SDA Sabbath School Lessons
April 13, 1996

#2 Ups and Downs

Read for this week's study: Judges 2:6-3:6.

Memory text: Judges 2:16, 17

Key thought:

During the period of the "judges," God's people fell into a repeated pattern of apostasy, suffering at the hands of their enemies, deliverance through a "judge" sent by their merciful Lord, followed by worse apostasy.

Roller-Coaster Religion.

The beginning of a roller-coaster ride isn't bad. There's a gentle clickety-clack as the mechanism pulls you smoothly up. The view becomes better. Soon you can see the whole park, and then the whole surrounding countryside. You can see just about everything--everything, that is except the track. Where's the track? Oh no! There it is . . . wayyyyy down there! Before you can decide whether to have a cardiac arrest or to sink into a deep coma, down you go. You won't remember any thoughts after that, because there aren't any; just a long, horrifying feeling as you go down, up, down, up, down.

"Roller-coaster religion" has a lot of ups and downs, but it always ends on the down side. A roller-coaster ride takes only a few minutes, but "roller-coaster religion" lasts a lot longer. The Israelites had a chronic case of it for hundreds of years. (See Judges 2:6-23.)

Outline:

• Sunday April 7: The Faithful Generation ( Judges 2:6-9).
• The book of Judges begins with the words "after the death of Joshua" (Judges 1:1), but Judges 2:6 goes back to the time when Joshua was still alive.
• Why isn't the information given in Judges 2:6-9 placed at the beginning of the book, according to the order in which events happened?
• Since the book of Judges is about the time after Joshua's death, it is appropriate for it to begin where it does. The account of military events in chapter 1 leads up to the pronouncement of the Angel of the Lord in Judges 2:1-5, which may be regarded as the overall theme of the book. Before describing the faithlessness of the generations after Joshua ( 2: 10-3:6), it is fitting to mention Joshua and the faithful who entered Canaan with him ( 2:6-9 ).
• Why was the generation of Joshua faithful? Judges 2:7; compare verse 10.
• Those who entered Canaan with Joshua saw special miracles wrought by the Lord, such as the parting of the Jordan River ( Joshua 3:14-17) and the fall of Jericho's walls ( Joshua 6:20). But of those who entered the Promised Land, only Caleb and Joshua belonged to the older generation who had witnessed the plagues of Egypt ( Exodus 7-12), the crossing of the Red Sea ( Exodus 14), and the giving of the Law on Mt. Sinai ( Exodus 20). Those who entered the land were faithful, not simply because they saw what the Lord did for them, but because they chose to trust Him wholly. (See Joshua 14:8, 9, 14.) The same motivation applies to us. We follow Jesus because of what He did for us ( Phil. 2:5-8).
• Have you seen God work for you? How did this experience affect you?




• Monday April 8: The Unfaithful Generation (Judges 2:10-13).
• In Judges 2:10, the words "another generation grew up after them, who did not know the Lord" (NRSV) remind us of Exodus 1:8: "Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph" (NRSV). God had delivered the Israelites from Pharaoh. Just as Pharaoh recognized no need for loyalty to the family of Joseph, so the Israelites after Joshua saw no need for loyalty to God. Ignorance is often the basis for foolish behavior.
• Why didn't the generation of Israelites, who were enjoying the Promised Land, recognize God, who had given them the land? Deut. 6:10-12
• When the Israelites were comfortable in the land and occupied with their material well-being, they took their blessings for granted and forgot about God, turning to the gods of the Canaanites ( Judges 2:11-13). Forgetting has various meanings and consequences, depending on the situation. Where relationships are concerned, forgetting can be a symptom of lack of concern for someone. Forgetting God shows lack of concern for Him, in spite of the fact that He is the Creator and Redeemer. God commands His people to remember Him on His Sabbath day once a week ( Exo dus 20:8-11).
• What provisions had God made to prevent the people from forgetting about Him? Deut. 4:9, 10; 6:4-9. Why did God's plan to carry faithfulness from one generation to another fail?
• What are we doing to educate our children to follow God? What are we teaching them by our example? What negative influences must we counteract to ensure that they will constantly be encouraged to serve the Lord?




• Tuesday April 9: From Disobedience to Distress (Ju dges 2:14, 15).
• When the Israelites forsook the Lord and worshiped the gods of the Canaanites, they not only could not drive the Canaanites out of the land; the balance of power shifted in favor of the Canaanites and other enemies, who plundered and oppressed the Israelites. At the beginning of the book of Judges, the Lord gave the enemies of the Israelites into their hands ( Judges 1:4 ). Now "the hand of the Lord was against them to bring misfortune, as the Lord had warned them and sworn to them" (Judges 2:15, NRSV). Before the Israelites had entered the land, God had promised blessings for obedience and warned of punishments for disobedience. (See Lev. 26:6-8; 26:16 , 17 .)
• Why were the Israelites miserable when they disobeyed God? If they didn't want to serve Him, why didn't He respect their choice and just leave them alone? Heb. 12:5-11.
• Which of the following provides the best answer?
1. When the Israelites sinned, God was completely just in punishing them.
2. God wanted them to see the connection between blessing and obedience.
3. God's punishment involved withholding His protection, which was conditional upon obedience. Without Him, the Israelites suffered the consequences of their choices.
4. The Israelites belonged to God in a special way because of His covenant with them at Sinai ( Exod us 24:3-8 ) and His earlier covenant with their ancestor, Abraham ( Gen. 15, 17 ). His discipline demonstrated that He loved them as His children ( Heb. 12:5-11 ).
5. God did not immediately take "no" for an answer, because He knew that they did not understand the full implications of what they were doing. He respected their freedom of choice but gave them an opportunity to taste the consequences of their decisions so they could choose more wisely in the future.
6. Another answer:
7. All the above.
• How do you react to what you think might be discipline from God? Do you accept it as given in love for your own good, or do you become angry with God?


Wednesday April 10: Not Learning From Mistakes (Ju dges 2:16, 19).

• Why did the Lord raise up judges to save the Israelites from their distress ( Judges 2:16 )? Judges 2:18; 3:9, 15.
• Discipline does not go on forever, or it becomes destruction. Discipline is not merely punishment; discipline is designed to redeem and transform. God wanted to rehabilitate His people, not destroy them. So when they realized the folly of what they had done, He sent deliverers. But their repentance did not last. Before the Israelites entered the land, God promised that while they followed Him, they would be upwardly mobile--as we may be if we allow Christ to rule in our hearts ( 2 Cor. 3:18 ). They would excel and be the head rather than the tail ( Deut . 28:13, 14 ). This implies that disobedience would result in going down and being the tail. The Israelites went up and down through cycle after cycle of faithfulness and disobedience, with each period of disobedience taking them lower than the preceding one ( Judges 2:19 ). This was "roller-coaster religion."
• Why didn't the Israelites learn from their mistakes? Judges 2:19. How could the downward trend have been stopped? Jude 24.
• When Peter was walking on water, he became distracted by his surroundings and lost his focus upon Christ. Beginning to sink, "he cried out, 'Lord save me!' Jesus immediately reached out His hand and caught him, 'You of little faith, why did you doubt?' " (Matt. 14:30, 31, NRSV). Peter was aware when he began to sink. Maintaining a connection with upward power is the key to preventing a spiritual downturn. Jesus made it clear to Peter that faith in Him was that connection ( Matt. 14:31 ).
• Are you having an up-and-down religious experience in your life? What causes you to slip? (See 2 Cor. 13:5 .) What can you do to maintain a constant pattern of spiritual growth? What is the relationship between your efforts and Christ's power in the process of overcoming?




• Thursday April 11: Failing God's Test (J udges 2:20-3:6).
• As announced by the Angel of the Lord, because of the disobedience of the Israelites, God did not give them the ability to drive out the Canaanites who were left. ( Judges 2:3 ).
• Why hadn't God given the faithful Israelites under Joshua the ability to drive out all the Canaanites at once? Ex odus 23:29, 30.
• The remaining Canaanites became a means by which God could test the faithfulness of the Israelites ( Judges 2:22; 3:4 ). Total dependence upon the Lord in conflict with the wicked Canaanites was an important part of the test ( Judge s 3:1, 2 ). The Israelites failed the test ( Judge s 3:5, 6 ).
• Why had God forbidden intermarriage with the Canaanites? Ex odus 34:15, 16. How does this apply to us? See 2 Cor. 6:14-18.
• Jesus said: "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men" (Matt. 5:13, NIV). Salt is valuable for its flavor enhancement and as a preservative. Just so, God's people make a contribution when they are spiritually distinct and influential--in the world but not of the world ( John 15:19 ). When they assimilate worldly ways and attitudes, they have nothing to offer.
• How can we maintain our distinctness and influence as Christians, rather than being absorbed into the environment of unbelievers? Should we withdraw from the company of unbelievers? How can we be part of our society, yet spiritually apart?




• Friday April 12: Further study: To illustrate the lesson, study in Scripture the up-and-down experience of the following people: Solomon, Peter, Judas, Mary Magdalene. On the beginning of the period of the judges, read Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, "The Earlier Judges," (chapter 53), p545. On depending upon Christ, read Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, "A Night on the Lake," pp. 381, 382.
• "At the present day, as in ancient times, the people of God . . . need to be constantly reaching upward to lay hold on the divine arm, lest they stumble and fall. They can walk safely, only as they fear God, and obey His voice."--Ellen G. White, Signs of the Times, July 28, 1881.
• Discussion Questions:
1. Review Ju dges 1:19-3:6, and list as many explanations as you can for the failure of the Israelites. Then answer the following questions: Are there connections between these explanations? Which appear to be the most important? Which are surface factors, and which are underlying causes? How could each of these factors have been prevented?
2. Review your own life, and list reasons for your successes and your failures. Then answer the four questions given above under 1. With regard to the last question, consider especially the role of your daily devotional life.
3. How can we tactfully help others in our religious communities to progress upward spiritually?

Summary:

The Israelites had an up-and-down experience because they failed to maintain a steady relationship with God, to learn from their mistakes, and to learn from God's leading in the past. In spite of their failures, God mercifully delivered them from the distresses that they had brought upon themselves. We can learn from their story and have a steady experience by maintaining our faith connection with Christ each day.