WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND
Judges 1:1-7
1 Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them?
2 And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.
3 And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him.
4 And Judah went up; and the LORD delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men.
5 And they found Adonibezek in Bezek: and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites.
6 But Adonibezek fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.
7 And Adonibezek said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.
In these verses we have just read, the children of Israel ask God for directions on which of the tribes should attempt to clear their country of the Canaanites.
God had appointed that the tribe of Judah to go up first and even promised them success (v2). I have delivered the land in his hand.
Judah was the most the most numerous and more powerful tribe, therefore God let Judah venture up first.
We should note that Judah ask the weakest of the tribes, Simeon to help in this attack. It’s knowing that God can use the powerful but still needs the weakest to be there for assistance.
In this attack over 10,000 of the enemy were killed. The assault was a complete rout and now it was time to find the leader of this gang, the King of Bezek.
(Verse 6&7)
Here we find King Adonibezek. He was the king of Bezek. The Bible only mentions him three (3) times in the entire Bible. Here in verses 6, 7 and 8, that’s it., we hear no more from him.
Years ago, there was this book called, Jabez Prayer. An entire book was written on this prayer yet there are only two (2) verses in the Bible about it. People swarmed to get it, buy it and read it.
I have also noticed another example of how someone was just mentioned a few times in the bible but also made a drastic change in another person life.
1 King, Chapter 21, we read about a man name Naboth and his vineyard. (Tell about how the King killed Naboth over his vineyard)
There are times in the bible a reference is mentioned to bring an example of how people were treated or a fact of how things happened in a certain account.
Here we see in these verses we hear about King Adonibezek just 3 times in the bible but he affect many people lives.
Not only the 10,000 men that were killed when the tribes of Judah and Simeon attacked but 70 rulers or priest, town officials, even kings of other lands.
Adonibezek had those men’s thumbs cut off along with their big toes. Then he fed them crumbs from his table, he treated them like yard dogs maybe even worse.
I want to use for a subject preaching just a few minutes on this line.
WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND.
Adonibezek had cut off the thumbs and big toes of 70 kings he had captured, or his army had conquered. Now the time had come when the same was going to happen to him.
He had disgraced these men in doing what he did to them.
By cutting off their thumbs they were useless in battle, they could no longer grasp a weapon and fight. By cutting off the big toes, he knew they could not run fast enough to escape the arrows and the men with their swords attacking them.
Plus, Adonibezek knew that anyone that was physically mutilated disqualified a person from holding a religious or civil office.
Knowing this was coming from the law of Moses from the Book of Leviticus 21 in the verses from 16 to 24
One thing this tells me is Adonibezek knew something about God. He knew of the Law of Moses.
Also note here with me in verse 7, Adonibezek said, “As I have done, so God hath requited me”, in other words he knew about God but chose to go in a different direction.
Thus, a righteous God sometimes in his providence makes a punishment fit the crime.
Exodus 21.
23 And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life,
24 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot,
25 Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
James 2:13
13 For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.
So, we see Adonibezek had what was coming to him and well could fit under these verses I have just read.
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Allow me to highlight 5 things I think that could help us not have to worry about what is coming back to us.
1) If we do not love people, people will not love us back.
Aren’t you glad that God still loves us when nobody else does?
A) Loving people brings out the best in them and us.
B) It is a shame when a terrible accident happens and the mass will support each other, and example was when the Twin Towers were attacked. We all came together as one.
2) If we do not care about others, others will not care about us.
God still cares for our needs when we are cold and indifferent to him.
A) If you meet older folks that are lonely. More than likely they did not care to be bothered while they had a chance, now they are all alone in their waning years.
B) You can go to nursing homes, go to the hospital to visit the sick and do something for a sick or shut in, just care for someone that needs some caring other than yourself.
3) If we do not give, we will not be given too.
God still gives to us, and he give more abundantly
A) The Food banks, the clothing homes, the cold shelters, we all can take part in giving to those charities. You can even give to your next-door neighbors or the people down the street.
B) Give of your talents. If you do not have a talent, then give your time to someone needing it. Everyone has spare time, even if you do not think you do.
4) If we treat people bad, they will treat us bad.
Even when we treat God bad, He still treats us with love.
A) You treat people as you would like to be treated. How many really do this?
People will treat their dogs better than you. Men will treat their wife and children terrible. Women will do the same toward their husband and children.
B) It hurts me to see a person being ignored like they are not even there. It makes them feel useless. It’s only when they need them to do something for them will they speak to them like friends.
5) If we do not repent and live like we could care less.
Then God allows that person to spend eternity in Hell.
A) If you live like you care less, then you are living a careless life.
B) God cares and loves you, but He does not demand of you.
What do you do now? What you do to others and how you do it depends on you.
I will say this in all honesty, what goes around , comes around!
King Adonibezek showed no mercy to those 70 kings and when he was captured, they showed no mercy on him.
He got the very same treatment he gave out.
Do you want the same treatment you are giving out today?
What6 have you got to be looking forward to when it comes around to you?
You sent it out my friends and it will be coming back your way soon enough.
I pray what you sent out is good enough for you to accept what does happen when it comes back around.
Just 3 verses in the entire Bible about King Adonibezek, but now you see in those three verses a lot of things happened.
King Adonibezek had his thumbs cot off, his big toes cut off and look again ion verse 7,
And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.
What goes around, comes around.
Close
I’ll close with these thoughts.
I don’t know about you this morning, but I want to make sure that the things that do come back to me is favorable. I sure do not wish anyone here to have bad things circle back around to any of you all.
I want to make sure we can look forward to the tomorrows yet find the time for today to treat people with compassion and with love.
This world is cruel enough and it sure does not Christians today shunning out those that need God in their life.
We should be the example for all the world to see.
Maybe this morning you need to come and pray about being a light to someone or somebody.
Maybe you just want to come and ask God to help you become a person who shows others more compassion and more love.
I know we need a whole helping of those type people today.
