God So Loved the World 5

Intro

downward spiral

the people of God are fickle

most of the story of the people of God after Joshua is a cycle of them following and then falling away and then crying out to God

Joshua’s final words

chapter 24

after most of the promised land was conquered

some still remained because of the people’s unfaithfulness

he tells them how they got to where they are

he reminds them that they are called to serve only YHWH

he tells them they are not able because they haven’t put away other gods

they serve other things with their life

Judges Cycle

it seems like a recurring thing

in reality, the relationship with God grows worse with every episode

until we get down to characters like Jephthah who don’t know where to begin with a relationship with God

he makes a vow that God never holds him to

he saves the people with the spirit of God but doesn’t know him

Application

doing God’s will is not just following his laws

it’s knowing and loving and understanding the one who gave them