God Will Not Forget You! Unit 1: A King for Israel

Transcription

1 God Will Not Forget You! Unit 1: A King for Israel SESSION 1 Scripture Focus Judges 3:1-11 Word to Live By Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him (Hebrews 5:8-9). Session Truth It is God s desire to deliver people from self-chosen bondage to sin and evil. God never forgets to save. When the Israelites found themselves oppressed by enemies, God raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz (Judges 3:9). God Never Forgets It happened just recently. I met someone whose face seemed familiar but I could not recall her name. It had been some time since our last meeting and she was out of context from where I had known her. I just could not come up with her name. I have always envied people who could remember names and faces. What a gift that is. Though some of us may struggle to recall people s names, it is good to know that God has a great memory. He never forgets a face. Your face. My face. Our neighbor s face. Our enemy s face. He remembers us all. Most of the time that feels good. But sometimes it can get uncomfortable. God even remembers our face when we take a wrong turn in life. He recalls our name when we decide to go against His desires for us. We may wish we could hide on these occasions. But God will not forget us even then. Our session today reminds us that God never forgets. He knows who we are, where we are, and what we need. As Israel attempted to settle into the Promised 2 September 4, 2016 ADULT FAITH CONNECTIONS

2 Land, they found this to be true. God s sharp memory was not always comfortable for them. He remembered them regardless of their circumstances. God remembered to test them, to hold them accountable, and, thankfully, to rescue them. Scripture Exposition God Will Not Forget to Test Us Judges 3 1 These are the nations the Lord left to test all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan 2 (he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience): 3 the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo Hamath. 4 They were left to test the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord s commands, which he had given their ancestors through Moses. AFTER THE Israelites conquered the Promised Land, some local inhabitants were not happy they had arrived. There were Canaanites, Hittites, and several other kinds of ites who did not want to see God s people living the life God had designed for them. Therefore the land of promise was also a land of foes; according to Judges 3, God allowed it to be so. Who would have thought it! God did not eliminate all His people s enemies from the land. He left some there to test and teach them (vv. 1-2). The word test can be translated prove, since it can connote the idea of showing something to be true. In a sense, God gave the people of Israel opportunity to demonstrate their faith as well as His power. This was something God wanted to see. But it was also something Israel needed to see. They needed to prove to themselves they could keep their side of their commitment to God. They also needed to see how faithful God could be. The battlefields of life are testing grounds for the WORDpicture After the death of Moses, the Israelites began their campaign to enter the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua, beginning with the miraculous capture of Jericho. In spite of taking this city in a single week, it took seven more years for the Israelites to move into the Promised Land. What took so long? Find out more about The Settling of Israel in this week s Illustrated Bible Life article. SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER September 4,

3 faithfulness of God s people as well as the faithfulness of God. They can prove the trustworthiness of both. God also left enemies in the Promised Land in order to teach His people how to fight. Since some of those settling in the land did not have previous battle experience (v. 2), they needed training. Undoubtedly, some Israelites imagined that once they conquered the Promised Land, life would be free of struggles. Surely the land that flowed with milk and honey would not contain enemies! Unfortunately, that was an illusion. The idea of a world without opposition for the people of God was simply not reality then, and it is not reality today. The kingdoms of this world are at war with the kingdom of God. The battle will never end this side of heaven. Jesus warned His disciples, In this world you will have trouble (John 16:33). We are in a battle for the kingdom of God. The enemy of our soul has positioned minions at strategic places in life in order to bring down followers of Christ. Paul told early Christians to equip themselves with the full armor of God so that you can take your stand... for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:11-12). As a teacher, I am always amazed when students show up unprepared for a test. Some say they did not have time to study. Others did not think the test would be very hard. Still others just forgot there was a test that day. They come to class only to be surprised by an exam. Of course, these students seldom do well in the class. So it is with us. We will not do well in the tests of life if we do not take them seriously and fail to prepare for them. If we are under the illusion that life will be free of struggle or that we have no enemies, the tests of life will surprise us and often defeat us. God Will Not Forget to Hold Us Accountable Judges 3 5 The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 6 They took their daughters in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods. 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, to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years. WHETHER Israel forgot that God was testing them or just failed to prepare for it is unclear. In any case, they failed their test. They did not 4 September 4, 2016 ADULT FAITH CONNECTIONS

4 distinguish themselves from their ungodly neighbors. In fact, the Israelites adopted the Canaanite lifestyle. They took their daughters in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods (v. 6). Instead of living like children of God, they lived like everyone else in their world. They eventually forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs of the surrounding culture (v. 7). They joined the enemies of God s kingdom. The Baals and the Asherahs of the Canaanites were actually very attractive. According to the prevailing thought of the day, these deities controlled the most important things of life. The Baals and the Asherahs were essential to a person s health and financial wellbeing. They commanded the rains and fertility of the land, which the Israelites desperately needed to prosper or even survive. In addition, people said that the military prowess of these gods might protect one s family in times of danger. If the Baals and the Asherahs were not properly honored, life would be filled with disasters. By honoring the gods of their neighbors, the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord (v. 7). It may have seemed reasonable to them and their neighbors, even laudable. After all, they were being inclusive and accepting, just trying to fit in and not offend anyone. They probably seemed like nice people in the eyes of their community. Yet in God s eyes they had done evil. God s call to remain distinct from the culture of this world is never easy to pull off. So many gods promise to make our lives better and offer perks for following them. There are investments for financial security, hospitals for health, education for vocational fulfillment, sports for just pure enjoyment, and a hundred other things on which to pin our hopes and happiness. Most of these are not evil in and of themselves. They only become so when we trust them more than God. If we find our security in such things and place our hope of wellbeing in them, we have begun to serve the Baals and the Asherahs and have forgotten the Lord our God just like the Israelites. Though the Israelites forgot God, God did not forget them. He remembered the covenant with Abraham and held them accountable to it. They had broken the first commandment to have no other gods before me (Exodus 20:3). So the text says that the Lord sold them into the hands of Cushan- WORDpicture Many of the nations surrounding Israel practiced polytheism. Polytheism was the belief in, and worship of, numerous gods. In polytheism, the various deities performed different functions. Some were thought to control agriculture, and some human fertility. Others were thought to control the safety of the land and its inhabitants. SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER September 4,

5 Rishathaim king of Aram (v. 8). This meant that a military detachment from Aram (modern-day Syria) showed up during harvest time each year and demanded a percentage of the goods. Israel was at the mercy of Aram. Such exploitation strained Israel s resources, but the threat of military action motivated them to pay up. Their choice of gods put them into bondage to a foreign oppressor. The book of Judges reminds us that sin regularly leads to bondage. Following any god other than the Lord always brings suffering and hardship. Other gods are heavy taskmasters no matter what they might promise. The Israelites found this to be true, and we will too. God Will Not Forget to Save Us Judges 3 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 on him, so that he became Israel s judge and went to war. 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. THE GOOD NEWS about God s memory is that He never forgets to save. In fact, it is always on His mind. God s actions consistently lead toward rescuing His people from the bondage of sin. This is what God wants for His people: freedom from whatever keeps them from being all that He created them to be. So the Lord raised up for them a deliverer, who was named Othniel (v. 9). He came from a good family. He was the nephew of Caleb, one of those who believed God would give Israel the Promised Land (see Numbers 13:30). God gifted Othniel with His Spirit, which enabled him to overpower the king of Aram and free God s people from his tyranny (v. 10). This brought peace to the land for a whole generation of forty years (v. 11). Notice that God acted in response to the pleading of His people. Salvation began when people acknowledged their deep need of God. The text says the Israelites cried out to the Lord (v. WORDpicture The book of Judges spans a period of several hundred years. The judges of this era were charismatic leaders who typically led one or several tribes to military victory over oppressive peoples. The Hebrew word sapat is translated judge in this book. The word implies every function of government, not just judicial. Most importantly, the judges of Israel were divinely appointed to deliver God s people calling them to turn from idols and return to the Lord. 6 September 4, 2016 ADULT FAITH CONNECTIONS

6 9). This word describes a desperate plea that emerges from the depths of a broken spirit. It is no casual, formalistic prayer. The psalmist tells us it comes from those in deep distress, who are subjected to bitter labor and have no one to help (Psalm 107:12-13). It is the cry of one who has run out of options and recognized their despair. This passage introduces a pattern throughout the period of judges in Israel. As each story in the book of Judges tells it, the people of God went from apostasy to oppression to repentance to deliverance with each new judge. Once the judge died, the cycle began again. Unfortunately that cycle is all too familiar to us today. We can slowly drift away from God and then find the world enslaving us. When we cry out to God though, He comes to deliver us. Throughout history, God has remembered His people and rescued them in their distress time and again. Just over a millennium after the days of Othniel, a Deliverer who changed everything came to earth. God himself, in fact, descended in the flesh to rescue us from the power of sin. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus Christ became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him (Hebrews 5:9). This is why we can sing with the psalmist, He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God (Psalm 98:3). by JIM EDLIN professor of Biblical Literature and Languages at MidAmerica Nazarene University, Olathe, Kansas. He is the author of New Beacon Bible Commentary: Daniel, as well as of the forthcoming volume Ezra/Nehemiah and co-author with Laurie Braaten of Nahum Malachi. SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER September 4,