Judges 2:1-10 THE PASSING OF A GENERATION It became obvious that there were changes taking place in God's people that were taking them farther away from God and closer to the world of sin around them. The angel of the Lord, Jehovah, not the covenant keeping God, came from the place of victory and blessing where Israel stopped after crossing the Jordan. It was at Gilgal where circumcision took place signifying the cutting off of the flesh and separation to God. It was there they kept the first Passover in the promised land. God appeared to Joshua there and they returned to Gilgal after their victories. Not just any place we choose is the place where God intends us to be. He doesn't abandon His people but He blesses in a special way where we are where He wants us to be doing what He wants us to do. He teaches us and guides us there through His word and the fellowship of God's people. We are not a family of wandering nomads going here and there on a whim of our own choosing, but "a pilgrim band in a foreign land" and a nation of kingdom people on a journey being guided and guarded by our Lord. (2:1) Our God is a covenant keeping God. It was the angel, that said, "I brought … I swore… I said… I will never." The Angel was the Lord Jesus Christ and the event was very important to God. When we meet with God, that event surpasses every other event and commitment we might have and should never be taken lightly by us because it is not taken lightly by God. Gilgal, was the place of victory and blessing. There the people of God were blessed. There were tears at Bochim (weeping) to the extent that it is known as the place of weeping and judgment instead of blessing. The cost of carnality is very high. We may think an action is insignificant because that is the way the world system measures it. But to God, complete obedience in fulfilling the terms of the covenant with us is very important. God had committed Himself to His people unconditionally. Their neglect of the terms of the covenant on their part, made the covenant ineffective. To Israel there was a significant change in their relationship with God. They had gone from victory to weeping and judgment.
God had done His part of the covenant. He had committed Himself unconditionally to His people. God had covenanted with Abraham, and promised three things.... 1. Descendants (seed) and 2. His seed would possess a land. From them, 3. Blessings would flow to the world. (Gen.12:3), and that has happened through the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Multiplied millions of people have been blessed with salvation and are in the kingdom of God. God protected and empowered Israel and made them a special nation that even impacts world events today. He had delivered Israel from Egypt, brought them into Canaan, cared for them for 40 years while they wandered in the wilderness. However, they did not obey His laws and did not love Him personally. Even today agnosticism and atheism are common among Israelis and Jews all over the world. They want to survive as a special nation, but look to other nations to help them do this rather than turn in repentance to God. God is still rejected as the Supreme Authority and the One who keeps covenant with His people. His promises to us are: sins forgiven, eternal life as a gift from Him, and we are His children.
(2:2) Israel was a covenant breaking nation. They had not obeyed God, nor had they fulfilled their responsibility to Him. Instead they made league with the enemy and they didn't tear down demon altars. The Lord had given them unlimited power. Judah did not have victory, because they did not trust God. Rather than follow Him wholeheartedly, they compromised. For God's people who turn away and fail, there is recovery following genuine repentance and forsaking sin and wrong. God has not abandoned His people. When we repent and follow Him then He can bless us. If not, we need to remember there are always consequences to sin that will follow and must be paid. They cannot be avoided. God allows opposition and oppression to come from those around as a means of bringing us back to Himself. It is wrong for us to take the blessings of God for granted as if He is obligated to us in any way. It is of "His mercies we are not consumed."
(2:3-5) The consequences of compromise are real. It is one thing to admit to sin. Remorse because of the consequences of sin is another, but true repentance involves our admission of guilt and accepting responsibility for our thoughts and actions that turn us away from God. But even more, involved in genuine repentance is deliberately forsaking sin. Tears are often a normal reaction to guilt when one is found out. The power of the intellect and the ability to choose, and commit to change are essential for true repentance and recovery to God. People may not realize it at the moment guilt takes over our emotions, but for many there is the understanding that change is necessary and obviously evident. To seek to cover up sin is as wrong as the sin committed that brought the sense of guilt in the first place. The angel came as a purpose of grace to bring the nation to real repentance. The nations around are going to drag you down. Partial obedience leads to weeping. There is no joy in half-hearted spiritual experience. Uncommitted Christians are miserable people. There is no victory nor blessing, but defeat and frustration.
Any attempt to deceive does not blind God to anything about us. Deception when resorted to, deceives ourselves into thinking all is well when it really isn't. It is important for parents to realize they are responsible to teach their own children about God, why they are to believe in Him and trust the Lord Jesus Christ alone for salvation. We are to instruct them as to how and why they are to follow Him all through life. By following, obeying and loving God, a young person can find out early in life why we are here and what life is all about. It is not the school teachers' responsibility, nor the Sunday School teacher's to be held responsible to teach and demonstrate God's way. It is ours as parents and grandparents.
The second generation was now in control of the national identity and actions. Their parents were marked by fervor as they claimed the land God had promised. They were identified by compromise, their children by materialism and the grandchildren by apathy. With the passing of Joshua and that generation who came in to possess the land, and had experienced the delivering power of God, there came a change that affected the whole nation, but that change was not good. Decline morally and spiritually changed the characteristics of the whole nation. That decline set in motion the cycle of sin, judgment for sin, the need of times of repentance and temporary recovery to God. Some things can be changed for awhile because of fear or oppression and a sense of guilt. True recovery begins when a person is born again and their nature is that of a new creation. (2:6-9) The impact of Joshua faded away as they relegated all that had happened in their history to sort of ancient history that was not relevant to their present day. Joshua was responsive to the word of God. (Josh.1:7-8) Joshua had active faith that had experienced not only the power of God in normal life but in supernatural ways. (Josh.1:5) The miraculous defeat of Jericho; the day the sun and moon stood still; victories -- even though he failed at times and the record of scriptures, testify as to how God used him. It was not because of his gift and ability but because he trusted God and ordered his life by the word of God. One man, committed unreservedly to God and His word, can make a great difference for good in the lives of God's people. One woman, living for Christ can bring blessing to many.
(2:10) Failure of the second generation may be partially avoided if those of an older generation commit themselves to pass on our faith and experiences with God to the younger generation. Hopefully, in that way they may want to obey, love and follow God because it is best, and the "right way." The nature of the failure of the second generation of Israelites was they knew about the Lord and His deeds; but they did not know Him. They became complacent about living for God and having fellowship with God. They had lost touch. Instead of wonder, they yawned, were complacent, lukewarm and apathetic. Apathy is the opposite of love; complacency grows like cancer. That same problem exists today as a cause of the failure in the things of God. People are satisfied with the status-quo: "Why bother? We're okay." Do we take God's blessings for granted and not acknowledge Him (Deut.6:10-12; 8:11-18)? "In everything give thanks." They neglected God's word-- ignored it; had no conviction about it. Which do I have? Second hand or personal conviction?