Judges 10:10-16

[0:00] Good evening. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Vern saying other than Spencer Baumgartner as far as his favorite preacher goes, that just!

[0:11] shows he doesn't have very high standards.! I do appreciate the opportunity to come. Appreciate y'all. Appreciate the Lord most of all.

[0:22] It'll be in the Old Testament this evening in the book of Judges. Judges chapter 10. The book of Judges is a very much overlooked book in the Scriptures as far as the New Testament church is concerned.

[0:41] We know several highlight accounts in there. We all should be familiar with Samson and Gideon and a couple of others that we find in there.

[0:54] But for the most part, though, it's very, very overlooked. But there's a lot to be learned in Judges. My personal opinion, and you can beg to differ if you like, I won't argue with you, but in my opinion, Judges is the most violent book in all of Scripture.

[1:11] And it's also the most political book in all of Scripture. You know, and we're not really going to get into either one of those aspects of it tonight, but that just gives you an idea of, that's part of the reason a lot of people avoid it, is because of those two things.

[1:29] But we'll be in Judges 10 tonight. We should all be familiar, though, that Judges shows a vicious cycle that goes on between the children of Israel and Almighty God.

[1:45] The cycle is God delivers Israel. Israel sticks with God. They serve Him for a while. Israel forgets God. God gives Israel over into bondage.

[1:59] Or slavery. Sells them into slavery, as some of the Scripture says. And Israel, after a while, cries back out to God. Repents. God delivers Israel.

[2:11] Israel serves God. Israel forgets God. And it just continues on through that cycle over and over. And this is one of those cycles here that we're going to read here tonight in Judges 10.

[2:26] The beginning part of Judges 10, we see a man named Abimelech has died. He's one of the judges. He was a wicked judge over Israel. He has died. God raises up two other judges after this.

[2:40] One named Tola and one named Jair. And they live and judge in relative peace. We don't really find a whole lot about them in the Scripture. And then Israel does wickedness again in the sight of God.

[2:55] It's like everything is going smooth. Everything is going great. And suddenly we read that Israel does evil. Israel does wickedly again. And they go and they serve other gods.

[3:06] Gods of these surrounding nations. If you read those nations in the beginning part of Judges 10, you'll see that there's seven different nations that are brought up there. Seven different peoples. Seven being the number of completeness.

[3:17] So that tells me they have completely forsaken God. They have completely gone away from God to serve these other gods. And the Bible says that God's anger was kindled against them.

[3:31] It was hot against Israel. And that's where we find ourselves here in Judges 10. So all that being said, we'll start reading in verse 10 of Judges 10.

[3:46] So Judges 10 verse 10 says, And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Balaam.

[3:59] And the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines, the Zidonians also, the Amalekites, and the Mayanites did oppress you, and you cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand.

[4:19] Yet you have forsaken me, and served other gods. Wherefore I will deliver you no more. Go and cry unto the gods which you have chosen.

[4:30] Let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation. And the children of Israel said unto the Lord, We have sinned. Do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee.

[4:42] Deliver us only, we pray thee, this day. And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the Lord. And his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.

[4:52] Back to verse 10 in Judges chapter 10, And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Balaam.

[5:05] So here we see Israel admitting their sin. Israel readily admitting their sin. And they said, We have forsaken you, Lord.

[5:16] We have gone and we have served these other gods. We have forsaken you. And their admission here is twofold. They admit that they left God. And they admit that they went to serve other gods.

[5:28] It says, The children of Israel cried unto the Lord, saying these things. But folks, we know from the other scripture that we read, that is connected to this, the following verses here, that those words did not move Almighty God.

[5:41] This tells me that their repentance wasn't real. What they were saying here in verse 10, their admission of their guilt may have been real, but there was no repentance in it. And folks, I have a feeling that in today's churches, we see the same thing going on many different times, many different church houses all across the land, all across this city, all across this county, all across the world.

[6:05] I think that there's many people that are admitting their sin. They're confessing their sin, but there is no repentance in their heart. There is no turning away from the sin that they have confessed toward Almighty God.

[6:19] And I've come to that conclusion because of the answer, the response that God gives in the following verses. In verse 11, it says, And the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites and from the children of Ammon and from the Philistines, the Zidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Mayanites did oppress you, and you cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hands.

[6:45] So God here, notice once again that He's not moved by their confession of their sin. He's not moved one iota. In fact, God goes into reminding the Israelites of what He has done for them.

[6:57] He says, I delivered you from the Egyptians. Now the Israelites that He is speaking of here, they're not the ones that were delivered from Egypt, but their forefathers were delivered from Egypt. They were delivered from Egypt with the mighty right hand of Almighty God.

[7:12] He brought them out of the land of bondage. He brought them out from slavery. He, through Moses, parted the Red Sea. The Israelites crossed over, and they were on their way to the promised land from that point forward.

[7:25] But God delivered them, and He delivered them from all of these people that we read here in this list of nations that God gives in the Scriptures. He is reminding the Israelites, not of whom He is, but of what He has done.

[7:39] The Israelites obviously knew who God was, because it says they cried unto their Lord. They cried unto Thee, Lord. They knew where to go to, but they didn't have the right heart to do so.

[7:50] They didn't come with a heart of repentance. They didn't come with remorse in their heart. They just come to God saying, You've delivered us before. He'll do it again. And they went to God with this attitude, and God stops them dead in their tracks.

[8:04] And God will do the same thing now to people who have the same mindset as these Israelites did. God reminds them of what He has done. He reminds them of the works that He has performed on their behalf.

[8:16] He's reminding them again. They know who God is. They know that He is the Deliverer. They know that He is capable of delivering. But they didn't come to Him in such a manner. They came to Him with the attitude of, He's done it before.

[8:29] He'll do it again. And this has played out through Judges up to this point. And it will play out a few more times throughout the book of Judges. This cycle that we talked about before we really got into the sermon and the Scripture this evening.

[8:45] And He says, in the end of verse 12, it says, And I delivered you out of their hand. Verse 13. Yet ye have forsaken Me and served other gods.

[8:55] Wherefore, I will deliver you no more. God reminds them of what He has done for them. And He says, yet, yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods. Wherefore, I will deliver you no more.

[9:08] Folks, this is powerful words coming from the mouth of Almighty God. Yet, I will deliver you no more. Folks, this is scary words. This is terrifying words to come from Almighty God.

[9:19] He says, I will not deliver you. Now, we know throughout the book of Judges, throughout the history of Israel, really, that God delivered them over and over and over again. This does not make God a liar.

[9:31] But, folks, there is a time out there. There is a time out there. There is a line that is drawn somewhere that we can cross over. It is what Paul writes about in Romans chapter 1, where it says that God will give people over.

[9:43] He will let them drink of their sin. He will let them eat of their sin. He will let them play in their sin. He will let them roll around in the muck and the mire and in the filth of the world.

[9:54] He says, this is your sin. These are your gods. You enjoy them. You have fun with them. Because I am finished with you. And there is a time out there that God will do that.

[10:05] And He will not only do it for nations. He will do it for individuals as well. If someone has rejected the blood of Jesus Christ over and over, they have snubbed their nose at the gospel of Jesus Christ. They have trampled underfoot the blood of the Son of God.

[10:18] God can and will give people over. We don't know where that line is. Only God knows that. But He is God. He is sovereign. And He can do whatever He wants.

[10:29] I thank God when I was in that shape. When I was snubbing my nose at the gospel. When I was ignoring the Word of God. When I was ignoring preaching.

[10:40] When I was ignoring the things of God. And the warnings that came my way. God did not give me over. I thank God that He didn't look at me and say, I will deliver you no more. Now folks, again, God wasn't lying when He said this.

[10:54] God wasn't bluffing. God wasn't holding the nation going all in. That ain't what He was doing at all. God was speaking truth when He said, Wherefore, I will deliver you no more.

[11:06] Folks, if someone continues doing what they are doing. And does not have genuine repentance in their heart. God will not deliver them. God has made a way of deliverance.

[11:18] And it wasn't parting the Red Sea. That's not what it was at all. God's way of deliverance is through Jesus Christ. Through the land that was slain before the foundation of the world. God's deliverance is found in the blood of His only begotten Son.

[11:31] Of the crown jewel of heaven. This is where the deliverance of God is found. This is the only way to be delivered from sin. It's the only way to be delivered from oppression. It's the only way to be delivered from evil.

[11:43] To be delivered from wicked. This is the way God has prescribed. And it is the only way in existence. And I thank God for that way. Because it has nothing to do with me. It has nothing to do with me.

[11:54] That plan is completely, totally, and utterly of Almighty God. Yet ye have forsaken me and served other gods. Wherefore, I will deliver you no more.

[12:08] Stern words from a serious God. Very stern words. Verse 14. Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen. Folks, this is holy irony.

[12:20] If it's anywhere in the Bible. It's here in verse 14 in Judges chapter 10. Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen. Let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.

[12:32] I just said a few minutes ago. God will give people over. He will give nations over. He will give cities over. He will give individuals over into their sin. If they continually refuse to accept the gospel of Jesus Christ.

[12:45] If they continually refuse to repent and believe the gospel. God will give them over. He says, go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen.

[12:55] Israel chose to go after other gods. Israel chose to go to the god of the Zidonians. Israel chose to go after the gods of the Emirates and the gods of the Philistines.

[13:05] Israel chose to do these things. And we as children of God. We are just as susceptible to doing such a thing as these Israelites were. What are you chasing?

[13:15] Are you chasing your phone? Are you chasing your dreams? Are you chasing fortune? Are you chasing bodies? Are you chasing men? Are you chasing women? Chase after the things of God.

[13:26] That's repentance. That's repentance. Because by nature we are children of wrath. And by nature we chase after those things. What are the gods that we hold in our back pockets? What are the gods that we put upon the shelves?

[13:39] What are the gods that we have out here in the world? Or in our vehicles? Or what are the cases? Do away with those gods. Dig the grave. Bury them under the dirt. And look unto the Lord God. Your Savior.

[13:50] Hallelujah. Do away with those gods. Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen. Go ahead folks. Let me tell you. Your phone.

[14:02] Your job. Your money. Your retirement. Your family. Fathers. Mothers. Siblings. Children.

[14:12] Grandchildren. None of those things have bled for you. None of those things have bore your guilt. None of those things have hung upon a cross.

[14:22] But the crown jewel of heaven Jesus Christ did. Look unto Him and have life. Look unto Him. And live. Hallelujah. Those gods cannot save you. They will not save you.

[14:34] What was their problem? In verse 10. When they said. When they said. We've sinned. We've sinned folks. Up in verse 10. They said. We've seen other people do the same thing in the Bible.

[14:45] But there was no repentance. Pharaoh said the same thing. Exodus chapter 9. And Exodus chapter 10. He admitted his sin. King Saul admits it. In 1 Samuel chapter 15.

[14:56] A man named Balaam admits it. In Numbers chapter 22. They admit their wrongdoing. But there was no repentance. And they continued on in their false ways. They continued on toward false gods.

[15:07] Toward false hope. All these men did. And others in Scripture as well. He says. Go and cry unto the gods. Which ye have chosen. God told the Israelites. In the book of Deuteronomy.

[15:18] He says. I have set before you. Life and death. I have set before you. Good and evil. Choose life. Choose life. And they would choose life. And then they would choose the other gods.

[15:29] They would choose life. They would choose another god. They would choose life. They would choose another nation. And folks. We are in the same boat. If we're not careful. We as children of God.

[15:40] Can be just as susceptible to doing this. We have to expect it from the world. The world doesn't know any better. Pagans only know how to be pagans. And heathens only know how to be heathens.

[15:51] But we as children of God. We have heard the truth. We have been saved by grace. And we know better. That's what God is getting at. In all of this. He's saying. You know better.

[16:02] You knew better than to chase after these other gods. You knew better than to go to these other nations. And to whore after their gods. And after their goddesses. And after their idols.

[16:12] You knew better. And folks. We as children of God. We know better. We know better. And God. God can say these same things to us. He can say these same things to us.

[16:24] Go and cry. Under the gods which you have chosen. Let them deliver you. In the time of your tribulation. Verse 15. This is where the rubber really starts to meet the road. In these next two verses.

[16:36] Verse 15. And the children of Israel said unto the Lord. We have sinned. Do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee. Deliver us only.

[16:46] We pray thee. This day. We have sinned. That's exactly what they said in verse 10. But folks. There's something different. There's something different. And the children of Israel said unto the Lord.

[16:57] We have sinned. But they say. Do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good. Unto thee. Folks. This is true repentance. This is true repentance. They went to God.

[17:08] Because they knew that He was God. In verse 10. And they knew that He was a deliverer. In verse 10. But here. They realize something about God. They realize. Because He has reminded them.

[17:19] Of their works. And He has told them. Wherefore I will deliver you. No more. And they realize. Something here. And the children of Israel said unto the Lord. We have sinned. Do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee.

[17:30] They are recognizing God's sovereignty. They are recognizing that He is King. They are recognizing that He is the ruler. They say. Do whatsoever you think is good unto us.

[17:42] They are recognizing that He is a good God. And that whatever He does. On their behalf. It will be good. And even if it's like Job. In Job 13. When he says.

[17:53] Though He slay me. Yet will I trust Him. The Israelites are trusting. That even if God crushes them. It will be for their own good. And we have to accept that in our own lives sometimes.

[18:06] Sometimes God will put us through the ringer. Sometimes God will allow tribulation to come. Sometimes God will allow trial to come. And sometimes it's to drive us away from gods.

[18:16] That we have placed in our own lives. From gods that we have chosen. Just like the Israelites did. Sometimes it's to push us away from those. Sometimes it's just to bring us a little closer to Him. But it says.

[18:28] And the children of Israel said unto the Lord. We have sinned. Do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee. Deliver us only. We pray thee. This day. Notice. They are not bargaining with God here. And they have several times in the scriptures.

[18:40] Up until this point. And they do. Several times after this point. In the scriptures. They are not saying. But here they are not saying. Deliver us. And we will serve you. They are just saying.

[18:51] Do whatever you think is good. Whatever you think is right. Unto us. Only deliver us. This day folks. They have realized their state. They realize the kingship of Almighty God.

[19:02] They realize their lowly state. They are throwing themselves at the mercy of a holy, righteous, and just God. It would do us some good to learn from the Israelites here.

[19:13] To throw ourselves at the mercy. Or upon the mercy of Almighty God. And folks. There is no better place to find mercy than in Jesus Christ. He is mercy. He is mercy personified.

[19:25] Jesus Christ being the personification of the mercy of Almighty God. That is mercy. And that is salvation. That is holiness. And that is justness.

[19:35] And that is justification for us. Only through Jesus Christ. They say. Excuse me. Say whatever seemeth good unto thee. Deliver us only.

[19:46] We pray thee. This day. We pray thee. We are beseeching thee. We are asking you to deliver us. This day. But before that they said. Do whatever. Whatever you think is right.

[19:57] And whatever you think is good. They are recognizing whom God is. And it took God to show them. Who He was. And what He had done. And that therefore. Putting in their mind. What He is capable of doing.

[20:09] Into the future. Verse 16. And they put away the strange gods. From among them. Folks that is the key. That is the key. They put away the strange gods.

[20:21] From among them. That is true repentance. That is true repentance. It is putting away the strange gods. Putting away your sin. Turning away from your sin.

[20:31] They turned away from what got them in trouble. And folks. If we turn away. From what got us in trouble to begin with. And then we come to God. And then we say. God.

[20:42] You do whatever you see. Is good. And fit in your eyes. We throw ourselves at your feet. And depend upon your mercy. God will deliver. Hallelujah. They put away.

[20:54] And they put away the strange gods. This phrase put away. Basically means they divorce themselves. From the strange gods. That they had adopted. The gods that they had chosen.

[21:06] They put them away from themselves. They got rid of them. And I will encourage you to do the same thing. Tonight. If you've got gods. In your life. If you've got any of those little gods. In your life.

[21:16] And I ain't talking about little tiki statues. Or something like that folks. Anything can become a god. But folks. God does not and will not share his throne. It is his throne.

[21:26] He is the sovereign king. Over this universe. He is the one that is due all glory. All glory is his. According to the scripture. And he will have it all. One of these days. After a while.

[21:37] No matter how hard we try to keep a hold of it. No matter how hard we latch upon it. No matter how far up underneath our pillows. We tuck. What little bit of glory we might feel like we have. It all belongs to God.

[21:48] And he will have all of it. One of these days. We might as well give it all to him now. While we can. They put away the strange gods from among them. That's repentance. That's repentance.

[21:59] Folks. That is doing. That is doing. Just like James says. Be ye doers of the word. Not hearers only. Be ye doers of the word. What does the word tell us to do?

[22:10] It tells us to get rid of our idols. That's the last verse in 1 John. Little children. Keep yourselves from idols. Keep yourselves from idols. Don't let anything take the place of God in your life.

[22:23] And we'll stay in much better relationship with Almighty God if we do so. So they put the strange gods from among them. And served the Lord.

[22:34] Another aspect of repentance. Folks. It's one thing to quit singing. Sing. To quit sinning. We can't completely quit sinning. It's impossible. Your flesh is sinful.

[22:44] Everything about us is sinful. We're naturally sinful. We're born into sin. We're shaped in iniquity. We can't get away from it. But. To quit drinking. A person could do that.

[22:55] To quit drugging. A person could do that. To quit being an adulterer. A person could do that. A person could quit lying. A person could quit stealing. They can quit doing all kinds of different things. They can quit doing that.

[23:05] But it does them no good. If they're not serving God. But there's too many people in the world. And I've preached this many times. And I've taught it many times.

[23:16] Brother Burns heard it on many a street corner. There's too many people. That think. That if I don't do this anymore. Me and God's going to be alright. If I don't do this anymore.

[23:28] This will be enough to get me into heaven. Folks. We could never do enough. Or in this case. What we're talking about now. We could never not do enough. To get us into heaven. Only Jesus Christ was capable of that.

[23:40] And only Jesus Christ is able to get us into heaven. But if we repent of our ways. Such as these Israelites do. Here in verse 16. If we put away the strange gods from among us.

[23:51] And we serve the Lord. That is true repentance. And that is true coming to God. Folks. We are in right relationship with God. They believed the Word of God.

[24:02] They believed what they have heard. They believed the Scriptures. The Torah. That they had before this. The Torah that tells all about God. It tells all about God's mercy.

[24:13] It tells all about God's deliverance. But it also tells all about God's judgment. And all about God's wrath. In the Torah. You can find all of these things. And they believed every bit of it. Every bit of it folks.

[24:24] They didn't have the gospel of Jesus Christ. Like you and I did. But they had the promise of the gospel. Found in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 15. Where the seed of the woman was promised to bruise. And to crush the head of the serpent.

[24:36] Hallelujah. They had that promise. And they were holding on to that promise. They were holding on to the Word of God. They believed the Word of God. They believed God. They believed that He had delivered. And they put away the strange gods from among them.

[24:48] And they served the Lord. In the last part of that verse. And his soul was grieved. For the misery of Israel. Folks.

[24:58] They did it right. They did it right. But keep in mind. Salvation is not of us. Salvation is not through us. Salvation is of God.

[25:10] It is by God. It is for us. But it is by God. God has no reason to save Himself. God is holy. God is holy. There is no saving God.

[25:21] God is holy. But we are the ones that needed the saving. It says they put the strange gods from among them. They served the Lord. And His soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.

[25:33] Imagine this. Folks. This is the sovereign King. This is Almighty God. The same God that spoke the entire universe into existence. Is grieved for the misery of His people.

[25:46] Hallelujah. He is all powerful. He is all knowing. He is the strength. He is everything. And He is grieved for the suffering of His people.

[25:57] And God is grieved for the suffering of you. If you are His, He is grieved for my suffering. He is grieved for the suffering of everyone that belongs unto Him. But it is not because of works that we have done.

[26:10] It is because we have believed the Gospel when it was presented unto us. We have believed the death, the burial, and the resurrection. We believe that the only begotten Son of the Father came here, was born of a virgin, lived a perfect sinless life, was crucified, was put in the grave, was raised a third and appointed morning, has since ascended to the right hand of the Father.

[26:29] And He forever sits there making mediation and intercession for all of those that have repented of their sin believing His Gospel. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. We believe these things.

[26:41] And because we believe that Christ is who the Bible says He is, we have repented of our ways. And we have served God. I don't know everybody's heart.

[26:51] Maybe somebody hasn't done that. That's within earshot of me tonight. Folks, that's what it takes. That is what it takes. Repent and believe.

[27:03] Repent and believe. You find it in the Old Testament. You find it in the New Testament. People will not be able to stand before God and say, I didn't know. People will not be able to stand before God and say, well, I never heard the Gospel put plainly to me.

[27:17] The book of Acts says that at one time God winked at that kind of ignorance, but now commands men everywhere to repent. Everyone must repent. And in that repentance, there must be belief.

[27:28] We can't just repent and not believe. Just like we cannot just believe and not repent. If we truly believe that Christ is who the Bible says He is, if we believe that He is coming back as judge of all this world one day, that should drive us to repentance.

[27:44] It should drive us to repentance. Because it is a fierce Christ. It is a fierce judge that is described in the book of Revelation. It is not a baby in a manger.

[27:55] And it is not a lowly man going from village to village preaching and teaching and healing. And it is not a crucified Savior on a cross at that point. That Savior has risen.

[28:05] I am glad to tell you I serve a risen Lord. I serve a risen Savior. Yes, He was dead. But He says Himself in Revelation 1.18, I am He that liveth and was dead. And behold, I am alive forevermore.

[28:17] Amen. And hold the keys of hell and of death. Amen. This is the Christ that is coming as judge. And this is the Christ that I encourage you to believe in this evening. God bless you all.

[28:28] That's this evening's message from me. I appreciate your attention. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.