope and prayer that the generation we are working with will not be condemned as those who "forgot God," but will be heralded as those who "worship God."

However, this is ultimately out of our control.  For, it is God alone who changes, molds, shapes and orders lives.  We are but His tool and agents and we wish to be well used.  

From this point in our study we begin the "cycle of the Judges."  This is a repeating cycle that is found throughout the book of Judges.  It goes something like this:

- Israel forgets God and does evil in His sight

- God gives them into the hands of their enemy

- The Israelites cry out for help

- God sends them a Judge/Deliverer

- The Israelites are obedient (at least until the Judge dies, then the cycle repeats)

The cycle is more than just a pithy way of reading the book of Judges, it is a story or picture of our own lives.  

- We have forgotten God and done evil in His sight (covenant breakers).  

- God gives us into the hand of our enemies - our own minds [Rom. 1:24, 25] (our punishment).  

- God's Spirit works in our hearts and we cry out to God for help (repentance).  

- God has sent the ultimate and final Judge/Deliverer - Jesus Christ (God's covenant faithfulness).  

- By faith we are obedient to the covenant through Christ (covenant keepers).  

Thus, we must read these stories and realize that they are not just ancient myths to be read at bedtime.  They are our history, and history has a funny way of repeating itself.  So, look to these stories to see your own needs.  Then turn not to any of the specific judges, but to the one, true Judge - Jesus Christ - and find deliverance.  

For His Kingdom...