Judges 2 Devotional

Rescuers Who Could Not Last

“Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for the Israelites, He was with that judge and saved them from the hands of their enemies while the judge was still alive; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning under those who oppressed them and afflicted them.”Judges 2:18 (BSB)

At Bochim the angel of the LORD reminds Israel what God has done. He brought them out of Egypt, gave them the land, and promised never to break his covenant (2:1). They had not kept their side, so the nations they spared would become thorns and snares (2:3). The people weep and sacrifice, but once Joshua's generation dies, Israel no longer knows the LORD or his works (2:10).

The chapter then sets out the book's pattern. Israel serves the Baals, God hands them over to raiders, they groan under oppression, and he raises up judges to save them (2:14-16). He does it because he is moved to pity by their groaning (2:18), not because they have improved. Yet each rescue lasts only as long as the judge lives, and afterward the people sink lower than before (2:19). Israel needed a deliverer who would not die. Hebrews says Jesus saves completely, because he always lives to intercede for his people (Hebrews 7:25). His rescue does not end at a graveside.

To think about: What have you been leaning on for rescue that cannot last, and what would it mean to rest on a Savior who always lives?