The Spiral of Failure

Statement of Intent:
I intend to show how the sin cycle mentioned in Judges applies to modern Christians. I also plan on displaying how the people of Israel in the time of the Judges are not too different than us today.

Introduction:
There is a concept found in the book of Judges that is called the "Sin Cycle" which refers to the people of Israel in their struggle with idolatry and the sins that came out of their involvement with idolatry. While this cycle in the book is in reference to Israel it applies to all Christians today. Many people in the church find themselves caught in this cycle and are looking for an escape out of it. The cycle itself is something that must be understood before Judges 6:1-10 can be properly studied. It obviously starts with sin; sin in this context is to be regarded as a habitual sin. In the book of Judges Israel sins against God by habitually leaving him to follow other Gods. God�'s anger then burns against them and he gives them over to the people who they have befriended by worshipping their gods, this step is servitude. Israel after being oppressed cries out to God, they repent of their sins; this is the third step of supplication. The fourth step involves God providing Israel with a deliver to save them from whoever is oppressing them, this step is called salvation. The Bible normally tells us how long the land had peace after a war to end Israel's oppression. This step is called silence. Sooner or later though Israel fell back into sin and they started on a downward spiral to the point where they wouldn't repent at all. In Judges 6, Israel is in the middle of the downward spiral.

Judges 6 begins after a period of peace. John Gill describes the time when he says "After the death of Deborah and Barak, during whose life they kept to the pure worship of God, and who, perhaps, lived pretty near the close of the forty years rest, or of the twenty years from their victory over Jabin; but they dying, the children of Israel fell into idolatry". This is the context for the passage; a new generation is living in Israel that was brought up during a time of peace in the land. After studying Israel in the Old Testament it is very apparent that they are always the most apt to sin when they have peace and plenty. This is not a phenomenon exclusive to the ancient Israelites, we today are also more prone to sin when everything is fine and we are not under much stress. That is when Satan attacks us the most. Therefore that is when we need to be on our guard.

Outline of Judges 6:1-10

1. When we sin habitually God will sometimes let our sin control our lives (6:1)
A. Israel's sin was doing evil in the sight of the Lord (6:1)
1. They worshipped idols of Baal and other Canaanite Gods
2. We worship idols today in a form other stone
a. We worship material things such as money and possessions
b. We worship non-material things such as their talents or looks
B. As a result of Israel's sin God gave the Midianite people rule over them (6:1)
1. The Midianite people oppressed Israel for seven years
2. Our sin can oppress us for our whole lives if we give in to it

Summary: During the course of our lives we often put many things before God. Sometimes we do it unknowingly. Sometimes we put things like ministry before God which isn't a bad thing, yet are priorities are still out of order. Israel worshipped the Canaanites gods especially the god Baal. This might seem strange to Americans today but that was something that people of Israel genuinely struggled with. Christians in America would be more likely to be caught in the sins of pornography, alcoholism, drug abuse, pride, gluttony, and sloth. These things on the surface seem very different than bowing down to a statue, but to God they are the same. God does not treat idolatry or sin lightly. Once again he was forced to put a people group to oppress Israel, this time was Midian's turn. John Gill explains why God might have chosen Midian to rule over Israel in his commentary on Judges 6 when he says "his people (Midianites) had been destroyed by the Israelites in the times of Moses, in their way to the land of Canaan, Numbers 31:1 wherefore they might bear them a grudge, and now took the opportunity to revenge themselves on them, God permitting them so to do for their sins".

2. When sin takes over our lives we are left to our own resources (6:2-5)
A. When we are left to our own resources we put up barriers to protect ourselves (6:2)
1. Due to the Midianites power Israel made shelters in three areas
a. Mountain clefts
b. Caves
c. Strongholds
2. When we live in habitual sins, we set up barriers around us
a. To protect us from being exposed
b. To protect us from being accountable
c. To protect us from being scorned
B. When sin takes over our lives it ruins us (6:3-5)
1. The Midianites did two things to Israel
a. They ruined Israel's crops
b. They used Israel's livestock till Israel was left with nothing
2. Sin does two things to us
a. It ruins our ministry
b. It drains us of our joy

Summary: If we let sin take a hold on us and we continue to partake in, God will eventually stop helping us. When Israel was in the downward spiral they eventually got to the point where there was no supplication in the cycle so they just kept sinning. At this point God just let their sins consume them for a time. Without God Israel was no match for the Midianites. In a commentary on Judges 6 Matthew Henry discusses the Midianites and what they did to Israel, he states "They (Midianites) were wandering herdsmen, called "children of the East," from their occupying the territory east of the Red Sea, contiguous to Moab. The destructive ravages they are described as at this time committing in the land of Israel are similar to those of the Bedouin Arabs, who harass the peaceful cultivators of the soil. Unless composition is made with them, they return annually at a certain season, when they carry off the grain, seize the cattle and other property; and even life itself is in jeopardy from the attacks of those prowling marauders. The vast horde of Midianites that overran Canaan made them the greatest scourge which had ever afflicted the Israelites." Israel's sin caused them to be tyrannized by the Midianites. Many times it is our sin that causes us the most pain, not some outside source. Think of a person who gets drunk then gets behind the wheel of car. They hit a tree and lose both of their legs. If they didn't sin in the first place and get drunk they never would have had that pain. That is a just one scenario in a million that show how our own sin brings us pain. That is why God restricts us, not so we can't enjoy life but so that we don't have to deal with the pain sin brings into our lives.

3. Only true repentance will save us from our sins (6:6-10)
A. Israel cries out to God for help (6:6-7)
1. The Midianites have impoverished them
2. People have a breaking point when their sins have taken over
B. God answers their call with a prophet (6:8-10)
1. God rebukes the people for not remembering what he has done for them
2. God rebukes the people for their sins

Summary: If we are to find relief from the pain our sins have caused we have to turn from them and repent. Therefore we must stop sinning, praying for the symptoms of sin to stop is not what God desires. He wants to live holy lives before him. Israel was in the middle of the downward spiral and when they cried out to God to help them get out of their oppression they never repented of their sins. The text indicates that they were in pain and wanted God again, but only to help them, not to be their Lord again. So God sends a prophet to rebuke them. Many times in life we forget what God has gotten us through, the Israelites did that also. God reminded them of how he delivered them from the bondage of Egypt and the other people groups who have ruled over them. We need to remember what God has done for us, especially on the cross, so that when we get tempted to sin we can stand strong because we don't want to hurt God. God also rebuked Israel for worshiping the gods of the Amorites instead of him. Christians should constantly be searching their hearts to see if they had put any other god in front the one true God. One way to do this is to judge what you think about the most, or what is the first thing you think about when you wake up. If there is something that is controlling your life more than God is, it is an idol.

Conclusion:
There are many life lessons to be learned from the mistakes of Israel in the Old Testament. One we can learn from the passage of Judges 6:1-10 is that sin needs to be dealt with early. A practical way to do that is to have accountability with someone you trust that isn't afraid to ask you tough questions. Israel was a caught in a cycle of sin in which they worshipped idols of foreign idols. There are other cycles of sin Christians can be involved in other than idolatry. When we habitually sin, ask for forgiveness, try to change and then fall right back into that sin we are in a cycle. It doesn't matter what the sin is. We should learn that if we don't with a cycle quickly it will turn to a downward spiral and we will be consumed with our sins. True repentance involves a turning away from sin, it is not just being sad that you got caught with your hand in the cookie jar. When we truly repent God will save us from the sin cycle and we can be in fellowship with him again.

Bibliography

Gill, John. "EXPOSITION OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS." God Rules. 1810. 29 Apr. 2006 .

Guzik, David. " Judges 6 - The Call of Gideon�â'¬ï¿½ Enduring Word. 2001. Enduring Word Media. 29 Apr. 2006 .

Henry, Matthew. "Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible." Crosswalk. 1706. 29 Apr. 2006 .

Jamieson, Robert, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown. "Commentary Critical and Explanatory-Chapter 6." Crosswalk. 1871. 29 Apr. 2006 .

Wesley, John. "John Wesley's Explanatory Notes." Crosswalk. 1765. 29 Apr. 2006 .