Misplaced Trust and God’s Persistent Mercy

Judges

Week 25 — Misplaced Trust and God’s Persistent Mercy

Once again the people of Israel committed evil in the eyes of the Lord. (Jdg 10:6a)

  1. The gift of _________ and _________ leadership.

1 After Abimelek, Tola, the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man from Issachar, arose to deliver Israel. He lived in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. 2 He judged Israel twenty-three years. Then he died and was buried in Shamir.
v3 After him Jair from Gilead arose. He judged Israel twenty-two years. 4 He had thirty sons, who rode thirty donkeys, and he also had thirty villages in the land of Gilead. People call them the Villages of Jair [yah-ear] to this very day. 5 Jair [yah-ear] also died and was buried in Kamon. (Jdg 10:1–5)

  1. The _____________ of _____________________ the Lord.

6 Once again the people of Israel committed evil in the eyes of the Lord. They served the Baals and the Ashtartes, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the people of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines. In this way they forsook [עָזַב (a-zav)] the Lord and did not serve him. (Jdg 10:6)

The number seven expresses God's _____________________, _____________________, _________________, and his perfect _________________ relationship with his church. God's involvement in his creation results in his complete holy perfect _________ being done.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken [עָזַב (a-zav)] me? My groaning does nothing to save me. (Ps 22:1)
About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken [עָזַב (a-zav)] me?” (Mt 27:46)
7 So the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites, 8 who shattered and crushed the people of Israel that year. For the next eighteen years, the Ammonites oppressed all the people of Israel who were in the territory east of the Jordan, in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. 9 When the Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to wage war against Judah and Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim, Israel suffered great distress. (Jdg 10:7–9)

  1. Empty _____________________.

10 Finally the people of Israel called out to the Lord, “We have sinned against you, for we have forsaken [עָזַב (a-zav)] our God and have served the Baals.” (Jdg 10:10)
11 At this, the Lord said to the people of Israel, “Did I not deliver you from Egypt, from the Amorites, from the Ammonites, and from the Philistines? 12 When the Sidonians and Amalek and Maon oppressed you, and you called out to me, I delivered you from their hands. 13 It is you who have forsaken [עָזַב (a-zav)] me and served other gods. Therefore, I will no longer deliver you. 14 Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen! Let them deliver you in the time of your distress!” (Jdg 10:11–14)
But the Lord said to Samuel, “… the Lord does not look at things the way man does. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Sa 16:7b)

The word sanctification means "a holy life." In the broad sense sanctification refers to _____________________ that the Holy Spirit does in bring us to ___________ and _____________. In the narrow sense sanctification refers to a Christian's _________ as a result of ___________.

In sanctification in the ___________ sense, there is _____ cooperation, it is _______ God’s work. In sanctification in the _____________ sense, there is a _______________ cooperation between God and the Christian.

You shall have no other gods before me. (Ex 20:3)
[Peter said] You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit! You are doing just what your fathers did. (Ac 7:51)

  1. True _____________________.

15 But the people of Israel said to the Lord, “We have sinned. Do with us whatever seems good in your eyes, but please save [נָצַל (nah-tsal)] us today.” 16 When they removed the foreign gods from their midst and served the Lord, he could no longer refrain from relieving the misery of Israel. (Jdg 10:15–16)
8 So I have come down to deliver [נָצַל (nah-tsal)] them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. (Ex 3:8)
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears. From all their distress he delivers [נָצַל (nah-tsal)] them. (Ps 34:17)

The _________ did all of this _______ because of Israel earned it, but because of who he _____.

  1. God _________________ a ___________________.

17 Then the Ammonites were called to arms and set up camp in Gilead. The people of Israel also gathered and camped at Mizpah. 18 The army and the officers of Gilead said to each other, “Who is the man who will begin to wage war against the Ammonites? He will become head of all those who live in Gilead.” (Jdg 10:17–18)
12b … continue to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 In fact, it is God who is working in you, both to will and to work, for the sake of his good pleasure. (Php 2:12b–13)
When he [Jesus] saw the crowds, he was moved with compassion for them … (Mt 9:36)

Points to Ponder

  1. What is one thing that stood out for you from this week’s message?
  2. What does the quiet leadership of Tola and Jair teach us?
  3. Why is the word “forsook” so significant in this text?
  4. How can we recognize “empty repentance” in our own lives?
  5. Where have I been more sorry about outcomes than about offending God?
  6. What evidence shows the repentance in Judges 10:15–16 is genuine repentance created by the Holy Spirit?
  7. Why is God’s harsh response in verses 11–14 actually grace?
  8. What warning do we see in verses 17–18 even after repentance?
  9. Where am I functionally trusting myself instead of seeking the Lord first?

Read: Judges 11