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Turn in your Bibles to Judges 
2. Judges 2, we're going to start 
reading at verse 7 and read to chapter 3, verse 6. Remember, 
chapters 1 and 2 are introductory to the rest of the book. Chapter 
1 specifically deals with geography from a theological standpoint. 
It indicates the places where the children of Israel did not 
dispossess the land of the Canaanites. We see at the end of chapter 
1 repeated emphasis on whatever the name of the tribe did not 
drive out. did not drive out, did not drive 
out. Remember in Deuteronomy 7, 1 
to 5, they were told that they were to go into the land, they 
were to utterly dispossess the land, they were to tear down 
any religious items, any altars of worship, they were not to 
enter into political alliances or treaties, they were not to 
marry with the people of the land. Well, here in chapter 2, 
we see a very vivid sketch of how they abandoned that whole 
mindset and they engaged in apostasy. So we're going to look at the 
root of Israel's apostasy tonight in chapter 2, verses 7 to 10. Secondly, the description of 
Israel's apostasy, chapter 2, 11 to 15. And then the divine 
response to Israel's apostasy, 2.16 to 3.6. So I'll just pick up reading 
in chapter 2 at verse 7. So the people served the Lord 
all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived 
Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord which 
he had done for Israel. Now Joshua, the son of Nun, the 
servant of the Lord, died when he was 110 years old. And they buried him within the 
border of his inheritance at Timnath-Heras in the mountains 
of Ephraim on the north side of Mount Gesh. When all that 
generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation 
arose after them who did not know the Lord nor the work which 
he had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did 
evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals. And they 
forsook the Lord God of their fathers, who had brought them 
out of the land of Egypt. And they followed other gods 
from among the gods of the people who were all around them. And 
they bowed down to them, and they provoked the Lord to anger. 
They forsook the Lord and served Baal in the Ashtoreths. And the 
anger of the Lord was hot against Israel. So he delivered them 
into the hands of plunderers who despoiled them. And he sold 
them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they 
could no longer stand before their enemies. Wherever they 
went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for calamity, 
as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn to them. And 
they were greatly distressed. Nevertheless, the Lord raised 
up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who 
plundered them. Yet they would not listen to their judges, but 
they played the harlot with other gods and bowed down to them. They turned quickly from the 
way in which their fathers walked in obeying the commandments of 
the Lord. They did not do so. And when the Lord raised up judges 
for them, the Lord was with the judge and delivered them out 
of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For 
the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those 
who oppressed them and harassed them. And it came to pass when 
the judge was dead that they reverted and behaved more corruptly 
than their fathers by following other gods to serve them and 
bow down to them. They did not cease from their 
own doings, nor from their stubborn way. Then the anger of the Lord 
was hot against Israel, and he said, because this nation has 
transgressed my covenant, which I commanded their fathers and 
has not heeded my voice, I also will no longer drive out before 
them any of the nations which Joshua left when he died, so 
that through them I may test Israel, whether they will keep 
the ways of the Lord, to walk in them as their fathers kept 
them or not. Therefore, the Lord left those 
nations without driving them out immediately, nor did he deliver 
them into the hand of Joshua. Now these are the nations which 
the Lord left, that he might test Israel by them. That is, 
all who had not known any of the wars in Canaan. This was 
only so that the generations of the children of Israel might 
be taught to know war, at least those who had not formerly known 
it. Namely, five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, 
the Sidonians, and the Hivites who dwelt in Mount Lebanon. from 
Mount Baal Hermon to the entrance of Hamath. And they were left 
that he might test Israel by them to know whether they would 
obey the commandments of the Lord, which he had commanded 
their fathers by the hand of Moses. Thus, the children of 
Israel dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the 
Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And they took 
their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their 
sons, and they served their gods. Amen. It's a pretty bleak picture 
of Israel's history, as we'll see consistently throughout this 
particular book. As I mentioned, chapters 1 and 
2 are introductory. Chapter 3, 7, all the way to 
1621 is the largest part of the book. That is the period of the 
judges, the particular men that God raised up to use to deliver 
the children of Israel. from the hand of their oppressors. 
So we see something of that foreshadowed here in Chapter 2. It's basically 
a summary statement. of all that's going to go on 
within the book itself. But note first the root of Israel's 
apostasy in chapter 2 verses 7 to 10. We're given an indication 
of their past faithfulness. Basically, we find in verses 
7 to 9 a repeat of how the book of Joshua ends. Again, I think 
it is to link it together. It's a literary link. to make 
sure that we understand we're dealing with the same group of 
people, the same children of Israel, the same covenant community. Joshua depicts the conquest in 
a very positive light. Judges then comes and depicts 
the conquest in a very negative light. Not that it's a contradiction, 
but initially under Joshua, the children of Israel walked faithfully 
and they engaged in the way that the Lord had called them to. 
But even along the way, in Joshua, they didn't fully dispossess 
the land, and that sort of sowed the seeds for the apostasy that 
would follow. So we see that link here, verse 
7, so the people served Yahweh all the days of Joshua, and all 
the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had seen all the 
great works of the Lord which he had done, for Israel. It's 
a great statement, a great testimony concerning that particular generation. And then notice the death of 
Joshua is indicated in verses 8 and 9. Now Joshua, the son 
of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died when he was 110 years old. They buried him within the border 
of his inheritance at Timnath-Heras in the mountains of Ephraim on 
the north side of Mount Gaash. He was from the tribe of Ephraim 
He dies, he's buried in this particular plot of land. Again, 
linking us to this particular leader. Now Joshua is dead, but 
the people are not without a leader. God the Lord is sovereign, this 
is a theocracy. He rules them directly by his 
word, by his revelatory word, so they shouldn't have gone amok 
because Joshua died. but that is precisely what takes 
place. Now notice the rejection of God 
in verse 10. I call this the root of the apostasy, 
and I think you'll see as we move through this particular 
chapter, the fact that they did not know the Lord affected how 
they then lived against the Lord. That's what verse 10 tells us. 
When all that generation had been gathered to their fathers, 
they died, another generation arose after them who did not 
know the Lord, nor the work which he had done for Israel. Now certainly 
they knew about the Lord. It's not as if they had no consciousness 
whatsoever about Yahweh. It's not as if they were devoid 
of any sort of instruction whatsoever as to who the God of Israel was. 
The difference or the idea is that they had a cognitive knowledge, 
but they didn't have a saving knowledge. They didn't have and 
experiential knowledge. It's the same sort of a thing 
when you instruct your children in the home. There's an instance 
where you know that they know who Jesus Christ is. They might 
be able to rattle off some facts concerning the gospel, but you 
suspect that they don't know the Lord. You suspect that they 
have not believed the gospel, that they've not come out of 
darkness into marvelous light. And that's the idea here. Another 
generation arose after them who did not know the Lord, nor the 
work which he had done for Israel. So I say this is a root of apostasy. We see it in 1 Samuel chapter 
2. You can turn there for just a 
moment. 1 Samuel chapter 2 records for us the sons of Eli. Remember that the sons of Eli 
were corrupt. Men would come to sacrifice at 
the tabernacle. And the sons of Eli would basically 
steal that meat, throw it on the barbecue for themselves, 
and enjoy. Also the sons of Eli would lay 
with women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. 
The teaching concerning their sacrificial practice is found 
in verses 13 and following in 1 Samuel 2. And then the reference 
to them lying with women is found in verse 22. But note the root 
cause, 2.12. Now the sons of Eli were corrupt. They did not know the Lord. Now 
certainly as priests of the living and true God, they knew who he 
was. They knew something of his character. They knew something of his word 
because it was part of their charge. as the priest of God 
to instruct the people of God, to orchestrate and facilitate 
the sacrificial system. Certainly along the way, they 
had to know something about the Lord. The idea here is, again, 
it's cognitive. They have it in their head, but 
they've not laid hold of the living and true God themselves. 
This is the root of apostasy. Turn to Psalm 14, where you see 
the same sort of an emphasis. Psalm 14, Mephul has said in 
his heart, There is no God. Well, based on that confession, 
based on that admission, based on the rejection of the living 
and true God, then comes the description of this particular 
person's character. The fool is sad in his heart, 
there is no God. Notice, they are corrupt. They 
have done abominable works. There is none who does good. 
The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men to see 
if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned 
aside. They have together become corrupt. 
There is none who does good, no, not one. You see, what we 
believe concerning God, what we know to be true concerning 
God, affects the way that we live, either for good or for 
ill. The idea is, with Christianity, 
is that we learn who the true and living God is. By His grace, 
we believe the gospel, and that truth then affects the way that 
we live. We saw that on Sunday night in 
the book of Colossians, chapter 3. verses 1 to 4. That's the 
foundation. When we set our mind on things 
above, where Christ is at the right hand of the Father, then 
5 and following, we put on vice, we put on virtue, we live in 
accordance with God's Word with reference to interpersonal relationships. If you see a society that is 
filled with violence and corruption and wickedness, it's a society 
whose root problem is that they don't know God. See, we want 
to fix all of the particulars, we want to deal with all of the 
details, when the emphasis is that man is not right with God 
and they need to come to the Christian message, they need 
to embrace the gospel. Same emphasis in Paul's great 
letter to the Romans, Romans chapter 1. I know some of this 
is repetitious. You've probably heard this in 
the last few weeks, but it bears repetition. First, I'm sorry, 
Romans chapter 1, verse 18. After giving the thesis statement 
of the book in verses 16 and 17, the apostle, before he gets 
to the good news, before he gets to the love of God, before he 
gets to the grace of God, before he gets to the kindness of God 
and the mercy of God, he starts with the bad news. He tells man, 
what their plight is. He tells man what their problem 
is. You see, we've got it backwards 
today. We come to rebel God-hating sinners and we assure them that 
God loves them and has a wonderful plan for their lives. That is 
not the way that the Apostle Paul preached the gospel in the 
book of Romans. He starts with the bad news. Jesus said, I did not come to 
call the righteous but sinners to repentance. Until men see 
their sin, until men see their need, they'll never cry out to 
God for mercy through Jesus Christ. So Paul begins Romans 118 by 
saying, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against 
all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth 
in unrighteousness. There is a particular order, 
ungodliness and unrighteousness. Ungodliness leads to unrighteousness. Because, verse 19, what may be 
known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. 
For since the creation of the world is invisible, attributes 
are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, 
even as eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. 
because although they knew God, here's the problem, they did 
not glorify Him as God nor were thankful, but became futile in 
their thoughts and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing 
to be wise, they became fools. They changed the glory of the 
incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man and 
birds and four-footed animals and creeping things." So you 
see, it's the same idea here. They reject the living and true 
God. As a result of that, God rejects 
them. He gives them over, according 
to verses 24, 26 and 28. When we look at a society that 
looks like what Paul describes here in Romans chapter 1, it's 
not necessarily that we need to go out and campaign against 
sodomy. I'm not saying that's necessarily wrong. It doesn't 
mean we necessarily have to go out and campaign against violence 
or abortion. Again, I'm not saying we can't 
do those particular things, but the fundamental root cause is 
that men, although they knew God, they did not glorify him 
as God, nor were they thankful. It's a question of commitment. It's a question of idolatry. G.K. Beale says it this way, 
whatever we revere, that means whatever we worship, we resemble, 
either for ruin or for redemption. So when a society rejects the 
true and the living God and they go after idols, they resemble 
those idols. The psalmist tells us this in 
Psalm 115, the one who worships an idol becomes like the idol. We take on the characteristics 
of that which we worship. Why is it the case that God indicts 
Israel so many times in the Old Testament for having eyes that 
didn't see and ears that didn't hear? Remember the description 
of idols in Psalm 115 is that they have eyes that do not see. They have ears that do not hear. Or God tells the nation of Israel 
they are stiff-necked and they are stubborn. Remember one of 
Israel's favorite idols was the calf. What's indicative of a 
calf? They're stubborn. They're stiff-necked. 
They don't do what you tell them. And so the nation of Israel takes 
on the characteristics of their idols. Now as we move through 
the book of Judges, as we trace through the history of Israel, 
this has really practical implications. Because the way that Baal is 
worshipped was sexually. It's why so often throughout 
the Old Testament, you'll see them engaged in sexual immorality. Well, that's the way you got 
Baal to function. You had to prime the pump, so 
to speak. And the way that the worshiper 
primed the pump was to copulate with a temple prostitute. So 
when we reject the true and living God and we go after idols, that 
is then Judges chapter 2. You can turn back there. So the 
root cause of their apostasy is that they did not know the 
Lord, nor the work which he had done for Israel. Now remember 
that particular concept, because this generation did witness powerful 
things. They did see the mighty hand 
of God at work in their midst. They saw that the children of 
Israel be able to walk across the River Jordan. They saw the 
miracles. They saw the displays of power. 
But like we see in Matthew's Gospel in 11, 20 to 24, when 
Jesus is upgrading the cities in which he did his miracles, 
he does so because they saw those things and did not repent. We 
are fools to think that if men see miracles, that makes Christians. The people in Jesus' day saw 
many mighty miracles, and it did not make them Christians. 
The people in the days of the judges saw many mighty miracles, 
but it did not make Christians. Men must be born again by the 
power of the Holy Spirit. They must believe savingly the 
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. In sum, amnesia, according to 
Davis, produces apostasy. That is why scripture is so frantic 
about the church, not forgetting what God has done for us. We need to recall and rehearse 
the mighty works of God. This is why Bible reading is 
important. This is why church attendance 
is important. This is why the Lord's Supper 
is important. We need to keep before our eyes 
constantly these great redemptive acts of our God so that we don't 
forget. You see what happens when we 
forget? Bad things. We need to keep before our minds 
the great works of the living and true God. So back to Judges 
2, verses 11 to 15, we see the description of Israel's apostasy. We should note their relationship 
to God. The fact that they are rightfully 
related or covenantally related to God exacerbates the sinfulness 
of these particular people. In other words, they had God 
as the God of the patriarchs, the God of their fathers. Notice in chapter 2 at verse 
10. I'm sorry, chapter 2 at verse 
12. And they forsook the Lord God 
of their fathers. They had a rich history and pedigree 
with this living and true God. He was to them a deliverer. Notice in verse 12. They forsook 
the Lord God of their fathers who had brought them out of the 
land of Egypt. He had done these things on their 
behalf, this should serve all the more to promote and produce 
in them fidelity and a pursuit of those things which are pleasing 
in his sight. And then his establishment of 
the covenant in verse 20 of chapter 2, because this nation has transgressed 
my covenant which I commanded their fathers and has not heeded 
my voice. You see in those three descriptions 
we see that God Almighty is related to this nation in a very special, 
very peculiar, and very powerful manner. And so for them, not 
to pursue righteousness, not to pursue faithfulness, really 
is a blight on their name. Now notice, Israel's defection, 
verses 11 to 13. Verse 11a serves as sort of a 
topic sentence. Then, the children of Israel 
did evil in the sight of the Lord. We expect that, though, 
don't we? After verse 10, we expect that. 
They did not know the Lord. What happens when men do not 
know the Lord? Even when we know the Lord, we 
struggle with not doing evil, right? I mean, we profess saving 
faith in Jesus Christ. Did you have an evil-free day? 
Did you act upon that knowledge of the Lord successfully? Did 
you love Him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength the 
entirety of the day? Did you love your neighbor as 
yourself all day long? Were you glowing? Were you shining? 
No, you know that's not the case. So even as those who know the 
Lord struggle with doing evil, this generation did not know 
the Lord. Verse 11 naturally follows. The wrath of God is revealed 
against all ungodliness and unrighteousness. There is ungodliness which flows 
into unrighteousness. The children of Israel did evil 
in the sight of the Lord. Note, and they served the Baals. I just want to read Davis. He 
describes Baal worship. in a very descriptive way, and 
some might even find it a bit offensive. I find this at times 
when we study scripture. People get offended by some choice 
of words, or they get offended by a particular turn of phrase. 
Oh, that we get more offended by the fact that we engage in 
these sorts of sins. We don't like it when God in 
Ezekiel 16, 25 indicts the people and says, you spread your legs 
to every passerby to multiply your harlotries. Our delicate 
sensitivities are offended by that. We don't really have a 
problem spreading our own legs and engaging in that sort of 
harlotry against the living and true God. Just don't tell us 
about it. So let's listen to what Davis 
has to say concerning Baalism. Baal wasn't just one sort of 
a god. It was more of a title, like 
lord or master. And each sort of province or 
each sort of locale would have a Baal, if you will. In Canaanite 
theology and agriculture, the fertility of the land depended 
upon the sexual relationship between Baal and his consort. Later, they're going to serve 
the Ashtoreths. This is Bale's honey. This is Bale's squeeze. The asterisks 
are the ones that Bale consorts with. says the revival of nature 
was due to sexual intercourse between Baal and his partner. 
But the Canaanite faithful didn't simply sit back and say, let 
Baal do it. There was no let go and let Baal 
thinking among them. Instead, their watchword was, 
serve Baal with gladness, all ye glands. Hence, the Canaanites 
practiced sacred prostitution as a part of their worship. A 
Canaanite man, for instance, would go to a Baal shrine and 
have intercourse with one of the sacred prostitutes serving 
there. The man would fulfill Baal's role and the woman Ashtar's. The idea was that the copulating 
of the worshipper and of the holy prostitute would encourage 
the divine couple, Mr. and Mrs. Baal, to do their thing 
and thus the rain, grain, wine, and oil would flow again. That's Baalism. That's what they 
were doing. That's what it meant to forsake 
Yahweh and to go after Baal. Block says, in contrast to the 
lofty theology and austere morality of Yahwehism, the Canaanite religious 
system offered exciting and often erotic cult rituals. Now, sometimes I'll refer to 
God as Yahweh. When you look at your Bible, 
if you're using the New King James, note, for instance, in 
verse 11, you'll see that LORD is in all caps, capital L, capital 
O, capital R, capital D. That represents what's called 
the tetragrammaton, the four letters, Y-H-W-H, the divine 
or covenant name of God. A lot of the Old Testament commentators 
use the name Yahweh, so if I refer to Yahweh, that's all I mean. 
The name of Israel's God. We might also refer to him as 
Jehovah. Jehovah works better in some 
of our Psalms when we need an extra syllable, but probably 
Yahweh is closer than is Jehovah. I don't think there's a Jah sound 
in Hebrew language. I don't think there's a Jah sound 
in Dutch either. There's certain languages out 
there that don't have a Jah. And so Yahweh is the God of Israel. But what Bloch says is right. In contrast to the lofty theology 
and the austere morality of Yahwehism, the Canaanite religious system 
offered exciting and often erotic cult rituals. So God, the Lord 
of Israel, was good to bring them out of the land of Egypt. 
But in the day-to-day mundane things like rain upon your crops, 
Baal was your go-to God. Especially when your Canaanite 
neighbor next door was telling you, what we do is this, and 
in order to get blessing, this is how we go about it. Well then, 
the Israelite man would go home and say, honey, I've got an idea 
on how we can get productivity. So this is probably the way that 
they went. So they did evil, they served 
Baals, they forsook God, and they followed other gods. Verse 12. The gods of the people 
who were all around them, and they bowed down to them, and 
they provoked the Lord to anger. What does that remind you of? 
They provoked the Lord to anger. The second word, right? The second 
commandment. Why does God say, you shall not 
make for yourself a carved image? Why does God prohibit idolatry? Because I, the Lord your God, 
am a jealous God. You see, God, when he enters 
into covenant with somebody, wants to keep that person exclusively. And so behind the scenes here 
is a violation of the first and the second commandments, and 
as a result they provoke the Lord to anger. Verse 13, they 
forsook the Lord and served Baal and the Ashtoreths, and the anger 
of the Lord was hot against Israel. So Israel's relationship to God, 
their defection from God, now notice their rejection by God 
in verses 14 and 15. So he delivered them into the 
hands of plunderers who despoiled them, and he sold them into the 
hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer 
stand before their enemies. Wherever they went out, the hand 
of the Lord was against them for calamity, as the Lord had 
said and as the Lord had sworn to them." So you see, here's 
the interesting thing. When we pursue faithfulness by 
the grace of God, our God is with us. When we reject Him and 
forsake Him and follow Baals and Ashtoreths, when we engage 
in the customs of the land, when we engage in idolatry and abject 
wickedness, what does God then do? He delivers them over. Note that it's underscored at 
the end of verse 15, as the Lord had said and as the Lord had 
sworn to them. This is not surprising. Especially 
for those of you who have been attending our Wednesday night 
services for any period of time. What does Deuteronomy 28 tell 
us in vivid detail? If you go into the land and you 
reject me, then I will reject you. Prior to Deuteronomy 28, 
we have Leviticus 26. We have a covenant document wherein 
if the faithful are righteous, they receive blessing. If they 
are unrighteous, they receive cursing. So everything that happens 
to Israel has already been foretold. Everything has already been specified. They know the boundaries. They 
know the parameters. They know the marching orders. 
They know the law. They are not to forsake the living 
and true God. They are not to pursue idols. 
They are not to engage in the rejection of this Lord, because 
if they do, or when they do, He will reject them. And I thought in this connection, 
Romans 8, 31b, if God is for us, who can be against us? Didn't 
we see this throughout the book of Joshua? When the nation of 
Israel goes in on the conquest, they're outnumbered very often, 
they're outstrategized very often, they're outgunned very often, 
and yet they get victory. I mean, all they have to do is 
march around Jericho and the city falls. After dealing with 
sin in the camp with AI, they go in and utterly decimate that 
particular place. It was obvious it was true. The 
Lord God fought for them. The Lord God undertook on their 
behalf and the Lord God brought victory. Now the tables have 
turned. They've rejected God and now 
God is rejecting them. So 831 in the book of Romans, 
if God is for us, who can be against us? The converse is true 
as well. If God is against us, who can 
be for us? James mentions something in this 
vein in James chapter 4. He says in verse 4, adulterers 
and adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the 
world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be 
a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. So when you 
reject God and you pursue the world, what happens? You make 
God your enemy. This is precisely what's happening 
in the book of Judges. They reject God, and they have 
thus made God their enemy. It truly is justice. It truly 
is penal sanction. It truly is the wrath and fury 
of God to bear upon these people. So we've seen the root, we've 
seen description, now notice thirdly and finally the divine 
response to Israel's apostasy. The end of verse 15, and they 
were greatly distressed. Verse 16, nevertheless the Lord 
raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those 
who plundered them. That's amazing grace, okay? Their distress here was not because 
of their sin. Their distress here was not because 
they forsook Yahweh and bowed to Baal. Their distress here 
was the effects of bad choices. Their distress was not having 
good crops. Their distress was foreign oppression. Their distress was the problems 
that go along with covenant unfaithfulness. Their distress is not repentance. that verse 16 begins with, nevertheless, 
underscores for us a rampant theme in the book of Judges, 
the amazing grace of God. I think God does this so many 
times in the Old Testament. He shows us the despicable character 
of sin. He shows us the wickedness of 
apostasy. He shows us the folly of man 
so that he can display in all of his glory and majesty his 
excellent saving grace. nevertheless the Lord raised 
up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who 
plundered them. This distress equals or is the 
same idea that you find in Exodus chapter 2. In Exodus chapter 
2 at verse 24 it says, so God heard I'm sorry, verse 23. Now it happened 
in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the 
children of Israel groaned because of the bondage. They didn't groan 
because of their sin. They didn't groan in repentance. They didn't groan in their desire 
to get right with God. They groaned because of bondage 
and they cried out. And their cry came up to God 
because of the bondage. So God heard their groaning and 
God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with 
Jacob." Again, Block makes this very appropriate statement. He 
says here in Judges 2, as in Exodus 2, there is nothing particularly 
spiritual about the Israelites' expression of pain. You hit your 
thumb with a hammer and you cry out. There's nothing godly in 
that. It's not that the Lord's going 
to give you healing because of your holy longings. Just so, 
when the Midianites come, or the Philistines come, and they 
take your house, and they rape your wife, and they kill your 
children, and they decimate everything you hold dear, and you cry out 
because of that, there's nothing particularly spiritual involved. That's what the brother's saying. 
He says the absence of any hint of repentance or any reference 
to the people's crying out to Yahweh throws his compassion 
into even sharper relief. So at the end of verse 15, and 
they were greatly distressed, again, not because of their sin, 
not in their longings for repentance, but because they had suffered 
the repercussions of sin, nevertheless, verse 16 says, the Lord raised 
up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who 
plundered them. Men like Othniel, and Ehud, and Shamgar, and Deborah, 
and Barak, and Samson, and all those men that we're going to 
study, God willing, in the coming weeks. This is how the Lord responded 
to their distress. Notice, their deliverance. The Lord raised up judges who 
delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them. Again, note where the focus is. Note where the strength lies. 
Note where the power is. It wasn't that Othniel was a 
particularly great guy. It wasn't that Ehud was a particularly 
great guy. It wasn't that Jephthah was a 
particularly great guy. Can't wait. Can't wait to get 
to Jephthah, brother. Raj and I have a bit of a difference 
of opinion on our dear brother, Jephthah. Anyways, these men 
weren't stellar characters and noble, upright men. When the 
power of deliverance comes to Israel through a Samson, who 
gets the glory? It's God. See, that's the emphasis. The Lord raised up judges who 
delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them. 
Now notice, the cycle is indicated here. Verse 17, Yet they would 
not listen to their judges, but they played the harlot with other 
gods and bowed down to them. They turned quickly from the 
way in which their fathers walked in obeying the commandments of 
the Lord. They did not do so. And when the Lord raised up judges 
for them, the Lord was with the judge and delivered them out 
of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For 
the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those 
who oppressed them and harassed them. Who's the good character 
in this whole scene? It's God. It's grace. It's compassion. It's mercy. 
You see, when the church doesn't study judges, they don't have 
another reason to sing Amazing Grace. When the church doesn't 
study judges, they don't have another reason to stand in awe 
at the mercy and the kindness of God. That He would come and 
deliver this people? That He would come and deliver 
the likes of you and I? It is a sheer testimony to awesome 
grace. Newton would have been moved 
to tears had he been living in the days of the judges. He would 
have wrote the same am. Amazing grace, how sweet to sound, 
that saved a wretch like me. You see what we miss when we 
neglect these books of the Old Testament? We miss God. We miss grace. We miss kindness. And we miss Christ. Because each 
of these earthly deliverers is a type, is a picture, is a shadow. It points us to the one deliverer 
who would come, the champion of Israel, who would save his 
people from their sins decisively and once for all. This is what 
Judges is about. It's about God's grace to an 
undeserving people. It's about God's power and kindness 
to a people who deserve nothing but wrath and fury and anger 
and judgment. The Lord was moved to pity by 
their groaning because of those who oppressed them. and harass 
them. Go back for a moment. Let's do a little trans-covenantal 
application here. Go back to Romans chapter 8. 
We are actually those who by God's grace know the Lord. We 
are actually His children. We are actually His people. When 
we don't even know what to pray, but we only groan, and the Spirit 
intercedes for us, shall not God avenge His own elect? Shall 
not God come to His aid? If God is going to deliver these 
people as they're oppressed by Midianites, certainly He is going 
to deliver us when we're oppressed by our Midianites. I don't want 
to psychologize the passage, but it had to be said. We need 
to understand that our Lord, the Lord who was moved to pity 
over this apostate community in the book of Judges, is the 
covenant God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. who when we 
groan, who when we cry out, who when we go to for relief, He 
cannot but give us relief. Isn't this the Apostle's argument 
in especially Romans chapter 8 and verse 32? You struggle 
on a daily basis. You struggle with sin. You struggle 
with trial. You struggle with temptation. 
You struggle with difficult people. Verse 31, what then shall we 
say to these things? If God is for us, who can be 
against us? He who did not spare his own 
son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with 
him also freely give us all things? You see the argument? If He's 
done the greatest, if He's delivered up His Son, if He's crucified 
the Son of His love, the prize of His bosom, if the Lord, as 
the prophet Isaiah says, was pleased to bruise Him, putting 
Him to grief on our behalf, Note that Paul goes on from the greater 
to the lesser. He delivered him up for us all. 
How shall he not with him also freely give us all things? You 
struggle with particular issues in a day? You struggle with understanding 
the doctrine of atonement or the idea of forgiveness? Come 
to Romans 8. Notice how Paul then begins to 
make implication. He says, or who shall bring a 
charge against God's elect? Verse 33. It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is 
Christ who died and furthermore is also risen, who is even at 
the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. What 
shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation 
or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril 
or sore? No! If God has not spared his 
own son but delivered him up for us, isn't he going to come 
to you on a daily basis when you cry out to him? If the children 
of Israel cried out because of the oppression of the Midianites 
and God could not but come to their aid, shall he not avenge 
his own elect who cried to him day and night? It's truly a glorious 
God that we serve. Truly, the doctrine of God set 
forth here in Judges 2 ought to promote in us prayer and a 
desire to draw nigh unto the Lord. Notice, verse 19, it came 
to pass when the judge was dead that they reverted and behaved 
more corruptly. The cycles don't just cycle. It's a degenerating cycle. There's 
devolution. So under Othniel, they might 
be here. By the time we get to Samson, they're down here. Because 
after the deliverance is made, after the oppressor is gone, 
what happens? Well, verse 19 tells us, it came 
to pass when the judge was dead that they reverted and behaved 
more corruptly than their fathers by following other gods to serve 
them and bow down to them. They did not cease from their 
own doings, nor from their stubborn way. Now note, verses 20 to 23. It's interesting. In chapter 
2, verses 1 to 3, we have the angel of the Lord speak to the 
covenant community. Up to this point, we have the 
narrator, the author, the writer, the one who, under the inspiration 
of the Spirit, wrote the book of Judges. Here in 21b and 22, 
we have direct speech from God himself. We have Yahweh, not 
that the narration or not yet, not that the record of the authors 
writing down what God said is any less important. It's not 
like the red letters in your Bible are more important than 
the prophet Isaiah. It's not like the words of Jesus 
are more inspired than the words of Amos. No, all scripture is 
given by inspiration of God. In some ways, red letter additions, 
I think, create problems in the minds of New Testament readers. We think that Jesus' words are 
more special than Jonah's words. Well, all scripture is given 
by inspiration of God. Now, of course, Jesus is more 
important than Jonah. He is the greater than Jonah. 
Think about the Word of God. But it is intriguing that here 
in chapter 2, we have divine speech. Verse 20, then the anger 
of the Lord was hot against Israel. And he said, because this nation... You ever hear the word goyim? That's the word nation. That's 
what the Jews referred to Gentiles. That's goi. He kind of said it 
like that, too, the goi. Usually, my people is how Yahweh 
speaks of his covenant heritage. That's not what he says. Remember, 
when we introduced the book, I said I quite like the way Block 
outlines the book. He says it's about the canonization 
of Israel. Israel goes into Canaan, and 
instead of dispossessing the land of the Canaanites, Israel 
becomes Canaan. Israel becomes Canaanized. We see that it's in full swing 
here. Because this nation, boy, it's 
like about the covenant people. You see this through the prophets. 
There are instances and times where God says, your people, 
or God says, this people. What's he doing? On a much smaller 
scale, it's akin to when a father says to his wife, your son threw 
a rock through the window. Or the wife says, your daughter 
burnt that loaf of bread. We distance ourselves from the 
offending party, don't we? That's what's going on. the canonization 
of Israel. That's what's happening because 
this nation has transgressed my covenant which I commanded 
their fathers and has not heeded my voice. I also will no longer 
drive out before them any of the nations which Joshua left 
when he died so that through them I may test Israel, whether 
they will keep the ways of the Lord to walk in them as their 
fathers kept them or not." Block says, and I have to agree with 
him, of course this test is not for the benefit of God. This 
is not God saying, I want to see how they're going to do. 
God knows how they're going to do. God's told them on the plains 
of Moab through Moses how they're going to do. The test is to indicate 
something to them. Bloch says this test is not for 
the benefit of Yahweh so he can tell whether or not Israel is 
faithful. He sees all things. The test 
is for Israel to give them an objective instrument that would 
declare to them the depths of their infidelity and the justice 
of God. You see, the Lord will do this 
and send prophets along the way to upbraid them, to call them 
to repentance, and to demonstrate for them their need, ultimately, 
for the Lord Jesus Christ. I think this is part of the entire 
tutelage that the nation of Israel was under. And then notice in 
verse 23, therefore the Lord left those nations without driving 
them out immediately, nor did he deliver them into the hand 
of Joshua. Now, I haven't had the chance 
to check it yet, but I trust this commentator, Block, who 
says that every battle that takes place in the Book of Judges, 
there is no new land acquired by Israel. There's no new territory 
acquired whatsoever. The only blessing from the battle 
comes in deliverance from the oppressor. But it wasn't as if, 
in the time of the Judges, the children of Israel expanded their 
territory. It was not that way. And so what 
God says to them does in fact ring true. Now notice, the remaining 
nations, verses 1 to 6 on chapter 3. Now these are the nations 
which the Lord left, that He might test Israel by them, that 
is, all who had not known any of the wars in Canaan. This was 
only so that the generations of the children of Israel might 
be taught to know war, at least those who had not formerly known 
it." I don't think what it means here is that they might be taught 
strategy or how to use weapons or how to invade enemy territory. The idea of being taught for 
war, holy war, the fact that God the Lord had granted to them 
this particular piece of land. He covenanted with Abraham way 
back when. He has brought it to pass. He 
has brought it to fruition. This new generation needs to 
learn something about God's grace. They need to learn something 
about obedience to Deuteronomy 7, 1 to 5. They need to go in. They need to dispossess the land. 
They need to do what the Lord God has told them concerning 
His particular plan. And then the particular nations 
are indicated, the persons are indicated, the five lords of 
the Philistines, all the Canaanites, Sidonians, Hivites who dwelt 
in Mount Lebanon from Mount Baal-Herman to the entrance of Hamath. Verse 
four, they were left that he might test Israel by them to 
know whether they would obey the commandments of the Lord 
which he had commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses. Again, this sets the stage. This 
is the backdrop. This is the context for all that 
will follow in the remainder of the book. And then verses 
5 and 6 summarize the whole thing. Thus, the children of Israel 
dwelt among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, 
the Hivites, and the Jebusites. What's the problem there? Got to see it. They dwelt among. Was that the plan? Was Deuteronomy 
7, 1 to 5? I just want you to go in there 
and dwell among the people. Here's the land that I promised 
to your father Abraham. Here's the land that I have delivered 
to you. I've handed it to you. Here's 
my decree. Here's my demand. Here's my specification. You go in and you utterly destroy. You make no political alliance. 
You make no social contract. And you certainly don't engage 
in the religion of the land. You dispossess the land of its 
inhabitants. First problem, verse 5, the children 
of Israel dwelt among them. Verse 6 doesn't surprise us, 
does it? They took their daughters to be their wives and gave their 
daughters to their sons, and they served their gods. It's the problem right there. 
Disobedience to the Lord. They dwelt among the Canaanites. They married with the Canaanites. They worshipped with the Canaanites. I quoted Davis before. In this 
regard, it bears quoting again. What began as toleration became 
apostasy. We're just going to tolerate 
these Canaanites in the land. became apostasy. What seemed 
so reasonable proved lethal. Living with Canaanites led to 
worshiping with Canaanites. Tolerate Baal's people, and sooner 
or later you bow at Baal's altar." That's the reality. And that's 
a great lesson that we gain from Judges chapter 2. We see the 
power of sin, not only in our hearts, but we see corruption, 
devolution. It's not like we end up getting 
better. We see that in verse 19, they 
revert, behave more corruptly than their fathers by following 
other gods. They're in a particular nation, 
and instead of obeying God and dispossessing those Canaanites, 
They instead acclimate themselves to the world around them. A couple 
of good quotes on that whole idea. I think we should take 
that message from Judges 2. We are in the world, but we're 
not supposed to be of the world. We may be living in Canaan, but 
we're not supposed to bow with the Canaanites. We may be living 
in Canaan, but we shouldn't marry with the Canaanites. We should 
resist. We should refuse political alliance, 
social alliance, religious alliance, those sorts of things. Davis 
says they do not and apparently cannot keep themselves from the 
slavery of sin. They are held in sin's grip. They have Baal in their blood. Bloch says peaceful coexistence 
with the world leads to cohabitation and alliance with the world, 
which in turn leads to taking on the religious notions of the 
world. This is the rule. Occasions when 
the influence is in the reverse direction are the exception. In other words, it's not generally 
the case that a righteous person positively affects an unrighteous 
environment. It is more typically the sense 
that the unrighteous environment affects the righteous person. And then Fawcett makes this very 
perceptive observation. Our high calling is to be in 
the world, not of the world. It is not our being in the world 
that ruins us, but our suffering or our letting the world to be 
in us. Listen to this. Just as ships 
sink, not by being in the water, but by the water getting into 
them. The ship doesn't sink because 
it's in the water. The ship sinks because the water 
gets into the ship. The Christian doesn't sink because 
he's in the world. The Christian sinks because he 
lets the world in. That's what Judges 2, at least 
on a very practical level, ought to remind us of in terms of our 
own sanctification. And as well, if we miss the sovereignty 
of God in Judges 2, we certainly aren't opening our eyes. You see, this is God's purpose. 
This is God's plan. This is God's decree. to engage 
in these cycles of sin, oppression, and deliverance. The cycles serve 
to demonstrate to the people their own sinfulness. The standard 
by which the people are measured remains the same, the law of 
God. You see the emphasis in 17, and 
in 19, and in chapter 3, verse 4. It is the law of Moses. It is the Decalogue. It is the 
Pentateuch. It is that word that God spoke 
at Sinai. He ratified it on the plains 
of Moab. This is the standard by which 
they are to conduct themselves, and they violate this. And then 
these deliverers that are raised up, these judges that God raises 
up, surely and truly demonstrate his mercy, his grace, and his 
kindness. So as I said, I think Israel, 
under the Old Covenant, in many respects, it was a tutelary time. It was a time of tutelage so 
that they could learn something about sin and the need for the 
Savior. And certainly, that's what Judges 
demonstrates, sin and our need for the Savior. So if somebody 
says, what did you study tonight in Judges chapter 2, you can 
say, Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch 
like me. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank you for your word, and we thank you for your grace and 
the way that you manifest it in a book like Judges. We pray 
that you would continue to guide our studies, that you would help 
us to see you first and foremost, and help us to learn truths about 
our own hearts and about our own waywardness. And certainly, 
as the hymn writer says, we can affirm. We are prone to wander. 
prone to leave the God that we love. Help us to resist this 
tendency and help us to pursue those things which are pleasing 
in your sight. May we learn theology, may we 
know the doctrine of God, not just so we can do well on Facebook, 
but that we may live well in your sight and for your glory. 
And we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.