We see the Israelites fall into sin and slavery again today.  We take a few moments to unpack again what idolatry truly is.  It is not a golden calf on top of the TV, or some pagan pole in our backyard. It is the thing that we give our allegiance and security to, other than God. What is the thing, other than the Lord, that we trust in? That is where our idol is.  But then, we see the Lord, when the people repented, free them. We truly do not understand the depth of the Father’s love for us.  You loved today.  Never forget that. 

Shameless plug: here’s a link to Method(ist) to the Madness, our

Join us for our daily reflections with Andy. In 10 short minutes, he’ll dig a little deeper into Scripture and help you better understand God’s Word.

Click here if you’d like to join our GroupMe and receive this each morning at 7:00 a.m. CST.

Click on the image above or this link to watch today’s video.

You can read today’s passage here.

You can podcast this reflection here. You can subscribe through Spotify or Apple Podcasts as well.

Or, if you’d like to read the transcript of the video, keep reading!

Good morning. It’s great to be with you on this Monday morning as we continue our time together in the book of Judges.

Just a quick reminder: we’ll have Rooted today and tomorrow, but after that, I’ll be out the rest of the week for Annual Conference. Starting next week, things should return to a more regular schedule for most of the summer. I do have a camp meeting in Oxford in late July, so depending on internet access, there might be a pause during that week—but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Today, we’re reading Judges 10:6–18, a passage that revisits a familiar pattern in this book: Israel’s repeated cycle of sin, suffering, repentance, and deliverance.

If you’ve been following along with Judges, this passage feels familiar—and that’s the point. The book of Judges is essentially the same story told again and again: freedom → sin → slavery → repentance → deliverance → repeat.

And once again, Israel has turned from God to worship false gods—this time, a whole list of them. But it’s worth asking: Why did they keep doing this? Why did they keep turning from the God who had delivered them over and over?

The answer isn’t that they stopped believing in God altogether. They didn’t renounce Yahweh. Instead, they divided their loyalty. They gave partial worship to God but looked to other sources for protection, provision, and security.

And that’s the heart of idolatry.

Idolatry isn’t always about rejecting God—it’s about replacing trust in God with trust in something else. The Israelites wanted extra protection, so they turned to the gods of their neighbors: gods of fertility, of the harvest, of war.

We may not bow down to Baal or Ashtoreth today, but the temptations are just as real. Our idols might look like:

Financial security (“If I just have enough in savings, I’ll be okay.”)
Status or success (“If I just get the promotion…”)
Control (“If I can just manage every detail…”)
It’s not that we stop believing in God—it’s that we quietly start trusting in something else just a little more. God plus something becomes our formula for peace.

But God doesn’t want divided allegiance. He wants—and deserves—our full trust.

“He Could No Longer Bear to See Israel Suffer”
Verse 16 is a stunning moment. After Israel repents—again—and puts away their idols, Scripture says:

“And he could no longer bear to see Israel suffer.”
Let that sink in.

God’s love isn’t distant or transactional. His love for us is deep, personal, and steadfast. Yes, he disciplines. Yes, he allows consequences. But his heart breaks when we suffer.

There’s a beautiful line from Doctor Who, where the Doctor’s companion betrays him, but he still saves her. She asks, “Why are you helping me? I betrayed you!” And the Doctor replies, “Do you think I care for you so little that your betrayal would change how I feel about you?”

What a picture of grace.

Do you think God cares for you so little that your sin would change his love?

We may fail him again and again, but his love never wavers. When we turn to him in repentance, he doesn’t say “too late.” He opens his arms. He’s never indifferent to our pain. His heart is always for his people.

Maybe you’ve gotten distracted. Maybe you’ve let something creep into God’s place in your heart. Maybe your trust has quietly shifted elsewhere.

Come back.

You are deeply loved by a God who cannot bear to see you suffer. You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to turn your heart back toward him.

He’s waiting.

Thanks for joining me today. Tomorrow we’ll begin looking at the story of Jephthah—another complicated but fascinating judge.

Have a great day, and I’ll see you in the morning.