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11/21/1112:53 PM

For use on 1/16/00

The Judges 01
The Pursuit of Righteousness
Judges 1:1-3:11 Introduction: The story of Gods work of redemption is a story of Gods work with the nation of Israel. It works like a long and interesting novel. Genesis gives us the introduction. God created. We see in the early pages the fall of man, and then the flood. But the story really heats up when God selects his chosen people. Actually he chose a single man. Abraham. The work of redemption starts there. Abraham had Isaac, Isaac had Jacob and Jacob had Joseph. Through the story of Joseph the people find themselves dwelling in the land of Egypt. 400 years of silence. Then Exodus erupts with the story of Moses. By now the people of Israel are enslaved to the people of Egypt. Moses is the deliverer. He takes them out of Egypt by means of the plagues. By the end of Moses life the children of Israel were ready to enter the Promised Land. Re-assert their claim to Palestine. A new leader would take them there. His name was Joshua. On the surface it seems that Joshua led the people into a complete and total victory in the land of Israel. That isnt exactly the case. The people won some early important strategic battles, but they never quite fully conquered the land. They were in control of the land but they hadnt completely dispossessed the people. When Joshua died a new period began in the lives of the Jewish people. The time of the judges. The people were banded together in large tribal gatherings. Very loose. Very agrarian. Following the herds. Over time they settled into a peaceful co-existence with the people who were left in the land. In time they lost the taste for war and conquest and followed their own desires. Result, many of the initial gains by Joshua were lost. Those people who had been driven out of the cities came back and re-possessed them. Started to oppress the people of Israel. And so God would raise up a judge or deliverer who would rally the nation and defeat the enemy. Dr. Ryrie describes the cycle of Judges like this:

Judges 01 Israel serves the Lord Israel falls into idolatry Israel is enslaved Israel cries out to the Lord God raises up a judge Israel is delivered. That judge would then serve as a sort of ruler over the people. Some judges served simultaneously. Very true by the end of the period. The period of the judges lasted about 300 years and it is one of the least understood and most important periods of salvations history. Understand that this isnt just history we are dealing with. This is salvation history. God is revealing himself through his dealings with the Jews. And so as we study their story we understand their God. That same God has the same values today. He desires the same things from his people. And he responds in the same ways. These epics reveal a type of the spiritual warfare we all experience. Crossing the Jordan is like baptism. Early conquest is the initial burst of spiritual cleansing. Then the period of judges sets in and we struggle to rise to the full level of Gods powerful promise. I. Understand the Severity of Sin. Joshua dies and the process of conquest continues. Verses 1-7. Verse 3 Judah meant the tribe of Judah. Simeon is the tribe of Simeon. These are not individuals. One tribe is asking another tribe for help in dealing with the enemy. Verse 5. Adoni Bezek. Lord Bezek. Verses 6-7. I have to warn you, much of this part of the Bible is graphic and violent. And I think that only underscores Gods hatred for sin. The people in the Promised Land who wouldnt leave are a symbol to us of sin. They represent everything God hates. He wants us to eradicate sin. See we can develop a dysfunctional love of sin. Sort of make peace with it. Learn to live with it. As they did. Sin isnt neutral. Never rests. Always grows. Ill. . . Kudzu. Last year we drove to Atlanta. Beautiful South. Noticed the large ivy growing everywhere. On trees in the ditches. Literally

Judges 01 covering up the trees. Kudzu. They brought it in to control erosion and feed cows. The cows wouldnt eat it and it grew so fast not only did it control erosion, it killed the native plants. Stuff grows up to a foot a day! Sin is like Kudzu. No benefit to it. If left untreated it will smother you. So when you see God dealing with these people in the book in extreme ways you have to see in that how he feels about sin. He absolutely abhors it. So should you. What sins do you nurture? II. Recognize the Necessity of Absolute Victory

Judges 01 Another time I was on a skate board and fell and scratched my elbow. Got a staff infection. I had to scrape the scab off with gauze to get the medicine to the problem. It is painful. It was painful for them to have to go back to battle. Get tired of fighting after a while. Want to say, Thats good enough. No it wasnt. Look at the broken record, did not drive out. . . did not drive out. . . did not drive out. . . We must have total victory. III. Understand the Discipline of God.

The problem with the nation in the book of Judges was a failure to achieve absolute victory. God wanted them to completely conquer. Metaphorically, he wants us to live as conquerors. He wants us to know what it is to experience the victorious Christian life. So he says to us, never settle for less. Deuteronomy 6. Last minute instructions before beginning the journey. How different from the words so often spoken in the church. We give the impression that when you come to Christ the battle is over. Ill. . . There's a line that is drawn through the ages. On that line stands an old rugged cross. On the cross a battle is raging for the sake of mens soul or its loss. It is finished the battle is over. Yes there was a finish on the cross. Jesus said, It is finished. The work of SALVATION IS FINISHED. BUT THE WORK OF SANCTIFICATION IS ONLY BEGINNING. Must not make peace with evil. Must utterly destroy it. They did not do that. Left some areas. Verses 27-30. We must learn from this. The absolute necessity of victory. Sin is like a disease that must be totally eradicated. And the process is sometimes painful. Ill. . . The Time I hurt my leg on the bolt of the fence. Deep. Doctor puts on a rubber glove and sticks his entire finger into my leg and moves it back and forth. Is that necessary doctor?

God has one way, His way. Do it his way. Elvis sang, I did it my way. And look where it got him. A burned out smoldering wreck at 40. There is a way that seems right to man but the end is the way of death. Gods way leads to life. And when you dont do it his way he will discipline. Just like we do our children. Ill. . . One of the chores of the boys is to clean their rooms. They have a way. Stuff it all under the bed and in the closet. Amy has a way and they have to do it her way. If not discipline. Chapter 2:1-2 shows the discipline of god. Verse 3. Interesting how God makes the punishment fit the crime. You didnt do as I said, so I will let them do what I warned. And for the next 300 years they lived with the consequences. The people spiral into a cycle of following a good leader and then forgetting the Lord. Verses 7, 10, 13, 15. Baal and Ashtaroth are the gods of that land. God knew this would happen and he used it to discipline the people.

Judges 01 Chapter 3:7-8. IV. Understand the Compassion of God.

Judges 01

One more important thing. God desires righteousness. But he responds to repentance. Verse 9. God heard the words he was waiting for. Verses 10-11. God raised the first judge, Othniel. Othniel save the people. This is salvation history. God showing us who he is as he interacts with his people. He hasnt changed. He wants you to know: He still hates sin. So should you. He still wants total victory. So should you. He still will discipline you for not doing it his way. And he will still respond when you get the message and return to him.

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