Starting in the first chapter we hear the story of the failure that Israel exhibited over and over. (Literally over eight times we see the phrase, "but they did not drive them out") Charged with the task of driving out the people from the land that God had given them they found occasion after occasion to disregard His instructions. The price of their disobedience haunts the nation of Israel to this day. Sin always has a price and that behavior left unchecked impacts not only us but our loved ones as well. Check out chapter two for these sad words, ". . . and another generation grew up after them who did not know the Lord or the work that He had done for Israel. Then the Israelite's did what was evil in the sight of the Lord . . . and they abandoned the Lord."
In the span of one generation Israel went from a people that had personally witnessed and heard about the power of God to a generation that had not witnessed or heard about the power and promises of God. And the results of this ignorance of God? The people of Israel followed other gods, bowed to them and swore their allegiance to these gods. They chose to believe their own advice and wisdom over the omnipotent attribute of God. This provoked God's anger and the hand of the Lord was against them to bring them misfortune and great distress. Then He gave them leaders (Judges) to deliver them out of the power of the enemies that had conquered them but they chose not to pay attention to these men and women of God just like they had ignored God himself.
Thus begins the cycle of Judges that lasted for at least 300 years. This cycle of sin, judgment and repentance was one that Israel kept experiencing time after time. Twelve men and women were sent by God to remind Israel of His power and justice and each time the people chose the wrong path. One of the main reasons that Israel kept repeating this same cycle of behavior is because of the fact that everyone chose to make themselves the final authority over their lives and decisions with horrible results. In fact the last verse of Judges reads, " . . . all the people did what was right in their own eyes." Failure to heed the commands of God always results in a cycle of increased consequences. But the road to destruction always starts with one bad decision . . . and then other . . . .
