“Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord..; and they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; and they followed other gods from among the gods of the people who were all around them, and they bowed down to them; and they provoked the Lord to anger. They forsook the Lord and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel. So He delivered them into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them; and He sold them into the hands of their enemies… Wherever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for calamity, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn… And they were greatly distressed.
“Nevertheless, the Lord raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them… When the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them. And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they reverted and behaved more corruptly, by following other gods, to serve them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their own doings nor from their stubborn way…
“So the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God, and served the Baals and Asherahs. Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel… When Israel cried out to the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer.” Judges 2:11-16,18-19; 3:7-9
The Lord God had settled Israel in their promised land, working through His godly servant Joshua to lead them in both physical and spiritual conquest. He’d provided and protected and prepared. Yet after Joshua’s death, His people turned after lesser gods, whoring themselves to the heathen nations remaining and intended to prove their faith and commitment. So God gave consequence as He’d pledged, and they in misery began a yin-yang of need and taking. Theirs was the repeated fault, God’s the merciful favor. (Joshua 24:12-22; Judges 2:1-5)
It is fallen human nature that sees ourselves as good, deserving of lavish blessings. Tangled in ongoing comparisons, we expect to get what we want and for things to go our way. We deem God a dispensary for passions and wishes and a rewarder of decent efforts. We see bounty as our good fortune, and destruction and suffering as God’s fault, when actually, the opposite is true. Since Eden and in love, God set in motion a perfect pattern of choice and consequence, and perpetuates it by His righteous character. Harm and misery are the natural effect of sin. (Genesis 2:15-17; 1 Corinthians 4:7; James 1:17)
We might earn certain earthly rewards, but contribute nothing to heavenly favor. The agonies in this world were not God’s original plan, but are the result of human sin. Where have I distorted His character through a lack of self-introspection or rashly blaming Him? Do I call God capricious but not myself corrupt? When do I regularly bow before His excellence and grace to confess my sins (not others’) as an affront to His holiness? When will I take ownership for my part of suffered consequences, confessing personal fault and imploring His forgiveness? In Christ, covered by grace and upheld by the promise of glory, we can enjoy lives of favor and fullness.
Lord, purify me in mercy so I glorify You forever.
As the rain and snow 