Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
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There is a children’s song that talks about a little red waggon.
I don’t know if you’ve heard it.
“You can’t ride my little red wagon
The seat is broke and the axle’s draggin”
These lyrics are usually followed by some chanting of some kind, and then this line:
“Second verse, same as the first, a little bit louder and a little bit worse”
And then the songs repeats ad infinitum.
Growing up I did not know this song, but I was familiar with one line that was slightly modified.
It went “same song second verse, a little bit louder and a little bit worse…same song third verse a little bit louder and a little bit worse”
Much like the song that never ends, this song was a favorite of children especially at summer camps.
But the line “a little bit louder and a little bit worse” seems to really step up the awful factor.
It’s one thing when an annoying song is played on repeat forever, but when that song is also progressively and intentionally growing is its decibel level and obnoxiousness....things can get ugly in a hurry.
In many ways, it seems as though Israel was metaphorically singing a similar song by their actions.
As the cycles of the judges wax on, its not just on repeat but its on a downward spiral.
Every time the cycle comes around again, things are the same as they were before, but they get a little bit louder and a little bit worse.
Things seem to come to a bit of a climax in our text today.
We’ve seen the cycles go around, and the people seems to do better at some times than others, there are some decent judges and some poor ones.
As we come to this stage in the book, there are very few redeeming qualities in the characters that remain.
In many ways, the accounts that follow are depressing.
IT would be easy for us to get weighed and dragged down with despair over the situation.
To be fully honest with you, I began feeling that several weeks ago with the decline of Gideon, and especially last week with Abimelech.
When we reject the King of king, it leads only to destruction.
So this is a good time to remind ourselves what the author of the book of judges is doing.
What is his goal?
The author wants us to stare in the face of our own depravity.
He wants us to reckon with the blackness of our own hearts.
He wants Israel to look into the mirror and see ugliness of her own sin.
He wants us to see that SO THAT we will come to recognize what happens when we forsake the King of kings.
I’ve named this series “In Need of a King” The author wants to know what happens when we are not in submission to the King of kings!
This is the result.
It was the result in Israel.
It was the result in Greece.
In Rome.
Its the result in Russia.
England.
Its the result in Mexico.
It’s the result in the united states.
Its the result in your heart and mine.
And its a sad thing.
It can be a depressing thing.
Often times when we talk about Gospel presentations, we make note that it’s important to share the bad news before we share the good news.
You are a sinner, justly deserving of the wrath of God.
We can use the Law of God to expose sin and reveal the condition of hearts.
Just by using the 10 commandments we can see our condition before a thrice holy God!
And we talk about how its important to start with the bad news so that we can understand the good news!
The good news only makes sense in the context of bad news.
When the doctor walks in from the room after a routine checkup and says “good news, we have a cure for your condition” you will be flabbergasted!
What do you mean?
What condition?
I feel fine!
But if he walks in and says, I’m afraid you have a very serious condition.
Such and such is occuring in your body and if you let it go it will eventually kill you.
But there is good news.
There is a treatment that is effective and can save your life.
There will be joy and relief and gratitude at the good news!
But only if there is the context of the bad.
That’s how we approach Gospel conversations!
Well, the book of judges is essentially the bad news.
But bad news left alone doesn’t do us any good!
We will only drown in self pity and sorrow!
We must show how the god news addresses what ails Israel and what ails us in our sinful condition, and that is an acknowledgement of the King!
We must turn to Jesus Christ in faith!
Now, all of that is introduction, not only this week, but for the material that we will be covering in the weeks ahead.
We must reckon with the reality of sin.
The reality of our own hearts.
but not wallow in that.
We must see that and use it to drive us straight tot he cross of Christ!
He is the only solution, he is the only balm for our aching hearts, he is the only one who can make this dead man live!
With that, let’s turn to Judges chapter ten.
The Insufficiency of Raw Influence.
Tola and Jair: Judges that set the stage.
We know very little about these men.
It seems that their role in the book of judges is bridge us over from Abimelech to Jepthah and set the stage.
There are details here that should make us perk up a little.
Tola is the only Judge for whom we know his lineage beyond his father.
We know his grandfather, Dodo.
This detail gives us a clue that Tola is from an influential family, and was likely influential himself.
He dies and is succeeded by Jair.
Jair is a Gileadite.
He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys.
In order to have this progeny, he would have had to have been a very wealthy man with several wives.
The Hebrew text emphasizes the detail about them having thirty cities.
These were wealthy and influential individuals.
Not only did Jair have wealth, but his sons benefited and seemed to have great wealth and influence as well.
Notice there is nothing here about the land having rest.
There is no statement about God establishing these leaders.
From the narrators point of view, they seem to have arisen through mere human means.
The lived.
They arose.
They judged.
They died.
For all their influence.
For all their wealth.
They were unable to keep Israel from chasing after false idols.
They were insufficient for what was needed.
I titled the heading of this section the insufficiency of raw influence.
Influence is not a negative thing.
We all have influence and we are all influenced by others.
Raw influence, influence that is not governed or directed by the LORD, however, that influence can be dangerous and is insufficient.
To the degree that God grants us influence in another person’s life, we ought to seek to use that influence for God’s glory by directing others to the LORD and His Word.
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