QT 8 Feb 17, Judg 10:6-9, Our real problem is spiritual not political

Judges 10:6–9 (ESV) —

6 The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the Lord and did not serve him. 7 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites, 8 and they crushed and oppressed the people of Israel that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the people of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. 9 And the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed.

NOTE: This seems a worthwhile but obscure point. Previously with Gideon, the problem was the Baals the Ashtaroth. Now, the list has grown exponentially, apparently, unless the two gods mentioned are the gods of Syria, Sidon, Moab, the Ammonites, and the Philistines. But we know from the story of Samuel, that the god of the Philistines was Dagon (or something like that), and so the author is making a point--the worship of false gods and idols is increasing in the land. The other thing that is increasing is the language, "… forsook the Lord and DID (emphasis mine) not serve him." Also, "… they crushed and oppressed the people of Israel … Israel was severely distressed." God's discipline of his people increases as the people pursue more and more outright sin. And one can argue, that the discipline is mercy, because the worship of false gods and the assimilation of the culture will only destroy the fabric of life. It is happening now in our own land. Our worship of false gods has blinded us to the moral depravity of our lives and the increasing failure of our solutions to life's problems. We believe in political solutions in the moral equivalent of evil and good, but our real problem is spiritual. Oh, what a hopeless people we are! Gracious Father, wake us up to our real issues of sin and not politics.