Introduction to Judges (Part C)

Lights right where it needs to bite us in and say just, you know, think about this. He says this story does in verse 19, but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the lowland because they had iron chariots. They were compliant with God's word is nowhere around. Deuteronomy 20 verse one. When you go to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous and you do not be afraid of them for the Lord your God is Yahweh God is with you. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher. Rick asked Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Judges, please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching today. Pastor Rick will continue introducing the book of Judges here is chapter 1 and after with the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites who dwell in the mountains in the south and in the low land that Judah went against the Canaanites who dwelt in hadron, the name of Habre most formally Jeff Arba and they killed. She said I and those other two guys verse 11. From there they went against the inhabitants of deeper the name of deeper was formally courageous, safer is a library evidently and George SC for end up anyway at the debt while the tribes are fighting these other places the Jebusites are likely coming in and rebuilding of what was conquered until David came and took it for good. Verse 12 then Caleb said whatever text or just see for and takes it to him I will give my go to ox as wife and often IL the son of can. As Caleb's younger brother took it, so he gave him his daughter oxide as wife and we read that in Joshua 15's are not going to comment what a beautiful story so remarkable is the story of IL oxide and Caleb that not only is it recorded in Joshua but is repeated in Judges this man often IL he will be the first judge first of the judges we get to chapter 3 will will come back to him. Continuing with this little story it says now it happened when she came to him. That is the daughter of Caleb the wife of often IL whom he won in war as she through work.

She urged him to ask her father.

Verse 14 for a field she dismounted from a donkey and Caleb said to her what you wish. So she said to him give me a blessing since you have given me land in the South, give me also springs of water.

Caleb gave her the upper Springs and the lower Springs good dad. Caleb man with a sharp sword in a tender heart can say no to his little girl.

Even though now she's married.

He says yeah I give you the springs you have water all the land I gave you, and give another spring to because I love verse 16. Now the children of the Kenite Moses father-in-law went up from the city of Palms with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah which lies in the South area near our add and they went and dwelt among the people. Now the city of Palms is usually you will.

That's what Jericho is what Jericho was destroyed, condemned and cursed so the Canaanites moved on to another land and under the protection of the tribe of Judah Kenite's nomadic people. Historically, the come from Moses father-in-law Jethro and now. So now the parentheses ends here in verse 16.

The look back. The highlight of their victories, and he now goes back to present times is an Judah went with his brother Simeon because we remember we read that after Joshua had died when Joshua was alive when at last up last paragraph we just read to place and so Simeon, they attacked the Canaanites and inhabited Z fat and utterly destroyed it so the name of the city was called hormone.

I like the fat better personally, but no one asked me anyway. Again, the story resumes.

But this is an interesting note here, he says, and utterly destroyed it. Simeon and Judah utterly destroyed this the resistance that phrase utterly destroyed only shows up twice in the book of Judges shows up 11 times in the book of Joshua.

What dominant word we find in Judges is delivered that shows a 28 times because as he mentioned the Making bad choices. And God would send a delivery, a mini Savior to get them out.

Verse 18. Also, Joshua took Gaza with its territory.

I'm not struggling with or territory I can read or territory, is that cough anyway and Judah took Gaza with his territory.

Ask along with its territory and Akron with its territory.

Some of you might hear the word Akron. Nevermind.

Let's discuss the focusing too much information. This is a three of the five major Philistine cities that would be a problem for the Jews for a long time ask God and egg lawn of the other two that are not mentioned here and these peoples in the promised land.

They had been warned of God's judgment coming their way and they knew why they knew that it was because of their corrupted lifestyles as well as their fate. God's they had Egypt to remind them they had Jericho that the nations on the east side of Jordan word had had reached them all over 40 years to be ready for this, we learn that just from the story of Rahab and what big thing out of the story, Rahab is a God was ready to accept any of these people if they would turn to him.

That's the big part of the story of Rahab is sort of like when the Jews were conquering Jericho. God says oh by the way, look at this and there coming from the story rising out is this woman that has nothing about her that is considered righteous to a Jew, yet she's brought in Lexi's family and her family with her so you can look at this the judgment on these Canaanites is cool. It is actually in God's opinion, it would've been more cruel to let them continue to exist this way.

We've already talked about what they were doing to newborn babies and were not going to go over now. G.

Campbell Morgan in the one of his sermons on judges said God is perpetually at war with sin.

That is the whole explanation of the extermination of the Canaanites. I had to I love you.

Kim is so articulate and just so just full of grace and just my favorite anyway. Verse 19 so the Lord was with Judah, and they drove out the mountaineers, but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the low land because they had iron chariots. That's the explanation given. They drove out the mountaineers.

The work began in earnest, but it gradually weakened. Is there anybody ready to judge them for that. Have you begun anything for God and gradually weakened see the Bible bites right where it needs to bite us in the flesh and say just, you know, think about this. He says this story doesn't verse 19, but they could not drive out the inhabitants of the lowland because they had iron chariots. They were compliant with God's word is nowhere around. Deuteronomy 20 verse one. When you go to battle against your enemies, and see horses and chariots and people more numerous and you do not be afraid of them for the Lord your God is Yahweh God is with you, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, so they just noncompliant is no way to find an excuse for them spiritually speaking, the church cannot boast and say yeah that was them.

That's not us. The church is not united. Not since the apostles really just got worse this time. While the apostolic age of men after the apostles were with the apostles. They did a good job in spite of the many things that came at them that part of church history is very interesting how they refuted many of the heresies that they were confronted with one anyway after Joshua dismissed the Transjordan Tribes. The tribal warfare proved to be ineffective because, again, all they had to do was come against these people and be season. They had enough people to do it. They could've called up those in the Transjordan site Haywood back toward guy's got a come back we can do this without you, and they would've gotten the priest involved in the room and the lumen that would've been it.

In hindsight, and so the lessons there are for us to ponder again reminded of this story of failure is not for us to mock them is for us to learn corruption and therefore weakness spread through the Jewish tribes and it spreads to churches and it takes a whole lot to fight it. We get buddy. We become buddies with people love that we become friends with Sammy on them. One of them, like a tooth goes bad and it's got to come out when are ready to do that.

So what happens unlike the do we begin to appease, we begin to negotiate, we begin to compromise. We don't always do that but that's what often happens when you when you have leaders to say no were not budging. Sorry we love you we hate to see this, but where when I'm moving. We know a goddess told us that's what it takes and is very painful.

But the other the opposite. Giving in is even more painful if you were to say well how did you make it all these decades. I don't know except God. I can't write a book as this is how you do it pastor except to say Don Pease and you will please God, faster rate. Well, our flesh has iron chariots. Each one of us and we usually know where they're coming from our spirit. Chariots of fire fire alone cannot melt iron metal hinges can steel you can't.

You need you need fire and you need oxygen and you get that hot enough and you melted and that reminds me of acts chapter 2 and suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, that's the oxygen, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues of as a fire is one set on each of them.

That's the acetylene or the propane. That's what a porch does still to to cut metal. The spirit, the Holy Spirit fire in the wind to be filled with the spirit is enough there to just ponder it and you could develop it on your own. Verse 20 and they gave him Ron to Caleb as Moses said. Then he expelled from there. The three sons of Annick and so again another glance back. A student reading that would get it justice if it were modern figures, we would get in verse 21 then the children of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who inhabited Jerusalem so the Jebusites well with the children of Benjamin in Jerusalem.

To this day. Again, a siege would've done it but they did not have enough to do the siege successfully and now I want to read something from judges because this none of this is just something to say all the knowledge you should have seizures a little bit more serious than that. Judges chapter 2 verses one through three, then then the angel of Yahweh came up to Gil Dell from Baucom and said I lead you up from Egypt you can.

If you have your Bibles judges 21 you can you can turn one pager I brought you to the land of which I swore to your fathers, and I said I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land, you shall tear down their altars. But you've not obeyed my voice. Why have you done this. Therefore I also said I will not drive them out before you, but they shall be thorns in your side, and their gods shall be a snare to you. And so we see they didn't throw them out. So imagine if you came to Christ, but you still want to do your horoscope thing got some of the goals you that I saved you, not your idols and you either come with me and drop that stuffers deals off so legal again lessons abound, and this is what we're reading here.

Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites.

Benjamin later we go again full of idols. Verse 22 in the house of Joseph went up against Bethel and Yahweh was with them now. Remember Bethel was brought down when AI was brought down but now what happened is they came back they fortified it is likely the JBoss verse 23. So the house of Joseph's house of Joseph sent men to spy out Bethel. The name of the city was formally loose and when the spies saw a man coming out of the city.

They said to him, please show us the entrance to the city and we will show you mercy. So he showed them the entrance of the city and they struck the city with the edge of the sword, but let the man and all his family go.

This was a mistake. They were no details are given but exempt lots of gnomic deals with people and let you make deals with people outside the land but you are an instrument of judgment. You not supposed to set them free to go set up places in the shop elsewhere, and they did that and you would say that it was it was the sensible thing to do. It just wasn't the obedient thing to do and you could just see them saying makes sense. We spent a lot of lives. We just get the so we let one family goal would wipe out the rest of got sick, don't do that and I don't want you downsizing my word to comedy yourself.

Verse 26 and the man went to the land of the Hittites built the city and called its name loose, which is its name to this day we call city same name Ali wasn't creative. So what do we go to menu new city will go with. I just left okay anyway the Hittite Empire was based in modern-day Turkey, and it went as far as Syria into the Northeast about 150 miles away. The promise of the border from Bethel letters and in the promise land so he gets out of town and he sets up a city and somebody read the papers and found what I'm going when Maida city for himself so very industrious, individual, that would be the wrong way to think the way the thing was Lord forgive us we should've killed him. I'm in the context of Old Testament not New Testament note we don't do that. Verse 27. However, Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth Sheehan and it's villages Pennock and it's villages all the inhabitants of door and it's villages in the inhabitants of oblivion and it's villages all the inhabitants of Megiddo and you know what else for the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land. Each village they preserve that did not fall, continued to worship false gods and continued to lead people away from Yahweh, where it says the Canaanites were determined to dwell in that land is what your flesh says to Hugh that I can be determined to dwell inside of you till death do us part. And so the idea is to well okay will part of death but until then I will beat you near to death as much as I can. That's our response to our sinful nature.

If we can do it, but is serious business, but there is a great lesson coming out of that. And in verse 28 and it came to pass, when Israel was strong that they put the Canaanites under tribute, but did not completely drive them out against you see what's happening. They started the compromise. Now the compromising war the Jews were not put in into the promised land so that they could charge rent and that's with what they're doing their charging people to stay there profiting from not obeying God and I am sure they would simply want us to do. We can't beat them in and you might want to say well he could rally the other tribes to help you. It did not happen and so they settled for penalizing rather than purging them out and they themselves were eventually penalized by God and just by reaping what they had sown and that is of course friendship with corruption, we move on verse 29, nor did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites who dwell in Gezer so the Canaanites dwell in Gezer among them. Incidentally, Gezer's name was changed in the days of Solomon that it retains the name. Here's internal evidence that the book was compiled before Solomon, verse 30, nor did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Tron nor the inhabitants not hall the Canaanites dwell among them, and were put under tribute Satan. Of course, is counting on them giving up as he does with us to and so to rationalizing a commemorative got away is to be opposed to God's will. Verse 31, noted Asher drive out the inhabitants of ARCO or the inhabitants of Saigon and the other places listed there. ARCO by the sea, so as Saigon is work fisheries commercial lanes owing to the best part of the land, the flesh, the Canaanites were saying we can keep this best stuff. And if you want to take us out.

You better take us out and the permitted them to stay there so they delivered without the best places of the land.

In fact, the archaeologist went on to find that in all the most knew of the richest areas.

There were these Canaanite villages because they begin would not give in.

Of verse 32 and the Asher rights dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, for they did not drive amount. Of course that's repeated, they did not drive them out, they did not drive them out reminiscent of just dwelling with the enemy is reminiscent of Lawton Sodom. But this is different. Well, not much because it was voluntary resolve lot.

He could've just left, but I don't.

But on that rabbit trail wanted finish this thought that as we look at them fighting the flesh we see ourselves fighting our own flesh not the flesh of the guy next to us, though, that sometimes happens to verse 33. Nor did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Beth she mesh or the inhabitants of Beth and I but the dwell among the Canaanites inhabitants of the land. Nevertheless, the inhabitants of Beth she mesh and Beth Anna were put under tribute to them. He is a is a great thought, I think that the New Testament church is not called to drive out the unbelievers were called to live amongst them and win them the gospel a little different. Think some Christians might think it's the idea that ideal is to be a hermit or separatists have a Christian compound.

We lock away from everybody else that's defeated attitude were not supposed be locked in a fort shimmering will influence us were supposed be out on the battlefield influencing them to Christ and those of you who are in the world working in the workplace test battlefield. So again, the Jews were not put in the land to charge people to stay as it talks about in Isaiah 48 if you just heeded my commandments. Things would've been different. Verse 34 and the Amorites foster children of Dan into the mountains, for they would not allow them to come down to the Valley. Dan at this point could not take their test. Much of their territory so they went north and we get that in chapter 7, chapter 18, we get that, but we also get with it is how corrupt and had become with idols and it is bizarre else will get that that later. Benjamin repass Benjamin know what happened with Benjamin. Juveniles wipe them out. Civil civil action civil war against Benjamin because they had become so incredibly corrupted by the habits of the people around them. So some of Dan went north to settle that territory and some seed in the cell.

Verse 35 in the Amorites were determined to dwell in Mount Harry's in the agile on Chubb Liam yet when the strength of the house of Joseph became greater they were put under tribute again a violation of the commandment to put them on the tribute to drive amount but on the very scene of Joshua's victory when he said son standstill and and move over agile on and of course it wrangles those hailstones on that very spot in that very area the Canaanites prevailed against the Jews that had to be a very bitter thing. What would've happened if they had met consistently for prayer of what would've happened if the church what would happen if churches meet consistently for prayer. I know this church benefits greatly just from you we have bouncers in this church miss that those who gather in the morning to pray have contributed so many unseen protections to this meant ministering to people that ministry here and outside the walls of this ministry. Verse 36 now the boundary of the Amorites was from the ascent of our crop p.m. from Ceylon and upward.

The boundary of the Amer Amorites, will they should have been put out, but they weren't. And that's pretty much the beginning of more bad news will get to we get to chapter 3 we start getting the judges over getting from God's people is that pagan prosperity includes pleasure. And that's why they had these lifestyles that the Jews then attracted to succumb to Romans chapter 15 verse four for whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we patients covered the Scriptures might have hope. Move thanks for tuning in to cross reference radio for this study in the book of Judges cross reference radio is the teaching ministry pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel in Mechanicsville, Virginia. If you'd like more information about this ministry, we invite you to visit our website cross reference radio.com will find additional teachings from Pastor Rick available there, and we encourage you to subscribe to our podcast by doing so you will be notified of each new edition of cross reference radio.

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