National Rest 2 - From War

Spiritual Victory Brings National Rest

Definition

8252 שָׁקַט [shaqat /shaw·kat/]

Quiet, still, settled, tranquil, lie still, be undisturbed, pacify

Righteousness Brings Rest

· Repentance brings rest

· Victory brings rest

o Israel’s land rested from war after she defeated her attackers / oppressors.

o America will have rest once the church takes control of our entire land!

Sin Brings Unrest

· Like Israel, America has sinned against God – causing UN-rest in our land

· Removing God, prayer and the Bible from our schools, government and courts

· As a result, the USA is on the verge of another civil war with each other

o or revolutionary war with the government

Sin - turn away from God – toward false gods = idolatry

· worshiping the very gods the natives were sinning with! - sex gods – ritual prostitution – acting like the world

The basic cause of Israel’s problems in Canaan was spiritual, not agricultural, economic, educational, or military. Israel had turned from a wholehearted obedience to God.

· They put God’s law behind their backs (Neh 9:26),

· “forgot the Lord their God” (1 Sam 12:9), and

· “followed and worshiped various gods of the people around them” (Judg 2:12; see also 3:7, 12; 4:1; 6:1; 10:6; 13:1).

Two of the major foreign deities the Israelites worshiped were Baal, a Canaanite storm and fertility god, and Ashtoreth, a fertility goddess[1]

Suffering by enemies - Servitude – chastening, slavery, taxation

· The price of Israel’s sin was high, decades of national suffering and oppression. Israel had sinned against God; therefore, God punished Israel with the surrounding foreign nations whose gods the Israelites were serving in order to cause them misery.

· Weakness - they were no longer able to resist” (Judges 2:14).

o America is in a place of weakness – the world can see it and is now taking advantage of it

o The American church is also in a state of weakness – she has compromised the Word and now has little faith to stand on as ungodly legislation is trying to be passed, as our churches are being closed and our voices being silenced. (hare speech)

Supplication – turn back to God

· The Israelites’ troubles eventually brought them to their knees before God (Judg 3:9, 15; 4:3; 6:7; 10:10, 15).

· Admitted their sin

· Prayed for forgiveness

· Asked for deliverance - from the hands of our enemies

· repentance - which involved

o getting rid of the foreign idols

o return to their worship of the one true God.

Salvation

· In response to the Israelites’ repentant prayers and actions, God brought deliverance.

· Just as God used people to bring judgment on Israel, so God used people to bring deliverance

· Judges were hand-picked liberators who were military leaders who

o performed heroic individual actions (Judg 3:21; 14:19; 15:8; 15; 16:30)

o mobilized the Israelite tribes against their enemies (Judg 4:14; 7:1–18; 11:6).[2]

1 – Joshua Takes the Promised Land (Joshua 9-12)

Summary: started good, made mistakes, but God helped when they asked. Result” Land had rest from war.

· (9:14–15) Israelites do not consult the Lord

· tricked into signing a peace treaty with the local enemy (Gibeonites)

· Increased burden

o This caused Israel much unneeded trouble because now they have to take care of all of them

· Increased Vulnerability / Attacks

o (10:1-14) – Five pagan kings attack Gibeon for signing a peace treaty with Israel

· Divine Intervention

o hailstorm (10:13)

o Sun stood still (10:13)

Joshua 10:13–14 (NLT)

13 So the sun stood still and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies. Is this event not recorded in The Book of Jashar? The sun stayed in the middle of the sky, and it did not set as on a normal day.

14 There has never been a day like this one before or since, when the Lordanswered such a prayer. Surely the Lordfought for Israel that day!

o Victory over united attacks from multiple enemies (Joshua 11)

o Giants Killed – Joshua destroyed the giants in the land (11:21)

Joshua 11:23 NLT

23 So Joshua took control of the entire land, just as the Lord had instructed Moses. He gave it to the people of Israel as their special possession, dividing the land among the tribes. So the land finally had rest from war.

Grace Factor:

- God gave Israel military victory even though some oppressors were allowed in through Israel’s disobedience!

2 – Othniel Defeated the Arameans – 8 years oppression – Spirit of the Lord – 40 years peace

Judges 3:7-11

Sin: idol worship – Baal and Ashtoreth

Judges 3:7 NLT

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.

Enemy = King Cushan

Punishment = God turned Israel over to (or allowed) King Cushan to oppress Israel for 8 years

Repentance = Israel repented

Who = God raised Othniel – Caleb’s nephew (1:13; Josh 15:18)

How = The Spirit of the Lord came upon Othniel

Victory = Othniel expelled King Cushan from the land (voted out?)

Rest = 40 years

Judges 3:11 NLT

11 So there was peace in the land for forty years. Then Othniel son of Kenaz died.

· Peace = same H8252 as “rest”

Modern application = The church can expel evil leadership with God’s help

3 – Ehud Defeated the Moabites - 18-year taxation – 80-year rest

Ehud the Judge destroyed the Moabites

Background:

Israel sinned – did evil in the Lord’s sight

God gave control over Israel to an enemy nation

Israel repents

Ehud kills king Eglon – head overthrows head – pivotal moment – decisive action – small scale by example – leadership is crucial!

Ehud sounds a trumpet – call to arms – rallies the nation to battle

Israel overthrows the enemy nation of captors – nation overthrows nation – larger scale victory

Judges 3:30 NLT

30 So Moab was conquered by Israel that day, and there was peace in the land for eighty years.

· Peace = same H8252 as “rest”

4 – Deborah defeats the Canaanites – 20 years oppression, 40 years rest

· Sin again

· Ruthless oppression

· Enemy = Canaanites

· Hero: Deborah – a female prophetess who becomes a judge

· Leader appointed: Barak appointed by Deborah

· Israel led to victory –

· How: destroyed the army commander

· Divine intervention: enemy army confused, panic

Judges 5:31 NLT

31 “Lord, may all your enemies die like Sisera! But may those who love you rise like the sun in all its power!” Then there was peace in the land for forty years.

· Peace = same H8252 as “rest”

5 – Gideon Defeated the Midianites – 7 years oppression – 40 years rest

· Enemy: Midianites

· Oppression: cruelty, starvation – outnumbered – destroyed crops, stole livestock

· Effect on nation: fear, hiding

· Israel repents

· Gideon called to deliver God’s people

· Enemy alliance – vastly outnumbered

· Divine Intervention: bravery

Judges 6:34 NLT

34 Then the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon with power. He blew a ram’s horn as a call to arms, and the men of the clan of Abiezer came to him.

Psychological warfare –

· tricked the enemy into thinking Israel’s’ army was large when it was small. – novel battle tactic with torches, pots and trumpets

· Gideon Won with 300 men

Judges 8:28 NLT

28 That is the story of how the people of Israel defeated Midian, which never recovered. Throughout the rest of Gideon’s lifetime—about forty years—there was peace in the land.

· Peace = same H8252 as “rest”

6 – Israel defeated the Arabs (Persians)

· Israel refused to bow to the government

Hero: Esther

Tactic:

· expose enemy plot to destroy the Jews

· laws written in Israel’s favor

· defend themselves against attackers

Esther 9:22 NLT

22 He told them to celebrate these days with feasting and gladness and by giving gifts of food to each other and presents to the poor. This would commemorate a time when the Jews gained relief from their enemies, when their sorrow was turned into gladness and their mourning into joy.

“Gained relief” = rest

5117 נוּחַ, נוּחַ, נָחָה [nuwach /noo·akh/] [3] = rest

Rest for Israel Today:

· Won the 1948 war for national independence

· Won the 1967 war to recapture Jerusalem

· Jews returning to the Promised Land for the last time before Messiah returns!

· Israel is the only truly democratic nation in the Middle East.

Rest for the Middle East

Abraham Accords

· In 2020 Israel, the UAE, and other Arab countries established diplomatic ties, known as the Abraham Accords.

· HISTORIC PEACE (rest) in not only Israel, but the Middle East

· Signed 9/11/2020

· Experts said it could never be done

o Much of the world never saw coming

· Opening of embassies

Despite growing chaos in the Middle East, the Abraham Accords are moving forward.

Share opportunities, technology, commerce, travel and security against a common enemy (Iran)

Creating prosperity and stability

Bahrain –

UAE –

· holding firm 1 year Despite Iran Threats

· When Israel and the UAE normalized relations, it became the first peace agreement between the Jewish state and an Arab state in 26 years.

Sudan – seizes weapons from Hamas

Morocco

Egypt - direct flights

· PROPHETIC rest in the Holy Land –

o (Isaiah 19:23-24) – highway from Egypt to Assyria (Iraq) and Israel

Rest for America?

Like Israel, America will once again have rest if she too repents and turns back to God for the forgiveness of her many sins of pride, idolatry and sexuality

· Genesis 12 – Peace blessings on USA?

· 1st nation to recognize Israel as a sovereign state

· 1st nation to recognize Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Israel by moving her embassy there

· Brokered the Abraham accords

· Funding of the “Iron Dome”