Why Do I Have So Much Trouble?

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!