Judges 2:19

Judges 2:19 says, 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.  After the judge that God had placed over Israel died, the people got even worse than they had been before.  People today who have been following a particular religious leader, but who haven't really put their faith in Christ, often become worse than they were before if he dies.  Like the people of Israel, they may see him as the authority instead of seeing Gad as the authority.  We need to make sure that our faith is in Christ alone.  Verse twenty adds, 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;  Once again, God's anger was hot against the actions of the people of Israel, because they had transgressed His covenant.  I believe that it was their actions, and not the people themselves, that God's anger was directed at.  God hates the sin, but loves the sinner.  Verse twenty-one states, I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died:  God said He was no longer going to help them defeat the nations that had not been defeated when Joshua was alive.  We cannot fail to keep our covenant with God established when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord and still expect Him to give us victory over all our problems in life, but we often do expect Hin to and grumble when He doesn't.  Verse twenty-two adds, 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 said He would use these other nations to see if the people of Israel would walk by faith in Him or not, as their fathers had done. When trials and tribulations come into our life as Christians, God may be allowing them to see if we are in a real covenant relationship with Him or not.  If we are, then these trials and tribulations will only strengthen our faith.  Verse twenty-three continues, Therefore the LORD left those nations, without driving them out hastily; neither delivered he them into the hand of Joshua.  God left those nations that had not been defeated by Joshua and did not drive them out of the Promised Land.  God has not driven all sin out of the world today for those who have put their faith in Jesus Christ, but He has given us victory over all sin if we put our faith in Him.