It’s
not an exciting title, but perhaps it created enough curiosity to get you to
open this blog?
[All scripture references will be from The Message Bible unless otherwise noted.]
Now the biblical book of Judges is not one that is frequently turned to or highlighted. It tells of the period of time from the death of Joshua until the rise of the line of kings in Israel and Judah [approximately 1380 – 1015 B.C. – therefore, about 365 years]. Samuel was the final judge of Israel and it was he who anointed both Saul and David as kings of Israel.
Our Bibles make an astute observation in Judges 3 that is frequently overlooked. With the death of Joshua and the relatively complete conquering of the former inhabitants of Canaan – the Promised Land – the Holy Spirit seems to want us to know something specific about the new breed of the children of Israel. [Or perhaps we should call them the children of the children of the children of Israel?]
Read it for yourself – see if it doesn’t remind you of our current plight. [Judges 2:11-16]
The People of Israel [who had no direct
memory of Moses or Joshua] did evil in God’s sight: they served
Baal-gods; they deserted God, the God of their parents who had led them
out of Egypt; they took up with other gods, gods of the peoples around them.
They actually worshiped them! And oh, how they angered God as they
worshiped god Baal and goddess Astarte! God’s anger was hot against
Israel: He handed them off to plunderers who stripped them; he sold them cheap
to enemies on all sides. They were helpless before their enemies. Every time
they walked out the door God was with them—but for evil, just
as God had said, just as he had sworn he would do. They were in a bad
way.
But then God raised up judges who
saved them from their plunderers. But they wouldn’t listen to their judges;…
THE FIRST GENERATION OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL
Numbers
14:22-23
God said, “I forgive them,
honoring your words. But as I live and as the Glory of God fills
the whole Earth—not a single person of those who saw my Glory, saw the miracle
signs I did in Egypt and the wilderness, and who have tested me over and over
and over again, turning a deaf ear to me—not one of them will set eyes on the
land I so solemnly promised to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with
such repeated contempt will see it.
Consequently, this first generation was sent back into the wilderness to wander around meaninglessly until every last one of them died except for Moses, Joshua and Caleb.
[v.25] …for
right now change course and head back into the wilderness following the route
to the Red Sea.
THE SECOND GENERATION
OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL
This
was the group that actually did cross the Jordan River under the leadership of
Joshua. They progressively conquered the people groups who were living in
Canaan and inherited their houses, much of their property and even their crops
– just as God had promised!
Joshua 1:10-11
Then Joshua gave orders
to the people’s leaders: ‘Go through the camp and give this order to the
people: “Pack your bags. In three days you will cross this Jordan River to
enter and take the land GOD, your God, is giving you to possess.”’
Although they experienced set-backs, they did indeed conquer much of the Promised Land. Before Joshua died, he designated specific boundaries for each of the twelve tribes to possess. Partly because of disobedience and a lack of faith, not all of the foreign peoples were eliminated from the new land.
God becomes exasperated with this generation and finally pronounces [Judges 2:3]:
[God speaking] So now I’m telling you that I won’t drive them out before you. They’ll
trip you up and their gods will become a trap.
Judges 2:10
Eventually that generation died and was buried…
THE THIRD GENERATION OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL
Also
Judges 2:10
…Then another
generation grew up that didn’t know anything of God or the work He had done for
Israel.
Now read carefully the very next words [Judges 2:11-12]:
[Implied: “This] People of Israel did evil
in GOD’s sight: they served Baal-gods; they deserted GOD, the God of their
parents who had led them out of Egypt; they took up with other gods, the gods
of the peoples around them. They actually worshipped them!
A few verses later we read:
[vs.14-15] They
were in a bad way. But then God raised up judges who saved them…But they
wouldn’t listen to their judges; they prostituted themselves to other gods –
worshipped them! They lost no time leaving the road walked by their parents,
the road of obedience to GOD’s commands. They refused to have anything to do
with it.
Consequently, a pattern was developed that would reenact itself over and over for the next 300 years!
[vs.17-19] When God was setting up judges
for them, he would be right there with the judge: He would save them from their
enemies’ oppression as long as the judge was alive, for God was
moved to compassion when he heard their groaning because of those who afflicted
and beat them. But when the judge died, the people went right back to their old
ways—but even worse than their parents!—running after other gods, serving and
worshiping them. Stubborn as mules, they didn’t drop a single evil practice.
Here we see a clear representation of the deterioration of a culture that began as wholly dependent on God and progressively became distant and even oppositional toward Him!
I doubt that you need me to notice the similarities to what we are currently observing in the United States of America!
History clearly documents that many of the initial developments in America were motivated by a desire to worship freely without restriction or persecution.
America’s history clearly identifies three ‘Great Awakenings’.
The First Great Awakening began in the 1730s and lasted until about 1740. A major catalyst for this period was the preaching of Jonathan Edwards: “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God!”
The Second Great Awakening was a religious revival that occurred in the United States beginning in the late eighteenth century and lasting until the middle of the nineteenth century. Charles Finney was a charismatic preacher who advocated for personal conversion. His form included extended meetings, emotional appeals, and public prayer for sinners.
This period was also known for the westward expansion’s spirituality led by the Methodist and Baptist circuit-rider preachers and their gatherings called ‘camp meetings’.
The Third Great Awakening in the 1850s–1900s was characterized by new denominations and active missionary work. This revival produced influential leaders such as Dwight L. Moody.
Some
contend that the 1960’s and ‘70’s represent a fourth great awakening, but this
thought is not widely adopted. However, this period is recognized for three
contributions:
1.
The Jesus Movement of the late 1960’s and the
teaching of Pastor Chuck Smith.
2.
The development of innovation in worship styles.
3.
Mainline Protestant denominations weakened
sharply in membership and influence! Independent, non-denominational churches
proliferated and grew with significance!
_______________________________
I just read yesterday [April 14, 2026] of a
spiritual renewal on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh where hundreds
of college students were responding to an invitation to pray and make Christ
their Lord! This movement actually began
in 1967 and has had an impact on other universities such as Notre Dame. It’s
heartbreaking that many will denigrate this breakthrough because it was generated
and led by the Charismatic Catholic Renewal.
Having been touched by this group while pursuing my M.A. Counseling at Franciscan University, I can report that some of my most meaningful worship experiences took place in that environment and among the friends I made there! I can also quickly name a number of Catholic friends and family members whose lives were genuinely transformed as a result of this movement.
Can a broken and sorely divided Church come together to fan the flame of a universal turning to God? Will rigidity, petty jealousies, envy, and legalistic opinions prevent us from encouraging what we clearly observe as a spiritual awakening?
_________________________________
Few would deny that we desperately need a nationwide spiritual awakening
in America!
PLEASE help us not to miss it because it is initiated by a religious
group other than our own!
Times are desperate and we see our culture being decimated by politics,
variant views of social reform, disrespect for law and order, and a large
younger populace who have been shorted by a failure to cultivate morality and respect
for all life!
A spiritual renewal is EXACTLY what we need!
Help us not to miss it because it didn’t originate in groups that we are
familiar with or part of.
Grant us the ability to recognize the work of Your Holy Spirit and fan
the flame aggressively in every way that we can! May this wave of the Spirit alter the course
of our nation for the foreseeable future!
AND MAY YOUR WILL BE DONE ON EARTH – AS IT IS IN HEAVEN!
