11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They aroused the Lord’s anger 13 because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. 14 In his anger against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. 15 Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.
Temple prostitution and child sacrifice were part of the worship of the Canaanites. It is sad to see that this generation of Israelites abandoned the faith of their parents and participated in this pagan worship of false gods. There can be many things that tempt us to leave what we know is right because we may want to be accepted by others. People without faith can lead a person of faith into behavior that is not acceptable to God. Watch out, be on guard, and do not be lulled into compromise because you want to be accepted by the mainstream world. Watch out and do not let pressure to disobey allow you to compromise your godly faith. Trust and obey God, for there is no other way. You will be happier when you follow Jesus and avoid compromise.
