"When 'I Can't' Means 'I Won't'"

INTRODUCTION

This morning, we're beginning a journey through the book of Judges, and I want to warn you—you're going to see yourself in this book. You're going to see our culture in this book. The world of Judges has some scary resemblances to our world today.

Indiscriminate violence.

Political disorder.

People used as objects.

The absence of faith—both public and personal.

The idea that there is no such thing as Truth with a capital T.

And all of this is captured in one haunting phrase that echoes through the book, and it is the very last sentence found in the final chapter of Judges: "In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes."

Sound familiar?

But here's what I want you to understand from the beginning: 

Israel shows us a pattern of life that leads to compromise with the world. And if we can recognize that pattern, we can avoid repeating their mistakes.

There's a well-known saying:

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." George Santayana

This morning we begin our journey through the book of Judges—a mirror held up to both ancient Israel and our modern world. Judges describes a time of chaos, violence, political disorder, and moral confusion. It was a time when, as the final verse says, “There was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

Sound familiar? The book exposes what happens when people abandon truth and live by personal preference instead of God’s direction.

As we study Judges, we’ll see a repeating pattern of compromise—how God’s people drifted from obedience to rebellion, from blessing to bondage, from repentance to renewal. And in seeing their pattern, we’ll be challenged to recognize our own tendencies and to rediscover what it means to live under God’s rule, not our own.

Backdrop: Israel has just lost Joshua. They’re leaderless, standing at the edge of the Promised Land, with the opportunity to live out God’s promises. But without strong leadership and faithful obedience, they begin to compromise—and that’s where the story begins.

The Backdrop of Judges

Let me set the stage. The nation of Israel has been on quite a journey. They were enslaved in Egypt for 400 years. God raised up Moses to lead them out. They spent forty years wandering in the wilderness. Moses died. Joshua took over and led them to the edge of the Promised Land. Now Joshua has died.

Israel is in another transition. No recognized leader. But they're standing on the threshold of their dream—the Promised Land is within reach. All they have to do is conquer the Canaanites living there.

So they ask God: "Who shall go up first?"

And God answers clearly: "Judah."

Look at their response in…  

Judges 1:3–4 NIV

The men of Judah then said to the Simeonites their fellow Israelites, “Come up with us into the territory allotted to us, to fight against the Canaanites. We in turn will go with you into yours.” So the Simeonites went with them. When Judah attacked, the Lord gave the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hands, and they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek.

They're united. They're enthusiastic. They're excited for obedience! And initially, they're successful. They conquer inhabitants. They bring down the powerful warlord Adoni-bezek. They capture Jerusalem! The victories pile up—verse after verse of cities conquered in faithful obedience to God.

This is how it always starts, isn't it? When you set out to follow God, you don't plan to compromise. You start strong. You're excited. You have momentum.

Maybe you've experienced this spiritually. You made a commitment at a conference or a retreat. You were going to read your Bible every day. You were going to pray consistently. You were going to share your faith boldly. And for a while, it worked! You were on fire.

Or maybe it was a practical project. You saw something on Pinterest and thought, "I can do that!" You gathered supplies, set aside time, started strong—and then it got harder than you expected. Your work didn't look like the picture. You met resistance. And your enthusiasm evaporated.

THE TURNING POINT: ENCOUNTERING RESISTANCE

This is exactly what happens to Israel in…

Judges 1:19–20 NIV

The Lord was with the men of Judah. They took possession of the hill country, but they were unable to drive the people from the plains, because they had chariots fitted with iron. As Moses had promised, Hebron was given to Caleb, who drove from it the three sons of Anak.

Wait. Stop right there. Did you catch that? "The Lord was with Judah... but..."

They encountered resistance. And they didn't overcome it.

The time for endurance had come, but they didn't have it when they needed it.

The rest of chapter 1 builds on that initial failure. Verse after verse describes what Israel didn't do:

Judges 1:21 NIV

The Benjamites, however, did not drive out the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites live there with the Benjamites.

Judges 1:27 NIV

But Manasseh did not drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor or Ibleam or Megiddo and their surrounding settlements, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that land.

Judges 1:29 NIV

Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, but the Canaanites continued to live there among them.

Judges 1:30 NIV

Neither did Zebulun drive out the Canaanites living in Kitron or Nahalol, so these Canaanites lived among them, but Zebulun did subject them to forced labor.

On and on it goes. Each tribe finding an excuse. Each tribe learning to live with the enemy in their midst.

THE CONFRONTATION: GOD'S QUESTION

In chapter 2, God sends an angel to confront them. And the angel asks a devastating question…

Judges 2:1–2 NIV

The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars.’ Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this?

I'm sure Israel thought, "We've done what we could."

But here's the truth that cuts to the heart: How often do we find that in crucial matters of faith, from our perspective it's…

“I can't do it.”

but from God's perspective it's…

“You won't do it.”

Let me ask you: What hot-button issue are you facing right now where your inner voice is saying, "I can't," and God is saying, "You won't"?

Tithing? "I can't afford to give that much." Or is it, "I won't trust God with my finances"?

Forgiveness? "I can't forgive what they did." Or is it, "I won't release my right to bitterness"?

Sexual purity? "I can't resist this temptation." Or is it, "I won't take the steps necessary to flee"?

Time in God's Word? "I can't find the time." Or is it, "I won't prioritize what matters most"?

It is remarkably easy to compromise our faith. To make accommodation for things God has said no to. To justify ourselves with "I can't" when the truth is "I won't."

THE PATTERN: TWO BIG LOSSES

When we compromise, we lose two crucial things:

First, we lose sight of what matters most.

Look at what God says to Israel at the beginning of chapter 2. He rehearses everything He did for them—bringing them out of Egypt, giving them the land. They turned their eyes away from God and His commitment to them and settled for something far, far less.

Second, we lose our distinction.

Israel became completely indistinguishable in faith and practice from everyone around them.

They had idols in their midst.

They worshiped at the same altars.

They married into the same families.

You couldn't tell God's people apart from the pagans.

Tim Keller describes it this way:

"God wanted Israel to take the entire land of Canaan, but instead they only cleared out some areas and they learned to live with idols in their midst. In other words, they neither wholly rejected God nor wholly accepted him. This halfway discipleship and compromise is depicted by the book of Judges as an impossible, unstable compound. God wants all of our lives, not just part."

Timothy Keller

Halfway discipleship doesn't work. You can't serve God and the world. You can't keep one foot in the Kingdom and one foot in the culture. It's an impossible, unstable compound.

THE RESPONSE: STEPPING OUT OF THE CYCLE

Judges 2:4-5 shows us how Israel responds:

Judges 2:4–5 NLT

When the angel of the Lord finished speaking to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly. So they called the place Bokim (which means “weeping”), and they offered sacrifices there to the Lord.

Sometimes we become unaware of how strongly we have compromised our faith.

We drift slowly.

We adjust gradually.

We accommodate incrementally.

Until one day we wake up and realize: I'm not who I thought I was. I'm not where I thought I'd be.

When that happens—when we come to realize how much we've compromised—what we need to do is make the choice to step out of that cycle.

We step out of the cycle through repentance.

That's what the Israelites do here through their weeping. They realize the path they've chosen is wrong. And so they turn. They change direction and go back to God.

Repentance is: in a moment of honesty with yourself and God, you confess that you are wrong, and you resolve to do right.

It's not just feeling bad. It's not just crying. It's turning around. It's choosing a different path.

THE HOPE: GOD'S UNCHANGING COVENANT

Here's the good news—and this is what I want you to take home with you today:

God is a God of grace.

Look at what the angel declares about the character of God in verse 1: 

Judges 2:1 NIV

The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you,

Did you hear that? Never. 

Not when you're enthusiastic.

Not when you're resistant.

Not when you've compromised. Not when you've failed.

God will not abandon you or forsake you, no matter how far from God you have strayed.

The warning itself is proof of God's mercy. Warnings and rebukes are full of grace when their purpose is to encourage repentance and holy living. God didn't have to send the angel. He could have just let them continue in their compromise and face the natural consequences. But He loved them too much for that.

And the rest of the book of Judges—which we'll be studying in the weeks ahead—will show us just how merciful God is, and how committed He is to His covenant with His people. Even when they fail again and again and again.

CONCLUSION: WHERE ARE YOU IN THE CYCLE?

So let me ask you: Where are you in this cycle right now?

Are you in the enthusiasm phase?

You've just made a commitment. You're excited about following Jesus. You're ready to obey. That's wonderful! But hear this warning: resistance is coming. Prepare yourself now for when the excitement fades.

Are you in the resistance phase?

You're finding it harder than you expected. The iron chariots look intimidating. The cost seems too high. Don't give up. Don't tell yourself "I can't" when the truth is "I won't." God is still with you. He has not changed.

Are you in the compromise phase?

You've learned to live with idols in your midst. You've made accommodations. You've convinced yourself that halfway discipleship is enough. It's time to wake up. It's time to weep at Bochim. It's time to repent and return.

God wants all of your life, not just part.

Not because He's demanding or difficult, but because He knows that anything less will destroy you. He knows that compromise leads to captivity. He knows that halfway discipleship is an impossible, unstable compound that will eventually collapse.

The good news is this: God will never break His covenant with you.

He is faithful even when we are faithless.

His love endures even when our enthusiasm wanes.

His grace is greater than all our compromises.

So today, wherever you are in the cycle, make a choice. Choose to step out of the pattern that leads to compromise. Choose to give God all of your life. Choose to trust that His way is better than your way, even when it's harder.

Because in the end, everyone doing what's right in their own eyes leads to chaos. But everyone bowing before the King—the true King, Jesus Christ—leads to life.

Let's pray.

Father, we confess that we are so much like Israel. We start strong and fade quickly. We meet resistance and make compromises. We lose sight of what matters and lose our distinction from the world. Forgive us. Give us the courage to face the truth about ourselves. Give us the strength to repent and return. And help us to remember that You will never break Your covenant with us. You are faithful even when we are not. In Jesus' name, Amen.