The Warning and Promise of Judges

Well, good morning. It's good to see all of you. Happy Father's Day.

Open your Bibles, if you would, please, to Judges chapter 1.

Judges 1 · chapter mention

! If you're using the Pew Bible, it's on page 200. Judges chapter 1.

Judges 1 · chapter mention

Really, we kind of begin our journey this week. Last time we were together, it was more of an introduction,

kind of understanding what we're going to be looking at. And today, we're going to actually be in the book of Judges a little bit.

And begin this journey together. Anyone who's familiar with the book of Judges will perhaps be thinking,

why in the world are we going through this book? But what we're going to notice as we make our way through the book of Judges

is what should be obvious to all of us, and that is the truth of God's Word, regardless of where it's found in the Scripture,

is not only relevant, it's useful.

And as a matter of fact,

Paul will say this in 2 Timothy,

2 Timothy 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3, 16 and 17,

that the Word of God,

it's breathed out by God,

it's profitable for doctrine,

reproof, correction, instruction,

and righteousness,

that the man and woman of God might be

furnished, thoroughly equipped,

for every good work.

So every part of the Scripture is useful.

Every part of the Scripture is beneficial.

So as we come to the Word of God today,

I think we're going to see,

again,

and it shouldn't surprise us,

the relevant and penetrating

and useful Word of God.

One of the frightening things about compromise,

and we're going to see a lot of compromise

as we make our way through the book of Judges,

but one of the frightening things about compromise

is that it rarely feels dangerous

the second time,

or even the third time,

that we do a certain thing.

I can remember being in California,

I can remember riding motorcycle,

and one of the things you're allowed to do

in California when you ride motorcycles,

you're allowed to ride between the lanes.

And the first couple of times

of riding between the lanes,

I was really aware of the peril.

I was really aware of the danger.

I was sensitive to the drivers around me.

I took my time.

I was careful.

And the more you do that,

the more comfortable you become,

and the easier it is,

and you tend to forget about the danger.

It was important for me

every time I got on the bike

to say,

Lord, here we are again.

Help me to be wise.

Help me to trust you.

You see,

the first time that a line is crossed,

compromise begins to settle in.

And the more compromise settles in to your heart,

the less dangerous,

the less risky that compromise seems to be.

There have been several studies

that have been done over the years

to try to drive at this

and draw attention to it.

One is done by a researcher named Diane Vaughn.

She called this compromise,

the word that she used

or the phrase that she used

is normalization of deviance.

A normalization of deviance.

Small departures from a standard

get repeated

until they no longer feel like departures.

What once felt dangerous

begins to feel ordinary.

And that's the message of judges.

That's what we're going to see

coming right to the surface.

The things that once seemed very risky,

the danger of disobedience

begins to settle in.

And small compromises

begin to reduce our resistance

to larger compromises.

You see,

people rarely see rebellion

and do rebellion all at once.

No one wakes up in the morning

and says,

I think I'm going to destroy my life today.

I think I'm going to ruin my family today.

It doesn't happen that way.

It happens gradually.

It happens over the course of time.

It happens through gradual compromises

that take place day by day,

week by week,

and year by year.

And that pattern then begins to move

from one generation to the other.

You begin to set a baseline.

A new baseline is set.

And so now,

that baseline becomes the standard.

And so,

the children and grandchildren

that now live underneath

that new baseline,

any compromises that they make,

now take the baseline lower.

Another research was done

by Vern Bengston.

It's called

The Longitudinal Study of Generations,

and it tracked thousands of families

across multiple generations.

One striking finding

about this particular study

is not that transmission of religion

is the tendency,

but rather the opposite.

It's the transmission of non-religion

that rose among those individuals,

those parents,

those fathers,

those mothers,

as they failed to teach their children.

Then the next generation

didn't go back to church.

The next generation followed suit

and disconnected in the same way

as their parents.

In fact,

it rose from 40% to 63%

in one generation.

Once disconnection became

the inherited starting point,

it became more stable

than the next generation.

And that's exactly what we'll see

as we work our way

through the book of Judges.

We'll see this warning.

This warning

that comes to the surface,

compromise,

now sets the new baseline

for a new generation,

the atmosphere in which they grow up,

the things that they begin to learn,

and now that new baseline

sets in,

and those children,

grandchildren,

inherit the understanding

of their forefathers,

and whatever compromises they make

now take the next generation

even deeper,

even further away from the Lord.

But embedded in the warning

that we're going to see this morning,

I want you to know

that there's also promise.

The book of Judges,

while it gives the dark side

of what happens

with lives of those

who have been unsettled,

those who are compromising,

the promise still stands,

and the power of God

is still at work.

It's still ready

to accomplish its objectives,

and it depends

upon the people of God

to enact the promises

and to see them through,

to carry out the objectives

and the purposes

that God has set before us.

This morning we're going to look

at several ways

in which the people of God

need to follow

the marching orders

that God has set for us

so that we can enjoy

the promises

that God has given.

The first is this,

simply trust and obey

God's word.

Trust and obey God's word.

Now I know that's not original.

Matter of fact,

I'm sure that many of you,

especially those of you

who have grown up in the church,

have heard this repeated

time and time again.

Whether you're in

a Sunday school class,

whether you were a child

and going through Awana,

the verses that you memorized,

the sermons that you heard,

the lessons that were taught

to you at VBS

and soccer camp,

trust and obey.

We even have a song

about trust and obey,

don't we?

when we walk with the Lord

in the light of his word,

what a glory he sheds

on our way.

When we do his goodwill,

he abides with us still

and with all

who will trust and obey.

In the refrain,

trust and obey.

For there's no other way

to be happy in Jesus

but to trust and obey.

We know this truth.

We understand its significance.

We've heard it time and time again.

And to the extent

that it's easy,

in hearing a truth

so many times,

we begin to shut it off.

We begin to numb our senses.

We begin to say,

I've heard that before.

I know what it means.

I'm okay.

I'm doing what God says.

And today is a reminder

of the importance

of trusting and obeying.

Recognizing the significance

of what God says

in his word.

Incorporating it

into our life.

Following through.

Obeying what it says.

And teaching

our children.

Teaching our loved ones.

Whether you're married

and have children.

Or whether you're single.

Whether you're a man

or a woman.

A boy or a girl.

Following the standard

of God's word.

Knowing what it says.

Seeing it through.

This is the way

in which we can enjoy

the blessings

and the promises

that God has given to us.

While we've been told

this a thousand times,

we need to recognize

that the warning

that we're going to see

through the book of Judges

is to help us recognize

what happens

for a generation

who fails to trust

and obey.

But,

the promise is there.

Moses,

as you know,

will hand off

leadership

to Joshua.

And,

the people

are then prepared

to face the obstacles

that are in front of them.

This was a direct

and simple strategy.

It was a strategy

that had been

time tested.

That Moses

wants to help

the people

of Israel.

This nation of Israel

as they're entering

into this promised land

to understand

and recognize

what is going to help

them carry out

the objectives

that God has for them.

So,

in the book of Deuteronomy,

he's giving this retelling

of the law.

He's kind of put it

all together.

He's consolidated it

in form

so that the people

know the most

important parts.

He's drawn that forward.

And what's the message?

Time and time again,

trust and obey.

Let me give you

a couple examples.

In Deuteronomy chapter 4,

Deuteronomy 4:9–10

verses 9 to 10,

it says this,

Only take care

and keep your soul

diligently,

lest you forget

the things

that your eyes have seen

and lest they depart

from your heart

all the days

of your life.

Make them known

to your children

and your children's children

how on the day

you stood before

the Lord your God

at Horeb,

the Lord said to me,

Gather the people

to me

that I may let them

hear my words

so they may learn

and fear me

all the days

that they live

on the earth

and that they may teach

their children so.

What's the summary?

Summary is remember

the words I've said.

Call them to mind.

Understand the significance

of the things

I've taught you.

Teach your children

so that they can teach

their children

and generation

after generation

will enjoy the benefits

of walking

after my standard.

In Deuteronomy chapter 11,

Deuteronomy 11 · chapter mention

we find this

in verse 18.

It should sound familiar

because it's very similar

to what we find

in Deuteronomy 6.

It says,

You shall therefore

lay up these words

of mine in your heart

and in your soul

and you shall bind them

as a sign on your hand

and they shall be frontlets

between your eyes.

You shall teach them

to your children.

Talking of them

while you're sitting

in your house,

when you're walking

by the way,

when you lie down,

when you rise up,

you shall write them

on the doorposts

of your house

and on your gates.

that your days

and the days

of your children

may be multiplied

in the land

the Lord swore

to your fathers

to give to them

as long as the heavens

are above the earth.

Did you see that?

God desires

his people

to enjoy

the blessing

of his word.

The word of God

that is living

and active.

The word of God

that is sharper

than a two-edged sword.

The word of God

that accomplishes

its objective.

The word of God

that transforms hearts.

So what is the

master strategy

for parents

in helping

to raise their kids?

What is the

master strategy

for you

who have friends

who may not

know the Lord?

The master strategy

is know the word

of God

and teach

that word

to your own heart

and teach that word

to the ones you love.

Of course,

this is the strategy

we find through

all of scripture.

Ephesians chapter 6

Ephesians 6 · chapter mention

says the same thing.

Fathers,

do not provoke

your children to anger

but bring them up

in the discipline

and instruction

of the Lord.

Know the word of God.

Embrace the word of God

for yourself.

Trust it.

Obey it.

And teach it.

And what we're going to study

as we work through

the judges

is this case study

on a people

who started so well

and then as they

began to move

into the land

and as compromise

began to fill their hearts

there was slippage

in their hearts.

We find this

in Judges chapter 2

Judges 2:10

verse 10.

This is part of our passage

for this morning.

It says,

And there arose

another generation

after them

who did not know

the Lord

or the work

he had done

for Israel.

That was the problem.

The problem was

they didn't know the Lord.

It wasn't that they

weren't aware of the Lord.

They were certainly

aware of him.

But in knowing him

they didn't obey him.

In being aware

of who he was

they didn't embrace

the standard

that God had set

for them

and work it out.

And so this generation

that rose up

they chose

to walk away

from the Lord.

And we see

what we'll see

through the testimony

of the book of Judges

that when they did not

know the Lord

what happened?

Well,

everyone did

what was right

in their own eyes.

That's what they did.

They had the standard.

They rejected the standard.

They did their own thing.

But there's also

a promise here.

There is a promise.

Moms and dads

I want you to know

there is hope.

There is hope.

When a people

know the Lord

then God

uses his word

to preserve

his people.

When you know

the Lord

and you pass on

that knowledge

to the ones you love

God can use

his word

to shape hearts.

And by the way

this is not a guarantee

but it is a principle

that we find

throughout scripture.

Knowing and teaching

the word of God

is the way

the instrument

in which

that God can use

to shape the hearts

of those around you.

And so this is

how he begins

how God begins

this leadership

journey with Joshua

in Joshua 1.8.

What does he do?

The same standard.

This book of the law

shall not depart

from your mouth

Joshua

but you shall

meditate on it

day and night

so that you may

be careful

to do according

to all

that is written

in it.

For then

you

will make

your way

prosperous

and then

you

will have

good success.

See our problem

is not that we

are unfamiliar

with the word

of God.

Our problem

is that we

don't put

God's word

to work.

So what is

the result?

Well we see

the result

in Judges

Judges 2:7

chapter 2

verse 7.

The people

they served

the Lord

all the days

of Joshua

and all the days

of the elders

who outlived

Joshua

who had seen

all the great

work that the

Lord had done

for Israel

but then

there arose

a generation

that did not

know

the Lord.

So dads

moms

teens

whether you're

single

or married

the challenge

for us

know the word.

Not just know

about the word

but allow the word

of God

to settle

in your heart.

Study the word

love the word

obey the word

and teach the word.

Be a conduit

of that life

giving message

to those around you

so that you can

enjoy the benefits

of the objectives

and the promises

that God

has given to us

through

his word.

So trust

and obey

God's word.

Second

enjoy the promises

of obedience.

We see that.

There is promise

here

and the book

of Judges

starts out

with this promise

of God

working through

his people

God accomplishing

the objectives

they know the word

they are obeying

the word

and God allows

them to enjoy

success.

Judges chapter 1

Judges 1:1

verses 1

says this

after the death

of Joshua

the people

of Israel

inquired of

the Lord

who shall

go up

for us

against the

Canaanites

to fight

against them

the Lord

said Judah

shall go up

behold I

have given

the land

into his hand

the people

now without

a leader

they had had

a leader

in Moses

they had had

a leader

in Joshua

now they are

without a leader

and here they are

facing this

conquest

that is incomplete

so they ask

the right

question

they understand

and have learned

from the pattern

they need God

to supply them

some direction

so they ask

for help

similar to what

Moses had done

in Numbers

Numbers 27 · chapter mention

chapter 27

Moses knew

that he was

departing

from the scene

so what does

Moses do

he doesn't just

raise up Joshua

on his own

no he goes

to the Lord

and inquires

of the Lord

says let the Lord

the God

of the spirits

of all flesh

appoint a man

over the congregation

who shall go out

before them

and come in

before them

who shall lead

them out

and bring them

in

that the congregation

of the Lord

may not be

a sheep

that have no shepherd

so the Lord

said to Moses

take Joshua

the son of Nun

a man

in whom

is the spirit

and lay your hand

on him

Moses

understood

that God

was the one

who needed

to provide direction

and while

Joshua

had been

an assistant

he did not

bypass

the wisdom

of the Lord

and asked God

for help

give me some

direction

and now the people

of Israel

learning from that

example

are doing the same

now that Joshua

has departed

and they say

who shall go up

for us

but notice

notice what had

been the standard

before

was one

key leader

Moses had been

the leader

during the

wilderness

wanderings

Joshua

had been

the leader

during the

conquest

but now

look there's

a shift

a transition

that's beginning

to take place

and now

not a man

who will lead

but now a tribe

Judah

things are now

beginning to be

in motion

the promise

that God

had given

to his people

about a future

king

was now

beginning to be

to unfold

in front of

their very eyes

we see

going all the

way back

to Genesis

Genesis 49 · chapter mention

chapter 49

we see

how Jacob

who is the

grandson

of Abraham

prophesied

that Judah

would be the

one

the scepter

shall not

depart

from Judah

nor the

ruler's

staff

from between

his feet

until tribute

comes to him

and to him

shall be

the obedience

of the peoples

who will go up

Judah will go up

he will go up

in accordance

with the promise

that had been

set

he'll go up

to begin

to help

this plan

this master

plan

that God

had

for all

eternity

to begin

to be set

in motion

so Judah

goes up

he obeys

he takes

the lead

we find that

in verse 3

of Judges

Judges 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1

it says

and Judah

said to Simeon

his brother

come up with me

into the territory

allotted to me

that we may

fight against

the Canaanites

and I likewise

will go with you

into the territory

allotted to you

so Simeon

went with him

then Judah

went up

and the Lord

gave the Canaanites

and the Perizzites

into their hand

and they defeated

10,000 of them

at Bezek

they trust

and obey

the Lord

and God gives them

victory

but immediately

we begin to notice

that the book

of Judges

is somewhat

unfamiliar

in some respects

there's

new

nations

there's new

peoples

that are

involved

we are

familiar

with the

Canaanites

but who

in the world

are the

Perizzites

and there

will be

several others

as well

there will be

customs

that will be

unfamiliar

there will be

traditions

and language

that will be

unfamiliar

as we work

our way

through

this book

look at

verse 5

we can kind of

approach

some of this

here

they found

Adonai Bezek

at Bezek

and fought

against him

and defeated

the Canaanites

and the Perizzites

and Adonai Bezek

fled

but they

pursued him

and cut off

excuse me

and caught him

and cut off

his thumbs

and his big toes

and Adonai Bezek

said 70 kings

with their thumbs

and big toes

cut off

used to pick up

scraps under my

table

as I have

done so

God has

repaid me

and they

brought him

to Jerusalem

and he died

there

right out of

the gate

we recognize

there's some

unfamiliar ground

what is taking

place

and as we work

our way through

this book

we're going to

see that there

are certain

customs

there are certain

pagan rituals

that the further

we go

the more embedded

they seem to be

in the

people of Israel

and so even

those who are

raised up by

God

to help bring

deliverance

to God's

people

are polluted

and corrupted

by these

customs

that seem to be

so embedded

among the people

this was the

warning that God

had set

before they even

entered the

promised land

and then we

notice

what Adonai

Bezek

says

here

he says

as I have

done

so God

has repaid

me

I want to

draw attention

to this

because we're

going to see

as we work

our way

through

this

book

that there's

going to be

some language

that seems

to refer to

God

but don't

be confused

don't be

misled

because

this is a

polluted

people

this is a

corrupted

people

and blended

worship

that we're

going to see

this syncretistic

kind of worship

that tends

to blend

the customs

of the people

and mix

them in

with the

worship

of God

that produces

corrupted

worship

polluted

worship

and blended

worship

is never

the kind

of worship

that is

accepted

by the

Lord

as a matter

of fact

in Matthew

Matthew 15:8

chapter 15

verse 8

the Lord

says this

this people

honors me

with their

lips

but their

heart is

far from

me

you see

Adonai Bezek

could talk

about God

but he

wasn't

talking about

the God

of Israel

he was

speaking in

generalities

and it's

important for

us to

recognize

how easy

it is

for the

people in

our culture

even to

talk about

God

talk about

the Lord

but recognize

that when

we worship

the Lord

we need to

worship

according to

God's

standard

dads

parents

blended

worship

is always

corrupt

worship

compromise

will eventually

lead to

trouble

but it

won't happen

overnight

we need to

recognize this

and bringing

our children's

heart to

God

is an

act

of worship

and obedience

to the Lord

but we need to

do it in a

way that

doesn't expose

them to

to the

compromise

of culture

trust and

obey

God's word

enjoy

the promise

of obedience

and then this

experience

God's

present

power

we see that

as we're in

Judges chapter 1

Judges 1 · chapter mention

beginning in

verse 19

we see that

behind

all of

the things

that God

is doing

among his

people

that when

they enjoy

success

they enjoy

success

because

the Lord

is with

them

verse 19

of chapter 1

it says

and the

Lord

was with

Judah

and he

took possession

of the hill

country

because he

could not

drive out

the inhabitants

of the plain

because they

had chariots

of iron

in Judges

Judges 1:22

chapter 1

verse 22

it says

the house

of Joseph

also went

up against

Bethel

and the

Lord

was with

him

and we

find in

chapter 2

verse 18

whenever the

Lord

raised up

a judge

for them

the Lord

was with

the judge

the people

enjoyed

the benefits

of the

Lord

being with

them

even in

the midst

of compromise

when they

obeyed

the Lord

was with

them

and helped

them accomplish

the objectives

that God

had set

before them

this is an

important distinction

for us to

understand

the Lord

was with

them

and remember

the question

that Joshua

asked as he

walked into

the promised

land with

the people

there having

just passed

the Jordan

River

and the

commander of

the Lord's

army came

and revealed

himself

and Joshua

asked the

question not

are you with

us

he asked

are you

for us

are you

for us

and what

does the

commander of

the Lord's

army say

no

I am the

commander of

the Lord's

army

meaning

I fight

for God

and the

question is

not are you

for us

the question

should be

are we

walking with

obeying

the commandments

of the Lord

are we with

him

Joshua chapter

Joshua 5:13

5 verse

13

we see

that question

for those of

you who are

taking notes

so consistently

God strengthens

his people

in obedience

as they are

obedient to

him

and so

the people

fought as

God told

them to

fight

and when

they fought

in the way

that God

asked them

to fight

the Lord

was with

them

enabling

them

helping

them

strengthening

them

see when

God is

with his

people

God

empowers

his

people

to

accomplish

again

those

strategies

those

objectives

that he set

before them

that's why

God says

to Joshua

in Joshua

Joshua 1:9

chapter 1

verse 9

have not

commanded you

be strong

and courageous

do not

be dismayed

for the Lord

your God

is with

you

wherever

you go

don't be afraid

Joshua

follow the word

of God

incorporate it

into your life

do what it

says

understand

God's

direction

follow it

through

and when

you do

that

the Lord

is with

you

and when

God

is with

you

his

power

is present

he's

working

through

your

activities

see God

is faithful

to bring

his people

into the

land

and we

see that

here at

the start

of judges

we see

the faithfulness

of God

in helping

his people

to begin

this settling

process

this enduring

promise

that we have

throughout the

scripture

that when

God is

with his

people

they enjoy

the benefits

of his

strength

Isaiah 41

10 says

fear not

for I am

with you

be not

dismayed

for I am

your God

I will

strengthen

you

I will

help

you

I will

uphold

you

with my

righteous

right hand

God's

enduring

promise

consistently

the mercy

of God

is with

his people

dads

is so

easy

for us

to be

afraid

it's

easy

for us

to let

insecurities

have their

way

we don't

feel like

we can

measure up

we don't

feel like

we have

anything

to offer

we don't

think we

can answer

the questions

that our

kids have

we don't

feel like

we can

direct

them in

the way

that's

appropriate

we feel

so

incapable

insufficient

inadequate

but as

we come

to understand

the significance

of the

direction

that the

word of

God

gives

we know

that we

need to

lead well

and lead

courageously

lead

biblically

lead

consistently

and this

is the same

promise

by the way

that we

find in

the new

testament

Matthew

Matthew 28:19

chapter 28

verses 19

and 20

says this

go therefore

and make

disciples of all

nations

baptizing them

in the name

of the father

and the son

and the holy

spirit

teaching them

to observe

all that

I've commanded

you

and behold

I am

what church

with you

I'm with you

always

to the end

of the age

that's the

promise

we don't have

to be afraid

following the

objectives that

God has set

before us

whatever

wherever we

are in the

in the

continuum

of being

fathers

or single

wherever we

might be

on the

spectrum

obeying

the

the commands

that God

has set

before us

in making

disciples

God will

empower that

because his

strength

is there

he's walking

beside us

and this

most important

command

especially for

families

disciple

make disciples

and the

first order

of business

in making

disciples

in families

is children

what a great

promise for us

that God

is with us

in that

disciple

making

endeavor

we can

trust

and obey

we can

enjoy

the promise

of obedience

we can

experience

God's

present

power

but then

this

we need

to resist

the drift

of compromise

resist the

drift of

compromise

and this is

where the

book of

judges

now begins

to take

a turn

and we

see there

in judges

Judges 1:18

chapter 1

verses 18

and 19

we see the

compromise

that begins

to fill

the lives

of the

people

of this

nation

it says

Judah

captured Gaza

with its

territory

and Ashkelon

with its

territory

and Ekron

with its

territory

and the

Lord was

with Judah

and he

took possession

of the hill

country

but he

could not

drive out

the inhabitants

of the plain

because they

had chariots

of iron

we move

to verse

21

but the

people of

Benjamin

did not

drive out

the Jebusites

who lived

in Jerusalem

and we move

to verse

27

Manasseh

did not

drive out

the inhabitants

of Bethshean

and its

villages

then in

verse 29

and Ephraim

did not

drive out

the Canaanites

who lived

in Gezer

and then in

verse 30

verse 30

Zebulun

did not

drive out

the inhabitants

of Kitron

or the

inhabitants

of Nahol

verse 31

Asher

did not

drive out

the inhabitants

of Akko

verse 33

Naphtali

did not

drive out

the inhabitants

of Bethshanish

or the inhabitants

of Bethana

it was

compromise

it was

incomplete

obedience

they didn't

follow through

they didn't

entrust

themselves

to the word

of God

and his promise

they stopped

short

the promise

was intact

the power

was present

but their lack

of follow

through

planted the

seeds of

failure

in future

moral decay

they became

satisfied with

partial obedience

and it created

this new

baseline

this new

starting point

this new

atmosphere

as we saw

earlier

these small

departures

that begin

to set

the course

for future

generations

you see

the challenges

of the enemies

were present

they were real

we don't want to

dismiss

the difficulties

that the people

of Israel

really faced

certainly

there were

struggles

no doubt

there was

loss

of life

hardened

opposition

reinforced

resistance

it allowed

this mentality

I think

this is good

enough

I think

I've worked

hard enough

we're tired

we're weary

we've faced

opposition

we've incurred

losses

I think

this is good

enough

there wasn't

the tenacity

for complete

obedience

so this

remnant

left

seeds of

corruption

in their

path

I'm reminded

I've got

a little

flower bed

outside of

my house

and in

this flower

bed

there's

little

thistles

that just

keep

popping up

and I've

been working

on this

probably

for over

a month

trying to

get rid

of all

of these

thistles

that keep

growing up

and I've

got this

shovel

it's a

long

slender

shovel

I'm

telling you

I'm going

deep

I think

I'm getting

everything

it's going

about a foot

into the ground

and this

itty bitty

little

thistle

that's sticking

up

has a root

and I'm not

joking

it's about

this long

it's ridiculous

and every

single week

I'm pulling

up thistles

like you

wouldn't

believe