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The book of Judges begins with the Angel of the Lord rebuking Israel for not driving the pagans out of the territory given to them by God (Judges 2:1-5). At this time Israel served the Lord and continued to do so "all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua, who had seen all the great work of the Lord which He had done for Israel." (2:7). But the rebuke from the Angel of the Lord indicated that the presence of the pagan influence would result in a shift of loyalty from the Lord to the Baals the fertility gods of the Canaanites.

This loyalty shift goes back and forth throughout the period of the Judges as Israel follows the Lord when they are lead by a strong leader such as Gideon but inevitably turn back to the Baals Their behavior seems to follow a cycle of sin, servitude, sorrow, supplication and savior.

Israel sinned by not driving out the pagans and subsequently serving their gods (Judges 2:2,13), which resulted in God's judgment on them in the form of servitude (2:14). Feeling oppressed by God's judgment and sorrow for their sins they cry out in supplication to the Lord who sends a savior (Judges 3 :9,15) in the form of a Judge.

The story of Gideon emphasizes the fact that it was God alone who delivers Israel from her enemies and not the strength and power of Gideon. Gideon was in fact a reluctant warrior who asked for a sign from the angle of the Lord. The Lord provided two signs (6:21), fire that consumed his offering and (6:36-40) a fleece that was first wet and then dry just the opposite of the ground that it lay on.

As with all the judges it was God who was their savior the judge was the vehicle through which God worked. Things are basically the same today. Jesus is our Savior and he works through us to impart his grace and power. The power is in God and his word not in anything we do. Thus there is no cause for us to feel bad when people reject the Lord whom we preach or for us to feel overly self righteous when people accept the Lord, as though the power depended on us. The thing that we must focus on is our loyalty to God that we not shift our loyalty back and forth as Israel did during the time of the Judges. We must ever diligent in sharing the Gospel and follow God toward victory every day not just when we have dynamic leaders to lead us.

Parents talk to your children about what it means to serve the Lord steadfastly. Discuss with them the fact that we are often very fickle in our loyalties. Notice the reaction of the people after Gideons great victory. They offered to make him king. Notice also his humility in saying that God is their king thus giving glory to God and His power as the source of their salvation. Pray together that God will use us in a mighty way that will result in salvation for many to his glory.

Jim Leadabrand