Do we in the church fall into cycles of sin and repentance as Israel did? What can we learn from their continual falling into sin? Who can save us? Let’s look at Judges 10.
Did Tola serve 23 years and Jair 22 years as judges in Israel?
Now after Abimelech died, Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, rose up to save Israel; and he lived in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. He judged Israel for twenty-three years. Then he died and was buried in Shamir. After him, Jair the Gileadite rose up and judged Israel for twenty-two years. And he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty cities in the land of Gilead that are called Havvoth-jair to this day. And Jair died and was buried in Kamon. (Judges 10:1-5 NASB)
Did Israel then suffer 18 years for their sins? Did they cry out to God?
Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord. They served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites and the gods of the Philistines. And because the Israelites forsook the Lord and no longer served him, he became angry with them. He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites, who that year shattered and crushed them. For eighteen years they oppressed all the Israelites on the east side of the Jordan in Gilead, the land of the Amorites. The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin and Ephraim; Israel was in great distress. Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, “We have sinned against you, forsaking our God and serving the Baals.” (Judges 10:6-10 NIV)
What lesson did God want to get across to the suffering Israelites?
So the Lord said to the children of Israel, “Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites and from the people of Ammon and from the Philistines? Also the Sidonians and Amalekites and Maonites oppressed you; and you cried out to Me, and I delivered you from their hand. Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods. Therefore I will deliver you no more. “Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress.” (Judges 10:11-14 NKJV)
Did Israel plead with God in repentance and was God grieved for them? Was war about to happen?
But the Israelites pleaded with the Lord and said, “We have sinned. Punish us as you see fit, only rescue us today from our enemies.” Then the Israelites put aside their foreign gods and served the Lord. And he was grieved by their misery. At that time the armies of Ammon had gathered for war and were camped in Gilead, and the people of Israel assembled and camped at Mizpah. The leaders of Gilead said to each other, “Whoever attacks the Ammonites first will become ruler over all the people of Gilead.” (Judges 10:15-18 NLT)
If we are just like the Israelites, constantly falling into sin, who can save us?
She shall give birth to a son. You shall name him Jesus [meaning: God saves], for it is he who shall save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21 WEB)
Do we Christians still need Jesus to forgive us even after conversion?
If we claim, “We don’t have any sin,” we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from everything we’ve done wrong. If we claim, “We have never sinned,” we make him a liar and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:8-10 CEB)
Do we in the church fall into cycles of sin and repentance as Israel did? What can we learn from their continual falling into sin? Who can save us? You decide!
