The Australian Pitcher plant is beautiful to behold. This is especially true for certain kinds of insects. If you know anything about pitcher plants you know they are what are called carnivorous because they eat meat. Here’s how it works for the Australian Pitcher:
The pitchers secret nectar to lure insects to the opening. Cephalotus follicularis has a white collar around the pitcher opening which is slippery and heavily baited with nectar. When insects try to get this nectar they usually slip and fall into acids and enzymes below, which dissolve the insect. The pitchers then reabsorb the nutrient rich fluid.
For people, sin, and especially letting anything get in the way of serving God is like a Pitcher Plant. It looks and smells so good we just have to taste it. But when we start out thinking we can maneuver the edge and stay out of trouble we end up slipping up and slipping into to the death that awaits below as we become slaves of that which we thought would bring us pleasure.
God shows Israel what its like to rely on the gods they’ve chosen to serve and then they enjoy the sweet fellowship that comes from true repentance. For us, God sometimes lets us feel the consequences of serving other gods. I’m so glad, though, that he waits patiently for us to repent so He can pluck us out of the Pitcher Plant where we have become mired.
Verses 1 - 5
Tola and Jair are what is known as minor judges. Hardly anything is known about them or their exploits. They may have been more like administrators, judging judicial matters, though military exploits are a possibility as well though we don’t know who their oppressors were.
Tola served in central Palestine in Shamir. His rule overlapped with Jair, who judged east of the Jordan and serves as an introduction to a more renowned member of the Gileadite clan: Jepthah, which we’ll read about next week.
Jair having thirty sons and thirty donkeys shows he was rich and powerful. Kings rode donkeys of this kind.
So now we shift to the Transjordan area to the east.
Verses 6 - 9
Notice that the list of gods Israel served has now expanded from the Baals and Ashtoreths of the Canaanites. Now they are worshipping Chemosh - the main god of Moab, Milcom of the Ammonites, and Dagon, god of the Philistines.
Not only did Philistia oppress Israel from the west, but Ammon crossed the Jordan after oppressing the Gileadites to attack Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim.
Again we see that Israel was "severely distressed."
Verses 10 - 12
Once again Israel cries out in its distress. This gets repeated so many times it almost becomes laughable were it not tragic and true. Israel wants out of a jam, they don’t want out of worshipping the other gods.
In Romans 6, Paul says this:
20 When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? The end of those things is death. ESV
You see, the gods of the peoples around Israel claimed to provide "fruit" in the form of sensual pleasure, practical help for crops and families, and visible manifestations. In other words: you could see the idol you worshipped. It was also very self-centered and self-empowering. You do this and you get that. Serving Yahweh was very different. You loved Him though you couldn’t see Him. You trusted Him though He didn’t belong to you and you couldn’t make Him do what you wanted.
They thought they were getting fruit but they were actually being enslaved to demons and were running away from God who is the only true source of good fruit.
So God says: "you are being oppressed by people I already saved you from." Now isn’t that an interesting concept. The destruction of those nations was already obtained by God. It was Israel that chose to let them live and then to be enticed by their gods. The same is true with us.
Back a little bit in Romans 6 Paul says:
16 Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? ESV
Our old self has been crucified with Christ on the cross. It’s been killed and buried with Him. When Jesus rose the flesh did not rise with Him. It stays dead. But as a Christian, you can present yourself to obey sin, even though Jesus Christ has set you free from that. If we do that we will be mastered by those things that Jesus already freed us from.
That’s how you can find yourself an alcoholic and yet a believer. That’s how you can become a glutton or an anger filled person or someone who commits sexual immorality. It doesn’t mean you get away with it. Paul also says "Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means. How can we who died to sin still live in it."
So watch what happens now:
Verses 13 - 14
God says "you have wanted these gods more than Me so let’s see if they can really help you in time of need." We want the pleasures of sin. We want the control or not walking with God and having to rely on Him. We don’t want God messing around in our lives always trying to change us into His image.
But truth be told-the pleasures of sin are "fleeting" (Hebrews 11:25) and offer absolutely no actual benefit at all. That’s why when someone dies you often times have a real open door to preach the gospel. A pastor friend of mine says he enjoys preaching at funerals more than anywhere else because people are struck with the reality of life and death.
We go around in this life like it’s a carnival or like every day is spent at Disneyland. Disneyland has all the trappings of a real place but it’s not real. The buildings are sets, the people are cast members, and the activities of that place are called "rides." Life is a real struggle between darkness and light, good and evil. Satan is a real enemy who doesn’t play fair but does play smart.
It’s at the times when things really turn south that the façade of the set pieces of this life are torn away and we see reality for what it is. At times like that your money-god (Mammon) will not help you. Your pleasure-god will not save you. And sometimes it takes a good hard shake to make us wake up and realize what we’ve done. That’s what happens to Israel:
Verses 15 - 16
Notice the important aspects of what Israel did:
1. They acknowledged their sin
2. They put themselves into God’s hands
3. Then they asked for deliverance
4. They acted on their repentance by putting away the foreign gods
5. They once again drew close to Yahweh
At that point, God "became impatient over the misery of Israel." It’s almost like God was pacing the floor of His throne room just waiting for them to repent because He really longed to save them, just as He really longs to save us.
Verses 17 - 18
The enemy in this case is not going to just fall down and die just because Israel repented. So too with us. The hold of bad habits can be strong and so sometimes it takes strong measures to break that hold: godly counsel, study in the Word, prayer, fasting, accountability with other believers, removing yourself from people or situations that are pulling you away from God.
Israel needed a deliverer. That person turned out to be Jephthah, not exactly my favorite hero in the Bible. Our deliverer is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 7:24-25 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! ESV
1. If you serve one god other than Yahweh, you will end up serving any god
Once you give in to sin it is amazing how fast the enemy brings you down.
Ephesians 4:19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more. NIV
Sin fools you into thinking "oh, just this one drink" or "just this one look" or "just give in this time and that’ll be all." It’s never "just one". The enemy comes to "steal, kill, and destroy." (John 10:10).
Proverbs 7:25-27 Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths.
26 Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng.
27 Her house is a highway to the grave, leading down to the chambers of death.
NIV
2. Real fruit comes only from Jesus
John 15:5-8 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. ESV
Real fruit comes from God. We don’t control God, He controls us. In order to have fruit that lasts we must "abide" in the vine which is Jesus Christ. Otherwise you are like a branch with no root. When I cut off a branch from a tree it looks green for a little while, but eventually it turns an ugly brown, the leaves fall off and I can easily break it in half.
Real fruit glories God. Notice that Jesus says He’ll do anything we ask but for what purpose? So that the Father is glorified. The word "glory" in the Greek is a word that means the essence of who God is and what He does. God is good-the only really good force in the universe. Doing what He would do is the only way we get what is truly good.
3. Real satisfaction comes when we repent
When we finally repent and turn away from the foreign gods and love Yahweh again there is such a sweet sense of relief.
James 4:8 Draw near to God and he will draw near to you
Matthew 23:37 How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! ESV
Our God is a merciful God, but He is also a just and pure God. We cannot serve sin and serve God. What’s wonderful is that He seems to make it so we get so fed up by the cotton candy of sin and serving other gods that we finally come back to Him and He is like the father of the Prodigal son in Luke 15:
15:20-21 But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. ESV
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