Sermon Tone Analysis

Whatever controls us is our God...

Timothy Keller opens his commentary on Judges with a quote by Rebecca Manley Pippert, from her work Out of the Saltshaker.

She says,

“Whatever controls us really is our god … The person who seeks power is controlled by power.

The person who seeks acceptance is controlled by the people he or she wants to please.

We do not control ourselves.

We are controlled by the lord of our life.”

(Rebecca Manley Pippert, Out of the Saltshaker, page 48–49)

Rebecca Manley Pippert’s book, “Out of the Salt Shaker,” is a book on evangelism.

She contends that evangelism is a lifestyle.

It is something that should be comfortable to you because you are speaking from your heart about someone you love.

What if, however, your heart is divided with many loves?

What if Jesus is having to contend with the idols of wealth, celebrity, pleasure, ideology, and achievement?

We live in a time much like the Canaanites.

Their society was spirituality pluralistic, meaning they were infused with religious paganism of all sorts and practices.

By this time God’s people were intermingling with other nations.

They were having to choose this day, every day, whom they would serve; either the Lord or the spirit of their age.

Everything in their society, just like our society, was vying for control of their heart.

Living in a pluralistic culture demands that Gods people be diligent to love him with all of their mind heart, soul, and strength, with an undivided heart.

For if you don’t, if you allow the idols of the age to have equal footing, equal say, equal rights to your love, you will have halfhearted faith with halfhearted obedience that results in halfhearted discipleship.

That is exactly what happens to Israel.

Israel did not do as God commanded them.

Their halfhearted obedience allowed idolatry to remain in the land and mingle in their hearts.

It became a snare to them.

The snare shows up in a seven cycle of sin all throughout the book.

Cycle of Sin

It begins with

1.

The Israelites did what was evil in the Lord’s sight (2:11; 3:7, 12; 4:1; 6:1; 10:6; 13:1).

2. God handed them over to … the enemies around them” (2:14; 6:1; 13:1).

3. “The Israelites cried out to the Lord” (3:9, 15; 4:3; 6:6; 10:10).

4. “The Lord raised up judges, who saved them” (2:16, 18; 3:9, 15).

5. “So the oppressing nation was subdued before the Israelites” (8:28; cp.

3:30; 4:23).

6. “Then the land was peaceful for so many years” (3:11, 30; 5:31; 8:28).

7. “Then the judge died” (2:19; 3:11; 4:1b; 8:32; 12:7).

Throughout the book of Judges you will see as one commentator puts it, “Israel experienced the repeated cycle of apostasy, oppression, repentance, and restoration by divinely appointed judges throughout the long period following Joshua’s death.”

Timothy Keller identifies six themes about God will emerge through the the book that will incline your heart toward the Lord and serve him well.

6 Truths About God

God relentlessly offers his grace to people who do not deserve it, or seek it, or even appreciate it after they have been saved by it.

God redeems broken people and uses them to reconcile to himself and each other, and restores their spiritual and physical life.

Its all by His grace.

His grace will win the day.

God wants lordship over every area of our lives, not just some.

There is no place for sin or idolatry in your life.

Every aspect of your life belongs to God.

Anything less than this is halfhearted faith and obedience.

There is a tension between grace and law, between conditionality and unconditionality.

God promise blessing and favor to his people.

And yet, God promise to condemn and curse sin.

There is a tension here only the Cross of Christ can resolve.

There is a need for continual spiritual renewal in our lives here on earth, and a way to make that a reality.

We cannot live in spiritual perfection in this world.

We are prone to fail and spiral downward.

If we try to be religious and neglect our souls need for renewal on a daily basis, our lives will look like halfhearted Christianity.

The cycle of Judges is not limited to Judges, it is alive an well in us.

We need constant renewal, which God graciously provides through repentance, prayer, fellowship, and ministry.

We need a true Savior, to which all human saviors point, through both their flaws and strengths.

The judges come and they go.

When they come Israel repents and looks like God’s people.

When the judges die, they slip back into their idolatry.

We need a true eternal judge, a Savior who can sustain his people now and forever in justice, righteousness, holiness, and peace.

God is in charge, no matter what it looks like.

God never looses control of his creation or his people.

He is never absent or unaware, no matter how distant he may seem to be.

His purpose will stand.

The Messiah will come.

As Timothy Keller says,

“The mills of God may grind slow, but they grind exceeding fine.”

Timothy Keller

With this in mind, this morning I want you to heed the warning that begins in Judges.

Because half-hearted obedience leads to spiritual decline, you must serve the Lord with all of your heart.

Judah begins well... (Judges 1:1-2)

Judah wisely asks for God's instruction (Judges 1:1-2)

Judges 1:1–2 (ESV)

After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel inquired of the Lord, “Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?”

The Lord said, “Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand.”

Judah begins Judges with faith and obedience.

There is no legitimate leader to succeed after Joshua’s death, but the people of Israel wisely inquire of the Lord as to who will lead them in continuing the conquest.

The Lord is aware of their need and answer His people.

This is consistent with his promise keeping character.

God promised to never leave or forsake them.

God delivers the Perizzites into Judah and Simeon’s hand (Judges 1:4).

Adoni-Bezek is made an example of by the Israelites.

Just as he mutilated the kings he captured, so he was mutilated.

(On a side note, your sin catches up with you, and in the Lord’s wisdom, there are times when God hands you over to your own debauchery (Romans 1:25-27).)

Caleb and Achsah Shine as examples of Wholehearted Obedience

In the middle of their victory, the writer of Judges highlights Caleb and his family (Judges 1:11-16), as the what wholehearted love for God looks like.

Judges 1:12–15 (ESV)

And Caleb said, “He who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it, I will give him Achsah my daughter for a wife.”

And Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, captured it.

And he gave him Achsah his daughter for a wife.

When she came to him, she urged him to ask her father for a field.

And she dismounted from her donkey, and Caleb said to her, “What do you want?”

She said to him, “Give me a blessing.

Since you have set me in the land of the Negeb, give me also springs of water.”

And Caleb gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.

Caleb and his family are eager to take the Lord up on his promises.

Caleb sees opportunity in the land of Canaan.

He believed God was going to hand it over to his people, so he set his heart to capture it.

Caleb also offers his daughter to the kind of man who thinks and serves the Lord like he does.

Othniel takes him up on it and he is given Achsah as a wife.