What a Dad!!!

I don't know how to put this any better. Our God is soooooooo patient, beyond we can ever imagine. Judges is full of His compassion, a Loving Father, desperately waiting and wanting His children to return to Him. He did not spare the rod so that His children don't fall into the wrong things.However even when they got hurt, He would bind them up and care for them. Only wanting to let them(His children) to know, He cares, He's forever there for them, He's made a covenant with them and He will never break it.

The Israelites, once in the Promised Land, forgot God who brought them up out of Egypt and gave them this new land. Started following a different God which was not God at all. Its so sad that someone so despised by the one He loves, still keeps coming back to them and helping them and loving them and rescuing them. What a Loving God!!

1. "11Then the sons of Israel did (L)evil in the sight of the LORD and [c]served the (M)Baals, 12and (N)they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them; thus they provoked the LORD to anger...."(Judges 2:11-16) God still helped them out, because He is true to His promises, once He's made a covenant with you, He doesn't move back from it even if you do. Thats what God did, even to the point of giving His own Son so that no one should perish but every one should have everlasting life.
   "God loves people more than anything, He'd rather die than let them go"
   Thats how loving our God is. So amazing is His Mercy, His Love, His protection. Even when the Israelites forsook Him so many times.
2. 18When the LORD raised up judges for them, (U)the LORD was with the judge and delivered them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the LORD was (V)moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed and afflicted them. 19But it came about when the judge died, that they would turn back and act more corruptly than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them and bow down to them; they did not abandon their practices or their stubborn ways.(Judges 2:18-19)

Over and over again, throughout Judges, we see the people of Israel doing wrong, falling into captivity, calling out to God, God delivering them and then the Israelites go back and serve other gods.(Judges)

What does this bring out about God? Everywhere else, people might say, how can the Christian's God be just and loving at the same time. I think Judges gives us a better picture of how the Israelites kept going and doing their own things in disobedience and then God keeps coming and helping them out. No one wants to see the wrongs that the people did, rather they are willing to point out the fact that God made disaster come to them. Why?

Here's what I see about God in the Book of Judges, for all whom He called His children-

1. He trains His children to be the best-which of us parents would want our kids to be uneducated, foolish and not having enough knowledge to do well in this world. I think NONE. "1(A)Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to test Israel by them (that is, all who had not experienced any of the wars of Canaan;
   2only in order that the generations of the sons of Israel might be taught war, those who had not experienced it formerly).
   3These nations are: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and (B)the Hivites who lived in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath.
   4They were for (C)testing Israel, to find out if they would obey the commandments of the LORD, which He had commanded their fathers through Moses. "(Judges 3:1-4) God left the nations to train the Israelites who had not fought battles before.
2. He disciplines His children-"12Now the sons of Israel again (K)did evil in the sight of the LORD So (L)the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD."(Judges 3:12) God allowed, meaning He had control over the enemies as well, for correction and for training to see if the Israelites would obey God. As also written in Deuteronomy 8:5 "Know also in your [minds and] hearts that, as a man disciplines and instructs his son, so the Lord your God disciplines and instructs you. ". Why does God discipline His children, because Proverbs 22:15 "Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him. " Most beautifully put in Hebrew 12:5-7 6For the Lord corrects and disciplines everyone whom He loves, and He punishes, even scourges, every son whom He accepts and welcomes to His heart and cherishes."
3. He never leaves you nor forsakes you- In all that the Israelites did, God did not leave them. They despised God, even though every time they were in trouble God helped them, yet they turned to those which were not gods and served them, instead of the Living God. Deuteronomy 31:8 "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." The Israelites had forgotten the covenant that God and Abraham had made, yet God had not forgotten His part of the covenant.
4. Unconditional Love- God did not deal with the Israelites as they deserved, Ezra 9:13 says "What has happened to us is a result of our evil deeds and our great guilt, and yet, our God, you have punished us less than our sins have deserved and have given us a remnant like this" If God had to deal with us as we deserved, oh where would we be, but He has called us His children(John 1:12) He is so magnificent in mercy and forgiveness.

Lesson: Let's learn from our Daddy, what is it that He's trying to teach us. If we're in a disciplining situation, lets ask God, what should I correct Lord. A teacher gives a student wrong when they add 2+2 and write 5, why? so that the child learns Math correctly. So also does our Father, the giver of Life, wants us to know the Good Life. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. so I think He's the best one to show us the way. Lets learn right.