Reading
Judges 2:1-5—Covenant Faithfulness/Unfaithfulness
Optional Reading
1 Cor 5:1–8
Notes
Most, although not all, of Canaan has been conquered by Israel. God here reaffirms his covenant faithfulness. What a wonderful reminder that he will never break his covenant with his people! We want to have our family and friends never break their promises to us and we want to never break our promises to them. But they do, and we do, sadly. God never will! Never.
Here God rebukes his people. They have made covenants with the sinful people living in Canaan and not obeyed God’s voice. Do you ever join with the world instead of listening to and obeying God’s voice? We are certainly tempted to. James reminds us that friendship with the world is hostility toward God (James 4:4).
How did Israel respond? Keddie notes that the response of God’s people (2:5) is as instructive as it is heart-rending. First there was sorrow for sin, touchingly signalized in the name given to the place of confrontation—Bokim, literally ‘weepers’. Men weep for many reasons—laughter, separation, bereavement, anger—but least of all for their sins. When did you last weep as you considered your sins? When were you last ‘stricken’ while in prayer? This is the beginning of a real devotion and of blessed communion with the Lord … a sense of helplessness, of need and of a lack of any deserving of blessing by reason of having offended a holy God. The second element is that of appealing to the mercy of God. Israel ‘offered sacrifices to the Lord’.
May we weep over our sins and flee from them to Christ!
Questions
- What was God’s promise to his people?
- To whom did Israel make covenant?
- How should we respond to our sin?
Praise
Psalm 51a, 119r
Prayer
- Ask God to turn you from sin for his name’s sake.
- Pray for the preparation for preaching God’s word this Sunday.
- Pray for a member of our church, for your family, and for a non-Christian friend/family member.