Develop Your Faith and Obedience.. Judges3

Enemy nations were still in the land because the Israelites had failed to obey God and drive them out. Now God would allow the enemies to remain an order to test the Israelites, that is, to give them an opportunity to exercise faith and obedience. By now the younger generation that had not fought in the great battles of conquest was coming of age. It was their job to complete the conquest of the land. There were many obstacles would be a test of their faith.

Perhaps God has left obstacles in your life--hostile people, difficult situations, baffling problems--to allow you to develop faith and obedience.

Idol is not Creator because it created by human.. Judges2

God often saved HIS harshest criticism and punishment for those who worshiped idols. Why were idols so bad in God's sight? To worship an idol violated the first two of the Ten commandment. The Canaanites had gods for almost every season, activity, or place. To them, the Lord was just another god to add to their collection of gods. Israel by contrast, was to worship only the Lord. They could not possibly believe that God was the one true God and at the same time bow to an idol. Idol worshipers could not see their god as their creator because they created it. These idols represent sensual, carnal, and immoral aspects of human nature. God's nature is spiritual and moral. Adding the worship of idols to the worship of God could not be tolerated.

Despite Israel's disobedience, God showed HIS great mercy by raising up judges to save the people from their oppressors. Mercy has been defined as" not giving a person what he or she deserves" this is exactly what God did for Israel and what HE does for us. Our disobedience demands judment! But God show mercy toward us by providing an escape from sin's penalty through Jesus Christ, who alone saves us from sin. When we pray for forgiveness, we are asking for what we do not deserve. Yet when we take this step and trust in Christ's saving work on our behalf, we can experience God's forgiveness.

The Cycle of Sin.. Judges2

One generation died, and the next didnt follow God. Book of Judges is a brief preview of the cycle of sin, judgment, and repentance that Israel experienced again and again. Each generation failed to teach the next generation to love and follow God. Yet this was at the very center of God's law. It is tempting to leave the job of teaching the Christian faith to the church or Christian school. Yet God says that the responsibility for this task belongs primarily to the family. Because children learn so much by our example, the home offers the most effective place to pass on the faith to the next generation.

Baal was the god of storm and rains; therefore, he was thought to control vegetation and agriculture. Ashtoreth was the mother goddes of love, war, fertility. Temple prostitution and child sacrifice were a partof the worship of these Canaanite idols. This generation of Israelites abandoned the faith of their parents and began worshiping the gods of their neighbors. Many things can tempt us to abandon what we know is right. The desire to be accepted by our neighbors can lead us into behavior that is unacceptable to God. Dont be lulled into compromised or pressured into disobedient