ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

 SAPATE MA’ASI 22, 2026

FAKAMAAU 10-12; MATIU 22:34-40

Is your life its most spiritually vibrant when you are in times of trouble, crying out to God, or in times of ease, when things are going well for you?

‘Oku ke fakatokanga’i ‘oku ma’ui’ui ange ho’o mo’ui fakalaumalie ‘i he taimi ‘oku faingata’a’ia ai, ‘o to’e ki he ‘Otua, pe ko e taimi ‘oku faingamalie ai e me’a kotoa?

Great spiritual wisdom and counsel are embedded in the narrative of Judges. These accounts, lovingly preserved for us, demonstrate the patient love of God and are meant to warn, protect, and guide us. They have been recorded for us so that we would not err in the ways that our spiritual forefathers did. The book of Judges is like a father's sitting down on the couch with his children, telling stories of the mistakes and failures of past generations of the family, because he wants his children to learn, live wisely, and not fall into the same errors.

But perhaps the most encouraging thing about this portion of God's word is its revelation of God's jealous heart. Think about it. In a marriage, jealousy can be a good thing. If I were to say to my wife, "Go ahead and find another lover; that would be fine with me," she would be horrified. It is right for me to crave that Luella would give me the love of her heart to the exclusion of any other man. God's jealousy for the hearts of his people is a sign of the depth and faithfulness of his love.

The book of Judges is also helpful because it describes Israel's sad spiritual cycle. This is preserved for us as God's loving warning. Here is the cycle:

Israel experiences a time of ease and prosperity.

They forget the Lord.

They pursue other gods.

God uses the surrounding nations as tools of discipline.

Israel cries out for God's deliverance.

God sends a deliverer.

Times of ease return.

The cycle repeats.

Judges records this repeated cycle because God loves us and does not want us to wander away too. What is true for the children of Israel is true also for us. Times of comfort and ease are often the times when our prayer and devotional life weaken, our thankfulness for all of God's providing and protecting mercies wanes, and we begin to look for our identity, meaning, purpose, and inner sense of rest and peace horizontally rather than vertically.

It is also clear in Judges that God's discipline, no matter how harsh, is not his rejection. His discipline is a sure sign of his love. It is God's fighting for the love and loyalty of our hearts. It is God's wrenching us away from other lovers in order to claim us once again as his own. In times of comfort and ease, does your pursuit of God weaken? Does your heart wander? The cross and tomb of Jesus tell us how far our jealous God will go to claim us as his own. Bask in the depth of God's jealous love for you today, and cling to him with your whole heart.