Judges 3:7-11 “He Hears Our Cry”

Judges 3:7-11 “He Hears Our Cry”

The word Judge means deliver. Israel need one. Israel was just a one generation into the promised land and they had turned away from God. They end up in servitude to the king of Mesopotamia. By force they were slaves in Egypt, by choice they are slaves again in the promised land. Then they cry out to God.

I cannot remember the whole story but there are so many like it. A police office went to empty the trash in the dumpster behind the station and heard a crying noise. Following the sound, he found a Baby in the snow crying it’s eyes out. The baby lived because he heard the cries.

The people of Israel cry out to God and God hears their cries. To save them God sends Othniel.

Slaves in the promised land.
                a. apathy
                b. addiction
                c. something from your past
                d. the loss of a spouse, child, a parent or a friend
                e. financial issues
                f. health issues

If my people who are called by my name 2 Ch 7:14

Psalm 30:1-12 his anger last a moment…

 

The whole church can be held captive in the promised land
a. dead and hopeless
b. parched dry bones
c. Dry bones live. Ezek 37:1-14
d. Dry bones stop grieving the Holy Spirit, Receive the Holy Spirit and live!

Are you dry bones, tired bones, in mourning for some lost thing? Are you a slave in the promised land? God hears your cries. Cry out, scream, yell out in prayer for God hears your cries and can make your dry bones live.

Judges 3:1-6 “Uneven Yokes”

Judges 3:1-6 “Uneven Yokes”

Samaria: 722 the northern kingdom is taken by Assyria; the leading people are taken to what is now Iraq. Then Assyria brings non-Jews in to settle in the northern kingdom called Samaria. Jew intermarried became known as Samaritans. John 4:20-24

 

Israel comes into the Promise Land but fail to drive out the people living there. Soon after the start to intermarry and then start adding worship of Baal and Asheroth to their own. The next step is that they quit serving Yahweh at all, and God brings judgement on them.

Today people are not much different from Israel back then. In order to not offend people or to blend in with the group people want to bring into their Christian faith parts of other religions and blend them. The other effort is to validate Muslims, Hindus and Jews as all valid ways to God.

1.       In the time of judges
a. 1^st commandment “you shall have no other gods besides or except Me”
b. Places of worship Deuteronomy 12
c. judges 3:8 The anger of the Lord… Judges them

2.       The Samaritans
a. who and what they are
b. they point back to Abraham
c. Jesus says John 4:22 “you worship what you do not know”
d. Though they point toward Abraham they are really worshiping something else.
e. their worship is not true.
f. they do not worship the same God.

3.       Muslims are in much the same boat as Samaritans.
a. They point back to Abraham
b. from there they go off into works and muhammadism.
c. five pillars of Islam
1. Faith which includes Mahammad
2. Prayer 5 times a day (toward Mecca)
3. Charity to the poor.
4. Fasting, as repentance, devotion, seek holiness
5. Pilgrimage to Mecca
d. Mahammad and the Quran
e. works for salvation
f. pilgrimage to Mecca to stone the devil
g. failure to recognize Jesus and the Holy Spirit as God.
h. they worship what they do not know.
i. though they point to Abraham they really worship something else.
j. there worship is not true and they do not worship the same God as we do.
k. you cannot practice Islam and be a Christian at the same time.

4.       The same can be said for the Jewish faith.

5.       2 Corinthians 6:14-17
a. worship
b. marriage
c. lifestyle
d. values

6.       Who are we yoked to
a. fear, despair, depression, some sin we cannot leave
b. there is only room in a yoke for two. You and something or someone else.
c. Whose yoke are you in? Take a good look next to you.
d. Matthew 11:28-30

“At Peace with the World” Judges 2:16-23

“At Peace with the World” Judges 2:16-23

The book of Judges covers the time from when Israel enters the promised land until the time of the Kings. It tells us of a cycle of Israel’s unfaithfulness and God’s call to bring them back. Under Joshua the people entered the land and God gave them great victories. But Israel soon tired of fighting and driving out the people of the land as God commanded and sought peace with them instead.

This cycle of judges is not that much different than life in the church and the life of many individual Christians. We cycle from repentance, compromise, sin, judgement and back to repentance.

1.Where God Wants us to Be.
a. a land of milk and honey, full of promises and good things.
b. faith, hope, love, joy and peace.
c. John 4:14 Living water.

2. What God wants us to do.
a. Matthew 4:13-16 Salt and light
b. Matt 14:29

James 4:4 enemy of God.
2 cor 6:14 what fellowship
Mat 6:23 Your whole body

God has wonderful things for you, Joy, hope, peace, and love, all beyond your understanding. Is there something standing in your way? Is there a place in life where you have made peace with world? A place of compromise that keeps being brought up?  What’s living in the land?  A bit of lust? A dab of greed? A bucket of pride? A little addiction? With God’s help they can be driven out. With God’s help they can be defeated. You can have God’s best for you. Ask Him today to help you drive out the people of the land. Start to experience the best God has to offer today.