Self-Destruction
0 Amens
Introduction
You’re staying at a friend’s cabin in the woods when you realize that you left some food outside in your car. You go outside to grab the food and what do you see? A large brown bear approaching you. What’s your first instinct in that situation? Your first instinct is to run, and scream, and run, and scream some more. Because your only concern in that situation is self-preservation. But if you want to preserve yourself running and screaming is the last thing you want to do when you run into a bear. If you want to live you need to do the thing that feels most dangerous to you. You need to stand still, stand tall, and remain calm as the bear approaches you. Wave your arms at him. Speak in a firm but calm voice. If you stand your ground the bear will most likely turn away. But if you run – he will chase after you. What’s ironic is that by trying to preserve yourself you may actually end up destroying yourself.
You’re driving down MLK in early February. It’s cold outside. Freezing cold. And there are some pockets of ice on the road. As you’re heading South toward the intersection on Ainsworth you run right into a patch of ice that’s sending you off of the road and toward the Popeye’s parking lot. What’s your first instinct in that situation? Your first instinct is to slam your foot on the brake and gain control. Because your only concern in that situation is self-preservation. But if you want to preserve yourself slamming the brakes is the last thing you want to do. I should know. And Denise should know too because she was in the van with me when I hit a patch of ice, hit the brakes, and almost drove us off of a cliff. Literally. If you want to live in this situation you need to do the thing that feels most dangerous to you. You need to ease up on the gas, firmly hold the steering wheel, and allow your car to come out of the slide naturally. If you slam the brakes you’re asking for serious trouble. Again, it’s ironic that by trying to preserve yourself you may actually end up destroying yourself.
Imagine you’re driving and somehow you find that your car has taken you off of the road and into a body of water. Maybe this hasn’t happened to anyone you know but it does happen – especially on television! So your car lands in the water and begins to sink. What’s your first instinct? Your first instinct is to quickly remove your seatbelt, try to open the door or roll down a window, and swim out before your car fills with water. Because your only concern in that situation is self-preservation. But if you want to preserve yourself that is the last thing you want to do. If you want to live you need to do the thing that feels most dangerous to you. You need to keep your door closed and your seatbelt on and wait patiently for your entire car to be flooded with water. If you try to open your door any earlier the water pressure outside is too great. If you take off your seatbelt any earlier you’ll be tossed around the car and become disoriented. It’s ironic that by trying to preserve yourself you may actually end up destroying yourself.
That is a lesson we learn over and over again as we read through what is called the Book of Judges. Today we are beginning a new series on this historical book. And over the next few months we will find this theme again and again. When we are most concerned about looking out for ourselves we are most likely to end up destroying ourselves. When we are most focused on getting what we want we are most likely to get what we don’t want. When we are trying to serve ourselves we are at great risk of actually destroying ourselves. It seems counterintuitive. But it has been proven time and time again. When you’re looking out for self, as my man Ice-T would say, “self-destruction/you’re headed for self-destruction.” Precisely because this is so counterintuitive you and I need to be reminded of this again and again. So please turn with me to Judges 1:1-2:5.
A Holy War
The story in this first section of Judges goes like this. Israel’s leader has just died. We read that in verse 1. Joshua was Moses’ successor. As Moses led the people of Israel out of the bondage of Egypt, Joshua led Israel into the Promised Land. Israel is now in the land that Yahweh, the God of Abraham, promised them. They are now in the land of milk and honey. The land of peace and prosperity. The land God promised them as their inheritance. As the Book of Judges opens, we see that Yahweh has brought his people into the Land just as he promised. Yet even as they had arrived in the Land, and taken possession of much of it, there is still work to do. Israel has received very specific instructions from Yahweh. They are not only to enter the land. They are to drive out the people who live there. They are to utterly destroy them and leave nothing surviving. No treaties. No mercy. No slavery. No intermarriage. Just destruction of the people, and their idols, and anything that breathes. This is the background for the opening chapters of Judges. To understand what’s happening in these first two chapters, and in the whole book, we have to understand this mission – this conquest – that God has given to Israel as they enter the land. So let’s stay here for a minute.
Let’s talk about this conquest. Let’s talk about this “holy war.” Let’s talk about what some have called a God-sanctioned genocide.
The first thing we need to clarify is that this conquest was not about making room for the Israelites. It wasn’t as if God was getting rid of one group of people to make room for another group of people. Yahweh had made it very clear to the Israelites that they had done nothing to deserve this land. It had nothing to do with them and everything to do with him. Turn with me to Deuteronomy 9:5. “It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the Lord your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” Yahweh was not clearing the land to make room for Israel, as some would like to do today. No, they had done nothing to justify that. This was not about Israel. It was about Yahweh.
The second thing we need to clarify is that this conquest was not about eliminating a certain race of people or a particular culture or a particular nation. God did not send the Israelites to destroy these people because of their race. He did not send the Israelites to destroy these people because of their culture. And he did not send the Israelites to destroy these people because of their national allegiances. It’s important to understand that the Canaanites are not a race of people or a nation of people. The Canaanites were people of various races and nations that occupied the land of Canaan, what we now know as Palestine. It’s not a race war. It’s not a culture war. It’s not a national war. The Canaanites didn’t have these things in common. If we want to get a better idea of what the wars were about we should look to the things the Canaanites did have in common.
We can see with certainty that the various people groups in Canaan did have three important things in common. One, they all inhabited the land of Canaan. Two, they all worshiped false gods. Three, because they worshiped false gods they had created entire societies of injustice and oppression. The Canaanites were destroyed because of their idolatry and because of the injustice and oppression that their idolatry produced. You see the people in Canaan worshiped fertility gods and goddesses like the Baals and the Asherahs. Their gods existed for no other purpose than to meet human need. You want to get pregnant? Worship this god. You want your crops to grow? Worship that god. You want to win the war? Worship that goddess. You want to fall in love? Worship this goddess. The religion of the Canaanites – like all idolatry -- was not about serving god it was about serving self. The gods they worshiped were just a means to an end. Their gods were at human disposal for no other purpose than to meet human need and desire. Any system that makes human need and human desire the Ultimate value or the Ultimate concern will always, always, always produce injustice and oppression. That is the case in our country and that was most definitely the case with the Canaanites. Turn with me to Leviticus 18. What you’ll find in verses 6-23 is a list of just a few of the horrendous things that the people of Canaan were doing as a result of their idolatry. Let’s just look at some of them. Verse 7 – children were having sex with their mothers. Verse 10 – men were having sex with their granddaughters. Verse 21 – parents were burning their own children to death as offerings to their god. And this was all a result of their idolatry. They had made human need and desire the Ultimate concern. And in doing that they had created a society of oppression and injustice. They had created a society worthy of the strictest judgment.
And that is why Yahweh sent Israel on this conquest. It wasn’t about making room for Israel. It wasn’t about destroying a race or a culture or a nation. It was about judging the most horrific of sins. That’s what Yahweh says in verse 25. These people were driven out of this land because of their wickedness. They were judged for their sin. They were executed. And Yahweh chose to send Israel as his executioners. I know that even when you understand the background of this conquest you can still be very uncomfortable with it. You may be very troubled by the idea of God sending one group of people to wipe out another – even for evil as heinous as this. Let me say this: you are supposed to be troubled. That is the whole point! This conquest is not just supposed to trouble you it is supposed to absolutely horrify you! It’s supposed to horrify you so that you will associate this same horror with all sin, especially your own, and you will be reminded that the consequence of sin is death. You should absolutely be troubled by this conquest. But not because it is a holy war. Holy wars are wicked. This is not a holy war. This is not one group of religious people taking up arms against another group of religious people. This is Yahweh’s war. This is Yahweh declaring war against idolatry, injustice, oppression, and evil.
Turn with me again to Deuteronomy 9:1-5. This text makes it clear that this is not Israel’s war. They haven’t earned a victory and left to themselves they could never earn a victory. No, this is Yahweh’s war. Yahweh goes ahead of Israel like a devouring fire. Yahweh destroys the Canaanites. Yahweh subdues them. Yahweh drives them out of the land. And Yahweh does this because of the wickedness of these people. This is not a holy war. This is not one group of religious people taking on another group of religious people. That is evil. Yahweh war, though, is far from evil. Yahweh’s war is the only true holy war because Yahweh is the creator of all people. And as creator he can do whatever he pleases with his own creation. His creation exists only because he chose to give them life and they continue to exist only because he chooses to sustain that life. As creator it is well within his rights to remove the gift of life at any point he may choose. Human beings do not have that right because we cannot give or sustain life. Yahweh can and Yahweh does. But add to this the fact that Yahweh’s creation has abused the gift of life they have been given. They have taken the free gift of life and they have used it to do terrible evil and curse the very God who gave them life. Not just “them.” But “I.” Not just “I.” But “we.” Not one of us has earned the right to live. But every one of us has earned judgment. Every one of us has earned death. Every one us has earned what the Canaanites received. The only reason that any one of us continues to live, and breathe, and work, and play is this: God’s common grace.
God’s common grace is different from God’s particular grace. God’s particular grace is that grace that is only given to a particular person or a particular group of people. When God saves someone it is a result of his particular grace. When God reveals himself to someone it is a result of his particular grace. This is what we see in Yahweh’s relationship with Israel. They had done nothing to deserve it but he chose to reveal himself particularly, specially, specifically to them. On the other hand God’s common grace is that grace that he gives to all people without discrimination. God provides food and health for both the righteous and the unrighteous. That is an example of his common grace. God also withholds immediate judgment when we do evil. He allows us to continue to live in spite of our wickedness. This is an example of his common grace. This is what we see in Yahweh’s relationship with the Canaanites. Despite their terrible evil he allowed them to live for generations and continue to become more and more wicked. In his common grace he delayed their judgment. But grace is grace, right? And being that grace is grace, grace is always unmerited and undeserved. Which means that Yahweh has every right to remove it whenever he wills to do so. And that is precisely what Yahweh war is. Yahweh war is a removal of common grace. Instead of graciously allowing the Canaanites to continue living and reproducing and becoming ever more wicked Yahweh chose to remove that grace and bring immediate judgment. And this is totally just.
Yahweh is a warrior. The Bible says those exact words in Exodus 15:3. He wars against idolatry, and evil, and injustice, and oppression. For this reason he interrupted his common grace and waged war against the Canaanites. For this reason he promised that he would interrupt his common grace and wage war against his own people, the Israelites, when they became like the Canaanites. And for this reason he will one day put an end to common grace altogether and wage one final war against every idolater who lives and has ever lived. This conquest is not about the Israelites. It’s not even about the Canaanites. It is about Yahweh the warrior.
An Unholy Disobedience
So, then, how does all of this apply to us? Since this conquest was not about racism we obviously cannot apply these commands to the people of Palestine or any other ethnic group. Since this conquest was not about nationalism we obviously cannot apply these commands to America or any other nation, not even to the current nation of Israel. When we read about Israel in the book of Judges we’re not reading about Israel as a nation. We’re reading about Israel as the people of God. The Church of Jesus Christ has now become Israel because of Jesus who is the True Israel. The Church is now the people of God. And that is the key to understanding how this all applies to us. This was Yahweh’s conquest. And he chose to use his people as his instrument to carry out his will. The drama of the story is found in how his people chose to respond. Yahweh is still on a conquest to overcome evil with good and darkness with light through the declaration and demonstration of his gospel. And he has chosen to use the Church as his instrument. And, sadly, you and I often respond in the same way as the Israelites.
As the story of Judges chapter 1 continues we see that the Israelites did not do what Yahweh commanded them to do. Remember that he commanded them to completely drive out every inhabitant. He specifically gave them instructions to not intermarry with them, to not make treaties with them, and to show them no mercy. He commanded them to tear down every idol and altar and to utterly destroy every living thing. But they did not obey him. They did not do what he commanded. They started off fine. They started off seeking the Lord’s will as we read in verse 1. But as the chapter goes on we see the people of God becoming less and less interested in God’s will and more and more interested in their own. In verse 7 they allow a king to live. In verse 19 they fail to drive the people from the plains. In verse 21 they fail to drive out the Jebusites. In verse 27 they fail to drive out several people groups. In verse 28 they turn some Canaanites into slaves instead of utterly destroying them. In verse 30 they do the same thing in another area of the land. In verse 31 they fail to drive out the people from seven different areas. In verse 32 they allow the Canaanites to live among them. In verse 33 the same thing happens in another area. Yahweh said, “drive the people out” and they didn’t. Yahweh said, “let no one survive” and they did. Yahweh said, “don’t live among them” and they did just that. The people of God chose to disobey the God who delivered them. They chose to partially obey the God who deserves total obedience. They chose to assert themselves. They chose to serve themselves. They chose to try to protect themselves. They chose to try to save themselves. How often do you and I do the exact same thing? How often do we focus on self and look out for self above all else. How often are you so caught up with self that you fail to fulfill the mission God has given you. Remember what we said at the beginning, it is ironic that when we are most looking out for ourselves we are most likely to self-destruct.
And the story goes on. Because the Israelites were primarily concerned about themselves they failed to obey Yahweh in other areas as well. They were supposed to destroy all of the pagan altars in the land but they didn’t. They let them stand. Not only did they let them stand in the places the Canaanites still lived, they even let them stand in the areas that the Israelites conquered and possessed! How often do you and I do the same thing? Not only do we allow the idolatrous altars of our culture to stand unchallenged. we allow those same idolatrous altars to exist in our own churches, in our own homes, and in our own hearts. As if that were not despicable enough the people of God also made covenants with the Canaanite people! Yahweh specifically commanded them to not make any covenant with the people. And by making a covenant with them they were breaking their covenant with Yahweh. They chose inappropriate human relationships over divine relationship. Again, how often do we do the same thing? And all of this happens because we have chosen to live for self, to focus on self, to protect ourselves. And isn’t it ironic that when we are most looking out for ourselves we are most likely to actually destroy ourselves.
We know that because Yahweh himself said as much. In chapter 2 verses 1-3 we are told that the Angel of the Lord visited Israel to confront their disobedience. That’ll get your attention won’t it? A visit from any angel would be incredibly significant. We would all be blown away by the mere thought of seeing one of God’s angels with our own eyes and if they confronted our sin we would quickly re-evaluate our lives. But this is something else entirely. This is no mere angel. This is not an angel of the Lord. This is the Angel of Yahweh. Yahweh had many angels who he sent as his messengers. But in this case Yahweh chose to send himself as his own messenger. The Angel of the Lord that we read about here is most likely the second person of the Trinity. It is most likely Jesus – the Word of God -- before his incarnation. As he speaks he does not speak as though he’s bringing a message from Yahweh. He speaks as Yahweh himself. “I brought you up out of Egypt,” he said. “I will never break my covenant with you,” he promised. “Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this?” Jesus asked this of the people of Israel and he could ask the same thing of us. “Why have you done this?”
Yahweh had every reason in the world to break his covenant with the disobedient and idolatrous people of Israel. But he did not. Jesus has every reason in the world to break his covenant with his disobedient and idolatrous Church – with you – but he does not. “I will never break my covenant with you,” he says in verse 1. Yahweh’s covenant with his people is contingent upon his name and his character and not upon the behavior or performance of his people. The covenant Yahweh made with Israel came long before they made any attempt to honor him or obey him. He made them his people and rescued them from Egypt first. And then he called them to obedience. The New Covenant of Jesus’ spilled blood and broken body came long before you even considered trying to obey him. He rescued you from sin and death first. And then he called you to obedience. The point is that God is faithful when you are not. The whole book of Judges is about this. And because of that, God will not break his covenant with you because of your disobedience. But he will allow you to self-destruct. Remember, when we are most looking out for ourselves we are most likely to destroy ourselves. And that is just what the Angel of the Lord says will happen in verse 3. “I will not drive them out before you; they will become traps for you, and their gods will become snares for you.” He will not strike his people down in judgment. But he will allow them to continue in their sin and that very sin will become a trap and a snare for them. The more they focus on themselves the more they will destroy themselves.
A Wholly Important Issue
When we look at this story we should see ourselves. We are dominated by our own self-interest and our own self-interest is what leads us away from truly submitting to God. Just as the Israelites were fighting their own battles instead of Yahweh’s battle we are fighting our own battles instead of Jesus’ battle. We are not preaching the gospel. We are not loving people in Jesus’ name. We are more concerned about our comfort and our prosperity than we are about fulfilling the mission that we have been given as followers of Christ. We are more concerned about getting what we want out of human relationships than we are about being faithful in our divine relationship. We are more concerned about doing our will than we are about doing Jesus’ will. And like the Israelites we continually trust in ourselves for freedom and victory instead of trusting in Jesus who alone can give us the freedom and the victory. We are living for ourselves and like the Israelites if we continue to live for ourselves we will undoubtedly destroy ourselves. God will allow us to fall into the painful traps and snares that we have set for ourselves.
If you are a follower of Christ he will allow you to walk right into self-destruction because he loves you and wants to discipline you so that you will once again turn away from self and toward Jesus. And as strange as it might sound the only way you will ever truly find yourself fulfilled is when you finally take the focus off of self and onto Jesus. If you are not a follower of Christ he will also allow you to walk right into self-destruction. But for you this is not God’s loving hand of discipline. This is God’s wrath. He will judge you by allowing you to get the very things you want. He will allow you to live for yourself and walk right into the traps and snares that will destroy you. You’re only escape is Jesus. So whether you’re a Christian or a non-Christian don’t think for a minute that because you haven’t been struck down with lightning that there are no consequences for your sin. Don’t think for a minute that because no one knows about your sin that your sin will not be exposed. Don’t think for a second that because God is allowing you to enjoy your sin that it won’t destroy you. The fact that God is allowing you to continue in your sin and enjoy your sin is proof that God is angry with you. He is allowing you to continue in your self-focus so that you will self-destruct – either in discipline as his child or in judgment as his enemy.
So what can you do to avoid walking right into the trap you’ve made for yourself? What can you do to avoid self-destruction? You need to do two things. You need to do what Israel did. And you need to do what Israel did not do. You need to start by doing what Israel did in chapter 2 verses 4 and 5. When the Angel of the Lord confronted them in their sin they repented. They wept aloud and turned from their idols and worshiped Yahweh. I doubt there is one of us in this room who doesn’t need to do the same thing. I doubt there is one of us in this room who is not guilty of living for self when we should be living for Jesus and focusing on self when we should be focusing on Jesus. We should repent. We should weep aloud. We should turn from our idols and worship Jesus. We should also do what Israel did not do. We should trust in Yahweh. We should trust in his promises and his power. The reason the Israelites disobeyed and didn’t complete the conquest is because they didn’t believe that God would give them the victory that he promised them. They didn’t believe that God’s power and God’s grace were sufficient for them. So they looked elsewhere. And they looked out for themselves instead of trusting in God to supply everything they needed. Don’t make that same mistake. Trust in Jesus. Trust in his promises. Trust in his power. Only he can fulfill you. Only he can protect you. Only he can free you. Only he can give you victory. Yahweh is warrior. Jesus is warrior. The only true warrior. The only great warrior. He and he alone leads us into victory over death, and sin, and evil, and Satan, and lust, and temptation, and our slavery to self. He has done this by fighting for those who can’t fight for themselves. By living righteously for those who can’t live righteously. By dying the death that you should have died. He has not only won the battle he has won the war. And he won it in the most unlikely place. He won it while he hung naked from a cross suffocating to death in your place. Do the thing that seems most dangerous to you: trust in that victory and take your focus off of self. Trust in Jesus. Trust in his promises. Trust in his power. And trust in him to fulfill you, to protect you, to provide for you.
You’re staying at a friend’s cabin in the woods when you realize that you left some food outside in your car. You go outside to grab the food and what do you see? A large brown bear approaching you. What’s your first instinct in that situation? Your first instinct is to run, and scream, and run, and scream some more. Because your only concern in that situation is self-preservation. But if you want to preserve yourself running and screaming is the last thing you want to do when you run into a bear. If you want to live you need to do the thing that feels most dangerous to you. You need to stand still, stand tall, and remain calm as the bear approaches you. Wave your arms at him. Speak in a firm but calm voice. If you stand your ground the bear will most likely turn away. But if you run – he will chase after you. What’s ironic is that by trying to preserve yourself you may actually end up destroying yourself.
You’re driving down MLK in early February. It’s cold outside. Freezing cold. And there are some pockets of ice on the road. As you’re heading South toward the intersection on Ainsworth you run right into a patch of ice that’s sending you off of the road and toward the Popeye’s parking lot. What’s your first instinct in that situation? Your first instinct is to slam your foot on the brake and gain control. Because your only concern in that situation is self-preservation. But if you want to preserve yourself slamming the brakes is the last thing you want to do. I should know. And Denise should know too because she was in the van with me when I hit a patch of ice, hit the brakes, and almost drove us off of a cliff. Literally. If you want to live in this situation you need to do the thing that feels most dangerous to you. You need to ease up on the gas, firmly hold the steering wheel, and allow your car to come out of the slide naturally. If you slam the brakes you’re asking for serious trouble. Again, it’s ironic that by trying to preserve yourself you may actually end up destroying yourself.
Imagine you’re driving and somehow you find that your car has taken you off of the road and into a body of water. Maybe this hasn’t happened to anyone you know but it does happen – especially on television! So your car lands in the water and begins to sink. What’s your first instinct? Your first instinct is to quickly remove your seatbelt, try to open the door or roll down a window, and swim out before your car fills with water. Because your only concern in that situation is self-preservation. But if you want to preserve yourself that is the last thing you want to do. If you want to live you need to do the thing that feels most dangerous to you. You need to keep your door closed and your seatbelt on and wait patiently for your entire car to be flooded with water. If you try to open your door any earlier the water pressure outside is too great. If you take off your seatbelt any earlier you’ll be tossed around the car and become disoriented. It’s ironic that by trying to preserve yourself you may actually end up destroying yourself.
That is a lesson we learn over and over again as we read through what is called the Book of Judges. Today we are beginning a new series on this historical book. And over the next few months we will find this theme again and again. When we are most concerned about looking out for ourselves we are most likely to end up destroying ourselves. When we are most focused on getting what we want we are most likely to get what we don’t want. When we are trying to serve ourselves we are at great risk of actually destroying ourselves. It seems counterintuitive. But it has been proven time and time again. When you’re looking out for self, as my man Ice-T would say, “self-destruction/you’re headed for self-destruction.” Precisely because this is so counterintuitive you and I need to be reminded of this again and again. So please turn with me to Judges 1:1-2:5.
A Holy War
The story in this first section of Judges goes like this. Israel’s leader has just died. We read that in verse 1. Joshua was Moses’ successor. As Moses led the people of Israel out of the bondage of Egypt, Joshua led Israel into the Promised Land. Israel is now in the land that Yahweh, the God of Abraham, promised them. They are now in the land of milk and honey. The land of peace and prosperity. The land God promised them as their inheritance. As the Book of Judges opens, we see that Yahweh has brought his people into the Land just as he promised. Yet even as they had arrived in the Land, and taken possession of much of it, there is still work to do. Israel has received very specific instructions from Yahweh. They are not only to enter the land. They are to drive out the people who live there. They are to utterly destroy them and leave nothing surviving. No treaties. No mercy. No slavery. No intermarriage. Just destruction of the people, and their idols, and anything that breathes. This is the background for the opening chapters of Judges. To understand what’s happening in these first two chapters, and in the whole book, we have to understand this mission – this conquest – that God has given to Israel as they enter the land. So let’s stay here for a minute.
Let’s talk about this conquest. Let’s talk about this “holy war.” Let’s talk about what some have called a God-sanctioned genocide.
The first thing we need to clarify is that this conquest was not about making room for the Israelites. It wasn’t as if God was getting rid of one group of people to make room for another group of people. Yahweh had made it very clear to the Israelites that they had done nothing to deserve this land. It had nothing to do with them and everything to do with him. Turn with me to Deuteronomy 9:5. “It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the Lord your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” Yahweh was not clearing the land to make room for Israel, as some would like to do today. No, they had done nothing to justify that. This was not about Israel. It was about Yahweh.
The second thing we need to clarify is that this conquest was not about eliminating a certain race of people or a particular culture or a particular nation. God did not send the Israelites to destroy these people because of their race. He did not send the Israelites to destroy these people because of their culture. And he did not send the Israelites to destroy these people because of their national allegiances. It’s important to understand that the Canaanites are not a race of people or a nation of people. The Canaanites were people of various races and nations that occupied the land of Canaan, what we now know as Palestine. It’s not a race war. It’s not a culture war. It’s not a national war. The Canaanites didn’t have these things in common. If we want to get a better idea of what the wars were about we should look to the things the Canaanites did have in common.
We can see with certainty that the various people groups in Canaan did have three important things in common. One, they all inhabited the land of Canaan. Two, they all worshiped false gods. Three, because they worshiped false gods they had created entire societies of injustice and oppression. The Canaanites were destroyed because of their idolatry and because of the injustice and oppression that their idolatry produced. You see the people in Canaan worshiped fertility gods and goddesses like the Baals and the Asherahs. Their gods existed for no other purpose than to meet human need. You want to get pregnant? Worship this god. You want your crops to grow? Worship that god. You want to win the war? Worship that goddess. You want to fall in love? Worship this goddess. The religion of the Canaanites – like all idolatry -- was not about serving god it was about serving self. The gods they worshiped were just a means to an end. Their gods were at human disposal for no other purpose than to meet human need and desire. Any system that makes human need and human desire the Ultimate value or the Ultimate concern will always, always, always produce injustice and oppression. That is the case in our country and that was most definitely the case with the Canaanites. Turn with me to Leviticus 18. What you’ll find in verses 6-23 is a list of just a few of the horrendous things that the people of Canaan were doing as a result of their idolatry. Let’s just look at some of them. Verse 7 – children were having sex with their mothers. Verse 10 – men were having sex with their granddaughters. Verse 21 – parents were burning their own children to death as offerings to their god. And this was all a result of their idolatry. They had made human need and desire the Ultimate concern. And in doing that they had created a society of oppression and injustice. They had created a society worthy of the strictest judgment.
And that is why Yahweh sent Israel on this conquest. It wasn’t about making room for Israel. It wasn’t about destroying a race or a culture or a nation. It was about judging the most horrific of sins. That’s what Yahweh says in verse 25. These people were driven out of this land because of their wickedness. They were judged for their sin. They were executed. And Yahweh chose to send Israel as his executioners. I know that even when you understand the background of this conquest you can still be very uncomfortable with it. You may be very troubled by the idea of God sending one group of people to wipe out another – even for evil as heinous as this. Let me say this: you are supposed to be troubled. That is the whole point! This conquest is not just supposed to trouble you it is supposed to absolutely horrify you! It’s supposed to horrify you so that you will associate this same horror with all sin, especially your own, and you will be reminded that the consequence of sin is death. You should absolutely be troubled by this conquest. But not because it is a holy war. Holy wars are wicked. This is not a holy war. This is not one group of religious people taking up arms against another group of religious people. This is Yahweh’s war. This is Yahweh declaring war against idolatry, injustice, oppression, and evil.
Turn with me again to Deuteronomy 9:1-5. This text makes it clear that this is not Israel’s war. They haven’t earned a victory and left to themselves they could never earn a victory. No, this is Yahweh’s war. Yahweh goes ahead of Israel like a devouring fire. Yahweh destroys the Canaanites. Yahweh subdues them. Yahweh drives them out of the land. And Yahweh does this because of the wickedness of these people. This is not a holy war. This is not one group of religious people taking on another group of religious people. That is evil. Yahweh war, though, is far from evil. Yahweh’s war is the only true holy war because Yahweh is the creator of all people. And as creator he can do whatever he pleases with his own creation. His creation exists only because he chose to give them life and they continue to exist only because he chooses to sustain that life. As creator it is well within his rights to remove the gift of life at any point he may choose. Human beings do not have that right because we cannot give or sustain life. Yahweh can and Yahweh does. But add to this the fact that Yahweh’s creation has abused the gift of life they have been given. They have taken the free gift of life and they have used it to do terrible evil and curse the very God who gave them life. Not just “them.” But “I.” Not just “I.” But “we.” Not one of us has earned the right to live. But every one of us has earned judgment. Every one of us has earned death. Every one us has earned what the Canaanites received. The only reason that any one of us continues to live, and breathe, and work, and play is this: God’s common grace.
God’s common grace is different from God’s particular grace. God’s particular grace is that grace that is only given to a particular person or a particular group of people. When God saves someone it is a result of his particular grace. When God reveals himself to someone it is a result of his particular grace. This is what we see in Yahweh’s relationship with Israel. They had done nothing to deserve it but he chose to reveal himself particularly, specially, specifically to them. On the other hand God’s common grace is that grace that he gives to all people without discrimination. God provides food and health for both the righteous and the unrighteous. That is an example of his common grace. God also withholds immediate judgment when we do evil. He allows us to continue to live in spite of our wickedness. This is an example of his common grace. This is what we see in Yahweh’s relationship with the Canaanites. Despite their terrible evil he allowed them to live for generations and continue to become more and more wicked. In his common grace he delayed their judgment. But grace is grace, right? And being that grace is grace, grace is always unmerited and undeserved. Which means that Yahweh has every right to remove it whenever he wills to do so. And that is precisely what Yahweh war is. Yahweh war is a removal of common grace. Instead of graciously allowing the Canaanites to continue living and reproducing and becoming ever more wicked Yahweh chose to remove that grace and bring immediate judgment. And this is totally just.
Yahweh is a warrior. The Bible says those exact words in Exodus 15:3. He wars against idolatry, and evil, and injustice, and oppression. For this reason he interrupted his common grace and waged war against the Canaanites. For this reason he promised that he would interrupt his common grace and wage war against his own people, the Israelites, when they became like the Canaanites. And for this reason he will one day put an end to common grace altogether and wage one final war against every idolater who lives and has ever lived. This conquest is not about the Israelites. It’s not even about the Canaanites. It is about Yahweh the warrior.
An Unholy Disobedience
So, then, how does all of this apply to us? Since this conquest was not about racism we obviously cannot apply these commands to the people of Palestine or any other ethnic group. Since this conquest was not about nationalism we obviously cannot apply these commands to America or any other nation, not even to the current nation of Israel. When we read about Israel in the book of Judges we’re not reading about Israel as a nation. We’re reading about Israel as the people of God. The Church of Jesus Christ has now become Israel because of Jesus who is the True Israel. The Church is now the people of God. And that is the key to understanding how this all applies to us. This was Yahweh’s conquest. And he chose to use his people as his instrument to carry out his will. The drama of the story is found in how his people chose to respond. Yahweh is still on a conquest to overcome evil with good and darkness with light through the declaration and demonstration of his gospel. And he has chosen to use the Church as his instrument. And, sadly, you and I often respond in the same way as the Israelites.
As the story of Judges chapter 1 continues we see that the Israelites did not do what Yahweh commanded them to do. Remember that he commanded them to completely drive out every inhabitant. He specifically gave them instructions to not intermarry with them, to not make treaties with them, and to show them no mercy. He commanded them to tear down every idol and altar and to utterly destroy every living thing. But they did not obey him. They did not do what he commanded. They started off fine. They started off seeking the Lord’s will as we read in verse 1. But as the chapter goes on we see the people of God becoming less and less interested in God’s will and more and more interested in their own. In verse 7 they allow a king to live. In verse 19 they fail to drive the people from the plains. In verse 21 they fail to drive out the Jebusites. In verse 27 they fail to drive out several people groups. In verse 28 they turn some Canaanites into slaves instead of utterly destroying them. In verse 30 they do the same thing in another area of the land. In verse 31 they fail to drive out the people from seven different areas. In verse 32 they allow the Canaanites to live among them. In verse 33 the same thing happens in another area. Yahweh said, “drive the people out” and they didn’t. Yahweh said, “let no one survive” and they did. Yahweh said, “don’t live among them” and they did just that. The people of God chose to disobey the God who delivered them. They chose to partially obey the God who deserves total obedience. They chose to assert themselves. They chose to serve themselves. They chose to try to protect themselves. They chose to try to save themselves. How often do you and I do the exact same thing? How often do we focus on self and look out for self above all else. How often are you so caught up with self that you fail to fulfill the mission God has given you. Remember what we said at the beginning, it is ironic that when we are most looking out for ourselves we are most likely to self-destruct.
And the story goes on. Because the Israelites were primarily concerned about themselves they failed to obey Yahweh in other areas as well. They were supposed to destroy all of the pagan altars in the land but they didn’t. They let them stand. Not only did they let them stand in the places the Canaanites still lived, they even let them stand in the areas that the Israelites conquered and possessed! How often do you and I do the same thing? Not only do we allow the idolatrous altars of our culture to stand unchallenged. we allow those same idolatrous altars to exist in our own churches, in our own homes, and in our own hearts. As if that were not despicable enough the people of God also made covenants with the Canaanite people! Yahweh specifically commanded them to not make any covenant with the people. And by making a covenant with them they were breaking their covenant with Yahweh. They chose inappropriate human relationships over divine relationship. Again, how often do we do the same thing? And all of this happens because we have chosen to live for self, to focus on self, to protect ourselves. And isn’t it ironic that when we are most looking out for ourselves we are most likely to actually destroy ourselves.
We know that because Yahweh himself said as much. In chapter 2 verses 1-3 we are told that the Angel of the Lord visited Israel to confront their disobedience. That’ll get your attention won’t it? A visit from any angel would be incredibly significant. We would all be blown away by the mere thought of seeing one of God’s angels with our own eyes and if they confronted our sin we would quickly re-evaluate our lives. But this is something else entirely. This is no mere angel. This is not an angel of the Lord. This is the Angel of Yahweh. Yahweh had many angels who he sent as his messengers. But in this case Yahweh chose to send himself as his own messenger. The Angel of the Lord that we read about here is most likely the second person of the Trinity. It is most likely Jesus – the Word of God -- before his incarnation. As he speaks he does not speak as though he’s bringing a message from Yahweh. He speaks as Yahweh himself. “I brought you up out of Egypt,” he said. “I will never break my covenant with you,” he promised. “Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this?” Jesus asked this of the people of Israel and he could ask the same thing of us. “Why have you done this?”
Yahweh had every reason in the world to break his covenant with the disobedient and idolatrous people of Israel. But he did not. Jesus has every reason in the world to break his covenant with his disobedient and idolatrous Church – with you – but he does not. “I will never break my covenant with you,” he says in verse 1. Yahweh’s covenant with his people is contingent upon his name and his character and not upon the behavior or performance of his people. The covenant Yahweh made with Israel came long before they made any attempt to honor him or obey him. He made them his people and rescued them from Egypt first. And then he called them to obedience. The New Covenant of Jesus’ spilled blood and broken body came long before you even considered trying to obey him. He rescued you from sin and death first. And then he called you to obedience. The point is that God is faithful when you are not. The whole book of Judges is about this. And because of that, God will not break his covenant with you because of your disobedience. But he will allow you to self-destruct. Remember, when we are most looking out for ourselves we are most likely to destroy ourselves. And that is just what the Angel of the Lord says will happen in verse 3. “I will not drive them out before you; they will become traps for you, and their gods will become snares for you.” He will not strike his people down in judgment. But he will allow them to continue in their sin and that very sin will become a trap and a snare for them. The more they focus on themselves the more they will destroy themselves.
A Wholly Important Issue
When we look at this story we should see ourselves. We are dominated by our own self-interest and our own self-interest is what leads us away from truly submitting to God. Just as the Israelites were fighting their own battles instead of Yahweh’s battle we are fighting our own battles instead of Jesus’ battle. We are not preaching the gospel. We are not loving people in Jesus’ name. We are more concerned about our comfort and our prosperity than we are about fulfilling the mission that we have been given as followers of Christ. We are more concerned about getting what we want out of human relationships than we are about being faithful in our divine relationship. We are more concerned about doing our will than we are about doing Jesus’ will. And like the Israelites we continually trust in ourselves for freedom and victory instead of trusting in Jesus who alone can give us the freedom and the victory. We are living for ourselves and like the Israelites if we continue to live for ourselves we will undoubtedly destroy ourselves. God will allow us to fall into the painful traps and snares that we have set for ourselves.
If you are a follower of Christ he will allow you to walk right into self-destruction because he loves you and wants to discipline you so that you will once again turn away from self and toward Jesus. And as strange as it might sound the only way you will ever truly find yourself fulfilled is when you finally take the focus off of self and onto Jesus. If you are not a follower of Christ he will also allow you to walk right into self-destruction. But for you this is not God’s loving hand of discipline. This is God’s wrath. He will judge you by allowing you to get the very things you want. He will allow you to live for yourself and walk right into the traps and snares that will destroy you. You’re only escape is Jesus. So whether you’re a Christian or a non-Christian don’t think for a minute that because you haven’t been struck down with lightning that there are no consequences for your sin. Don’t think for a minute that because no one knows about your sin that your sin will not be exposed. Don’t think for a second that because God is allowing you to enjoy your sin that it won’t destroy you. The fact that God is allowing you to continue in your sin and enjoy your sin is proof that God is angry with you. He is allowing you to continue in your self-focus so that you will self-destruct – either in discipline as his child or in judgment as his enemy.
So what can you do to avoid walking right into the trap you’ve made for yourself? What can you do to avoid self-destruction? You need to do two things. You need to do what Israel did. And you need to do what Israel did not do. You need to start by doing what Israel did in chapter 2 verses 4 and 5. When the Angel of the Lord confronted them in their sin they repented. They wept aloud and turned from their idols and worshiped Yahweh. I doubt there is one of us in this room who doesn’t need to do the same thing. I doubt there is one of us in this room who is not guilty of living for self when we should be living for Jesus and focusing on self when we should be focusing on Jesus. We should repent. We should weep aloud. We should turn from our idols and worship Jesus. We should also do what Israel did not do. We should trust in Yahweh. We should trust in his promises and his power. The reason the Israelites disobeyed and didn’t complete the conquest is because they didn’t believe that God would give them the victory that he promised them. They didn’t believe that God’s power and God’s grace were sufficient for them. So they looked elsewhere. And they looked out for themselves instead of trusting in God to supply everything they needed. Don’t make that same mistake. Trust in Jesus. Trust in his promises. Trust in his power. Only he can fulfill you. Only he can protect you. Only he can free you. Only he can give you victory. Yahweh is warrior. Jesus is warrior. The only true warrior. The only great warrior. He and he alone leads us into victory over death, and sin, and evil, and Satan, and lust, and temptation, and our slavery to self. He has done this by fighting for those who can’t fight for themselves. By living righteously for those who can’t live righteously. By dying the death that you should have died. He has not only won the battle he has won the war. And he won it in the most unlikely place. He won it while he hung naked from a cross suffocating to death in your place. Do the thing that seems most dangerous to you: trust in that victory and take your focus off of self. Trust in Jesus. Trust in his promises. Trust in his power. And trust in him to fulfill you, to protect you, to provide for you.
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