Why Do I Have So Much Trouble?
Song: Trust and Obey
Song: I have decided to follow Jesus
Song: Have Thine own way, Lord
Ever wonder why we have so much trouble sometimes?
Now I’m not saying to read omens or tea leaves or pay attention to superstitions.
I’m talking about common sense things.
If we live righteously and follow God’s ways, we will be blessed.
If we live unrighteously and do not follow God’s commandments, we won’t be blessed.
Doesn’t that sound like common sense? Criminals go to jail, law abiding citizens don’t?
Too often, we as God’s people just don’t follow these simple rules and get ourselves into trouble!
Judges 3:12-30
12 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and because they did this evil the Lord gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel. 13 Getting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms. 14 The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years.
What happens when God’s people live like the lost?
Because the Israelites were being evil, not only did God not bless them but He allowed the Moabites to attack Israel and take possession of the city for 18 years! Ouch!
Jeremiah 5:25
Your wrongdoings have kept these away; your sins have deprived you of good.
How can we be blessed if we are doing evil? Answer: We won’t be - and will be in trouble!
We see here that God is always watching and He sees the Israelites doing evil in His sight!
We pity the person/people who are not trying to refrain from evil!
Judges 3:15a
15 Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he gave them a deliverer—Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite.
So in this one sentence we see that after being tortured for 18 years the Israelites had had enough, repented, and turned to the Lord for help!
Why didn’t they do it sooner???
Aren’t we often that way? We get into trouble and instead of fessing up, we try to ignore it, or hide it, or even double-down! Don’t do that! Confess to the Lord and He is faithful to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness!
So we see that God sent a hero! He was a unique, unexpected left-handed person.
Heroes are rarely who we expect them to be!
Judges 3:15b-18
The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab. 16 Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a cubit long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing. 17 He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man. 18 After Ehud had presented the tribute, he sent on their way those who had carried it.
Of course, a tribute is a forced payment that oppressors force on the oppressed. So Israel was forced to bring this tribute periodically (yearly probably).
Judges 3:19-23
19 But on reaching the stone images near Gilgal he himself went back to Eglon and said, “Your Majesty, I have a secret message for you.”
The king said to his attendants, “Leave us!” And they all left.
20 Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his palace and said, “I have a message from God for you.” As the king rose from his seat, 21 Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king’s belly. 22 Even the handle sank in after the blade, and his bowels discharged. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it. 23 Then Ehud went out to the porch; he shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.
So Ehud managed to smuggle a sword into the enemy’s palace, and stab the king without anyone stopping him! Wow! How probable is that?
So why was He able to do this? God was with him!
Why was God with him? Because the people repented and turned back to the Lord!
Amazing things happen when we repent of our evil ways and turn to the Lord!
Judges 3:24-26
24 After he had gone, the servants came and found the doors of the upper room locked. They said, “He must be relieving himself in the inner room of the palace.” 25 They waited to the point of embarrassment, but when he did not open the doors of the room, they took a key and unlocked them. There they saw their lord fallen to the floor, dead.
26 While they waited, Ehud got away. He passed by the stone images and escaped to Seirah.
So Ehud got away scott free and really before anyone even knew what had happened!
Judges 3:27-29
27 When he arrived there, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down with him from the hills, with him leading them.
28 “Follow me,” he ordered, “for the Lord has given Moab, your enemy, into your hands.” So they followed him down and took possession of the fords of the Jordan that led to Moab; they allowed no one to cross over. 29 At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all vigorous and strong; not one escaped. 30 That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years.
So Ehud went back to the Israelites, got the army and went back and attacked Moab.
God had given Moab into his hands! 10K vigorous and strong Moabites slain!
When God is with you amazing things happen!
So, do you ever feel like God is NOT with you? Why is that?
Are you doing evil in His sight? He won’t bless you if you are!
If you are, then repent and ask for forgiveness and refrain from doing it again!
If you’re saved, there should be a change - a difference!
If you’re still living your old sinful ways, I’m not saying you’re lost, but there’s something very wrong!
If you’re living like you’re lost, how will God bless that?
Galatians 6:7,8
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
Sometimes people think they are getting away with something with God, but God sees all!
We will have to give an account of every careless word spoken, much less the more egregious sins! You don’t want to make your list longer do you?
1 John 2:3-6
3 We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands. 4 Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. 5 But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: 6 Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.
Sometimes it may seem hard to keep his commands, but His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Just doing the right thing! Stop doing the wrong things!
Romans 6:11-14
11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.
We should not trample on God’s grace. He gives more grace when we sin but God forbid that we take advantage of that. We should stop sinning as He has commanded us!
Our God is a jealous God. Just like Jonah, you can’t run away from God if you’re His!
1 Peter 3:10-12
10 For,“Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. 11 They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
God is watching us right now! Are you doing evil! He knows and there are consequences for that as the Israelites found out!
Let us not learn from the school of hard knocks but let us learn a lesson from the Israelites and not do what they did.
The Bible tells us that we are sinners. All of us! Which means we have broken God’s law and are appointed for wrath!
Do you know Jesus as your Savior? Do you accept Him? Default case that you’re born rejecting Jesus. All you have to do to change that status is to accept Him!
Similarly if you haven’t repented and turned to Jesus you’re toying with God’s wrath that will be given to those who reject Jesus. Jesus’ salvation is your only hope.
John 3:36
36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.
John 3:18,19
He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil.
God is a loving God and wishes that none should perish. He sent a Savior for us all even while we were His enemies.
Stop rejecting Jesus and accept Him as your Savior.
For now, the punishment of rejection is being delayed but He won’t delay forever.
You do not want to experience the consequences of your sins. Turn to Jesus!
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Not enough time to go over this chapter but wow this chapter is really something on this same topic!...
Deuteronomy 28 (especially 15-27)
