Scripture Basis: Judges 2:6–19

Central Verse: “And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.” (Judges 2:14)


The greatest threat to the church throughout history has been compromise of our standards and godly principles. The temptation to conform to the mores of the larger society is always present, and each generation of Christians has had to overcome it. Accommodation to the world will forfeit the church’s witness; and if it loses its witness, it loses its reason for being. “If the salt has lost its savor… it is thenceforth good for nothing...”

The condition of the Israelites after the reign of Joshua is a picture of the dilemma that compromise can cause. Once Joshua and the generation that had seen the great works of God died out, there remained no more first-hand testimonies to stoke the devotion of the Israelites (verse 10). Adding to their destabilization, they had not completely driven the Canaanites out of the promised land. Sharing the environs with the indigenous population left them vulnerable to idolatrous influences.

The children of Israel fell into complacency in their public and private worship, and began a sorry cycle of apostasy, persecution and deliverance that is repeated throughout the book of Judges (and summarized in chapter 2). Emulation of the ungodly practices of their neighbors would alienate the Israelites from God. Then bereft of divine protection, the nation would be overcome by its enemies. Suffering oppression would convince the people to repent, and then God would raise up a deliverer. But when times were pleasant again, Israel would invariably return to idolatry and begin the process all over again.

The results of compromise are the same for the Christian today. When believers adopt the behavior and thinking of this world system, they sever their connection to the Holy Ghost. Bereft of his abiding presence, a backslider is left open to demonic attack. The form may be the physical sickness Paul warned of in 1 Corinthians 11:30; it could also be an attack upon our home life, our emotional well-being or our material comforts. Such chastening will then stir us to godly sorrow and repentance.

Questions:
1. What circumstances contributed to the Israelites cycle of persecution and deliverance?
2. Describe the similarities between Israel’s backsliding and that of Christians.
3. Would a continuous pattern of sin and restoration like Israel’s be possible for born-again believers?

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I hate feeling ignorant about any topic, but I might as well admit I don't know enough about "black liberation theology" to craft a sermon outline in that vein. If you can contribute an example, I will gladly read it.

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