Judges 3:1-31
The Consequences of Apostasy
Background: Judges: The Defeated Christian Life…the role of a judge “shaphat”…deliverer Jud 2:16
Book of Judges is not chronological…but in the order of moral decline…a downward spiral.
Chap 1 The Causes of Defeat…
Apathy 1-2 ..Apostasy 3-16…Anarchy 17-21
Chap 2 The Consequences of Apathy…confrontation, conviction, consequences, crying, conditions, conclusion.
Application:
Historical: Seven (complete, or total) cycles of defeat (2:11, 3:7, 3:12, 4:1, 6:1, 10:6, 13:1) …Downward spiral…sin (James 1:13-15), servitude, supplication, salvation…sin
…fading devotion…fading zeal
Doctrinal: Tribulation after the Church Age, and the preservation of the believing remnant of Israel
Inspirational: The Defeated Christian Life…the price of incomplete victory…incomplete obedience
The Enemies
v.1-3 Why they were left? 1.) To prove Israel…testing their obedience 2.) To teach them war.
God does not want whimps…soft, comfortable…he wants warriors v.10
…Eph 6:10-13 2Tim 2:4 soldier
2Sa 22:35 He teacheth my hands to war;
Who left them? The LORD
Who did he leave?...
The five lords of the Phillistines…the Zidonians (Tyre and Sidon…Phoenicians)
…the Canaanites, Hittites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites: (within)
The world, the flesh, and the devil
…Mesopatamia (Predecessors to the Assyrians)…. Moab (without)
Want to serve another god…He’ll give you one.
Want to serve another king…He’ll give you one.
The Judges (12 named Judges…complete, totality)
(Othniel, Ehud,Shamgar,Deborah, Gideon, Tola, Jair, Jephthah, Elon, Abdon, Samson)
Othniel
v.1-4 The Test…they were to prove Israel
Ex 16:4 Then said the LORD unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.
De 8:2 And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.
v.5-7 The Apostasy…they failed…contrary to the command of God they…dwelt among…married, gave their daughters in marriage, served their gods, and forgat the LORD.
Forget the LORD…the devil is quick to provide a substitute.
Apostasy and idolatry leads to servitude…not what God intended for his people
The LORD delivered them out of Egypt, the house of bondage…to set them free.
The LORD led them into the Promised Land…to give them an inheritance…among those that are sanctified.
The LORD went before them…to give them victory over their enemies.
v.8 The Consequence…the LORD was hot…sold them into the hand of “twice-wicked blackness”
There is a consequences to false worship!
…eight (8) years of servitude
v.9 The Cry to God…for deliverance…no mention of repentance.
…Othniel raised up as judge…v.10 the Spirit of the LORD came upon him.
“The lion of God”…went to war.
v.11a The Result…forty (40) years of rest.
Othniel dies…they “go south” again…He held it together…faith in a man, not LORD.
Ehud
v.12a The Test…They did evil again
v.12b-14 The Consequence…the LORD strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel,…
…So the children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen (18) years.
Descendent of Esau…the flesh.
v.15 The Cry to God…again for deliverance…don’t want to repeat…repent!!
The first step in a lasting restoration is repentance
Ehud (“I will give thanks”) raised up as judge.
A left-handed man, of the tribe of Benjamin (“son of the right hand”)
Ehud…assassinates Eglon… the dirt came out…”too much information”
When the sword goes in…the dirt comes out!
v.28-29 Victory means fighting…victory means finishing…don’t start a fight you are not prepared to finish!
v.30 The Result…So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore (80) years.
Shamgar
He was worker…used an ox goad…like Moses he used what was in his hand. Ex 4:2
…Like David he fought with what he had in his hand.
He was a warrior…His name means “sword”
He was a winner…He delivered Israel
Application…the cycle…Where are you in the cycle?
Was there was a time you came to know the LORD? Have a close and vibrant walk with him.
Has there been a period of time that you forgot the LORD?
A period of time you walked away from Him…walked afar off or into the arms of another god?
He brought discipline.
You cried out for deliverance from your problem.
He responded to your cry.
You repeated your sin.
Jer 2:19-ff , Deut 28:60-61,
Ex 32:4 this is your god…golden calf