Spiraling down toward doom
The Lord Saved Them
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When the Lord raised up [judges] for them, the Lord was with each [judge] and delivered the people from their enemies while the leader remained alive. The Lord felt sorry for them when they cried out in agony because of what their harsh oppressors did to them.
Judges 2:18 (NET)
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Judges is a sad book to read.
It’s basically a downward spiral as the people of Israel continue to make worse and worse choices.
If it’s this sad for me to read, I can’t imagine how agonizing it was for the Lord.
Yet God continued to feel pity for them.
And saved them from the oppression of their enemies.
Honestly, I don’t know how well I’d be able to do that. I’d be balancing my thoughts between “they made their bed, let ‘em lie in it,” and “fine, I’ll do it myself.”
But God’s ways are not our ways, nor are His thoughts our thoughts.
If I’m looking at my own life, suddenly I’m ecstatic that God is so patient with His children.
Because I’m no holy saint either.
I’ve got plenty of problems of my own.
Problems that Christ came to die for so that I could live for Him.
That’s the sobering story of Judges:
Without the Lord, no matter how well we begin, we will continue to spiral downward.
Someone -- God -- has to do great work to keep us from deteriorating.
The Spirit has done a great work in my life, and He’s continuing to do more as I keep walking with Him.
That’s all part of the process of the Lord saving me.
(And, you too.)
— Ricky Ketchum
Copyright © 2026 by Ricky Ketchum. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.
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