Addicted to Sin
“And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.” Judges 2:18-19
Since no leader was appointed to take up Joshua’s mantle after his death, leading eventually to disobedience and idolatry by Israel, God appointed a judge to uphold His law and defend righteous worship of Him. They were also to execute punishment upon those who committed crimes, especially those of idolatry. They delivered Israel from her enemies, not necessarily as military commanders, but as spiritual leaders who stood between the LORD and His people. One might call them the “heart managers”. The leader of a nation wields a lot of influence over the citizens of that nation for good or bad. However, the influence of a righteous judge did not always provide a good result because the people had become addicted to their sin.
People can become addicted to all kinds of things: wealth, alcohol, drugs, sex, and, as we see here, to doing whatever one pleases regardless of the consequences. I believe most addictions come from selfishness, and selfishness comes from pride. According to Webster’s Dictionary, “pride” is “an overly high opinion and excessive belief in one’s own worth, merit, superiority, etc.”, which naturally leads one to be concerned only with oneself, his or her welfare and advantage. However, there is another factor involved in addictions and that, I believe, is to fulfill an internal longing for purpose and identity which can only be satisfied in a right relationship with the Creator. God made man and instilled in him a need to worship Someone greater than himself, God Almighty. God also gave man “free will”, the ability to choose right from wrong. God did not want puppets or robots who would mechanically serve Him because they had no choice. Where is the “love” in that? Rather, He desired men and women to love, honor, and serve Him because that was their desire–genuine, heartfelt love for their Creator.
To show His love for His people, God delivered His people from their enemies as long as a judge remained alive. While the behavior of the people of Israel was certainly not perfect, the influence of the godly judges did help keep the actions of the people in check, but when the judge died, the people quickly reverted to their old sinful ways. We wonder why God would go to such lengths to protect His ever-increasing wayward people, but He did so because He loved them that much. He basically felt sorry for them. They were His people, no matter how much they sinned. We love our children no matter what they do. A wise parent will allow his or her children to suffer the consequences of their bad behavior in hopes that they will see the error of their ways and understand the importance of obedience. God continued to allow His people to suffer the consequences yet provided a means of reconciliation with each new judge and then each new king after that, culminating in sending His own Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty for man’s sin. God has never left man without a remedy for man’s sin sickness.
It was bad enough that Israel could not be trusted to remain a faithful people on their own without a leader to constantly steer them along the righteous path like a shepherd who guides his sheep and protects them from predators. What was worse was their increasingly stubborn motion toward greater rebellion against God and His commandments. Being left to police themselves became a joke that was not at all funny. It was sort of a “when the cat’s away, the mice will play”, attitude that shows that the rebellion in their hearts never really left, but was just stifled during the tenure of a judge. Had there been true repentance among the people, they would not have been so quick to revert back to their former sins. Yes, over time history would have repeated itself as the older generation died, and the younger generation made their own rules. Are we not experiencing this fact in our day? This pattern has been repeated throughout the ages. In a ride-along that I did with one of our local police officers, she said that people, particularly drivers, who desire to do the right thing are few in number while those who are careless about obeying the law far exceed those who do obey. As Judges 17:6 points out, this statement made by the police officer only proves that, indeed, every man does what is right in his own eyes. That fact has never changed and won’t until Jesus returns to rule in righteousness.