More Sin, More Mercy

INTRODUCTION

You’ve probably never heard the name, Susanna Wesley. Susanna was the mother of 19 children. She lived in poverty much of her life. Her husband was often absent. The home was chaotic.

But Susanna made one commitment: Every day, she would spend time praying for her children. Sometimes she would pull her apron over her head so the children knew, “Mother is praying—do not disturb her.”

Two of her sons were John and Charles Wesley, whom God used to spark revival across England. History was changed because one mother refused to neglect the spiritual lives of her children. What Susanna Wesley did so faithfully, the nation of Israel, in the book of Judges failed so miserably.

This morning, rather than beginning in the book of Judges, I want to ask you to turn in your Bibles to Deuteronomy chapter six. Deuteronomy 6 is the most appropriate place for us as we continue the beginning of our study of Judges. The book of Deuteronomy is Moses preparing the next generation to enter the Promised Land and teaching them how to remain faithful once they arrive.

I want to ask you to stand as we honor the reading of the Word of God. And, I want to warn you—this is a lengthy passage—so if your legs start feeling like they’re giving way please don’t feel embarrassed or ashamed if you need to take a seat.

Deuteronomy 6:1–15“Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules—that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long.”

(vs. 6) “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates…(vs. 14) You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are around you— for the Lord your God in your midst is a jealous God—lest the anger of the Lord your God be kindled against you, and he destroy you from off the face of the earth.”

(vs. 20) “When your son asks you in time to come, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies and the statutes and the rules that the Lord our God has commanded you?’ then you shall say to your son, ‘We were Pharaoh’s slaves in Egypt. And the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. And the Lord showed signs and wonders, great and grievous, against Egypt and against Pharaoh and all his household, before our eyes. And he brought us out from there, that he might bring us in and give us the land that he swore to give to our fathers. And the Lord commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are this day. And it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to do all this commandment before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us.’”

Deuteronomy 7:16 “And you shall consume all the peoples that the Lord your God will give over to you. Your eye shall not pity them, neither shall you serve their gods, for that would be a snare to you.”

Deuteronomy 7:25–26 “The carved images of their gods you shall burn with fire. You shall not covet the silver or the gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, lest you be ensnared by it, for it is an abomination to the Lord your God. And you shall not bring an abominable thing into your house and become devoted to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest and abhor it, for it is devoted to destruction.”  

>>PRAY<<

Now, let’s go to Judges chapter two. If you were with us last Sunday then you know we saw, in chapter one, Israel’s MILITARY FAILURE—they did not drive out the other Canaanites from the land…and then we ended the message in chapter two verses 1-5. The angel of the Lord, the Son of God, pays the people of Israel a visit—what is this you have done—and confronts them over their disobedience.

Now, the author is showing us what the rest of the book of Judges is going to be about and why it all happens. Their military failure leads to their moral failure.

Judges 2:6–10 “When Joshua dismissed the people, the people of Israel went each to his inheritance to take possession of the land. 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. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died at the age of 110 years. 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. 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.”

THE ROOT OF ISRAEL’S SIN

Verse 10 are some of the saddest words in the entire Bible—“there arose another generation who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.”

These are the grandchildren of the Moses generation! Think about all of the stories you’ve heard from your grandparents’ generation! Some of you—WWII…Great Depression…Civil Rights…etc.

The Joshua generation failed to obey God’s commands in Deuteronomy 6. They failed to disciple their kids! They failed to write the word of God on the doorposts of their homes, to talk about the things of God with their children as they went on their way throughout their day. They failed to tell them of the wondrous works of their God!

This is unbelievable! Who fails to tell their kids these things?!?! It’s easy for us to point our fingers and say, “What a shame.”

Have you received the unmerited favor of God? Have you seen God’s provision in your own life? Have you been saved from death to life and snatched out of the fires of hell by the blood of Jesus? Are you discipling your kids?

THE REJECTION OF ISRAEL’S GOD

Judges 2:11–15 “And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals. 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. They abandoned the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. 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. 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.”

•       They abandoned the Lord

•       They went after other gods

•       They bowed before other gods

This is complete disregard for and disobedience of God’s command to them. It is willful and intentional. Look at vs. 6 of chapter 3—the people of Israel intermarried with the Canaanites. Watch this—in chapter one, they disobey the Lord and enslave the Canaanite people and now they’re in bed with them. Having children with them. Worshipping and serving their demon gods.

They have become thoroughly Canaanized.

GOD’S RESPONSE TO ISRAEL’S SIN

Judges 2:16–23 “Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. 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. 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. 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. 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, I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died, 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.” So the Lord left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua.”

•       Judgment

•       God’s judgement/His discipline on His people oftentimes comes in removing His hand of blessing and protection. In other words, He will often let His people deal with the consequences of their sin.

•       Mercy

•       Again, the author of Judges is giving us a look forward to what we’ll see in this book—every time Israel was faced with their enemies—the destruction they’ve brought upon themselves—they cry out to the Lord and “the Lord is moved to pity” and He raises up leaders to deliver them..

•       Here’s the problem, though—God’s continued mercy was just met by Israel’s continued disobedience. They never learn. Their hearts grow more comfortable and complacent with their sin.

•       That’s the unbelievable and undeserved grace and mercy of the covenant faithful God.

Judges 2 shows us what happens when one generation forgets God and fails to pass His truth to the next—but it also shows us the relentless mercy of God toward undeserving people.

Main Point: God is holy enough to disciplineHis people—and merciful enough to keep rescuing them.

1. Spiritual FAILUREalways begins with spiritual FORGETFULNESS.

•       Psalm 103instruct us to bless the Lord and not forget all that He has done for His people—forgiving our iniquity, healing our diseases, redeeming our life from the pit, crowning us with steadfast love and mercy, satisfying us with good, working righteousness and justice toward us!

· Let me be direct for a second—what gods (little “g”) have you allowed to survive in your life? What gods are you abandoning the Lord for? Jesus said you can’t serve two masters. What is it that you’re going after and bowing down before? What is it that you’re turning away from Jesus and turning toward? Is it a relationship? Is it that you’re trusting in your own success or money? Is it that you’re turning to sex or pornography or alcohol or substances? Is it fear? Anxiety? Worry? You’re turning and bowing to them. You’ve forgotten the Lord Jesus and the great works He has done for you.

· What about families? Are you turning your kids and your family to the Lord or to the gods of this world?

•       What one generation tolerates, the next generation will celebrate.

•       What one generation neglects, the next generation will make the norm.

•       Folks, if it happened to Israel, it will happen to us. We can look around at the moral decay around us, we look around at the apathy of the younger generation—but it’s on us. We can’t blame the next generation for a culture of failed discipleship.

· The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) has experienced its 19th consecutive year of membership decline as of 2025, with total membership dropping to 12.33 million—a level not seen since 1973.

· According to Barna Research, the top 8 most “post-Christian” cities in America are in the Northeast—NY, VT, ME, NH, CT—do you remember the Great Awakening? They don’t.

•       GIVE ACTION STEPS—MAKE ACTIVE PARTICIPATION IN THE CHURCH A MANDATE FOR YOUR FAMILY, lead family devotions, prayer times, serving together…adults and senior adults…find a college student, a high school student…older moms—maybe you’re retired or maybe you’ve got spare time on your hands—reach out to some of these younger moms — BE INTENTIONAL. Don’t just see them at church…take them to coffee. Dads—same thing!

2. God never promises to deliver us from the earthly CONSEQUENCES of our sin.

•       Two types of people—those who say to God, “Thy will be done,” and those to whom God says, “Thy will be done.”

3. God's mercy flows from His FAITHFULNESSand is intended to lead us to REPENTANCE.

•       All through the book of Judges, we see God’s faithfulness to His covenant with Abraham IN SPITE OF Israel’s sin and rebellion and refusal to repent.

Again, the problem in Israel is that they did not change. They would sin and commit abominations and then God would let them live with the consequences and they would cry out to him.

•       How often is this the case with us?

CONCLUSION

The book of Judges is all about Israel’s cycle of sinfulness and God’s unbelievable/unstoppable mercy. Every judge, that we’re going to read about, that God raised up to deliver his people was flawed. Inadequate. They could fight against Israel’s enemies but they could not defeat Israel’s biggest enemy—their sinful hearts.

All of this serves to point us toward the greater deliverer whom God would send to rescue us from the enemy of sin and death, reconcile us to God, and give us a new heart.

It may be that you are worn out from the consequences of your sin. You’re tired of running and tired of doing things your own way. God is merciful. Where sin abounds grace abounds all the more.

Christian—maybe you’ve failed. Maybe you’ve abandoned the Lord and you’ve chased after other gods. Maybe you’ve been failing in leading your family to full devotion to Jesus. He is good and he is faithful and he is merciful and forgiving.