This Week's Sunday School Lesson, "God's Love Includes Suffering", Judges 2:16-23

 GOD’S LOVE INCLUDES SUFFERING FOR DISCIPLINE

Judges 2:16-23

HARDHEADED FOLK GET THE HARD HAND OF GOD

V:16 Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. 17 Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. Unlike their fathers, they quickly turned from the way in which their fathers had walked, the way of obedience to the Lord's commands. 18 Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord had compassion on them as they groaned under those who oppressed and afflicted them.

Israel was a nation that refused to obey God’s command not

To worship idol gods. The pattern was this; God would get them

From under the oppression of their enemies with the promise from

Israel to follow Him. When the Judge God raised up to rescue

them died, they returned to the worship of idol gods. When Israel

Returned to idol god worship, God allowed another nation to oppress

Them.

God was their judge and the judge He raised up was His representative. Israel was God’s people, so had compassion on them anytime they returned to Him for help.

Israel never had the courage or the desire to follow God’s commands.

The result was a continued cycle of punishment by God. They were

Free people with a slave mentality. They had access to the power of

God, but never consistently connected to His power.

A lesson unlearned will be repeated. This was the History of Israel. The Judges God raised up in the midst of faithless people were a Testament to His mercy. In the middle of their disobedience, God

Planned their failure and punishment to force their hearts to repentance and restoration.

They had periods of peace and restoration while the Judges lived.

When the Judges died, Israel went back to the worship of

The world prostituting themselves to Baal and Asteroth

They passed on a history of God's love for them to the next

Generation. Israel knew to call on the Lord when they

were in trouble. In the back of their minds was a backup plan.

They had no genuine devoted heart for God but were quick to call on Him during hardships.

REPEATED SIN, REPEATED HARDSHIPS

V:19 But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their fathers, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.

20 Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel and said, "Because this nation has violated the covenant that I laid down for their forefathers and has not listened to me, 21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. 22 I will use them to test Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their forefathers did." 23 The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.

It is easy to follow the ways of the world because we were born

In sin and shaped in iniquity. We live in a world that favors sin and

all unrighteousness. The temptation to fit into the world is hard to

resist.

Israel was surrounded by the enemy of God which they failed to

Drive out of the promised land as God commanded. Surrounded

By the loose sexual actives of worship in idol god temples,

the temptation to stray from God’s commands ruled their hearts.

GOD’S PLAN OF REDEMPTION INCLUDES OUR SUFFERING

Israel’s disobedience angered God to the point of selling them to

Their Enemies. God could have easily let the enemy destroy

Them, but love for His chosen people would not allow

Destruction.

God is a jealous God, His plan of redemption includes discipline

and hardships to drive us back to worship Him.

God refused to drive the enemy away from Israel to strengthen their faith. The enemy became a thorn in their side and a test of

their faith.

Like the Judges, God sent Jesus as our Lord and savior to rescue

Us from our sins. Because Jesus suffered for the atonement of our sins, we must suffer for Him.

1 Peter 4:16-17

However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.

19 So then, those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.

Even the faithful Christian suffers for Christ. How must more will

The unfaith suffer?