Israel Turns to Idols

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Introduction

Recently, we have traveled with the Israelites from Egypt to the promised land.

• • Write on the board, “What idols are you tempted to worship?”
  What significant point in this process did we discuss last week? The Israelites received the land and occupied it as God had promised.
• What promises given to Abraham did God fulfill? They had become a great nation with many people and tribes, and they had received the land of the promise.
• What promise was yet to be fulfilled? The Seed that would bless all nations had not yet come. The Messiah was yet to be born, but the tribe of Judah through whom the Messiah would come was established.

  Let’s talk about the timing of these events. The Exodus occurred in 1491 BC. The Israelites then wandered for 40 years until Moses died in 1451. Then they moved north to conquer the lands east of the Jordan before crossing the river. Jericho was destroyed in 1451 BC, and the rest of the battles and the settling of the land happened over a period of 5 to 7 years. We are told that Caleb was 40 when they first spied out the land (14:7) and 85 when he received his inheritance (14:10). By comparing all of the relevant passages, we can determine that Joshua was about 80 when they entered the land. He died at the age of 110 (24:29), which was about 1420 BC.

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  Joshua 23 and 24 give two accounts of how Joshua exhorted the people, especially the leaders, to follow God and not the false idols of the land. If time allows read all of Joshua 23, but read at least 23:6–12.

  Joshua warned them about the snare that the idols would be and called them to follow God’s laws closely, remembering all he had done for his people. At some point later, in Joshua 24, God speaks through his prophet Joshua and reminds his people of all he had done for them, from Egypt to Canaan (verses 2–13). Then Joshua said these words to the Israelites: Read Joshua 24:14–18.

  After that, Joshua set up a memorial stone at Shechem, the same place where the bones of Joseph were buried, and the people returned to their allotted lands. And for the short time that Joshua remained alive, Israel served God. Read Joshua 24:31.

  But after Joshua and Eleazar, the priest, died, there was a change. And that is our topic for today as we move into the book of Judges. Are the people going to obey God and receive his blessing, or will they forsake their Creator and follow after the other gods of the land, reaping God’s judgment?

In One Generation

You will recall that the promises of a land and a nation had been fulfilled. All that God had promised his people had come to pass, except for the Messiah. And you will also recall that the Israelites did not drive out all the people of the land as they were commanded. For example, Judges 1:27–36 describes how various tribes “did not drive out the inhabitants” of various cities and lands completely. The end of Joshua overlaps with the first part of Judges in describing some of these events again.

Let’s read Judges 2:1–15 together. Have someone read the passage aloud.

• Who is the angel of the Lord mentioned in the passage? This must be another pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus coming to deliver a message to the Israelites.
• What makes it clear that this is not a prophet delivering a message on God’s behalf? There is no “Thus says the Lord” introducing the message, but it is delivered in first person. Compare to Joshua 24:2 where Joshua is speaking on behalf of God.
• What did the angel of the Lord communicate to the people? Because they had not obeyed him and completely wiped out the pagans who inhabited the land, the idols and people would become a snare to them and a thorn in their sides.
• What is meant by these two figures of speech? The pagan practices would be like a snare to capture the Israelites and trap them in sinful worship. The thorn imagery means that the people would be a constant irritation to the Israelites just as when you have a sliver of wood or thorn in your skin.
• How did the people respond to this message from God? They wept and cried out and offered sacrifices to the Lord.
• What does this demonstrate about their attitude toward their sin? It seems to reflect repentant hearts and a desire to be made right with God.
• How long did the people continue to follow God? All the days of Joshua and the elders who served with Joshua and saw God’s great works.
• What figure of speech do we need to interpret in verse 10? “Gathered to their fathers” is a euphemism for death, meaning to die as their fathers before them had all died.
• What happened when that generation died? The next generation did not know the Lord or the miracles he had done for Israel.
• What happened after the elders died? The Israelites started worshipping the gods of the people and forsook the right worship of God. They followed other gods, bowing down to them and serving them instead of God.
• What two gods are identified? The Baals and the Ashtaroth, referring to a Canaanite god and goddess.
• Who description is used twice to describe their actions? “They abandoned the Lord ” is used in verses 12 and 13.
• How did God respond to their idolatry? God was very angry with them and gave them over to their enemies, causing them to be taken over by the surrounding nations.
• Who fought against the Israelites? They faced both the enemies they marched against and “The hand of the Lord was against them for harm.”
• What can we contrast this circumstance with from past events? Previously, the Lord fought for his people as they followed him, and he gave the enemies into their hands. Now God’s hand was against them, and he sold Israel into the hands of their enemies. The language is now reversed.

Discover the Truth

Because the Israelites failed to drive out the pagans with their false worship, the idols and practices led the people astray. Not unlike the time when the golden calf was worshipped at the foot of Mt. Sinai, the Israelites abandoned God and served false gods.

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  Where do we find a direct command given to the Israelites to avoid worshipping idols? The Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 has the direct prohibition. Have someone read Exodus 20:2–6.

  God called the Israelites to worship him alone and to not worship anything else. Just as he had promised in Exodus 20, God, being jealous for the worship of his people, disciplined those who rebelled.

  The Baals and Ashtaroth worshipped by the Israelites were the images of the Canaanite fertility god and goddess. The statues and practices associated with the worship involved sexual immorality and human sacrifices—things that are abominations to God. It was this idolatry that God was judging as he commanded the Israelites to wipe them out.

  Now, I doubt that any of you have a little carved image on your nightstand that you pray to every night and morning, but we are going to try to define idolatry from a biblical perspective so that we can understand the idolatry that threatens to take up residence in our own hearts.

Identifying Idols Activity

Pass out the Identifying Idols worksheet to each student.

Take a few minutes to look through these passages of Scripture on your worksheet and understand what the Bible has to say about idolatry. Do this activity on your own, since it will ask you to examine your own heart in light of our lesson. Make yourself available to answer questions if any arise.

Connect to the Truth

Review the definition of an idol. Idol: anything that receives your affection and attention above God.

Review the answers to the activity as time allows.

Children, sports, money, hobbies, possessions, friends, food, exercise, sports, church activities, and many other things can become idols in our hearts if they take the place that God deserves as number one.

• What comes to mind when you think of idolatry? Most will think of carved images or physical objects that represent some god or goddess.
• What do Ephesians 5:5 and 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 tell us about idolaters? Idolaters will not inherit the kingdom of heaven.
• What interesting connection regarding idolatry is made in Colossians 3:5–7? Covetousness is a form of idolatry—money or wealth is set above God.
• Read Luke 18:18–24. In light of Colossians 3:5, what was the idol that this outwardly upright man was serving above God? He was more interested in keeping his possessions than following Jesus. His affection and attention were focused on his wealth, not God. Wealth had become his idol, and he worshipped it rather than God. The gospel call is exclusive. One can’t cling to idols, adding Christ to his objects of worship. Jesus exposed superficial seekers who weren’t willing to give up all to follow him.
• Is it possible to make an idol in your mind and give your affection and attention to it without actually carving a piece of wood (Ezekiel 14:3–6)? Yes, and we do it all of the time. We put our trust in and give our affection to “gods” that we make up in our hearts/minds.
• What hope do you have of destroying these idols you have identified in your heart? Only by the power of the gospel can we hope to destroy the idols in our hearts and serve God exclusively. Because we have the Holy Spirit living in us to sanctify us and because Christ has freed us from our slavery to sin, we can overcome our sin and place our full trust in God in every situation. Encourage the students to read Romans 5:18–6:23 or read it to the class if time allows. This might also be a time to have the students examine themselves (2 Corinthians 13:5), as some may be deceiving themselves that they are Christians.

The Cycle of Judgment

But had God abandoned his people to their idolatry and being oppressed by the pagans of the land? Let’s find out.

Let’s read Judges 2:16–3:15. Have someone read the passage aloud.

• What did the people do in response to the judges, according to verse 16? They did not listen to the judges. They “whored after” and “bowed down before” the false gods. They also “turned aside” from the way their fathers had walked, not obeying the Lord.
• What imagery is used to describe the rescue of the Israelites (vv. 2:16, 18)? They were saved “out of the hand” of their enemies by the judges. Conversely, their captivity is described as being delivered “into the hand” of the enemies (v. 3:8).
• Why did God allow some of the pagans to remain in the land (v. 3:4)? They were left to test the obedience of the people.
• How could we summarize the pattern of behavior described in the passage? The people disobey God and worship false gods; God’s anger is kindled; God judges them; they are taken captive or ruled by another nation; they cry out to God; God sends a deliverer or judge; the people obey while the judge is alive; the people became more corrupt after the judge dies; and the cycle repeats.
• What was God’s motive in rescuing his people (v. 2:18)? He was moved to pity because of their oppression.
• Did the Israelites keep their national identity pure, or did they mix with the other nations? They intermarried with the pagans (3:6), so they mixed with the nations.
• What switch happens in 3:7? Up to this point, the passage gives general statements about how the Israelites behaved and how God responded. From here on, we see actual episodes described where specific kings and judges are identified.
• What kingdom was first to oppress the Israelites? Mesopotamia under King Cushan-rishathaim.
• How long did they serve Mesopotamia? Eight years (3:8).
• How did the people respond to serving Mesopotamia? They cried out to the Lord for deliverance.
• How did God respond to the people? He heard them and sent a deliverer.
• Who was the deliverer? Othniel, the nephew of Caleb by his brother Kenaz.
• What was the source of Othniel’s power to judge and lead Israel into battle? “The Spirit of the Lord was upon him” to enable him to accomplish the deliverance God intended for the Israelites.

  This is an idea that is repeated many times in the Old Testament to describe how God worked through people.

  Since the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in all believers did not come until Pentecost after Jesus’ ascension, the Spirit was working in special circumstances and individuals before that time. Encourage the student to look for this phrasing (“the Spirit of the Lord was upon him”) as they read through Judges and later in the Old Testament (Judges 6:34, 11:29, 13:25, 14:6, 14:19, 15:14).

• Does the pattern we mentioned earlier fit with what we read about Othniel in 3:7–11? Yes, discuss the pattern.
• Who was the next deliverer? Ehud. If time allows, you could read the remainder of chapter 3 about Ehud.

Discover the Truth

Though it may sound harsh to us, God often compares idolatry to sexual perversion. If we stop and think about it, there is a clear connection.

• What is the connection between idolatry and sexual immorality? Just as God intended worship to be directed only to him, he intended sexual relations to occur between one man and his wife. Fidelity of worship, then, is analogous to sexual fidelity in marriage. The language of “playing the whore” or “lusting after” other gods and other sexual language is commonly used by God to describe idol worship. This is a theme we can look for as we continue walking through the Bible. Even Jesus called the religious leaders an “adulterous generation” to point out their false worship (Matthew 12:39, 16:4).

  When his people strayed from obedience, God did not abandon them. When they repented and cried out to him for help, he heard them and responded.

• What attributes is God demonstrating in hearing his people and sending them deliverance? Discuss the attributes of faithfulness, mercy, grace, and love.

  This cycle of pursuing idolatry, coming under oppression, crying out to God, and being delivered carries on through the entire book of Judges—indeed through the whole history of Israel.

  But even when we are faithless, God is faithful and cannot deny himself (2 Timothy 2:13). He did bring judgment on the people when they sinned against him, but the broader promise of bringing a Savior through Israel was still in place. That covenant was unilateral—God promised and God would fulfill.

  But we see God’s mercy to the unfaithful Israelites. And we must not forget that our unchanging God offers us that same mercy and grace when we acknowledge our sins, crying out to him for deliverance. It may not be deliverance from an outside ruler bringing us into bondage, but from our own sinful attitudes and actions.

Application

God had made a promise to Adam and Eve and to Abraham to send a Seed to bless all nations and restore peace to the earth. Even as the Israelites continued to disobey and break their end of the covenant with God as they came into the promised land, God was faithful to keep his end. And he remains faithful to his promise to deliver his people from their own sin. He has done that through Christ’s finished work on the cross. We no longer need to hope for a deliverer to come to us, as the Israelites did, but instead can look to Jesus as our deliverer.

Repentance—acknowledging sin and turning to God—was the remedy for the Israelites. And just as it was for the Israelites, so it is for us. We might think of our own lives and see a cycle that mirrors that of Israel. We do not likely bow down to a statue on an altar, but we have our own idols that capture our affections. Instead of Baal, we may worship a ball (sports). Instead of a fertility goddess, we may bow down to sexual images (pornography). We may look to family, self, work, acceptance, or food to make us feel safe and loved, but those are false gods.

We must find our identity in, and direct our worship to, God alone. The Father has sent the Son to die for our sins of false worship and given us the Spirit to dwell in us and empower us to not sin. God alone is worthy of our worship. God alone is able to deliver us from our cycles of sin—and he sent Jesus as our Deliverer.

Let us make sure that we think of how we can apply these ideas as we leave and go out into the world we live in. We want to make sure that we are not merely hearing the Word, but seeking to be doers of what we read in it.

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  Where do we see worship of physical idols in the world today, and how could we use that as an opportunity to share the gospel? Hindus, Buddhists, modern pagans, Wiccans, many tribal religions, and those who pray to statues of saints all worship idols. We can bring the gospel to these people and help them see the uselessness of these idols in cleansing them from their sin. They need the Savior in order to worship the only true God in spirit and truth.
• Where do we see the worship of idols of the heart in our culture, and why don’t they ever satisfy the worshippers? Many people worship money, sports, technology, entertainment, social status and relationships, children, spouses, celebrities, self, and a host of other things that replace God. The message of the gospel leading to the true worship of God is the only thing that will truly satisfy the souls of people.
• In what ways are we just like the Israelites? As humans, we share a sinful flesh, and we tend to seek to satisfy our own selfish desires rather than worshipping God. We forget the promises of God and turn to worthless things. We must repent and turn back to God when we do so.
• How does our understanding of this cycle of sin in the Israelites find a parallel in our individual lives? Discuss how our sins often occur in repeating patterns, regardless of what we struggle with. Older writers have referred to this as a besetting sin. Whether pride, selfishness, gluttony, lust, or others, when we recognize a cycle of sin, we need to seek to mortify that sin. Putting sin to death by the power of the Spirit is the goal of breaking that cycle of sin to greater glorify our Lord.
• What are some strategies that we can use to help keep ourselves from falling into worshipping idols? Memorizing Scripture, encouraging one another, meditating on God’s Word, preaching the gospel to ourselves, prayerfully examining our own desires and actions, etc.
• What advantage do we have over the Israelites in overcoming our sinful idolatry? If we are in Christ, we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us and the knowledge of what Christ has done for us through his life, death, and resurrection. We can trust in what has been accomplished for us, and we can obey by his grace.

Group Prayer

Be sure to pray with your class before you dismiss them.

• Praise God for offering forgiveness in Christ of our own idolatry.
• Ask God to examine our hearts and bring us to conviction through his Spirit.
• Thank God for lessons we can learn from what is revealed in Scripture.