Episode 71 – The Downhill Slide

           Hi, Everyone! Welcome back to No Trash, Just Truth as we embark on a new series titled “Sin-Filled Nation.”

          Now, we know some of you might be a thinking “No kidding America is sin-filled!” But this series is about the book of Judges, and the Israelites in the Promised Land – not the United States or any other country today! 

          And although what goes for Israel in the Old Testament doesn’t directly apply to modern-day nations because God’s people now are the Church, there’s a lot Christians can learn!

          Absolutely! we are all sinful, broken people, who need to be reminded about the effects of sin, disobedience, and apostasy in all ages. There is nothing new under the sun, as Solomon reminds us in the book of Ecclesiastes. 

          Right! Let’s get started because there’s a lot to cover in this episode. 

          Okay. The book of Judges is historical narrative that about the time between Joshua leading the Israelites into the Promised Land and Israel crowning it’s first king, King Saul. It spans about 350 years, from about 1400 B.C. to about 1050 B.C. If you’re just learning the Bible, this comes after Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and they wandered in the desert for 40 years. Then, Moses died right before entering the Promised Land and God appointed Joshua as their new leader – the one who would lead them into the Promised Land which is the Canaanite territory to conquer it. 

          We should read a passage where God explains what conquering the Promised Land is going to be like for the Israelites.  Exodus 23:20-24, 27-33, “Behold, I am sending an angel before you to protect you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. Pay attention to him and listen to his voice; do not defy him, for he will not forgive rebellion, since My Name is in him. But if you will listen carefully to his voice and do everything I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes.  For My angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will annihilate them You must not bow down to their gods or serve them or follow their practices. Instead, you are to demolish them and smash their sacred stones to pieces. I will send My terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn and run.  I will send the hornet before you to drive the Hivites and Canaanites and Hittites out of your way. I will not drive them out before you in a single year; otherwise the land would become desolate and wild animals would multiply against you.  Little by little I will drive them out ahead of you, until you become fruitful and possess the land.”

And I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the Euphrates. For I will deliver the inhabitants into your hand, and you will drive them out before you.  You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods.  They must not remain in your land, lest they cause you to sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”

          Let’s talk about them conquering The Promised Land for a minute. This was God’s righteous judgement on the Canaanites for their gross sin and their idolatry. Archeology gives some hints about what the Canaanites were like. On one High Place, archeologists found several stone pillars and a whole lot of jars containing remains of newborn babies. When a new house was built, a child would be sacrificed and its body built into the wall to bring good luck to the rest of the family. Firstborn children were often sacrificed to Molech, the Canaanite god, a giant hollow bronze image in which a fire was built. Parents placed their children in its red hot hands and the babies would roll down into the fire. The sacrifice was invalid if a parent displayed grief. Mothers were supposed to dance and sing. The Israelites later copied some of these practices. In a valley near Jerusalem called Gehenna, hundreds of jars containing infant bones have been found.

          This seems horrible. But is our culture much better? In the United States, there are more than 3600 abortions every day, day after day. The number of legal abortions every year exceeds the number of U.S. soldiers killed in every war since the nation began! The Caannanites also practiced a ton of sexual sin. They believed that cultic prostitution was important to encourage their gods, Baal and Ashtoreth to mate so that the land would be fertile and rain would come. Many young people forced into prostitution were abused to the point of death. Even the surrounding pagan nations were appalled by Canaanite religious practices. But God did not hurry to judge the Canaanites. In Genesis 15:16, God tells Abraham, “In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” God gave the Canaanites 400 years while Israel was in Egypt to repent. After Israel passed through the Red Sea, He waited 40 more years while Israel wandered in the wilderness. 

          The people of Canaan knew Israel was coming, and that God had given the land to them, according to the Rahab, a Canaanite, in Joshua 2:9. Readers today might look at the books of (mostly) Joshua and Judges and think it seems like God is “okaying” unjust murder, ethnic cleansing, and stealing due to the fact that the Israelites are instructed by God to go in and conquer distant cities and plunder them only killing sometimes men, women, and children, and in the case of the Promised Land, to wipe out the Canaanites who lived there. God commanded it at that time in history for His purposes and to bring His judgement on Canaan. That judgment, as well as the judgement of Sodom and Gomorrah are pictures of God’s judgement that’s coming when Jesus returns. So, we cannot and should not assume it is okay for anyone to proceed to take over and conquer other lands this way, just because this is in the Bible. The Bible is not a book where we are to try to imitate everything. 

          Like you said, this was God’s righteous judgement on the wicked. And if you’ll notice what He tells the Israelites to do when you read the accounts, you’ll see that God does the fighting. This is called Holy War. Not to be confused with Islamic holy war.

          Right. Biblical holy war had very specific rules for Holy War. It was not waged on the basis of race. We know that because God takes people of all races and makes them part of His people, like Rahab for example from that time in history. And like you already said, this was God’s judgement on the Canaanites, which is evidenced because God is the one who does the fighting – the Israelites were basically the mop-up crew.

          Getting back to the timeline of Judges, like we said, Joshua was appointed as the new leader after Moses. He has led them into the territory, made sure the land was divided among the 12 Tribes the way God wanted it to be, the people go to their lands, and Judges 2:7 tells us, “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 work that the LORD had done for Israel.”  But now Joshua is dead and all of that generation is dead too.  The text goes on to say, “And there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD or the work that he had done for Israel.

          So, Chris, the beginning of the book is going to tell us about the roots of Israel’s apostasy. Big problem number one… they people hadn’t taught their children about God. Is that not relevant today??? How many Christians have fallen for the false idea that they should not teach anything so they can “let their children decide” which religion (if any) they want to be? 

          As you and I know, teaching or not teaching is no guarantee our children are part of God’s elect. But we’re supposed to do it. The Israelites were commanded teach God’s precepts like in Deuteronomy 11:19 and many other places.

          And the New Testament says the same in Ephesians 6:4, “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.”

          These Israelites at this point, for the most part, don’t know about God, and they need a new leader. Chapter 1 verse 1 says, “After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel inquired of the LORD, “Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?” The Israelites were looking for someone to lead them.

          This book is called “Judges” because that word meant God-appointed spiritual and military leader.... they were actually “deliverers” or a type of “saviors” from Israel’s oppressors at different times. They weren’t what we refer to as “judges” today. The only exception to that is Deborah who we’re told was actually acting in a Judiciary capacity before she started leading one of the military campaigns.

          Moving on, we should say that we’re not going to read the whole book of judges in these episodes, but let’s start with some of the beginning just to give a feel for what was going on. I’ll read Chapter 1:2-7. The LORD said, “Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand.” And Judah said to Simeon his brother, “Come up with me into the territory allotted to me, that we may fight against the Canaanites. And I likewise will go with you into the territory allotted to you.” So Simeon went with him.  Then Judah went up and the LORD gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand, and they defeated 10,000 of them at Bezek.  They found Adoni-bezek at Bezek and fought against him and defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites.  Adoni-bezek fled, but they pursued him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and his big toes.  And Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to pick up scraps under my table. As I have done, so God has repaid me.” And they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.”

          Like you said, Chris, Joshua led them into the Promised Land, the allotments had been given to each of the 12 Tribes of Israel, and the fighting went on like you just read. But …. there’s a problem. They haven’t totally conquered all the land yet! They’ve disobeyed the Lord because they haven’t totally driven out or annihilated the Canaanites from the land. 

          Right. They were supposed to expel the pagans or exterminate certain ones altogether. This is a tough passage, but this is what the Israelites were told: Deuteronomy 20:16-18 “But in the cities of these peoples that the LORD your God is giving you for an inheritance, you shall save alive nothing that breathes, but you shall devote them to complete destruction, the Hittites and the Amorites, the Canaanites and the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, as the LORD your God has commanded, that they may not teach you to do according to all their abominable practices that they have done for their gods, and so you sin against the LORD your God.” The overall disobedience of Israelites’ and the sin and sordid details we’re going to see in this book – and some of them are definitely sordid - is contrasted with stories of godly people, like the description here in Chapter 1 of Caleb and his family - Israelites who obey the Lord and are blessed; and even the Kenites – outsiders; who were part of Moses’ father-in-law’s family. 

          Even the outsiders had more faith in God than His people did sometimes! Verse 19 of chapter 1 says, “the LORD was with Judah, and he took possession of the hill country, but he could not drive out the inhabitants of the plain because they had chariots of iron.” Chris, after what God had already done, the tribe of Judah didn’t have faith that God could win against people just because they had chariots. Eight more times in Chapter 1 it says different parts of God’s people “did not drive out” the inhabitants that were before them. The tribe of Dan let the pagan Amorites press them up into the hill country, instead of standing their ground in the fertile plains. Sometimes the Israelites pressed the Canaanites they conquered into servitude, but that’s not what God commanded. He wanted them out of their territory. 

          Right. Chapter 2:1-3. “Now the angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you,  and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done?  So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.” 

          God knew that the pagan people of that land would lead the Israelites into false worship, idolatry and syncretism which is the practice of adding other worship to the worship of God. And that’s what happened, as we’re going to see going through the book. And it happens today.

          It does. And like we said, this Holy War for taking possession of the Promised Land was something God was doing, and we’re not to do that today! But we do live amongst pagans and they do influence us. So, do you think Christians living amongst non-Christians poses a problem, possibility or both?

          Let’s read a little more and then we’ll talk about it. I’m reading Judges 2:11-15 And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD and served the Baals.  And they abandoned the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. They went after other gods, from among the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed down to them. And they provoked the LORD to anger.  They abandoned the LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth.” Is living amongst non-Christians a problem? A possibility? Or both? I say “Yes to both.” 

          I agree. Israel knew God promised their patriarch Abraham that all nations would be blessed through him. That was always God’s plan – that Gentiles would be part of the His people, and we see glimpses of various Gentiles within the fold of the Israelites already. Isaiah speaks of Israel being a light to the Gentile nations. Isaiah 60:3 says, “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” They were to be a light, drawing nations to themselves, and this ultimately speaks of Christ. We get a glimpse of nations being drawn with Queen Sheba hearing of the blessings of God and coming to see King Solomon. But ultimately, the Israelites didn’t fulfill their calling to be a blessing to the nations. Instead, they became “Caananized” themselves. They became like the pagan nations …. Exactly what God said would happen if they left the people there. 

      Matthew 5:16 says, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” and 1 Peter 2:12 says, “Conduct yourselves with such honor among the Gentiles that, though they slander you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us.” It’s obvious that Christians are to live godly lives among the pagans, just like Israel was supposed to. And we’re to be salt and light in the world. 

      Salt is not sugar! Christians are not to be accommodating to the “world” in any way that compromises the Bible. We’ve said this before … just by living in the world, in a holy manner (which Jesus calls us to do), Christians will be irritating to unbelievers. 2 Corinthians 2:14-17 says, “But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.” 

      As we’ve said before, the Gospel message is offensive! It’s a stumbling block and folly to those who aren’t being saved. The world will hate us JUST BECAUSE WE ARE CHRISTIANS. John 15:18-21 says, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”  We don’t even have to do anything to make them hate.

      Getting back to compromising the Bible, let’s talk about this call for unity that we as Christians in the US have been called to; not only by people who have a totally different worldview than us, but also from some Christian pastors and leaders. There’s a call to “move forward” and “heal the nation.” But, shouldn’t we stop and ask some questions first? Rose, do you want to talk about why Christians shouldn’t hear the word “unity” and just “jump on the bandwagon?”

      I do. And it’s not just unity with non-Christians we should be wary of. Beth Moore claims God lifted her up to show her that Jesus wants every denomination united in His church – even the heretical and apostate denominations! That’s just stupid to even think that would be the case. And I want to mention the “Just Thinking” podcast with Darrell Harrison and Virgil Walker and their episode “An Exposition of Biblical Unity.” 

      It’s an excellent podcast and that episode was brilliant.

      It was. They define Biblical unity from Ephesians (where the word is used twice) in regard to purity of the doctrine of the Church. They say in the podcast, “Unity that is pursued outside of the doctrinal parameters “of the spirit” and “of the Faith,” any unity that is outside of those parameters from a doctrinal standpoint, is to be avoided at all costs by those who profess to be followers of Jesus Christ.”

      There’s so much we could say about this. Christians shouldn’t just hear the word “unity” and think “Oh my, that’s a Biblical concept, so I’m in!” That’s similar to Christians jumping on the BLM bandwagon without giving it any thought, which we talked about in one of the Revelation episodes.  So, Rose, aren’t we supposed to strive for “peace with everyone” like Paul says?

      I’m gonna steal a quote the Just Thinking guys used from Spurgeon in that same episode and use it here: “We are to be “first pure, then peaceable. Our peaceableness is never to be a compact with sin, or an alliance with that which is evil. We must set our faces like flints against everything which is contrary to God and his holiness. That being in our souls a settled matter, we can go on to peaceableness towards men.”

      I’m gonna throw in a few Scriptures.  Isaiah 5:20 says, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” And 2 Corinthians 6:14 says, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? And one more Ephesians 5:11 Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. Rose, we’re not saying don’t ever be around an unbeliever! That’s not what we’re to do. We’re not supposed to treat anyone badly. So, don’t do that either! But the Israelites didn’t stand against temptation and they became like the ungodly. We can be tempted to throw our hats in the ring with the ungodly – both in personal conduct, and for the sake of ‘unity’ corporately as Christians. We’ve got to be on guard.

          Let’s finish today and find out what happened to the Israelites who were being Caannanized by temptation of the ungodly around them. I’ll read starting in Chapter 2:14 to the end: . 14So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he gave them over to plunderers, who plundered them. And he sold them into the hand of their surrounding enemies, so that they could no longer withstand their enemies. 15Whenever they marched out, the hand of the LORD was against them for harm, as the LORD had warned, and as the LORD had sworn to them. And they were in terrible distress.16Then the LORD raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. 17Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the LORD, and they did not do so. 18Whenever the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge, and he saved them from 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 afflicted and oppressed them.19But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways. 20So the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he said, “Because this people have transgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed my voice, 21I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died, 22in order to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the LORD as their fathers did, or not.”23So the LORD left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua. Chris, I just want to remind people that God’s people aren’t a nation; God’s people are the Church. The Church is who needs to think about how God feels about becoming like unbelievers; about alliances with unbelievers, and about capitulating to them. We’re going to be tested.

          We are. The first six verse of Judges 3 tells us that very thing. The Lord left these remnants of the nation “to test Israel by them, that is, all in Israel who had not experienced all the wars in Canaan.  It was only in order that the generations of the people of Israel might know war, to teach war to those who had not known it before.  These are the nations: the five lords of the Philistines and all the Canaanites and the Sidonians and the Hivites who lived on Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal-hermon as far as Lebo-hamath.  They were for the testing of Israel, to know whether Israel would obey the commandments of the LORD, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Moses.  So the people of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.  And their daughters they took to themselves for wives, and their own daughters they gave to their sons, and they served their gods.

      The Israelites didn’t obey God – they left Cannanites alive; but God also had plans for those Canaanite to be left in the land…. The new generation needed to be tested. And Christians today do too, because as Romans 5:3-5 says, “we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,  and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,  and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

      There was one more reason, that goes hand in hand with the first. The new generation had not experienced war – and they needed to learn how to fight. Joshua and that first generation had learned (sometimes the hard way) that they couldn’t overcome these evil people by their own power, or by their own strength. They could only be overcome by the miraculous help of God, which they had, as long as they were faithful. They obeyed …. And god fought for them. 

      But they didn’t keep obeying, and we don’t either. The Israelites lived under “blessings for obedience, curses for disobedience.” We don’t live under that today. Jesus was obedient for us in our place, and He took the punishment of the curse for us in our place. They needed a Savior, Jesus, and we do too. It’s His armor we stand in to fight. And how do we do war? Christians stand through trial and temptation, in the power of the Holy Spirit, being faithful to God standing in the Truth of His Word. 

      Amen to that! And that’s where we need to end today.