Observation: At the very beginning of the book, the narrator establishes a pattern. God sets up judges to guide the people. The people go after other gods. They get beaten and oppressed by other tribes in the land. Then God sets up another judge. The cycle repeats itself over and over again. Anything and anyone the people can go after instead of listening to God, that's what they go after.
Application: I wonder sometimes if I'm too obsessed with the idea of "growing in faith." From a very early age, we're given this linear sense of our lives, where we want to be moving forward, passing tests, moving on to the next level, advancing to the next grade, getting the next promotion, starting the next phase of our lives. And there's a good argument to be made that Christians should be concerned about that. Discipleship does involve learning and growing and helping others learn and grow. But I'm concerned about focusing on growth and progress so much that they become an idol. If I get up each morning going after some idealized person I want to be, instead of dwelling with God, I'm going after an idol. If I get up each morning expecting that I can "do better", in some basic way, at following Jesus, I'm going after a lie. Like the people of Israel in the Book of Judges, we keep repeating the same cycle. Start, fall, receive forgiveness, start again, fall again. There's no breaking out of that. We are captive to sin, and can not free ourselves. But the good news is God loves, saves and heals us in our brokenness, not after the quick fixes we're sure we can accomplish this time. Turn your eyes away from the idol of progress and to the one loving and saving you right now, as you read this.
Prayer: God, help me turn my eyes away from "my best life" and fix my eyes on you.
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