Remembering the Lord

Judges 2:7-10

The book of Judges is one of the darkest times in the nation of Israel’s history. Judges 17:2 tells us, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Israel had broken the covenant of the Lord and had fallen into idolatry. We look at the history of a nation that God had so richly blessed and delivered from captivity and wonder, “How did they get there?”

The idols and false gods that they incorporated into their worship were adopted from cultures and nations that were wicked. It is hard to understand how they had gone from a nation that God called His own special people to a nation that was steeped in idolatry. Judges 2:10 gives us the answer. “When all the generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which He had done for Israel.” They had failed to remember the Lord. These words hit me like a ton of bricks. How many times had I failed to remember the Lord? How many times had I allowed the pressures and lures of this world to drown out the precious words of my Savior?

We are living in a time much like the time of Judges. The idols of this life often scream so loud that it’s hard to stay the course. We must remember the Lord. Remember the mercy, compassion, and salvation that He has so richly lavished on us. I pray we are a church and a people that remember the goodness of God. We have such a wonderful God and because of His great love for us, He has given us mercy after mercy.

Amber Clendenin