Joshua 2:11

Joshua 2:11 says, And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim: It didn't take long for the people of Israel to forget about God.  They began to worship a false god. Baalim.  We today should not be surprised if people who grew up in Christian families begin to worship other gods.  Christianity is based on a personal relationship with Christ.  If we do not reach people, especially the next generation, with the gospel, they cannot know God, even if they know of Him.  Verse twelve states, And they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the LORD to anger.  They forgot God, Who had brought them out of Egypt and then gave them their land and began to worship other gods.  Had they driven all the people of the land out, they might have been faithful to God a little longer, but if people do not have a personal relationship with God, they can be His people in name only.  Needless to say, God was angry with His people.  Verse thirteen adds,  And they forsook the LORD, and served Baal and Ashtaroth.  We are told of two of the false gods that the people of Israel were worshipping.  Verse fourteen declares, And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.  Even though this says that God sold the people of Israel into the hands of their enemies, I believe that all he really had to do was remove His protective hand from them.  They had already proven themselves to be pretty weak without relying on the power of God.  If we are a follower of Christ today and fall under the power of some evil force in the world and begin to worship some other god, it won't be because God abandoned us, but because we abandoned Him.  Verse fifteen proclaims. Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the LORD was against them for evil, as the LORD had said, and as the LORD had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.  When we are not following God, His hand will definently be against us.  Verse sixteen declares, Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.  God had not abandoned His people and rose up judges to delver them from their enemies.  God is not going to abandon those who are called His people forever, but He may allow them to suffer the consequences for their rebellion.  Verse seventeen adds, And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the LORD; but they did not so.  Even when God gave them the judges to deliver them, His people still would not follow Him and obey His laws.  God has made salvation available to all who will put their faith in Christ today, but it does no good unless a person accepts Christ personally as his or her Savior and Lord.  Verse eighteen states, And when the LORD raised them up judges, then the LORD was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge: for it repented the LORD because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them.  When God raised up a judge, then the people would be delivered from their oppressors.  God has already delivered everyone from their oppressors today if they will only accept His gift of salvation through Christ.  Verse nineteen adds, And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way.  When the judges that God gave the people of Israel to deliver them died, they forgot about God again.  Once we have accepted salvation through Christ, we cannot afford to then forget about God. Verse twenty declares, And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice;  Then verse twenty-one adds, I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died:  This cycle repeats itself throughout the history of Israel.  God delivered them, they soon forgot Him, they were defeated, God raised up someone to deliver them, and then they soon forgot God again.  When we accept Christ as our Deliverer, we cannot afford to then forget about God and chase after the things of this world.  Jesus Christ is the only Savior that there will ever be.  Verse twenty-two states,That through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the LORD to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not.  God would deliver the people of Israel again to see if they were going to be faithful to Him.  God never failed in His part of the covenant with Israel, nor will He fail in His covenant with those who accept Christ as their Savior and Lord today.  If we fail to allow Christ to be Lord after we accept Him as our Savior, then we will have problems with God, but it will be because of our actions and not God's.  Verse twenty-three states, Therefore the LORD left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.  This refers back to the time of Joshua, when all these people should have been driven out but weren't.  God allowed them to stay so the people of Israel then had a choice of remaining faithful to God or chasing after the gods of those people still in the land.  God is not going to remove all temptation from our lives today once we put our faith in Christ, but He is going to expect us to remain faithful to Him,