Judges 10- Israel Truely Repents And God Becomes Impatient With Their Suffering

Let us begin by reading Judges 10:1-16. It says,

After Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, and he lived at Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. And he judged Israel twenty-three years. Then he died and was buried at Shamir.

After him arose Jair the Gileadite, who judged Israel twenty-two years. And he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty cities, called Havvoth-jair to this day, which are in the land of Gilead. And Jair died and was buried in Kamon.

The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the Lord and did not serve him. So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites, and they crushed and oppressed the people of Israel that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the people of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. And the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed.

And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals.” And the Lord said to the people of Israel, “Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines? The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I saved you out of their hand. Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more. Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.” And the people of Israel said to the Lord, “We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please deliver us this day.” So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord, and he became impatient over the misery of Israel.

Then the Ammonites were called to arms, and they encamped in Gilead. And the people of Israel came together, and they encamped at Mizpah. And the people, the leaders of Gilead, said one to another, “Who is the man who will begin to fight against the Ammonites? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

In Judges 10:1-5 we are given a brief description of two judges that God raised up to lead Israel. We have seen this before (3:31) and we will see it again (12:8-15). These short descriptions remind me of God’s faithfulness and steadfast love towards His people. The LORD is always present and working salvation among His people. We mentioned this on Christmas Eve when we read Psalm 74:12, “God my King is from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.”

We have also seen in Micah 5:2 how the LORD was active in eternity and is now active in time to implement His plan of salvation for His people. For example, we were told that the Christ would be ‘from of old’ and ‘from eternity’. We do not always see how God is working around us, but isn’t it encouraging to see that the scriptures testify to this? (Judges 10; Psalm 77:19)

After noting these smaller testimonies of these judges we read in Judges 10:6, “The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord...”. (3:7,3:12,4:1,6:1) Some say that the God in the Old Testament is harsh, angry, and vengeful. Question: Why don’t they notice when they read the Old Testament just how faithless, ungrateful, and unresponsive sinful people are to the goodness, kindness, mercy, and to the patience of the LORD?

Some say, “The God of the Old Testament is easily provoked and always angry!”, however, throughout the Book of Judges the LORD has been offended by the faithlessness of His people over and over again. We read, “The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And they forsook the Lord and did not serve him.” (6)

4 observations:. First, notice who is offended- the LORD. The LORD is the creator of all things and has made man in His image. The LORD breathed life into man and gave them dominion over all things. After Adam and Eve sinned the LORD gave them mercy and showed great kindness to them by giving a promise in Genesis 3:15 that He would send a Savior to crush our enemy and deliver us from a hopeless situation. Despite these things sinners have continually forsaken God and worshiped and served other created things.

Second, notice who the offender is. It is Israel who has done this evil. The people He has chosen from among all the nations. Those among whom He has made a nation, His children, His people have forsaken the LORD and have committed this evil.

Third, notice who the people were serving instead of the LORD: the Baals, the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, the gods of the Philistines. His people served created things and demonic spirits while they rejected the LORD God Almighty. Israel had rejected the LORD for infinitely lesser things!

Fourth, notice how often the people had done this, “The people of Israel again did what was evil…”. (6) Israel would do this and the LORD would deliver them; but they would quickly do it again and again! We read in Judges 10:11-14. that He had delivered them from the Egyptians, Amorites, Amonnites, Philistines, Sidonians, Amalekites, and the Maonites.

Because Israel has done this great evil again, they have angered the LORD. We read in 10:7-9, “So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites, and they crushed and oppressed the people of Israel that year. For eighteen years they oppressed all the people of Israel who were beyond the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. And the Ammonites crossed the Jordan to fight also against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed.”

The words, ‘He sold them’ remind me of a story about my dad. My dad owned this truck for so long that the people at his work had begun to bet among themselves as to how long it would be before he sold it and got a new one. Years went by and then one day my dad came into the office and announced that he had a new truck. Cheers went up around the office as everyone jumped up to see this new truck. When they gathered outside they discovered that my dad had not actually bought a new truck, he just had the old one repainted.

Everyone in the office became convinced that my dad would never get a new truck. However, as the time of his retirement drew near my dad did sell that truck and got a new one. Everyone in the office was surprised that he did this. Shortly after my dad did this he got a call from the police. They told him that his truck was found burnt and abandoned on the side of some road. When my dad simply said, “That is no longer my truck. I sold it. It is no longer my concern.”

Similarly, because of Israel’s idolatry we are told that the LORD sold Israel into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the Ammonites. These nations were oppressive and they left Israel utterly destroyed. These nations ‘crushed and oppressed the people of Israel that year’. (8) Israel remained under this crushing oppression for 18 years. During this time the LORD was unmoved by the suffering that they were experiencing. God had chosen His people Israel, He loved and cared for them for a very long time, but now the LORD turned His face away from their suffering. Why would God respond this way? Because Israel would not repent.

However, when these nations crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim we are told that they became ‘severely distressed’. Then we read these words, “And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, ‘We have sinned against you, because we have forsaken our God and have served the Baals.’” (10)

This sounds like repentance so we expect that the LORD would immediately respond and deliver Iarael as He has done throughout the Book of Judges. However, that is not what happens. We read, “And the Lord said to the people of Israel, ‘Did I not save you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites, from the Ammonites and from the Philistines? The Sidonians also, and the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you, and you cried out to me, and I saved you out of their hand. Yet you have forsaken me and served other gods; therefore I will save you no more.’” (11-13) Then the LORD says to them, “Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.” (14)

Question: “What is it about this time in Israel’s history that makes God respond in this way?” Israel has sinned over and over again and each time they called out to Him the LORD delivered them.

• In Judges 4 we were not told that Israel repented when God raised up Deborah and Barak.

• In Gideon’s day we saw so little evidence that Israel truly repented at that time! (6-9)

• Why then does the LORD say now, “I will save you no more.”?

4 observations: First, notice that the LORD lists seven occasions when His people had been oppressed and He delivered them. This reminds us that there was never a time when Israel was able to save themselves from these enemies. There is only one Deliverer, one Savior, and One Redeemer. Therefore, consider the hopelessness of this situation when Israel is told by the LORD, “Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress.” None of these false God’s could deliver Israel. In fact, it is the LORD that has handed them over to their enemies. Despite the fact that Israel is hopeless apart from the LORD it takes Israel 18 years to return to the LORD.

Second, when I ask, ‘Why is God responding this way now?’, my thoughts go back to verse 6 and the words, “The people of Israel again did what was evil…”. The word ‘people’ is translated differently in other versions. For example, the King James version says, “And the sons of Israel again did evil…”. The New American Standard Version says, “And the children of Israel again did evil…”.

Israel is no ordinary ‘people’; these are God’s peculiar people. These are His children, His sons and daughters. As a child gets older a parent begins to treat their children differently. Over the years parents patiently train them, teach them, and disciple them. As they get older they expect them to handle things in a more mature way. Israel is God’s child and God has loved them and raised them. Despite God’s constant care, Israel fails to grow up and respond with repentance and faith as they should. (Isaiah 1)

Illustration: Once I was given a book called ‘True Repentance’. That book shook my faith because Thomas Watson listed six facts regarding true repentance. As I read these things I wondered how I had been a Christian so long and did not know these things. For so many years the LORD had graciously worked repentance for me, but that book was showing me that God wanted me to mature in my view of these things and my responses regarding sin and repentance. We don’t do this without the Holy Spirit, but God was showing me that He wanted me to grow up. This is what seems to be happening to God’s ‘son’, His ‘child’, His ‘people’ Israel at this time.

Third, despite the fact that the LORD is responding in this way there are clear evidences that the LORD is showing His people great mercy. For example, isn’t it a great mercy that the LORD would allow them to go through this great distress so that they will truly repent and be saved not just in this world but also in the next. For example, consider Proverbs 24:21-22, “My son, fear the LORD and the King, and do not join with those who do otherwise, for disaster will arise suddenly from them, and who knows the ruin that will come from both.” Israel’s enemies can inflict a great deal of ruin, but God’s wrath can bring immeasurably more upon an unrepentant sinner! Better to be disciplined by the Assyrians and repent, than to continue in sin and face eternal judgment from God as well.

Fourth, there is another fact to be seen that shows us that the LORD is showing His people mercy. Let me show you this by looking at Psalm 77. Here the Psalmist says, “Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable? Has His steadfast love forever ceased? Are His promises at an end for all time? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His compassion?” (77:7-9)

What should the psalmist do? Psalm 77 is a psalm about remembering (3,6,11), considering (5), pondering (12), and meditating (3,6,12) upon all the times God has been faithful to His people.

The psalmist says, “‘I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High. I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High.’ I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples. You with your arm redeemed your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.”

In the Book of Judges, Israel has always been quick to forget the LORD and all that He has done for them. Therefore, notice how the LORD, even though the LORD has shut up His compassion, recalls for Israel the many times that He had delivered them from their enemies. By doing this the LORD is giving His people lots of reasons to respond in repentance and faith as they remember, consider, ponder, and meditate on all that the LORD has done.

Having confronted Israel for their insincere repentance, and having given them some faith building facts to respond too, Israel responds with true repentance, “And the people of Israel said to the Lord, ‘We have sinned; do to us whatever seems good to you. Only please deliver us this day.’ So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord…”. (15-16) Then we read, “….and He became impatient over the misery of Israel.” (16)

Question: What will you remember most about 2025? In the coming days let us be like the psalmist in Psalm 77:10-15, “I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High. I will remember the deeds of the LORD, yes, I will remember your works of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God? You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples. You with your arm redeemed your people, the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah.”