U-Turn: The Book of Judges Week 1- The Cycle Begins

Big Idea: God is constantly fighting to bring us back to Him.

Primary Scripture: Judges 3:7-11

Supporting Scripture: Judges 2:18-19, Proverbs 13:20, Romans 12:2

CAPTURE (Why should students pay attention to and care about your message?)

· Have you ever done something you knew—absolutely, without question—was wrong? Something you chose to do despite knowing better?

· In the 2003 cinematic masterpiece Finding Nemo, there’s this pivotal moment when Nemo experiences this. At first, it’s funny, but it doesn’t take long for Nemo to realize he’s is in… DEEP TROUBLE.

· You could say that Nemo suddenly found himself… IN OVER HIS HEAD.

· Nemo and his new school friends are out exploring when they reach the open ocean and spot a boat up at the surface.

· They play a little game of let’s see who’s brave enough to get closest to the boat.

· One of them says to Nemo, “Come on, Nemo! How far can YOU go?”

· Nemo, eager to prove himself, starts swimming toward the boat.

· He didn’t get far before his dad shows up and tells him to come back.

· They argue a bit, as Nemo doesn’t want to be treated like a child.

· Nemo is frustrated, believing his dad doesn’t trust him or see what he’s capable of.

· Nemo defiantly swims right up to the boat and touches it because he wanted to do the one thing his dad said not to.  

· Nemo’s desire to prove that he’s old enough, big enough, strong enough, and smart enough to do what he wants ultimately leads to him being caught and separated from his dad.

· In that moment when Nemo’s dad realized that his son was gone, he didn’t care who was right or wrong. He just wanted his kid back.

· Today, we're launching a new series called U-Turn, where we'll explore stories from the Old Testament Book of Judges.

· These are accounts of God's people turning their backs on wisdom, choosing their own way, and facing the consequences.

· No matter how far the Israelites went down the wrong road, God always provided a way for them to stop, make a U-Turn and get back on track.

· We might recognize ourselves in each narrative—that universal human tendency to push boundaries, to test limits, to choose independence over guidance.

· We’ll also discover something profound about God's character: His relentless pursuit of those He loves.

SCRIPTURE (What does God’s Word say?)

· The Book of Judges takes place during a time before Israel had a king, which meant that things were chaotic.

· Within this chaos, a predictable pattern emerged:

o God's people turn away from God…

o They face consequences…

o They cry out for help…

o God sends a rescuer…

o Peace is restored…

o The cycle repeats.

· We’re going to start at the very beginning, the first time that Israel experiences this cycle of betrayal, crying out for God’s help, and (ultimately) redemption.

7 The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. They forgot about the Lord their God, and they served the images of Baal and the Asherah poles. 8 Then the Lord burned with anger against Israel, and he turned them over to King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram-naharaim. And the Israelites served Cushan-rishathaim for eight years.

(Judges 3:7-8 – NLT)

· Forgetting God cost Israel eight years of living with the consequences of their sin.

9 But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, the Lord raised up a rescuer to save them. His name was Othniel, the son of Caleb’s younger brother, Kenaz. 10 The Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge. He went to war against King Cushan-rishathaim of Aram, and the Lord gave Othniel victory over him.

(Judges 3:9-10 – NLT)

· God had every reason to ignore their cry, but that’s not what He does.

· God brought freedom through Othniel, someone nobody would have expected to lead and win a war for the Israelites.

11 So there was peace in the land for forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died. (Judges 3:11 – NLT)

· Othniel brought peace but as soon as Othniel died, the Bible tells us Israel once again turned away from God and went their own way.

18 Whenever the Lord raised up a judge over Israel, he was with that judge and rescued the people from their enemies throughout the judge’s lifetime. For the Lord took pity on his people, who were burdened by oppression and suffering.

(Judges 2:18 – NLT)

· Israel kept repeating their pattern, but God also repeats His.

· God rescues them—and us—because of His never-ending love for His people.

19 But when the judge died, the people returned to their corrupt ways, behaving worse than those who had lived before them. They went after other gods, serving and worshiping them. And they refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways. (Judges 2:19 – NLT)

· Israel keeps forgetting… God keeps rescuing.

· They turn away… God turns toward them.

· They choose independence… God chooses love.

· This is about something we all wrestle with: wanting to be independent versus admitting we need help.

· It's about trusting our own judgment versus trusting someone (in this case, God) who actually knows what they're talking about.

INSIGHTS (What might this Scripture mean?)

1. God never stops pursuing us.

· The Israelites didn’t just ignore God—they tried to replace God.

· We might not bow to carved images, but we sometimes chase approval, popularity, academic success, or social media validation with the same intensity.

· We sometimes give our hearts to things that promise fulfillment but leave us empty.

· The pattern: Israel rebels → faces consequences → cries out → God immediately responds.

· God pursues you with that same relentless love.

· He keeps showing up, keeps reaching out, keeps creating opportunities for you to come home.

2. God meets us in our desperation.

· Israel was stuck under the thumb of a foreign king for eight years.

9 But when the people of Israel cried out to the Lord for help, the Lord raised up a rescuer to save them. His name was Othniel, the son of Caleb’s younger brother, Kenaz.

(Judges 3:9 – NLT)

· The moment that they cried out, God moved, raising up Othniel to be Israel’s rescuer.

· He went to war, defeated the enemy, and brought peace to Israel.

As the only judge from the tribe of Judah, Othniel could symbolize a future deliverer from Judah:

Jeremiah 23:5 ““The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land.”  

· Just like God raised up Othniel to save Israel, God sent Jesus to save all of us.

· Othniel brought temporary rescue, but Jesus brings eternal salvation.

3. The cycle didn’t have to continue.

· After everything God had done for them, they chose to repeat the same destructive pattern.

· The cycle isn't inevitable. The Israelites chose to go back. They didn't have to. They could have remembered God's faithfulness.

· If you keep ending up in the same place, know that you're not stuck there. The cycle can be broken.

· God doesn't rescue us just so we can go back to the way things were. God rescues us so we can move forward into something better.

Romans 6:1–2 “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?”

ACTION (How could we live this out?)

1. Take a look around.

· The people and content you spend the most time with are either pulling you closer to Jesus or further away from Him.

20 Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble. (Proverbs 13:20 – NLT)

· This week, scroll through your social media, your music playlist, or the shows you’re watching.

· Ask yourself: Is this helping me follow Jesus or pulling me away?

· Mute or unfollow one account, or one song, or one show that’s not helping and follow or add one that could help build your faith.

· Who are the three people you talk to most? Ask yourself: Do they push me toward the person God is calling me to be, or not?

2. Make prayer your first move.

· This week, try this: set an alarm for a one-minute prayer every day this week. It doesn’t matter when you do it, just be consistent.

· Whether it’s a whisper of “help me” or an overly detailed, messy journal entry, God will hear every word. He’s waiting to rescue you.

3. Let God change your heart, not just your circumstances.

· If we treat God like a vending machine (hoping for quick relief and going back to normal after) we just might miss what He really wants to do in our lives.

· In Romans, the Apostle Paul gave us a glimpse of what God wants to do if we’re willing to allow Him to transform us.

2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:2 – NLT)

· This week, instead of just asking God to fix a problem, ask Him to begin the process of re-shaping your heart.

· Try saying (or writing) prayers that sound like, “God, I don’t just want this to get better… I want to grow through it.”

*Prayer*