The God Of 2nd Chance And 3rd, And 4th, And .. Series

Judges 10: 1 – 18

The God of 2nd Chance And 3rd, And 4th, And ..

After Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in the mountains of Ephraim. 2 He judged Israel twenty-three years; and he died and was buried in Shamir. 3 After him arose Jair, a Gileadite; and he judged Israel twenty-two years. 4 Now he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys; they also had thirty towns, which are called “Havoth Jair” to this day, which are in the land of Gilead. 5 And Jair died and was buried in Camon. 6 Then the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the people of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; and they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him. 7 So the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the people of Ammon. 8 From that year they harassed and oppressed the children of Israel for eighteen years—all the children of Israel who were on the other side of the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, in Gilead. 9 Moreover the people of Ammon crossed over the Jordan to fight against Judah also, against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed. 10 And the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, saying, “We have sinned against You, because we have both forsaken our God and served the Baals!” 11 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? 12 Also the Sidonians and Amalekites and Maonites oppressed you; and you cried out to Me, and I delivered you from their hand. 13 Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods. Therefore I will deliver you no more. 14 “Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress.” 15 And the children of Israel said to the LORD, “We have sinned! Do to us whatever seems best to You; only deliver us this day, we pray.” 16 So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD. And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel. 17 Then the people of Ammon gathered together and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled together and encamped in Mizpah. 18 And the people, the leaders of Gilead, said to one another, “Who is the man who will begin the fight against the people of Ammon? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

We have now moved on past Gideon and his son Abimelech. This chapter gives an account of two judges of Israel, in whose days their parts of Israel enjoyed peace, after which, by sinning against our Holy Jehovah Elyon – The Lord Most High, Israel came into further trouble, and were oppressed by their enemies eighteen years, and were invaded by an army of the Ammonites.

The Israelites continued the same patterns. They were blessed by the Lord and they forsook Him and turned to lives of disobedience. The Lord would send hardship their way in order to get them to repent and turn back to Him When they did He would raise up a ‘Judge’ who would save them from the oppression. It seemed that the people stayed in obedience as long as the Judge lived. However, when he died they fell away again.

We are going to see something new happening here. The people were not learning their lessons of obedience. This time when they cried to Yahweh for deliverance, confessing their sins, He at first refused to grant it, although on their continuing and reforming He had compassion on them. The chapter will conclude with the preparations made by both armies for battle.

After Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in the mountains of Ephraim. 2 He judged Israel twenty-three years; and he died and was buried in Shamir.

As a reminder please remember that Abimelech never delivered, saved or was referred to as a Judge in Israel. His short appearance was an interlude between another Judge. When he was gone, our Holy God raised up other Judges in accordance with His will. The first was Tola, the son of Puah.