Judges 3 – There Is Hope for a Sinful People

Reverend Leo H. McCrary II

Judges 3 highlights that even when we find ourselves in a cycle of sin, there is still hope as God does not give up on anybody.

Introduction

In the first two chapters of Judges, the failure of the twelve tribes of Israel was highlighted, along with God’s rebuke of their sin.  If you missed those wonderful studies, be sure to check out my full series on the Book of Judges.  In this week’s study, we’re going to study Judges 3, which will further highlight Israel’s cycle of sin.

Such a cycle of sin, going in and out of sin, is one that all of us are familiar with and struggle with. The cycle of sin can be unending, and cause many of us to worry about losing our salvation.  So, is it possible to get out of the cycle of sin, and if so, how? 

Judges 3:1-6 – The Testing of God’s People

The opening of Judges 3 connects us to the prior chapters by reminding us of both the sin of the twelve tribes and God’s chastening.  We are reminded of the nations that remained with Israel in the Promised Land – the Philistines, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, the Jebusites (dwelt in Jerusalem), the Sidonians, and the Hivites (Judg. 3:1-3).  

And again, we are reminded that these nations were left to be a thorn to Israel.  Specifically, these nations would be some of the nations God would use to chastise Israel for two reasons.  Judges 3:2 tells us that this was permitted so that Israel, a newly risen generation, might be taught to know war. Judges 3:4 tells us that God would also use those nations to test whether or not this new generation of Israel would obey His commandments. 

This, of course, raises the idea as to whether or not God tests those who choose to follow Him.  Now, something you will learn when you walk with God is that He does permit us to havetrials and tribulations.  IF you have ever been taught that God doesn’t test you, let me share this with you.

Jesus never hid the fact that we will have tribulation as He told the disciples, they would face tribulation and be hated by the world (John 15:18-19; 16:33). God permits the tribulation and the hate of the world.

Moreover, James shared some really good teaching about tribulation and being tested by the Lord.  In James 1:2-3, James taught that tribulations help us to increase our faith and resolve.  Then, in James 1:13, James said, “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.”  

This is to say that God will not test you so that you will fail–that is not God’s goal.  However, consider Abraham, whom God instructed to sacrifice his son, Isaac.  God tests our faith for our faith to grow even more.  

Moreover, God will also chasten you when you get out of alignment with Him, which, again, is for your benefit.  Yes, God tests, He rebukes, and He chastens us, but it is for our benefit.  God does not jump to condemnation with His children! God doesn’t test to see or to understand us, as He already knows us. To be clear, the testing is for our benefit.

You see, God’s ultimate desire is to dwell in fellowship (harmony) with His children, all of us who are of sincere faith.  As scripture makes clear, we have an inheritance: the kingdom of God (John 1:12).  

Now, the newly risen generation of Israel had chosen to dwell in fellowship with sin, yet, through His chastening, God had given them a wonderful opportunity.  As it is said in Proverbs 3:11-12, one should not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor despise His correction.  As the proverb tells us, “For whom the Lord loves He corrects, just as a father the son in whom He delights.”

Judges 3:7-11 – Othniel, the First Judge of Israel

Judges 3:7 recounts the children of Israel doing evil in the sight of God, forsaking Him, and serving the Baals and Asherahs.  Let us remember that this was also told to us in Judges 2:11-13. 

Consequence of sinful living

Now, in Judges 3:8, we are reminded of God’s anger.  God sold the children of Israel into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaim, king of Mesopotamia, and they served him for eight years.  Let us understand that God caused Israel to live in servitude (bondage).  

This was God chastising (disciplining/punishing) a generation that never lived a day in servitude.  Some of you may ask yourselves, “Why would God have His own people enslaved?”

Sinful living may be fun in the moment, but the consequences of sin are incredibly heavy.  For the modern-day believer, God gave His only begotten Son to free us from the chains of sin. If one chooses to disregard Christ, then God will permit them to remain in the chains of sin. For the children of Israel, God had literally brought them to the Promised Land, but they would rather serve sin than Him. So, God permitted them to face the consequences of their sin.

Sin lays a heavy weight upon the soul, and it is so heavy a weight that it can grieve the soul, and crush it. The best thing for one to do is to turn to the one who is able to lift the weight of sin, so that the soul can breathe easier.

The prodigal son, for example, got out of his dad’s house, seeking to live prodigally (sinfully), which he did for a period of time. However, the day came when he lost everything, and life got so bad because of what he had lost that he would have eaten with the swine (Luke 15:11-32). Let me tell you, that is not the kind of life God desires for you to live.

The mercy and deliverance of God

Like the prodigal son, you don’t have to dwell in sin; you can always return home to the Lord. God never shuts His arms to those who desire to repent and return to Him. God’s arms are open wide to welcome you in!  So, let’s understand that even in sinful living, there is hope for one to come out of darkness and into the light.

Let me ask this question:  Do you think God expects you to live perfectly–to live without sin?

The call of faithfulness does not mean you have to be perfect, and I cannot stress that enough.  The truth of the matter is that we are incapable of living without sin, as sin is in our nature.  However, just because we are incapable of living without sin, that does not mean we should not strive unto perfection.  

For the sincere believer, striving unto perfection means we must be able to first acknowledge that we aren’t perfect.  Striving unto perfection means that we must be able to acknowledge when we have sinned.  Striving unto perfection means that we must acknowledge our need for God’s mercy and grace.  Striving unto perfection means that we must put forth our best effort to live according to God’s instructions.

You see, when you walk with the Lord, your faith will be put to the test, and the truth of the matter is that you are going to fail those tests more times than not.  However, how you respond to those tests is key because your response will tell the truth about your faithfulness.  When we ‘mess up’, that is when we should turn to God rather than continue in that sin.

Judges 3:9 tells us that the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, which proved to themselves that they could be obedient.  God answered their cries and raised a deliverer for them, Othniel, who was the nephew of Caleb.  Caleb, I will remind you, was the only other man of the wicked generation that God permitted to enter the Promised Land alongside Joshua.  

Judges 3:10 tells us, “The Spirit of the Lord came upon [Othniel], and he judged Israel.  He went out to war, and the Lord delivered Cushan-Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed over Cushan-Rishathaim.”

Some often say the Holy Spirit was not present in Old Testament scripture, but I love to point out how often Old Testament scripture plainly speaks of the Spirit of the Lord moving.  It was only by the Spirit of the Lord that Othniel could move with the wisdom, courage, and strength to deliver his people. Guess what? It is only through faith in Christ and receiving the Holy Spirit that you can be led to the kingdom of God.

Judges 3:11 tells us, “The land had rest for forty years.  Then Othniel the son of Kenaz died.”  The “land had rest” speaks to there being no war or oppression in the land.  So, for forty years, the children of Israel lived in peace, and again, they did so because they turned to the Lord.

Guess what? When you trust go to Christ and trust in Him, He will give you peace of heart. In other words, you will have freedom from sin, and rest in your soul.

Judges 3:12-30 – The Sin Cycle

After forty years of rest, Judges 3:12 tells us that the children of Israel once again did evil in the sight of God.  This section of scripture will cover the story of Ehud, but I’m not going to necessarily go over his story.  If you would like a commentary on Ehud’s story, you can read the commentary – Ehud Frees Israel – which I wrote a couple of years ago.

What I do want to focus on in this section is the cycle of sin.    This is a cycle that I briefly touched on in the study of Judges 2.  For the children of Israel, their cycle consisted of:  living in peace and harmony with God, betraying that harmony by turning to sin, committing to sin, rebuked by God, ignoring God’s rebuke, chastised by God, crying out to God, God raises a judge/deliverer, and then the loop repeats itself. 

God chastises Israel again

So, for example, in Judges 3:12, God strengthened Eglon, who was the king of Moab.  To be clear, after the forty years of rest, the children of Israel had begun doing evil again.  It is highly likely that during the period of evil, God rebuked them, but they continued in sin, therefore, drawing the chastisement of God.

Moab, the person, was Lot’s son, who was born through incest when his daughters slept with him after the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Lot was the nephew of Abraham, the grandfather of Israel.  

The Moabites became an old enemy to Israel when they were on the other side of the Jordan, wandering in the wilderness.  At one point, the Moabites blocked Israel’s path to the Promised Land, and at another point, they caused Israel to sin (Judg. 11:17; ref. Num. 22:2-25).

In Judges 3:13, we will see that the king of Moab allied himself with the Ammonites and the Amalekites.  The Amalekites were enemies that the generation freed from the Egyptian bondage faced before entering the Promised Land.  Israel fought with and defeated them when they left Rephidim, traveling in the wilderness of Sinai (Ex. 17:8-16).

Joshua conquered the Amorites, a kingdom that bordered the kingdom of the Amonites.  Though Israel had not dealt with the Ammonites up until this point, we can be certain that both were aware of one another.

With all three kingdoms allied together, Moab moved against and defeated Israel, and Israel served the king of Moab.  Judges 3:14 tells us Israel served the king of Moab for eighteen years, once again, living in bondage.

How sin cycles work

Israel’s being in bondage again continued their cycle of sin.  Of course, the question will be raised as to how they fell into sin again.  Yet, we can’t look at the children of Israel and question their sin cycle and not question our own sin cycle.  How do we end up in a cycle of sin?

You see, nobody is perfect.  As Paul said, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).”  God breathed into mankind’s nostrils His breath, and His breath made us living souls (or living beings).  When Adam and Eve dwelt in the garden, they were perfect, but they chose to defy God’s instructions.  

God did not create mankind to be sinful, yet He gave us the freedom to choose how we will live.  Sadly, we’re like Adam and Eve, and we’re no different than the children of Israel –  we are tempted and enticed to sin, and we sin.  The sin begins our cycle, followed by God’s rebuke, and our attempt at making the correction.

For a while there, we do our best to be disciplined, as we try to will ourselves not to sin, yet we are infallible.  This is not to say that God made us to be infallible; that is to say that we are weak and will inevitably sin, as disobedience is a part of our nature.  

How to Exit the Cycle of Sin

Now, the question will arise:  Is it possible for us to exit the sin cycle?  The answer is that it certainly is possible for us to exit the cycle of sin, but it is going to take a whole lot more than willpower.  

Lean on the Lord’s mercy

You see, the exit from the cycle of sin has always been God.  Notice how each time the children of Israel cried out to God, He delivered them from the penalty of their sin.  With Othniel, rest was brought to the land for forty years, and with Ehud, the land had rest for eighty years.

When it comes to exiting the cycle of sin, one must not simply repent of their sin but live in that repentance.  So, rather than trying to exit the cycle of sin through sheer willpower, must learn to lean on God’s strength, which is found in His mercy.

Oftentimes, we try to uphold the idea of being perfect, but as I said earlier, God does not call on us to be perfect.  We must put forth the effort to strive towards perfection as a goal.  You see, perfection is at the finish line.

In Philippians 3:12, Paul wrote, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.”

Paul is one of, if not the most cherished, apostles by many ministers of the gospel.  Have you ever wondered why that is?  For me, I respect Paul a great deal because He was brutally honest about who he was – he never portrayed himself as being perfect.  To be perfect would be that he had reached completion–being fully mature spiritually and living without sin completely.

The problem many believers have is portraying themselves as being already perfect rather than a work in progress unto perfection.  Listen, all of us are chief sinners who are a work in progress, which the Holy Spirit is transforming us into!  Though we are imperfect, we don’t let our sinful ways keep us from striving to reach the mark of perfection. 

The one difference between the true believer and the sinner is that we acknowledge our sins and turn to God to justify us of our sins.  Let me repeat myself:  acknowledging our sinful ways, confessing to them, and committing ourselves to keep striving unto perfection by living according to God’s word is all one needs to exit the cycle of sin.

You see, Christ is our exit ramp from the cycle of sin.  Unless one turns to Christ, they will continue to be caught up in the cycle of sin.  You see, the sinner remains in the cycle of sin until they reach its end mark–condemnation.  

Consider this:  Before God raised Othniel, the children of Israel served Cushan-Rishathaim for eight years.  Why?  Because they had committed themselves to sin, which resulted in punishment permitted by God.

Consider this:  Before God raised Ehud, the children of Israel served Eglon and Moab for eighteen years.  Why?  Because they had committed themselves to sin, which resulted in punishment permitted by God.  

When one commits to sin, the exit is ignored– just a path to the judgment of sin. The path of the fool, one who blatantly chooses to live sinfully, disregarding God, is destruction  (Prov. 14:12).

Here is the biggest takeaway that we will have not just for this chapter of Judges but the entire book – one must learn how to commit their way to the Lord.  The danger is for one to learn how to live with their sin, accept it, and do nothing about it.  

When you sin and you feel guilty (remorseful) about that sin, that is a good sign.  That is when you should go boldly before the throne of grace and obtain God’s mercy and grace (Heb. 4:16).  You will receive His mercy, and then, that is when you should continue in putting forth your best effort of discipline, remembering that God is faithful to forgive and to cleanse all unrighteousness.