We have been noting God’s People Israel, even after being freed from slavery out of Egypt and given a land filled with milk and honey and instructed by God to be holy and not associate themselves with paganism, over and over again they kept sinning! So, because of sin, the Israelites kept getting troubles and many died prematurely. But because God made a promise, God kept bringing up “Judges” to godly lead Israel and save remnants as God’s Chosen People!
The last Judge we noted was Gideon and again when he died the people sinned and worshipped idols. Gideon’s own son Abimelech led the people to evil. BTW….. did anyone do their homework and determine how many sons Gideon had? It was not 70 or 71…..
Open your Bibles now to Judges 10……. Read along with me…..
Let us summarize the chapter and glean biblical applications for our lives.
v1-5: God provided 2 godly leaders (Tola & Jair) to lead Israel for 45 years! We do not note much about these 2 leaders but….
v6-9: as soon as the godly leaders died, Israel again worshipped pagan gods and God tried to discipline them again by allowing the Philistines and Ammonites to rule over them for 18 years!
v10-14: Israel cried out to God and confessed they sinned but God replied not to save them, why?? Isn’t God a God of love?
Let us note what God said in v11-12 that at least 7 times when Israel was distressed, they cried out to the Lord without indicating repentance but God still responded with godly help. This time….
God was teaching the Israelites that it was time they show their repentance for their sins!
Let us always note that yes God is love (He desires the best for every person)! Therefore if discipline is needed to bring people back to the godly right way, God will bring discipline because God loves them. Love without godly discipline is not love!
Now, in v15-16: How did the Israelites showed their repentance from their sins??
There are 3 main things:
a. They confessed their sins and asked for help with humility!! They said “Lord, do with us whatever you think is best!” This is how we are to respond to God’s love!
b. They got rid of the idols!!
c. They served the Lord!!
v16-18: with God’s blessing, Israel had the confidence to fight against God’s enemies!
What Biblical Principles can we glean from this passage to apply to our lives today?
1. Worshipping anyone or anything else but God is a sin which leads to consequences!
What is worship??
Worship is giving worth to someone or something by honoring, adoring, praising, and giving reverence!
And so, If we are giving more worth to someone or something over the Triune God, then we are sinning! We must always take an inventory of our lives if we are truly worshiping God alone! How are we doing? Are there things we give mor worth to than God? Every week, look at you calendar and your check book, how much of our time and money are given to God?
Even as Christians we still do sin right? But God has given us Jesus Christ to run to as the final sacrifice for all our sins, once and for all, sins past, present and future! Always run to Him!
2. Today we have Jesus Christ, if we note a sin in our lives, we must confess it to God! Claim 1 John 1:9!
3. Belief in Jesus Christ and 1 John 1:9 is great but God looks for repentance; a U-turn away from our sin and follow the lead of the repentive Israelites: Come to God in humility! Get rid of what is causing our sin! Serve God!
H-R-S!
Let us: Humble ourselves to God always! Rid of things or people which cause us to sin! Serve God, whenever and whatever you’re called to do!
