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Breaking The Cycle: A Lasting Change

We are launching into the book of Judges today. We will start with Judges 2:6. This is the moment that the whole Old Testament up till now has pointed towards. For the first time in history we meet a generation of people who have the opportunity to live freely under the direct rule of God. They have the potential to be a community of such love and righteousness that all the peoples of the earth will be blessed by them.

The question is will they keep their eyes fixed on the God who gave them the land and formed them into a people?

In Genesis 12:1-3, God told Abraham that he would do two specific things. He promised to establish a community:

        1. People: God told him his descendants would be as many as the stars of the heavens.         2. Place: God told him that they would have a land of their own. (Milk and Honey)

Following that promise there were literal decades of striving to get to the place we find them in the book of Judges. They were under Egyptian slavery at one point. They escaped and wandered around in the wilderness. Generations passed and they finally follow Joshua into the Promised Land but then have to fight battle after battle to conquer the land.

In Judges 2:6, we discover that the promise made to Abraham is now a reality. The people of Israel have become a mighty nation. They are now settled in their own land and the dream is now a reality. The question is how are they going to do? Will they take advantage of this incredible opportunity arranged by God himself and become the blessing on the earth that He intended? Let’s read in Judges 2:6:

“6 After Joshua had dismissed the Israelites, they went to take possession of the land, each to his own inheritance. 7 The people served the LORD throughout the lifetime of Joshua and of the elders who outlived him and who had seen all the great things the LORD had done for Israel.

Joshua had released the Israelites to go out and start a new country. They could take land and make it their own.

8 Joshua son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died at the age of a hundred and ten. 9 And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres [b] in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. 11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals.


The whole reason for everything we are going to study today in the book of Judges can be found in verses ten and eleven. Let’s look at these verses again on the screen:

10 After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel. 11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD and served the Baals.

There was a torch of faith that did not get passed down from one generation to the next. In case you are sitting on the sidelines in this church and have time to wonder why we are investing so much in Children’s and Student Ministries at our church here you have your answer. The baby boomer generation did not do such a good job at passing their faith on to their offspring to be painfully honest. If we were to rely on the adult children of the last couple of generations of people to be leading in our church we would be in trouble because they are not here. We are trying hard to break that cycle by investing in leaders and a vision that will help you save the faith of your kids. Don’t leave the faith of your children to the church. You as a parent and grandparent are responsible for the faith of your kids. We will do everything we can a couple of hours a week or so but you need to start taking your kids faith seriously. In one generation they lost their faith and spiritual history! Let me give you another perspective to think about while I am digressing . . . when you volunteer in one of the ministries that work with children you are not just a warm body. You ought to be praying about the time you spend with these precious little kids or teens. Children’s and Student Ministries is one of the greatest places of influence in the whole of a church body’s ministry.

The reason Judges is one of the saddest books in the Bible is because the opportunity to pass on the torch of faith was missed time and time again.

12 They forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They provoked the LORD to anger 13 because they forsook him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths. 14 In his anger against Israel the LORD handed them over to raiders who plundered them. He sold them to their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist. 15 Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the LORD was against them to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.

16 Then the LORD raised up judges, [c] who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. 17 Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them. Unlike their fathers, they quickly turned from the way in which their fathers had walked, the way of obedience to the LORD’s commands. 18 Whenever the LORD raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the LORD had compassion on them as they groaned under those who oppressed and afflicted them. 19 But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their fathers, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways.


What we have just read is the beginning of a vicious cycle. Israel was led to a time of peace and then they became complacent and began to sin and compromise their God given convictions. This led to pain and they would cry out to God. God would give them a judge to deliver His people. Over time their enemies would flee and they would start back into the same cycle.

Every year I see this at the YMCA. Right after January 1rst there is this influx of new people. It’s amazingly consistent. There all running around and serious about their new exercise program. You see people in spandex that you wish you hadn’t seen. What’s happening? They are in a cycle that leads them to think healthy after the holidays and they are feeling the pain of having to buy new clothes or the pain of wearing clothes that don’t fit.

Judges 3:7

7 The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs. 8 The anger of the LORD burned against Israel so that he sold them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram Naharaim, [b] to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years. 9 But when they cried out to the LORD, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, who saved them. 10 The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, so that he became Israel's judge [c] and went to war.

Let me define what a judge was in this context. It was someone who was a leader not someone sitting on a bench in a robe. They were strategic leaders spiritually, politically, morally and militarily.

The LORD gave Cushan-Rishathaim king of Aram into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him. 11 So the land had peace for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.

You would hope that now the Israelites have learned their lesson. But let’s read on:

12 Once again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and because they did this evil the LORD gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel. 13 Getting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms. [d] 14 The Israelites were subject to Eglon king of Moab for eighteen years. Once again they are being punished and this time it is their relatives the Moabites. (descendants of Lot) 15 Again the Israelites cried out to the LORD, and he gave them a deliverer—Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite.

Why does the writer make sure we know it was a left-handed man? The actual meaning of this usage is that he was hindered in his right hand. It could be that the writer wants people to know that here was someone with a disability that God used in a mighty way. The rest of this story reads like an action movie.

The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab. 16 Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a foot and a half [e] long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing. 17 He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man. 18 After Ehud had presented the tribute, he sent on their way the men who had carried it. 19 At the idols [f] near Gilgal he himself turned back and said, "I have a secret message for you, O king. The king said, "Quiet!" And all his attendants left him.

20 Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his summer palace [g] and said, "I have a message from God for you." As the king rose from his seat, 21 Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king's belly. 22 Even the handle sank in after the blade, which came out his back. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it. 23 Then Ehud went out to the porch [h] ; he shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them.


This is a very violent story. They cry to God and He delivers them from years of oppression. Maybe now they have learned their lesson.

1 After Ehud died, the Israelites once again did evil in the eyes of the LORD. 2 So the LORD sold them into the hands of Jabin, a king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth Haggoyim. 3 Because he had nine hundred iron chariots and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the LORD for help.

God once again responds by giving them a judge.

4 Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was leading [a] Israel at that time.

Two things you need to know about Deborah. She was a prophet and not all judges were prophets. Anybody notice anything else? She is a woman. There is to this day some controversy over woman being used in leadership. Here we have an example in the Old Testament of lady called of God to be in leadership. She was the highest leader of Israel. She not her husband was chosen to lead.

Here is an example of her respect. She calls in her commander in chief and gives him an order to march against the enemy. Look at what happens in verse eight.

8 Barak said to her, "If you go with me, I will go; but if you don't go with me, I won't go."

Here is a man asking a woman to go with him into battle. This goes against all the stereotypes of this day.

Did you hear about the mix up a couple of years ago at the Barbie doll factory? It seems that they put GI Joe voice boxes in the Barbie’s and vice a versa. It messed up and traumatized a whole lot of little kids. Little girls would push the button on their talking Barbie and hear this voice say: “Let’s move out. Show some guts.” And the little boys would push the button on GI Joe and hear, “Okay, let’s go shopping.” The reversal of roles can be very confusing.

That’s what was happening here and God uses Deborah to defeat the enemy. The wheels of all these chariots get stuck in the mud after an unexpected storm. Israel is saved once again.

Sisera, the leader with all the stuck chariots tries to hide in the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber his friend.

“17 Sisera, however, fled on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because there were friendly relations between Jabin king of Hazor and the clan of Heber the Kenite. 18 Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, "Come, my Lord , come right in. Don't be afraid." So he entered her tent, and she put a covering over him. 19 "I'm thirsty," he said. "Please give me some water." She opened a skin of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him up. 20 "Stand in the doorway of the tent," he told her. "If someone comes by and asks you, 'Is anyone here?' say 'No.' " 21 But Jael, Heber's wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.” Judges 4:17-21

God once again delivers His people and you might think that God’s people would learn their lesson and straighten up. Lets look at Judges 6:

“1 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. 2 Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. 3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. 4 They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. 5 They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it. 6 Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the LORD for help.”

Do you think God’s patience is getting a little thin? Once again God hears and answers their prayer. He does it this time with a very unlikely character. This time the judges name is Gideon and he is not who you or I would pick.

Let me give you a visual of someone in leadership so that you can know how nervous and worried Gideon was. He lived in fear of his shadow.

11 The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 12 When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior."

He is threshing wheat in a wine press which is not how it was done. Normally you would do it on a slope of ground so that the wind could blow the chaff away. He was afraid and hiding. Do you think there is some irony or sarcasm in the greeting of the angel?

14 The LORD turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?" 15 "But Lord , " Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."

16 The LORD answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together." 17 Gideon replied, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me.

God gave him a sign by burning up his sacrifice. Then God said tear down your father’s idol to Baal and listen to what Gideon did. 27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the LORD told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the men of the town, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.


He is afraid of his family. But God protects him and he is successful. When it came time to do battle with the Midianites God once again was with this timid judge and Israel. It is an incredible story that unfolds as God leads Gideon to defeat the Midianites. Were not going to have time to look at it very closely but let me point out a couple of points of interest.

Gideon “put out a fleece.” Putting out a fleece is not an expression of faith or a positive thing it is an expression of fear. In verse 36 this is what Gideon has to say to God:

36 Gideon said to God, "If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised- 37 look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said."

Did you catch that line: "If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised”

God promised it and that should be enough but here he is doubting it. You can prove anything by a fleece. I read about a guy that prayed outside of a bakery, “God if you want me to have a doughnut help me find a parking place right outside the front door. He was laying out his fleece. “Sure enough, he said, “The fifth time around the block there was a parking space right in front of the door.”

You know how we learn God’s will the best way? We discover his plan for our lives by discernment, being immersed in Scripture, prayer, listening to God speak through others, being in community with other people, being part of a church where you have trusted leaders. These things are much more reliable than using a “fleece.”

God moved in a great way but tried to teach this fearful leader and Israel a lesson in the process. Read chapter seven on your own but God led him into battle with a 450 to 1 ratio by pairing down Gideon’s army. It is a terrific story and yet another example of God trying to get through to them that He was their source of power and strength.

Now let me draw some conclusions for you about what we have learned today.

Let me show you the cycle once again. Twelve times Israel repeated this cycle of sin and pain. Why do you think they kept doing this?

Their besetting sin was worship of the false god Baal. The evil one or the devil made Baal worship look attractive. It was convenient. They didn’t have to travel out into the wilderness three times a year to worship because there were altar to Baal everywhere they looked. Baal worship was built on self-gratification. You didn’t have to be holy to worship. There was no Ten Commandments or moral obligations. Sexual promiscuity was a common part of Baal worship. They just kept falling for it over and over.



Living this kind of lifestyle will cause some major pain in our lives. The question is, are you crying to God in repentance or because you are in pain? Are you really wanting to do His will and live His way or are you just wanting relief from the current pain you are in?

You see nothing has changed. Every one wants the pain to stop. You can count on the evil one to always make sin look attractive and you can count on him to always hide the pain.

Sin and disobedience is often portrayed to us in the same four ways:

  1. convenient
  2. self-gratifying
  3. culturally normal
  4. attractive

If a little boy walked over to a stove, reached up, and touched the burner, he would burn his hand. Even if he was not a bright kid, most likely he would not touch it again. The sheer pain would drive him away form the stove. If he was foolish enough to touch the burner again and was burned again, it would seem this little guy would catch on after being burned a couple of times Can you imagine a kid being so dense or stubborn that that he or she would reach up and touch a hot burner over and over again? It would be unthinkable.

Yet there are people right in this very room who do exactly that. Week after week, year after year they keep right on repeating the same old habits. They make excuses and blame every thing from the childhood to the circumstances of life. To be honest some of you never learn. You just keep reaching and you keep getting burned. You know how this works. If you go that adult web site it just feels good while you are there but ask the guys in this church who are trying to get victory over it about the pain it cause. You just feel so good when you indulge in sexual sin or drunkenness or any number of other things and yet after it is over you are reeling in pain because of it. Every time we get into this cycle the pain will follow. For some of us it messes our whole life up. Sin will always take us further then we ever could have imagined.

How much pain will you endure before you break the cycle? Are you ready to repent with godly sorrow? Are you ready to say, “God I am so hungry to live a clean and free life that even if it hurts for me to give up my sinful ways, I will do it if you will help me.”

Two things you need to know that you can count on in this life.

The evil one will always make sin look attractive and hide the pain.

God will always be faithful to cleanse you and forgive you from your unrighteousness. What God has always longed for is a people who will love Him with their whole hearts. With all their mind and soul and strength.

Let us pray.



2007/10/07