Cycle of Stupidity

“The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD…They forgot the LORD… The anger of the LORD burned against Israel so that he sold them into the hands of…they cried out to the LORD…He raised up for them a deliverer…So the land had peace for forty years…deliverer died…The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD…They forgot the LORD………” – Cycle of Judges

We (the youth group) are taking a break from the Old Testament for a time…but my favorite quote that came out in almost every class is “Israel is SOOOO STUPID!!!” I like this quote because we surely aren’t as bad as Israel was…right? I’m not going to go there but you can talk amongst yourselves about it. What I’ve been mulling over for the past few weeks is this “cycle of stupidity” that is found in Judges. Why would something like this ever happen? I think the answer is found in Joshua before the famous verse “But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

“So I gave you a land on which you did not toil and cities you did not build; and you live in them and eat from vineyards and olive groves that you did not plant. Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers…But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:14-15

We’re called to be in a Relationship with God. With relationship comes dependence. In the Wilderness, Israel learned dependence on God. In the Promise Land, Israel “forgot the LORD.” Think hard about our lives. Where do we live? I live in a house I didn’t build. When I am hungry I go get something to eat. If I’m sick…I don’t call Dan…I call the doctor.

Where do I depend on God? This is a hard question…the first thing that comes to mind is…I depend on God when something bad happens…and most of the time I come to that point when I can fix it myself. Do you wrestle with this? I don’t want to fall into the “Stupid Cycle” with Israel. So…where do I find dependence on God in a country that provides for my every need?

We all have something that we struggle with…or people we struggle with…that we cannot handle on our own strength. Paul calls this his “Thorn in the Flesh.” I realized a long time ago that I have a sarcastic tongue. I have hurt people in my life because of it…never intending to. Though I have constantly struggled with it…and continue to struggle…I constantly have to ask God to help me be “slow to speak.” Though I don’t like it…I find hope in it…because I realize that I am not perfect. The only way I can find perfection is in Christ…and it’ll come sometime after I stop breathing. Let’s work as a family to find our dependence on God in a country that provides our every need.

“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.” – II Cor 12:7-9