Judges 2:1-14 says: “And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim: And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the Lord to anger. And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies.”
The God who can do the impossible did so for Israel. He rescued them from the iron furnace, the unbearable bondage of Egypt. He brought them through the Red Sea, then through the wilderness and brought them into the promised land. And yet, once Joshua and the generation that knew Joshua had died, Israel forsook the very God who brought them into the promised land, and cast every one of his principles aside.
The result was devastating. God time and again gave them into the hand of their enemies. They found that their formerly mighty armies were now powerless to stand against those who hated them.
I find a remarkable parallel to this pattern that Israel displayed in modern-day America. There is no question whatsoever that our current generation is very different than the generations that have come before us. We have gone from the greatest generation to the give-me generation. We once had founding fathers, statesman, men who sacrificed everything for freedom. Now we have pandering politicians who despise and disregard the very founding documents and principles that our land was built on.
Israel was not able to escape the consequences and, at some point, we also will not be able to escape the inevitable consequences. This brings me not one whit of joy; I love this land and desire only the best for it. But the law of sowing and reaping still applies, even to us.