Cycle
Cycle of sin vs cycle of redemption in Judges
Q: Why do we not focus on the long-suffering generosity of God and instead constantly focus on Israel's, completely unsurprising, failure?
The "sin cycle" is a very "Genesis 3" approach to the story, not really a "Genesis 1-50" way of looking at the story.
God has endless patience as you try to figure out following him
Judges
- Israel does good in the eyes of the Lord
- Peace reigns for some number of years
- Israel does evil in the eyes of the Lord as they do not remember Yahweh
- Yahweh punishes Israel by bringing foreign rulers to oppress them
- Israel raises a Judge who frees Israel
- Repeat
Questions
- Deborah and the role of women in leadership
- Why is the story so fast until Gideon, then the story slows down a lot.
- Jephthah - did he really sacrifice his daughter? What is the greater oath?
The Story
God has endless patience when we try to figure it out
With knowledge of God's calling, and the choice to work against it, that's when God is forced to take action. Working against God leads to others crying out to God and that is who God will come to rescue.