Israelite Rebellion

Grace in the Old Testament - Israelite Rebellion Judges 2:6-3:6 | February 4, 2024 I've shared this before, but I'm directionally challenged. You tell me to "go west," my first thought is, "do I look like Columbus or Magellan to you?" I can live in the same geographical area for years, and still get turned around and confused. It doesn't matter how many times I'm there; I do the same thing over and over and over again. Isn't that true of us sometimes? Sometimes we get into bad habits, that we do over and over again. We'll see this morning that we're not alone in this. Because, this morning, as we continue in our Grace in the Old Testament series, we'll see the example of God's grace with Israel. Last week, we were in the book of Joshua, and this week we'll be in the book of Judges, the book that follows Joshua. Our text today is Judges 2, beginning at verse 6. Just a little background to catch us up to the historical narrative here. As we touched on last week, Joshua was a continuation of the book of Deuteronomy, which is the book in which Moses reviews the history, the Law and the covenant that God made with the people of Israel. This was necessary, as this new generation was getting ready to enter the Promised Land. Joshua, and his book, records his succession to Moses. We touched on this last week, but in this book, we see the stories of Joshua leading the people into the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It is a book of military battles and the allotment of land for each of the tribes. Then, when we get into the book of Judges, we see the death of Joshua, and we learn that many of the lands were not completely wiped out as directed, leaving many towns and settlements of Canaanite people throughout the allotted land to the people of Israel. We'll see why this is important later. In chapter 1, we will see how they are continuing to battle against all of the Canaanite people - which includes all of the nations ending in "ite" that we touched on last week, and you'll see in our passage this morning. Recall, these nations were to be completely wiped out because of their unholiness and the influence they would have on the nation of Israel. Now, we're in the book of Judges. It may be important to point out that the word "judges" here is not what we understand that term to be today. The word used here means "deliverer" or "savior." That's important to understand as we go through the passage. So, let's begin. Joshua 2:6-3:6: 6 WHEN JOSHUA DISMISSED THE PEOPLE, THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL WENT EACH TO HIS INHERITANCE TO TAKE POSSESSION OF THE LAND. 7 AND THE PEOPLE SERVED THE LORD ALL THE DAYS OF JOSHUA, AND ALL THE DAYS OF THE ELDERS WHO OUTLIVED JOSHUA, WHO HAD SEEN ALL THE GREAT WORK THAT THE LORD HAD DONE FOR ISRAEL. 8 AND JOSHUA THE SON OF NUN, THE SERVANT OF THE LORD, DIED AT THE AGE OF 110 YEARS. 9 AND THEY BURIED HIM WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES OF HIS INHERITANCE IN TIMNATH-HERES, IN THE HILL COUNTRY OF EPHRAIM, NORTH OF THE MOUNTAIN OF GAASH. 10 AND ALL THAT GENERATION ALSO WERE GATHERED TO THEIR FATHERS. AND THERE AROSE ANOTHER GENERATION AFTER THEM WHO DID NOT KNOW THE LORD OR THE WORK THAT HE HAD DONE FOR ISRAEL. 11 AND THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL DID WHAT WAS EVIL IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD AND SERVED THE BAALS. 12 AND THEY ABANDONED THE LORD, THE GOD OF THEIR FATHERS, WHO HAD BROUGHT THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT. THEY WENT AFTER OTHER GODS, FROM AMONG THE GODS OF THE PEOPLES WHO WERE AROUND THEM, AND BOWED DOWN TO THEM. AND THEY PROVOKED THE LORD TO ANGER. 13 THEY ABANDONED THE LORD AND SERVED THE BAALS AND THE ASHTAROTH. 14 SO THE ANGER OF THE LORD WAS KINDLED AGAINST ISRAEL, AND HE GAVE THEM OVER TO PLUNDERERS, WHO PLUNDERED THEM. AND HE SOLD THEM INTO THE HAND OF THEIR SURROUNDING ENEMIES, SO THAT THEY COULD NO LONGER WITHSTAND THEIR ENEMIES. 15 WHENEVER THEY MARCHED OUT, THE HAND OF THE LORD WAS AGAINST THEM FOR HARM, AS THE LORD HAD WARNED, AND AS THE LORD HAD SWORN TO THEM. AND THEY WERE IN TERRIBLE DISTRESS. 16 THEN THE LORD RAISED UP JUDGES, WHO SAVED THEM OUT OF THE HAND OF THOSE WHO PLUNDERED THEM. 17 YET THEY DID NOT LISTEN TO THEIR JUDGES, FOR THEY WHORED AFTER OTHER GODS AND BOWED DOWN TO THEM. THEY SOON TURNED ASIDE FROM THE WAY IN WHICH THEIR FATHERS HAD WALKED, WHO HAD OBEYED THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE LORD, AND THEY DID NOT DO SO. 18 WHENEVER THE LORD RAISED UP JUDGES FOR THEM, THE LORD WAS WITH THE JUDGE, AND HE SAVED THEM FROM THE HAND OF THEIR ENEMIES ALL THE DAYS OF THE JUDGE. FOR THE LORD WAS MOVED TO PITY BY THEIR GROANING BECAUSE OF THOSE WHO AFFLICTED AND OPPRESSED THEM. 19 BUT WHENEVER THE JUDGE DIED, THEY TURNED BACK AND WERE MORE CORRUPT THAN THEIR FATHERS, GOING AFTER OTHER GODS, SERVING THEM AND BOWING DOWN TO THEM. THEY DID NOT DROP ANY OF THEIR PRACTICES OR THEIR STUBBORN WAYS. 20 SO THE ANGER OF THE LORD WAS KINDLED AGAINST ISRAEL, AND HE SAID, "BECAUSE THIS PEOPLE HAVE TRANSGRESSED MY COVENANT THAT I COMMANDED THEIR FATHERS AND HAVE NOT OBEYED MY VOICE, 21 I WILL NO LONGER DRIVE OUT BEFORE THEM ANY OF THE NATIONS THAT JOSHUA LEFT WHEN HE DIED, 22 IN ORDER TO TEST ISRAEL BY THEM, WHETHER THEY WILL TAKE CARE TO WALK IN THE WAY OF THE LORD AS THEIR FATHERS DID, OR NOT." 23 SO THE LORD LEFT THOSE NATIONS, NOT DRIVING THEM OUT QUICKLY, AND HE DID NOT GIVE THEM INTO THE HAND OF JOSHUA. 3:1 NOW THESE ARE THE NATIONS THAT THE LORD LEFT, TO TEST ISRAEL BY THEM, THAT IS, ALL IN ISRAEL WHO HAD NOT EXPERIENCED ALL THE WARS IN CANAAN. 2 IT WAS ONLY IN ORDER THAT THE GENERATIONS OF THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL MIGHT KNOW WAR, TO TEACH WAR TO THOSE WHO HAD NOT KNOWN IT BEFORE. 3 THESE ARE THE NATIONS: THE FIVE LORDS OF THE PHILISTINES AND ALL THE CANAANITES AND THE SIDONIANS AND THE HIVITES WHO LIVED ON MOUNT LEBANON, FROM MOUNT BAAL-HERMON AS FAR AS LEBO-HAMATH. 4 THEY WERE FOR THE TESTING OF ISRAEL, TO KNOW WHETHER ISRAEL WOULD OBEY THE COMMANDMENTS OF THE LORD, WHICH HE COMMANDED THEIR FATHERS BY THE HAND OF MOSES. 5 SO THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL LIVED AMONG THE CANAANITES, THE HITTITES, THE AMORITES, THE PERIZZITES, THE HIVITES, AND THE JEBUSITES. 6 AND THEIR DAUGHTERS THEY TOOK TO THEMSELVES FOR WIVES, AND THEIR OWN DAUGHTERS THEY GAVE TO THEIR SONS, AND THEY SERVED THEIR GODS. Here's the main idea of the passage this morning: God's grace, through His mercy and compassion, enables me to live as a set apart person. We saw this last week when we looked at the example of Rahab. Like Rahab, many of us have had troubled pasts, full of sin. Yet, the Lord's grace is bigger than that sin. As we look at the broader example of Israel and their pattern of disobedience and cycle of sin, we can rest assured that God is a God of mercy and compassion. What is striking here is that we see God's character in this passage. So, WHAT DOES THIS PASSAGE TELL US ABOUT GOD? Aside from God's mercy and compassion, we see from this passage at least three things. First: * God gets angry over my sin (2:12, 14, 20) o There are several reasons that God gets angry over our sin, and we don't have time to get into all of them, but here are a couple: * It separates us from Him. * Here's how Isaiah put it in Isaiah 59:2: BUT YOUR INIQUITIES HAVE MADE A SEPARATION BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR GOD, AND YOUR SINS HAVE HIDDEN HIS FACE FROM YOU SO THAT HE DOES NOT HEAR * It enslaves us. Paul tells us in Romans 6:16: DO YOU NOT KNOW THAT IF YOU PRESENT YOURSELVES TO ANYONE AS OBEDIENT SLAVES, YOU ARE SLAVES OF THE ONE WHOM YOU OBEY, EITHER OF SIN, WHICH LEADS TO DEATH, OR OF OBEDIENCE, WHICH LEADS TO RIGHTEOUSNESS? o You see, God hates sin, but He gives us a better option, an option that leads to eternal life. o Next, we learn that ... * God hears our concerns (2:15, 18) o Verses 15 and 18 remind us that God cares enough to act on our concerns, our worries, and in our suffering. o God shows us that mercy because of His grace. o This means that God is a personal God. One who cares and because of that ... * God sends a deliver (2:16, 18) o God sent twelve judges - which, as mentioned previously meant "deliverer" or "savior." o These judges were military leaders, meant to rescue God's people. o Obviously, this picture cannot be ignored. * We touched on this verse last week but look at what Paul says in Romans 5:6: FOR WHILE WE WERE STILL WEAK, AT THE RIGHT TIME CHRIST DIED FOR THE UNGODLY, then he continues in verse 8: BUT GOD SHOWS HIS LOVE FOR US IN THAT WHILE WE WERE STILL SINNERS, CHRIST DIED FOR US. o This entire book, introduced right here in our text this morning lines up the history of Israel, and a cycle of sin that we'll take a closer look at shortly. But God continues to show His mercy and compassion even when we abandon Him, even when we turn away from, even when we ignore what He has commanded for us. He brings us back. He turns us around. He reminds us of His Word. o We may run and run and run, but if we're His called, we cannot escape His grace. o What this tells us about God is that He is merciful and compassionate, not because of anything we have done, but because of His grace. o We are to be a people set apart ... so, naturally the question is ... HOW TO LIVE AS A SET APART PERSON: There are at least three commands from this passage. First: * Put no other gods before the Lord (2:10, 12-13, 17, 19) o It's no coincidence that the basis of the Law comes from this commandment. Exodus 20:2-5 is the prelude and the first two commandments, it reads: 2 "I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD, WHO BROUGHT YOU OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT, OUT OF THE HOUSE OF SLAVERY. 3 "YOU SHALL HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME. 4 "YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FOR YOURSELF A CARVED IMAGE, OR ANY LIKENESS OF ANYTHING THAT IS IN HEAVEN ABOVE, OR THAT IS IN THE EARTH BENEATH, OR THAT IS IN THE WATER UNDER THE EARTH. 5 YOU SHALL NOT BOW DOWN TO THEM OR SERVE THEM, FOR I THE LORD YOUR GOD AM A JEALOUS GOD, VISITING THE INIQUITY OF THE FATHERS ON THE CHILDREN TO THE THIRD AND THE FOURTH GENERATION OF THOSE WHO HATE ME, o When we look at the passage this morning, generations later, we see that they've abandoned the Lord, they went after other gods, like the Baals and the Ashtaroth. * These gods promised their worshippers abundance in offspring and agriculture. * In other words, personal wealth and personal pleasure. o What does that mean? Well, every time we chase after other gods, it means we're not satisfied. We become self-serving. * Pat shared a great quote this week from Paul David Tripp's book, Reactivity, How the Gospel Transforms Our Actions and Reaction. It reads: "... the driving motivation for everything in your life is self. You are at the center of your world. You do what you do and say what you say for your own purpose and pleasure. You are what motivates you. You are what makes you happy. You are your goal. You are fundamentally self-aware and self-possessed. Your foundational lifestyle is selfish, no matter who you think you are and what you say you believe. It needs to be said and repeated often, particularly in our current cultural setting, that there is no idol more attractive, seductive, and deceptive than the idol of self." o There are still idols and small "g" gods in the world today, and many times, it's that person staring back at you in the mirror. o This is why the Bible teaches us to put the armor of God, to seek first the Kingdom of God, to put others ahead of yourself, to be humble, gentle, and loving towards your neighbor, and so forth. o The more and more we place other priorities over God, we drift further and further away from Him. Which leads to sin. o To be a people set apart, we must next ... * Get out of sinful patterns (2:10-11, 12-13, 17, 19) o I mentioned earlier that there's this cycle of sin throughout the book of Judges, which frankly sets up the monarchy in Israel as seen in the Samuels and the following books. o Here's the cycle, as seen on the screen: * Israel commits sin * God allows Israel to be oppressed * Israel repents and cries out to God * God sends a judge to deliver Israel * Israel is faith while the judge lives o This cycle continues with twelve recorded judges that God sent. o Notice how none of those were sustainable. Just as seen when a king is appointed, it was never sustainable. o Jesus is the only sustainable solution. The only acceptable deliverer. The only acceptable sacrifice. o If nothing else, Israel's history teaches us that there is only one way. Jesus Christ. * But it also means that we need to learn from their mistakes. o Paul said this to the Corinthians. 1 Corinthians 10:6 reads: NOW THESE THINGS TOOK PLACE AS EXAMPLES FOR US, THAT WE MIGHT NOT DESIRE EVIL AS THEY DID. You know what he's addressing there? Idolatry. Using the example of the people of Israel. Their history, their patterns, their sins. o God can use us too. He can use our stories, our pasts, our former addictions. * Think about it. How many times do we presently refer to preachers from the past centuries. o But we must lay those sins all aside first. We must repent. We must confess. We must commit to living holy lives. o What's great about this is that He doesn't expect or ask us to do it alone. o Think about it. God called a nation to be set apart. o God desires us to be in community with one another. And here's why: it's easy to get sucked into the culture. Finally, the final command to be a people set apart is: * Do not be conformed to the world (3:5-6) o Of course, Romans 12:2 comes to mind when Paul says: DO NOT BE CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD, BUT BE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWAL OF YOUR MIND, THAT BY TESTING YOU MAY DISCERN WHAT IS THE WILL OF GOD, WHAT IS GOOD AND ACCEPTABLE AND PERFECT. o The example in chapter 3 of Judges is intermarriage. * Now, of course this is not a racial or social thing, it's a spiritual thing. o I know this from experience. I've been in a relationship where we did not agree on our faith, or other things. It was not enjoyable. We were not compatible. And it led me astray. o Most of us, I'm sure, are familiar with King Solomon. He married hundreds of women from other nations, and the Bible teaches us that he made altars and idols and even worshipped their gods. o You see, we are influenced by who we surround ourselves with, whether we want to admit it or not. Here are a couple of examples from the Scriptures: * Psalm 1:1-2 says: 1 BLESSED IS THE MAN WHO WALKS NOT IN THE COUNSEL OF THE WICKED, NOR STANDS IN THE WAY OF SINNERS, NOR SITS IN THE SEAT OF SCOFFERS; 2 BUT HIS DELIGHT IS IN THE LAW OF THE LORD, AND ON HIS LAW HE MEDITATES DAY AND NIGHT. * 1 Corinthians 15:33 says: DO NOT BE DECEIVED: "BAD COMPANY RUINS GOOD MORALS" Earlier we said: God's grace, through His mercy and compassion, enables me to live as a set apart person. You see, we have been beneficiaries of God's grace to Israel. Why? Because the Israel nation led to the incarnation of Jesus. Without Israel being sustained over and over and over, there'd be no Christ. That was the promise given to Abraham, that all would be blessed through him. Then, fast forward to Romans 11, where Paul reveals that there will be a faithful remnant in Israel. And Israel plays a large role in the End Times events. God called for obedience, and when Israel cried out, God sent them a deliverer. God has sent us His deliverer in Jesus Christ. His offer of salvation is available to all. He gives us the choice to follow Him, to confess Him as Lord. To put away selfish desires. To be a people set apart. That's His grace. Shown through mercy and compassion. Maybe you want to make the decision today to follow Jesus. Let us know, we'd love to pray with you. Or maybe today has been a reminder to you that even if you've fallen time and time again, God's grace is bigger than your sin. That, my friends, is good news. Let's pray. 2