God is always at work, even in the darkest stories

Judges- The God Who Acts

Judges- one of the R-rated books of the BibleAccounts a long, dark history Israel participated in. Because of compromise and habitual rejection of God. Don’t look away, church, because ancient Israel is a blessing to us.

1 Corinthians 10:1-6

Judges 3- What is expected

• Othniel, Judges and God delivers the King of Mesopotamia to him
• Israel turns away again, so God raises Eglon the King of Moab
• God raises Ehud up, who happens to be left handed. This small detail is what catches the King of Moab off guard, allowing Ehud to seize the opportunity and kill him and deliver Israel
• The Shamgar gets the smallest of mentions

• Othniel, Judges and God delivers the King of Mesopotamia to him
• Israel turns away again, so God raises Eglon the King of Moab
• God raises Ehud up, who happens to be left handed. This small detail is what catches the King of Moab off guard, allowing Ehud to seize the opportunity and kill him and deliver Israel
• The Shamgar gets the smallest of mentions

Job 40:6-14

Being the same yesterday, today, and forever, God breaks any misconception of formulaic pursuit of Him

Judges 4:1-5

• Deborah- the unexpected agent

• Miriam is the last prophetess we know of, but even she served under Moses as a judge
• Deborah is recognized by all of Israel, as she is judging over Israel as Moses did
• In the ancient middle east, this was close to unheard of, certainly not amongst pagan nations
• She isn’t waging war against her oppressor
• She is leading Israel through wisdom

Judges 4:6-8

Judges:9-16

• Now there’s the Judges we know! At least, if the account ended here, but we have more to read

Judges 4:17-24

• Jael- the agent of provision
• Jael and her husband had moved away from their people
• It was a death sentence, yet here they are
• They were considered allies to the Canaanites
• But for reasons unknown, Jael and her husband were not friendly to them

“God subdued on that day Jabin the King of Canaan before the sons of Israel”

In the accounting of the events, the writer of Judges had no question in their mind God did it, because God Acts. This is the main point I believe God is speaking to us through Judges 4: God is always working, in every and any circumstance.

Consider the reading today!

• “the LORD raised up a deliverer”
• “the LORD gave... [the] King of Mesopotamia into his hand.”
• “the LORD strengthened Eglon... against Israel.”
• “the LORD sold them into the hand...”
• “the God of Israel has commanded...”
• “I will give him into your hand”
• “the LORD will sell Sisera into the hands of a woman.”
• “the LORD routed Sisera...”
• “God subdued...”

Difficulty in this truth, I know, but let's let the Spirit speak to us

God is for you! Not against you! He is not eliminating us, but perfecting us! Through things you wouldn’t expect . Tragedy, pain, suffering. Through things that “resist” God. Through things that seem circumstantialDaily life, encounters, and “chance”. We serve an amazing and loving God who is constantly pursuing His people. Can we recognize it? Can we worship Him for it?

Examen: Practice reflection & listening

Surrender: Practice Humility & PeacePraise: Practice Joy & Testimony

Key Takeaway

To avoid getting stuck in a cycle of sin, keep your eyes fixed on the cross.

Judges 2:10-19 - Today's Big Idea - Israel's cycle of sin is a bad habit that Jesus died to end.Key Takeaway - To avoid getting stuck in a cycle of sin, keep your eyes fixed on the cross.

1. The Shape of the Cycle

Picture Israel's pattern like this:

• Israel starts by serving God faithfully
• Like a slow leak in a tire, they begin to drift into sin and idolatry
• They become enslaved to the very people they were supposed to drive out
• After suffering under oppression, they finally cry out to God for help
• God responds with mercy and raises up a judge to deliver them
• The judge leads them to freedom and spiritual renewal... until they don't

2. When Compromise Creates a Crisis

"After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel."

(Judges 2:10 NIV)

Key Truth: Half-hearted devotion produces children who don't know God.

3. Sin Is Never Private

"Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors..." (Judges 2:11-13 NIV)

4. The Anger of Love

"In his anger against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands of raiders who plundered them..." (Judges 2:14-15 NIV)

5. The Mystery of the Judge

"Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders."

(Judges 2:16 NIV)

Quote from Dale Ralph Davis: "The One who 'gave them into the hand of the

plunderers' also 'saved them from the hand of the plunderers'; the hand that is against them is nevertheless mysteriously for them. Here is the fundamental miracle of the Bible: that the God who rightly casts us down should—without reason—stoop to lift us up."

6. Breaking Free from Our Cycles

Jesus Christ is the Judge who never dies. He's the Deliverer who doesn't just rescue us from the consequences of our sin—He destroys the power of sin itself.

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8 NIV)

7. Fixing Our Eyes on the Cross

Will we keep running in circles, or will we fix our eyes on the One who broke thecycle forever?

Small Group Discussion Questions

1. What does the cycle of sin in Judges teach us about human nature and our tendency to forget God's faithfulness?

2. The text says "another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor

what he had done for Israel." How can we ensure that the next generation knows God? What practical steps can we take?

3. How does compromise in our spiritual lives lead to crisis? Can you share an example from your own life or observation?

4. The sermon mentions that "sin is never private." How do our personal choices affect those around us, especially our families?

5. How do we reconcile God's anger with His love? What does this passage teach us about God's character?

6. Dale Ralph Davis describes God as the One who "rightly casts us down" yet "stoops to lift us up." How have you experienced this paradox in your own faith journey?

7. How is Jesus different from the judges in the Old Testament? Why is it significant that He is "the Judge who never dies"?

Sermon Notes

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." - George Santayana

This morning we begin our journey through the book of Judges—a mirror held up to both ancient Israel and our modern world. Judges describes a time of chaos, violence, political disorder, and moral confusion. It was a time when, as the final verse says, “There was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Sound familiar?

The book exposes what happens when people abandon truth and live by personal preference instead of God’s direction.

As we study Judges, we’ll see a repeating pattern of compromise—how God’s people drifted from obedience to rebellion, from blessing to bondage, from repentance to renewal. And in seeing their pattern, we’ll be challenged to recognize our own tendencies and to rediscover what it means to live under God’s rule, not our own.

Backdrop:

Israel has just lost Joshua. They’re leaderless, standing at the edge of the Promised Land, with the opportunity to live out God’s promises. But without strong leadership and faithful obedience, they begin to compromise—and that’s where the story begins. Israel shows us a pattern of life that leads to compromise with the world. And if we can recognize that pattern, we can avoid repeating their mistakes.

Look at their response in…

Judges 1:3–4 NIV

The men of Judah then said to the Simeonites their fellow Israelites, “Come up with us into the territory allotted to us, to fight against the Canaanites. We in turn will go with you into yours.” So the Simeonites went with them. When Judah attacked, the Lord gave the Canaanites and Perizzites into their hands, and they struck down ten thousand men at Bezek.

THE TURNING POINT: ENCOUNTERING RESISTANCE

This is exactly what happens to Israel in…

Judges 1:19–20 NIV

The Lord was with the men of Judah. They took possession of the hill country, but they were unable to drive the people from the plains, because they had chariots fitted with iron. As Moses had promised, Hebron was given to Caleb, who drove from it the three sons of Anak.

Judges 1:21 NIV

The Benjamites, however, did not drive out the Jebusites, who were living in Jerusalem; to this day the Jebusites live there with the Benjamites.

Judges 1:27 NIV

But Manasseh did not drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor or Ibleam or Megiddo and their surrounding settlements, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that land.

Judges 1:29 NIV

Nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites living in Gezer, but the Canaanites continued to live there among them.

THE CONFRONTATION: GOD'S QUESTION

In chapter 2, God sends an angel to confront them. And the angel asks a devastating question…

Judges 2:1–2 NIV

The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars.’ Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this?

“I can't do it.”

“You won't do it.”

THE PATTERN: TWO BIG LOSSES

First, we lose sight of what matters most.

Second, we lose our distinction.

"God wanted Israel to take the entire land of Canaan, but instead they only cleared out some areas and they learned to live with idols in their midst. In other words, they neither wholly rejected God nor wholly accepted him. This halfway discipleship and compromise is depicted by the book of Judges as an impossible, unstable compound. God wants all of our lives, not

just part." Timothy Keller

THE HOPE: GOD'S UNCHANGING COVENANT

God is a God of grace.

Look at what the angel declares about the character of God in verse 1:

Judges 2:1 NIV

Are you in the enthusiasm phase?

Are you in the resistance phase?

Are you in the compromise phase?

God wants all of your life, not just part.