Judges 10:10–16 (ESV) — 10 And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord,
saying, “We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have
served the Baals.” 11 And the Lord said to the people of Israel, “Did I
not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and
from the Philistines? 12 The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the
Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I saved you out of their
hand. 13 Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods;
therefore I will save you no more. 14 Go and cry out to
the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.”
15 And the people of Israel said to the Lord, “We have
sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please deliver us this day.” 16 So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord,
and he became impatient over the misery of Israel.
NOTE: The people of
Israel had done much worse than just served the Baals, the earlier passage
makes it quite clear they were worshipping gods of many of the surrounding
nations. Did they really think they could deceive God? Do they even have a
proper concept of the God of the universe? And why do they continually (and
only) cry out to God when in distress? Is God only the God of the safety
blanket? God answers them with a resounding "NO." God tells them to
cry out to their idols. But they know that their idols aren't the answer--why
or how do they know that since they continually turn back to them? Is it
something about the world's culture and the idolatry that while we know it is
not the true answer, we prefer it over obedience to God? Do we love our sin so
much? They do get rid of all of their foreign gods and begin to serve God. The
passage says that God became impatient over the misery of Israel. I'm sure the
Hebrew word, qatsar, which means
"be short," is difficult to translate when applied to God. It is an
emotional response that is combined with perfect logic and perfect foresight.
It hurts God to see his children suffer even when it is their own fault. Like a
parent, he knows we need to learn a lesson, but he desires also to show mercy.
The word is also translated "was grieved; could no longer bear; could no
longer endure" in other versions. God loves us with a deep emotional love
and it hurts him to watch us hurt ourselves. And yet, real change cannot happen
unless it is deep within us, and sometimes pain is the only way to get a hold
of our senses to make the changes that are required. God, thank you for your
love, mercy, and wisdom. Keep my eyes alert to my sin. I do not wish to learn
things the hard way.
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