The majority of the book of Judges is organized around a repeated "sin cycle" that the Israelites found themselves caught in.

Every great story contains surprises, and the Bible is no different. The majority of the book of Judges is organized around a repeated cycle, which is spelled out in Judges 2:18-19:

Judges 2:18-19 Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them. But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their ancestors, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.

After the death of Joshua and his generation, the Israelites turned to serve the gods of the Canaanites. Judges describes how easily they slipped into idolatry and sin, how God removed his blessing to discipline them, and finally  how God delivered them by sending judges when they called out for help. The people would then follow God while the leader was around to remind them of God’s ways. But after that leader died, they would forget their former afflictions and wander away from God again to follow other gods. God would then allow an enemy of Israel to conquer the people again, so that in their desperation they would again look to him. This cycle is repeated numerous times – with unique variations in each case, as God continued to save the people whenever they returned from their idolatry to serve him again.

Read more
Read less

Key Points:

  • The majority of the book of Judges is organized around a repeated cycle, which is spelled out in Judges 2:18-19.
  • After the death of Joshua and his generation, the Israelites turned to serve the gods of the Canaanites.
  • This cycle is repeated numerous times – with unique variations in each case, as God continued to save the people whenever they returned from their idolatry to serve him again.

Quote This:

Judges 2:18-19 Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them. But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their ancestors, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.

See Also: Old Testament, Sin

Talk About It
  1. What is your initial reaction to this topic? What jumped out at you?
  2. Describe the sin cycle in your own words.
  3. Share about a time when you or someone you know fell into a sin cycle. 
  4. What did Jesus do to solve the sin cycle? Try to explain it in terms of the three truths of Foundations. 
  5. Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
Print Friendly, PDF & Email