Stay the Course

Judges 1-6

At the start of this year, our pastor Craig Carter preached a sermon on consistency. His message was a call to the congregation to be more consistent this year. More consistent in attendance... more consistent in praying... more consistent in study... more consistent in our relationship with God. I wish I could say that my life revealed a consistency that he used as the good example. It doesn't. Today's reading in Judges shows the inconsistency inherent in the lives of the Israeli people.

The Israelites served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua and the leaders who outlived him, but when that generation died, another generation grew up who did not acknowledge the Lord or remember the mighty things he had done for Israel so the Lord lifted their enemies up. When they had suffered much they cried out to the Lord, and he called Othniel as a judge, so there was peace in the land for forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died.

The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight, so they were given into the hands of the Moabites and they suffered much, and they cried out to God and God called Ehud, and there was peace in the land for 80 years until Ehud died. The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight, so they were given into the hands of the Canaanites and they suffered much, and they cried out to God and God called Deborah, and there was peace in the land for 40 years. The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight, so they were given into the hands of the Midianites and they suffered much, and they cried out to God and God called Gideon... hmmm, appears to be a pattern developing.

With the hindsight of history, it is easy to see how the ancient Israelites reacted, but my guess is that the Lord's response to my noticing the pattern would be similar to Jesus' response  to Peter's question about John. Jesus replied "what is that to you? You must follow me." Use their example to ensure that you do not turn to the right or to the left, but follw him.