The Fifth Downward Spiral to Idolatry - Judges 10:6-18

Introduction

While we don’t have visible idols that we bow down to and bring offerings to today. We do have idols of the heart that are more subtle. They show up in our priorities, what we invest our time in, how we discipline ourselves physically and spiritually, and what we love.

Jesus said, Matthew 6:21 “21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

The children of Israel fell into another downward spiral of sin. I really doubt they got up one morning and said I am once and for all giving all my allegiance to the gods of my neighbors. More likely it happened out of convenience or gradually out of desire. They would have intermarried with the heathen instead of staying separate. The acceptance of their neighbors idols would probably given them more favorable trade. They also were permitted to do more as their carnal desires wanted as these idols did not require morality. In fact, they often fed right into their sinful passions of selfishness and pleasure.

Judges 10:6–16 KJV 1900

6 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the Lord, and served not him. 7 And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon. 8 And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. 9 Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed. 10 And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim. 11 And the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? 12 The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand. 13 Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. 14 Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation. 15 And the children of Israel said unto the Lord, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day. 16 And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the Lord: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.

The nation of Israel had decided to adopt the worship of all the gods of the nations surrounding them. There was no separation at all. They had allowed the inhabitants of the land to influence them.

D. Downward spirals into sin awaken our need for God.

P. When God in his mercy disciplines us, we must turn back to him with all our heart.

T. The downward spiral into sin has been covered before, but I bring it to our attention again tonight.

1. God’s people go astray after the gods of the culture.

Judges 10:6 “6 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the Lord, and served not him.”

Explain

They did evil in the sight of the Lord.

They did evil, they added to their offenses again in God’s eyes. Notice it was right in their own eyes, but it wasn’t in God’s eyes. We have to ask the sincere and soul searching question: Is what I am doing pleasing to God?

This choice probably started out as a little compromise. It could have been the Hebrew young man hanging out with the cute Canaanite girl. Pretty soon they fall in love and get married. At first they decide they will keep their religion private, but soon his new bride wants him to go to the temple with him. Her nagging wears him down and soon he is going regularly to the temple.

They served the gods...

They started serving God and these other deities.

Matthew 6:24 “24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

They quit serving the Lord altogether.

Argue

Some argue that this is narrow minded. John 14:6 “6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Exodus 20:1–5 “1 And God spake all these words, saying, 2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;”

God is...

Creator - Genesis 1:1 “1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

gives commands - Deuteronomy 6:6–7 “6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.”

Corrects and chastens - Hebrews 12:6 “6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.”

Illustrate

Apply

We are told to not love the things in this world.

1 John 2:15–16 “15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”

Romans 12:2 “2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Colossians 3:16–17 “16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.”

2. God is angry with His people.

Judges 10:7 “7 And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon.”

Explain

God was rightfully angry at his people’s disobedience. He gave them the promised land and then they go and live without regard for Him in it. God was hot of their neglect of Him and His commandments. He now must do as he promised he would.

He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and Ammon.

They were sandwiched between lands who wanted to do them harm.

Argue

God allows what we give into to rule over us. They gave into the gods of these people and now these people were sold to them by God. God used bad people to punish his bad people. Habakkuk 1:13 “13 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, And canst not look on iniquity: Wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, And holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?”

Romans 6:16 “16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”

Illustrate

The sin of man’s anger: when you loose your cool you have lost control and now anger controls you.

Apply

God is right to be angry with his people ditching him for the false gods around them.

If we ditch God to go for other things will not God come and search us out. Deuteronomy 31:17 “17 Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us?”

While God does not leave he does punish.

3. God afflicts His people through the people whose gods they serve.

Judges 10:8–9 “8 And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. 9 Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.”

Explain

That year they vexed and oppressed

Destroyed

One other occurence - Exodus 15:6 “6 Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power: Thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy.”

Mistreat/crush

Deuteronomy 28:33 “33 The fruit of thy land, and all thy labours, shall a nation which thou knowest not eat up; and thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway:”

It is used of the woman who broke Abimelech’s skull with a millstone. (Judges 9:53)

The children of Israel have trouble in the area of Rueben, Gad, and Manasseh. It extends to other lands as well.

Argue

You can’t hide your sin from God. He knows all about it. Numbers 32:23 “23 But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the Lord: and be sure your sin will find you out.”

The darkness and light are both alike to God. He sees everything. He even knows our thoughts afar off. You see God is all-knowing and all-present, omniscient and omnipresent.

Illustrate: Psalm 139

Apply

Affliction is meant to bring us to repentance.

Hebrews 12:5–6 “5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: 6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.”

Psalm 119:75 “75 I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, And that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.”

God is wanting to bring us back to himself. He wants you and I to be in a right relationship.

4.God’s people admit their sin.

Judges 10:10 “10 And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.”

Explain

The children of Israel acknowledge their sin.

They forsook God. They left him.

Deuteronomy 28:20 “20 The Lord shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby thou hast forsaken me.”

Deuteronomy 31:16–17 “16 And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them. 17 Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us?”

When we leave God he allows us to go and find out what the school of hard knocks is like.

They served Baalim.

The Baalim is plural. It speaks of localized deities. Each region or city had their own Baal. For instance, the men of Shechem had Baal-berith (Judges 9:4) So essentially they are repenting of all their idolatries.

While worship of foreign deities allowed them seeming freedom to do as they please, really they were slaves of their passions.

Argue

Romans 6:16 “16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”

Illustrate

Apply

1 John 1:9 “9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

5. God is against delivering them.

Judges 10:11–14 “11 And the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? 12 The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand. 13 Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more. 14 Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.”

Explain

God is testing their commitment to follow Him.

He doesn’t say he will deliver them.

He tells them to go their gods they served and have them help them.

He reminds them of seven past deliverances they took for granted and snubbed him in the face. Seven is a number in the Bible that depicts completion and perfection. The current situation God is testing their commitment to turn to him.

God wanted commitment to worship before he took away their troubles.

Habakkuk 3:17–18 “17 Although the fig tree shall not blossom, Neither shall fruit be in the vines; The labour of the olive shall fail, And the fields shall yield no meat; The flock shall be cut off from the fold, And there shall be no herd in the stalls: 18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”

He doesn’t promise deliverance from the trouble.

He does accept their renewed commitment to worship Him.

Argue

God is ready to forgive. Here it appears God is ready to forgive, but as John the Baptist preached, bring forth fruits of repentance, so the children of Israel needed to show their repentance. They do and put away their idols.

Illustrate: Some people expect life transformation as soon as they repeatedly offend then say, I’m sorry.

Apply

Just cause you say your sorry don’t expect a warzone of your life to be an overnight paradise the next day.

There are many people that get themselves into horrible situations because of their sin and then blame God for not coming through for them because their circumstances didn’t change in a week.

God wants us to be committed to serve him regardless of the circumstance.

Matthew 5:11–12 “11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.”

6. God’s people’s action demonstrate repentance.

Judges 10:15–16 “15 And the children of Israel said unto the Lord, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day. 16 And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the Lord: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.”

Explain

They acknowledge their sin.

They submit to God’s plan.

They pray for mercy.

They put away the idols.

They served God once again.

God is tender towards his people

Argue

Illustrate Prodigal son

Apply

Repentance starts with a change of mind. That repentance results in a changed lifestyle.

Luke 3:8 “8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.”

Conclusion

astray

angry

affliction

admit

against

action

What about you are you committed to God?