Judges 10:1-18 Lesson 10

Test of Repentance

Testing the Heart of God’s Children Judges 10:1-18 Lesson 10

Introduction

It appears that both Tola the 6th judge and Jair were not warrior judges, but dealt with internal conflicts and resolution. Tola was a man from Issachar. Jair the 7th judge, was from the tribe of Manasseh. He was a man of both wealth and position by the evidence of his 30 donkeys, 30 sons and 30 towns. He judged Israel for 22 years.

Will they never learn? Sin brings suffering! In spite of all their past difficulties, Israel continued to serve more and more foreign deities. They now, not only worship the major Canaanite god’s, but they also absorbed the gods of other nations and peoples. The Lord began subjecting them to oppression on two fronts — the Philistines from the west and the Ammonites from the east. “Because the children of Israel were interested in the world, they became controlled by the world. Because they were intrigued by the gods of the Ammonites, they found themselves in bondage to the Ammonites.” -Jon Courson

Though after 18 years Israel cried out and confessed their sin, the Lord chastises them for once again forgetting Him and choosing other gods. Instead of raising up a new judge, He turns them over to their own desires. He tells them to cry out to the gods they have chosen to see if they could deliver them.

God shows Himself not only as a God of justice, but of great mercy, “His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel” 10:16. He loves his backsliding children and disciplines them in order to draw them back into His protecting arms.

Looking for Gold - What does it say?

The first step in mining for gold is getting the lay of the land. Carefully observe the text looking to see where you might dig to find hidden treasure. Mark your text looking for repeated words, contrasts or similarities. Look for answers to, Who? What? When? Where? Why or How?

Setting the scene: Read Deut. 31:16-18, 2 Chron 7:14, 2 Cor. 7:8-10 for insight into Gods heart. Use an atlas or other sources to place the cities in the appropriate place on your map. Pay attention to who’s inheritance they are occupying.

Judges 10:1-5 1 After Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in the mountains of Ephraim. 2 He judged Israel twenty-three years; and he died and was buried in Shamir.

3 After him arose Jair, a Gileadite; and he judged Israel twenty-two years. 4 Now he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys; they also had thirty towns, which are called "Havoth Jair" to this day, which are in the land of Gilead. 5 And Jair died and was buried in Camon

Digging Deeper Dig deeper using other resources such as a dictionary, concordance, maps & cross-references. Notate where you found it to share with the group. Look for commands to obey or questions to be answered. What does God want you to know about Himself?

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Judges 10:6-9 6 Then the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the people of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; and they forsook the Lord and did not serve Him. 7 So the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the people of Ammon. 8 From that year they harassed and oppressed the children of Israel for eighteen years — all the children of Israel who were on the other side of the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, in Gilead. 9 Moreover the people of Ammon crossed over the Jordan to fight against Judah also, against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed. JVN ______

Judges 10:10-18 10 And the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, "We have sinned against You, because we have both forsaken our God and served the Baals!" 11 So the Lord said to the children of Israel, "Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites and from the people of Ammon and from the Philistines? 12 Also the Sidonians and Amalekites and Maonites oppressed you; and you cried out to Me, and I delivered you from their hand. 13 Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods. Therefore I will deliver you no more. 14 Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress."

15 And the children of Israel said to the Lord, "We have sinned! Do to us whatever seems best to You; only deliver us this day, we pray." 16 So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord. And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel. 17 Then the people of Ammon gathered together and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled together and encamped in Mizpah. 18 And the people, the leaders of Gilead, said to one another, "Who is the man who will begin the fight against the people of Ammon? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead." KJVN

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Boiling it Down What does it mean? – What lesson can I draw from my observations? State each lesson in a simple sentence (aim for 10 words or less).

Judges 10:1-5 ______

Judges 10:6-9 ______

Judges 10:10-18______

Refined as Gold - How can I apply it?

How should it change me? Ask yourself, “What course of action do I need to take to apply each lesson?” (aim for 10 words or less)

Judges 10:1-5 ______

Judges 10:6-9 ______

Judges 10:10-18 ______

Challenge: Use cross-references to find correlating scripture that backs up a main point of the chapter. Summarize your findings in your own words. ______

Storing up Your Treasure . . .

What was God’s command? Deut. 8:11 ______What was the difference between Israel’s confession in v. 10 and 15 & 16? ______Why did God respond differently to Israel’s second confession?

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How does v 16 give insight into God’s character? ______

What words or phrases are repeated? ______

Checking for Clarity: See if you can boil down the meaning of each section into one or two words. This helps you fully understand what the author is trying to convey. (It’s fun to alliterate if you want to try) Did you catch the vision?

Judges 10:1-5 ______Judges 10:6-9 ______Judges 10:10-18 ______

Bars of Gold: State the main point of the passage in the form of a title. ______

Flex Your Muscles: Can you discover an N.T. example of this O.T. truth? ______

Hide Your Treasure in your Heart

For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. 2 Cor 7:10

Radiating His Truth . . .

Regret is remorse over the consequences of an act; repentance involves a

recognition of our wrong relationship to God and our reordering of our

lives around Him. -Gary Inrig

Message Notes

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