Patterns of the Past Predict the Future: The Cycle of Judges

The children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord... (Judges 3:7) ... And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel... So the children of Israel served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years. (Judges 3:12–14)

The Book of Judges runs on a cycle—and the same cycle still runs through our lives today.

The Cycle That Shapes the Book

We've already talked about Othniel, so we won't spend much time here other than to note that this passage presents the cycle—the simple cycle that makes up the seven sections of the Book of Judges, where we see these important judges rise to the surface. The cycle is always the same, and it is very clear in this passage.

It always begins with the idea we read in verse 7: "the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord." Each of the seven sections that introduces us to a different judge begins with this same line. We see it here in 3:7, we saw it in 2:11, and we will see it again in 3:12, 4:1, 6:1, 10:6, and 13:1. All of these sections begin: "and the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord."

Ten Steps in the Same Pattern

But the cycle begins before that, and it moves through about ten steps. First, the children of Israel dwell among their enemies. Then they begin to engage in covenants, contracts, and marriages with their enemies. Then they are seduced into idolatry by those enemies. Then God's anger is stirred up against them. Then God passively punishes them through their enemies. Then they cry out to God, who now raises up and empowers a delivering judge. Then God delivers them, and the people serve God as long as the judge is alive. Then the judge dies—and the cycle starts all over again. The children of Israel do evil in the sight of the Lord.

It is a very simple cycle, but it is an important one for us to observe, recognize, and understand. Why? Because all these things were recorded for our instruction, even for those of us living 3,400 years after they did.

Patterns in the Past Predict the Future

The observation here is very simple—point number three if you're taking notes: patterns in the past are predictive of the future. I know, mind-blower. I spent a lot of time thinking about that one. No, not really. It's not intended to be amazing, but it's true.

We all know this on a personal level. We've all done certain things more than a few times knowing, "I shouldn't do this," or after the effects we say, "I shouldn't have done that, because I knew exactly what would happen." Patterns in the past are predictive of the future. We know it's true because we live in an ordered and orderly universe. There are certain effects we can expect from certain causes, and it's always the same thing, over and over again.

A few weeks ago I shared a saying of our day: play stupid games, win stupid prizes. That's the same idea. Idolatry and immorality led to devastation and despair 3,400 years ago. What do you think it will lead to today?

Idolatry Is Still All Around Us

You might say, "I get it. We live in 2024 in the United States, and there's a lot of immorality—but we don't really have idolatry." Watch the documentary. Or maybe you tuned into the Super Bowl last week. It's all around us.

What is an idol at its most basic and fundamental level? An idol is something that someone devotes themselves to, values, worships, or trusts in that is other than God. You are devoted to, you value, or you trust in something other than God. The children of Israel served idols and committed immorality 3,400 years ago, and it led to devastation and destruction. The same thing happens over and over again.

Sold Into Slavery to the Thing You Serve

If you sell yourself to idols and immorality, then you will sell yourself into slavery to that thing. It will become the thing that dominates your life. Some of you who sold yourself to immoral patterns of addiction in the past know this so well, and you remember what it's like to be a slave to the thing you presented yourself to.

We could say, "God punishes that person because they've done that." Yes—and the way He punishes them is that He simply allows them to be given over to it. Romans chapter 1 talks about people who have given themselves to idolatry and immorality, and in that passage three times it says God gave them over to it. They were given up to uncleanness, given over to vile passions, given over to a debased mind. That is what we see in this cycle in Judges 3:5 and following.

The Cycle Begins Again

It's the same cycle we will see a number of times more in the text. In fact, it's the same cycle we see in the very next section. Right about the time Othniel died—after the children of Israel had experienced forty years, a couple of generations of rest from their enemies—Othniel died. What do you think happened? Look at verse 12: "And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord." Underline it, highlight it, put an exclamation point.

So the cycle begins again. The children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel because they had done evil. Eglon gathered to himself the people of Ammon and Amalek, and they went and defeated Israel and took possession of the city of palms. So the children of Israel served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years—almost an entire generation.