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OULDN'T it be great if spiritual regression were an impossibility? However, such is not the case. We can stand on the highest summit at one moment, only to plummet to the darkest of depths immediately thereafter. Spiritual cycles of victory and defeat are sadly all too common. Israel during the days of the judges (between Joshua and Samuel) is perhaps the most defined example of this phenomenon. In contrast to God who "does righteousness at all times" (Psalm 106:3), the people of God were famous for being sporadic in their worship, inconsistent in their obedience and intermittent in faith.
"We have sinned with our fathers..." the psalmist wrote, "Nevertheless He saved them..." (Psalm 106:6). From the days of Moses until the times of Israel's captivities, this pattern was repeated again and again. "They believed His word... sang His praises..." and then" ...soon forgot His works" (Psalm 106:12- 13). They were inexcusably incorrigible! They enjoyed His charity, but their souls were largely unfazed by His presence (Psalm 106:15). In fact, Israel went from ignoring God's works to ignoring God Himself (Psalm 106:21), even to the point that they no longer believed the same words which they had initially received (Psalm 106:12 & 24). It is evident that if it had not been for men like Moses and Phinehas (Psalm 106:23 & 30), the Jews would have surely been punished much more severely. And why not? They descended from the heights of the Exodus to the depths of idolatry and murder with just a few doubting leaps and bounds. So, the cycle of rebellion and oppression followed by repentance and deliverance was the norm in Israel (Psalm 106:42-44).
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