Judges: How History Repeats ItselfI.                     Introduction:
History has a way of repeating itself.  That statement is the reality of the book of Judges.  The last verse (21:25) is truly haunting in light Israel’s story and when evaluating the present state of our own culture, “In those days there was no king in Israel.  Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”  This is a statement of anarchy.  All that was present at the end of this 200-300 year era of the judges was pure chaos.  The people had thrown off all restraint.  What had happened in Israel is eerily similar to our condition today in America.  II.                  Introduction to Judgesa.      Judges is really a book about leadership or the lack of leadership and the devastating results of disobedience.b.      Judges can be divided into three sections:                                                              i.      1-2 are introductory and tell the important story of how Israel failed to obey God completely while taking possession of the land he had given them.                                                            ii.      3-16 tell the story of the 12 judges and reveal the cycle of disobedience, judgment, repentance, and deliverance.                                                          iii.      17-21 show us the results of a nation who has cast off moral restraint and has chosen a path of disobedience.  The outcome is moral chaos as God removes his gracious restraint from the people.c.       How did the nation of Israel move so quickly from triumph of entering the Promised Land to complete corruption just 200-300 years later? III.                The People of Israel Inserted Question Marks Where God Had Placed Periods?a.      God Gives The People Clear Instructions                                                              i.      Deuteronomy 7;1-6                                                            ii.      Deuteronomy 20:16-18                                                          iii.       Joshua 23:6-13b.      God Blesses the People                                                              i.      He delivers them from Egypt, keeps them in the wilderness, brings them into the Promised Land, and gives them victory over all of Canaan.  Judges 2:1, “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…”c.       God’s People Fail to Follow His Clear Instruction                                                              i.      Joshua 1:19a vs. 1:19b                                                            ii.      1:21,1:27,1:29,1:30,1:31,1:33                                                          iii.      Instead of following God’s instructions completely, they only obey partially.  Their sin has devastating consequences. (2:2-3,6-13)                                                           iv.      Notice the irony between Deuteronomy 7 and Judges 3:5-6d.      The Scripture Paints a Very Clear Picture of Humanity:                                                                i.      Every Human Being is extremely special because we are created in God’s Image.                                                            ii.      Every Human Being is Plain and Simply Enslaved to Sin, It Is Our Very Nature.                                                          iii.      What are you going to do about your sin?  (Colossians 3:5-6)IV.               The People of Israel Repent When Punished by God.a.      Israel is punished for their sinfulness as God uses the very nations they were to have destroyed to test them.  (Judges 2:11-23)b.      God uses the Arameans, the Moabites, the Cannanites, Midianites, the Ammonites and the Philistines to punish Israel for their sin. (10:6-9, 13;1)                                                              i.      God puts the enemies of Israel to work against the people of Israel to accomplish his purposes.  Just as he used Pharaoh in Egypt, the Lord uses these nations to test His people.                                                            ii.      No that for every set of human actions, at least two sets of motives are involved – a human set of motives and a divine set.  These nations acted out of their sinfulness and hate – the Lord was acting for the good of his people, drawing them to repentance.                                                          iii.      The people, when faced with their enemies, cried out to God for repentance. (3:9, 3:15, 4:3, 6:6, 10:10-16)1.      God uses trying circumstances in our lives to help us examine ourselves and to teach us where we need to change. (Hebrews 12:5-13)2.      Many times the consequences of our sin create enough trouble of their own to force us to a point of examination.3.      Remember the question? What are you going to do about your sin?  The only real solution is to repent? a.      Acts 3:19 says, “Repent therefore, and turn gain, that your sins may be blotted out.”b.      I John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”V.                  The People are Delivered Temporarily by Imperfect Judges.a.      In chapters 3-16 we see God raise up judges to rescue the people from their enemies when they repent.b.      Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, Samson and eight other judges are used of God, blemishes and all.                                                              i.      We need to notice three important truths about these judges:1.      Not one of the judges was a perfect savior.2.      Not one of the judges was a universal savior…they delivered people in different regions of the nation.3.      Each of the judges acted in Faith and serve as mini-parables of what Jesus Christ accomplished perfectly in his life, death, and resurrection.VI.                Conclusion:  The People Need a Perfect Saviora.      I started this message with the statement that history repeats itself.  Chapters 17-21 of the book of Judges reveal what happens when God decides to no longer restrain their sinfulness:                                                              i.      Religious Syncretism                                                            ii.      Materialism                                                          iii.      Self-Styled Religion/Consumerism                                                           iv.      Sexual Perversion and Violence                                                             v.      Relativism Leaves No Way to Exercise Justiceb.      Sin has the exact same result today as it did centuries ago.  WE BECOME WHAT WE WORSHIP!c.       Jesus is the Perfect and Eternal Savior Judge (Acts 17:30-34)