Moment of Meditation: Judges (Judges 2:18-19)

Original Broadcast: July 2009

Monthly Theme: The Judges of Israel

Whenever the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge,
and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. ...
But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers,
going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them.
(Judges 2:18-19)

The Judges

After Joshua's death, God sent judges to the children of Israel. They ran from Othniel until Samuel anointed Saul to be king. A span of around three hundred years. These men and women governed the Israelites in much the same way as Moses and Joshua had. With God's help, each judge delivered the Israelites from oppression of their enemies. While the judge lived, Israel was blessed and followed God's commandments. Once the judge was dead, Israel returned to the idols of their neighbors. Just like many of us do every week. We come and we sit in church for an hour on Sunday morning or Saturday evening. Then the other 167 hours of the week we're our own people following our own idols that we set up for ourselves--our jobs, our toys, our entertainment. The book of Judges is a sketch of what is commonplace throughout American society. Hopefully these meditations will bring us from this and lead us to always look to God for His help and guidance. Amen.