August 21 2023

Then the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and worshipped the Baals; and they abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt; they followed other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were all around them, and bowed down to them; and they provoked the Lord to anger.

From Judges 2:11-19, NRSV

At various times in their history, many of the Israelites were tempted away from fidelity to the Lord. Periods of fidelity were followed by times of marked infidelity such as that described in today’s reading. Perhaps in some ways it was easier to try and appease the gods rather than remain observant of the Law. Baal was the main god of the Canaanites into whose land the Israelites had come to dwell. Baal was associated with power over the rain, wind and clouds, that is, everything that gave life. As a consequence of their desertion of the Lord to serve Baal, the people suffered a time of disaster. Their enemies were able to triumph over them and they suffered a time of “dire distress”. The Lord intervened to help them and appointed judges to help rescue them from their enemies. However, even though these judges were able to bring some relief from their suffering, the people often relapsed and returned to idolatrous practices. It would be some time until they realised that their safety and wellbeing depended upon their fidelity to the Covenant.

• • Why do you think the people of Israel were swayed by idolatrous practices?