Let's turn now to the book of Judges.
The book of Judges, Judges chapter 1.
Now Judges is describing the backslidden state of
Israel immediately after this very powerful victory and
triumph they had in the book of Joshua
over a period of a number of years.
And again we see the same lesson that
we have seen before that everything depends on
God's people having a good leader.
Wherever there were good leaders, whenever there were
good leaders, Israel prospered.
When Moses was leading Israel, everything was okay.
When Moses went up to the mountain for
40 days, just 40 days, they started worshipping
idols, made a golden calf.
Even Aaron could not control them.
Most leaders in Christendom are not strong enough
to control God's people, to keep them in
the straight and uncompromising path because those leaders
don't know God themselves.
They seek popularity like Aaron.
And so a person who seeks popularity can
never be a man of God, can never
lead God's people.
Moses never sought popularity, neither did Joshua.
But by the time of the Judges, Joshua
had died and there was nobody there to
replace him.
And so what happened?
We read in chapter 2 and verse 7.
The people served the Lord all the days
of Joshua and all the days of the
elders who survived Joshua, who had seen all
the great work of the Lord which he
had done for Israel.
And then Joshua died.
And then, verse 10, that generation also died
and then there arose another generation, verse 10,
chapter 2, 10, who did not know the
Lord.
That was the problem, nor the work which
he had done for Israel.
The problem was there was nobody who knew
God.
And I want to tell you, after many
years and years of moving around so many
Christian groups, I have to say I have
seen very few people who know God.
Very few people who can say like Elijah,
as the Lord God lives before whom I
stand.
Most people in Christian work today are professional
preachers.
They studied the Bible somewhere, they got a
degree and they're going out to serve God.
Or they got a zeal.
There may be sacrifice, there may be zeal,
but all that will not help if you
don't know God.
You can do a lot of work and
your statistics may be impressive, but the quality
of your converts will be poor because you
yourself don't know God.
Yeah, these were Israelites in the book of
Judges and we can say our church has
got believers, but what type of believers?
The apostles were also believers and the people
in your church are also believers, but what
a difference between spiritual believers and carnal believers.
A man of God realizes it's better to
have a small church of spiritual believers than
a large one full of carnal people.
That's like saying it's better to have one
1,000 watt bulb than 20 zero watt
bulbs.
You agree with me or not?
That's what I mean.
You're the light of the world.
The intensity of that light depends on how
much you know God.
And if the leader doesn't know God, the
people don't know God either.
The people know the Bible.
You can study the Bible and tell people
all about it and they get to know
the Bible just like teaching chemistry or physics
or some subject like that in a classroom.
That doesn't get people to know God.
You can't teach people to know God by
just giving them information.
And you can't know God that way yourself.
You've got to go through trials.
You've got to humble yourself.
You've got to have a yearning in your
heart.
It's in the hours of the night that
we come to know God, not sitting in
a classroom.
We need to know the scriptures, but we
need to go through the scriptures, beyond the
scriptures to know God.
The people who know their God will be
strong, it says in Daniel 11, 32.
So these people did not know God.
And therefore, verse 11, the sons of Israel,
2.11, did evil and even began to
serve other gods.
So that's the result of Joshua's death and
it's happened throughout Christendom, we read.
In the history of Christianity in the last
2000 years, wherever God has raised up a
godly man, a John Wesley here, a William
Booth there, a Hudson Taylor here, a C
.D. Stud there, they've been able to lead
people to some extent.
An A.B. Simpson here, a Charles Finney
there.
To some extent, they are able to lead
them, but then they die.
And another generation comes up.
They hold the same doctrines, they take the
same denominational name, but it's not the same.
Their doctrines are the same, their beliefs are
the same, their theories of sanctification are the
same, but they are not sanctified, like their
leader was, like their founder was.
They claim to have the same baptism in
the Holy Spirit that their founder had, but
the result is not the same.
It must be some other spirit then.
See, this is what has happened in Christendom
again and again and again and again and
again.
And again, God has to raise up a
man.
God has always done His greatest work in
the church through single men whom He has
raised up in different generations, in different lands.
And around such a man, God gathers together
a few people who are concerned not so
much for size as for quality, for the
purity of a testimony for God in their
generation.
And I believe that India needs many, many,
many such men and women.
Even women.
In the book of Judges you find that
when God couldn't find a man, He found
a woman called Deborah.
That's an encouragement to all the sisters.
So God is looking, and when He finds
one, in the measure in which that person
is yielded, He uses him.
Not all were of the same quality.
And you see that very clearly.
In the book of Judges there was hardly
anybody, no one of the quality of Moses
and Joshua.
They were leaders.
Gideon was a good man when he started
out, but he declined towards the end of
his life.
So the book of Judges is very relevant
to the type of life we see.
And Israel failed to conquer Canaan.
And the Lord said to them in chapter
2 verse 3, He says, I told you
an angel of the Lord, verse 1, came
and said, chapter 2 verse 1, I brought
you out of Egypt.
I led you into the land.
I said I'll never break my covenant with
you.
I told you, you must make no covenant
with the inhabitants of the land.
You must tear down their altars, but you
have not obeyed me.
You have not obeyed the manufacturer's instructions.
You followed your own reasoning, just like a
lot of Christian leaders today.
They don't preach what God's word says.
They always think, how will it affect the
people?
Is this relevant to our time?
Those are all in the first century.
Now we are in the 20th century.
We must modify it.
That's exactly what these people also did.
They didn't follow exactly what God said.
And the result is, okay, you don't listen
to me.
Therefore, these people, you will not be able
to drive them out.
You will not overcome sin.
You'll live with your problems all your life.
And these people will be like thorns in
your sides, verse 3, and their gods will
be a snare to you.
And when the sons of Israel heard it,
they wept.
And they sacrificed.
But they didn't change.
And a lot of Christians today, who fast,
and pray, and get all stirred up, when
they hear a message like this, and they
weep, but they don't change.
They go back to their old ways very
soon, because again, they've got their leaders leading
them in the wrong direction.
And there are very few people, who say,
I want to know God.
And I want to live by the standards
of God's word.
Many of you come from many parts of
this land.
When you go back, please remember, that God
wants you, to be a witness for Him,
like Joshua, like Moses, to lead a number
of people in your locality, to the truth.
And if you want to be like that,
and you don't want to be like the
people in the book of Judges, be a
man of God.
Be a one who knows God.
Be a woman of God.
In Joshua, in the book of Judges, we
read about 13 judges, that God raised up,
from chapter 3 to chapter 16.
You read about 13 judges.
The 14th one was Samuel, that you read
of, in the book of Samuel.
There were altogether 14 judges.
13 of them, most of their names are
not so well-known.
A few of them perhaps you will know.
The first of them was a man called
Othniel, who happened to be the son-in
-law, and also the nephew of Caleb.
You read of him in chapter 3, verse
9.
The Lord raised up a deliverer, when the
Israelites were being enslaved.
The Lord raised up a deliverer, and his
name was Othniel, the son of Kenaz.
Caleb's younger brother, and who also married Caleb's
daughter.
As we read in the book of Joshua,
I think it's chapter 14 there.
And it says, the Spirit of the Lord
came upon him, verse 10, and he judged
Israel.
Now that occurs more than once, in the
book of Joshua.
In the book of Judges, sorry.
The Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon.
The Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson.
See, this was their ability, the qualification, which
enabled them to guide and rule Israel.
So we see this emphasis, that it was
not anything else, but the Spirit of the
Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel.
And that is what must be said about
you and me.
We may be born again, the Holy Spirit
may have come, and done a work in
our hearts, but it must be said about
us, the Spirit of the Lord came upon
us, and that qualifies us to serve.
And don't be just satisfied with an emotional
experience, that you got in some meeting.
Don't even be satisfied with speaking in tongues.
I believe that a lot of people today
who speak in tongues, I don't believe the
Holy Spirit has filled them.
I don't know what they got, but I
don't look, when I look at their life,
it doesn't seem to convince me, that this
is the Holy Spirit.
There is not an anointing, there is no
power.
They seem to have some gift, I don't
know, I don't know how to explain it,
but they certainly don't seem to have power.
And don't ever be satisfied, without the power
of the Holy Spirit.
You can never, never, never, never, never do
God's work, without the Holy Spirit's power.
Even Jesus, who lived a perfect life for
30 years, born of the Spirit, lived in
obedience to the Spirit for 30 years, before
he stepped out into the ministry, he was
baptized, and he prayed, and as he prayed,
the Spirit of God came upon him, and
he went out into his ministry.
Follow him, follow his example.
There is no other way.
Any amount of knowledge, any amount of information,
any amount of certificates, will never qualify you
to serve God.
It's the anointing, it's the anointing.
So that's what we see here.
But, the land had rest for 40 years,
verse 11, and then Othniel died.
And again, the sons of Israel did evil
in the sight of the Lord, and when
they did evil, the Lord allowed the enemy,
the king of Moab, to rule Israel, and
they served, verse 14, the king of Moab
for 18 years.
In the book of Judges, we see seven
cycles like this.
It's a cycle.
Backsliding, punishment, backsliding, punishment, they have to serve
the enemies, then God raises up a judge,
deliverance.
And then the judge dies, backsliding again, punishment,
they cry out to God, He raises up
a deliverer, deliverance.
Again, backsliding.
This is a cycle.
This is the life of many, many believers
is like this.
You can call it an up and down
wave type of experience, or a cycle where
you just keep going round and round and
round and round.
That you come to a meeting, perhaps like
this, and you get all stirred up, and
you're dedicated, and you're stirred, by, could be
anywhere, you went for a meeting, and some
anointed man proclaimed the word, and you got
challenged, stirred up, and you came back to
God, and then that man moves away, or
you don't have any more contact with him,
backsliding again.
Till another man, anointed man, comes somewhere, you
come to a meeting, and you get all
stirred up, and you're all delivered, and free,
and you're rejoicing for a time, then you
lose contact with him, again, backsliding.
Should it be like this?
No.
Today, we have the Holy Spirit, to be
with us all the time.
Every one of us can have the Spirit
come upon us.
In those days, the Spirit came upon one
man, and he led.
So you were dependent on that one man.
Today, the Spirit can come on every one
of us.
We don't have to be dependent on one
man.
Not at all.
And we can, every one of us, can
keep that fire of God, burning within us,
all the time.
And then they were serving Moab for 18
years, again, the sons of Israel, verse 15,
cried to the Lord, and the Lord raised
up another deliverer called Ehud.
He was the second judge.
So, I'm surprised that they waited for 18
years to cry.
Why didn't they cry as soon as they
backslid?
Why does a person have to wait for
18 years of backsliding, before he turns back?
I can't understand that.
That's how it is, and that's how it
is even today, I see.
And Ehud became another king, and, after that,
Moab was subdued, and verse 30, the land
was undisturbed for 80 years.
Okay.
But then again, they backslid, and Shamgar, he
came up.
And he was another man on whom the
spirit of God came, and it says he
killed 600 Philistines with an ox goad.
Certainly, that was another man like Samson.
We thought Samson was the only one who
had supernatural strength.
Shamgar, who was not so well known, was
another man who was equipped with supernatural strength
to deliver Israel.
But then the sons of Israel did evil
again in the sight of the Lord.
Between Ehud and Shamgar, there doesn't seem to
have been much of a gap.
But after that, again they did evil.
And then the Lord sold them into the
hand of Jabin, king of Canaan.
Imagine, the Canaanites, they ruled, are now ruling
them.
The condition of many believers, we're supposed to
rule over sin, but sin rules them.
Then they cried to the Lord, because this
man had 900 iron chariots, and he oppressed
Israel for 20 years, chapter 4, verse 3.
And then the Lord raised up Deborah.
I want to say a word here.
I believe that God has appointed men to
be leaders in the church.
In 1 Timothy 2, in the last few
verses of that chapter, it says Adam was
created first, and Eve was created as a
helper for Adam.
It was not that Eve was created first,
and Adam was created like a helper for
his wife.
That's how it is in some homes today.
But that's not the way it should be.
That's not the way God created man.
Eve was to be a helper to Adam.
Secondly, it says, Adam was not deceived.
In 1 Timothy 2, Eve was deceived.
Therefore, the Lord says, through Paul in 1
Timothy 2, I do not allow a woman
to be a teacher in a church.
She can teach Sunday school, she can teach
other girls, and she can teach her children
at home, but she cannot be a teacher
in a church.
And she cannot be an elder in a
church.
That is God's will.
But, it was the same in the Old
Testament.
In fact, in Isaiah, there's a verse which
says, what a pathetic condition you Israelites are
that women are your leaders.
But, what shall God do when He finds
the men are all useless and lazy and
lazy and do not do the evangelism they
are supposed to do?
Then, God will raise up a Deborah.
And that's why through the years, He has
raised up many Deborahs.
And I praise the Lord for every one
of them.
Sure, I agree with God, always.
But I don't believe that's God's first choice.
But, He has used some women mightily.
Through the years, He's used the writings of
people like Madam Guillaume, Jessie Penn Lewis, amazing
teaching ministry some of these women like that
had.
I believe when God doesn't find a man,
He has to use a woman.
And that's what we learn from the book
of Deborah.
I will pour out my spirit on your
sons and your daughters.
It says in Acts 2.
And your sons and your daughters will prophesy.
The daughters of Philip, we read, were prophesying
in Acts of the Apostles.
So, though they are not called to be
elders, they can prophesy and speak forth God's
word.
It's mentioned in Acts chapter 2.
And in the example of the daughters of
Philip.
And here is a wonderful example of Deborah,
who was more than a prophetess.
She was a prophetess.
Verse 4.
She was the wife of Lapidoth.
I don't know what type of brother, brother
Lapidoth was.
But he was a pretty meek, quiet man,
who was care of his wife.
That was his address.
And he just lived there with a meek
and a quiet spirit.
And Deborah was the leader.
Okay.
He couldn't find Lapidoth.
Okay, he uses his wife.
And I think in the Acts of the
Apostles, it appears as though, I can't show
you a verse, but it appears as though
Priscilla seemed to know God and the scriptures
better than her husband Aquila.
Because sometimes you don't read Aquila and Priscilla,
you read Priscilla and Aquila.
And that's significant.
So, even in the New Testament, there are
examples of people who know God better than
their husbands and who know the scriptures better
than their husbands.
And then they should, but Priscilla is a
wonderful lady in the Old Testament.
She lives in submission to her husband Aquila
and guides even a man like Apollos to
a correct understanding of the truth.
She doesn't get up in the church and
denounce Apollos.
No.
She called him home and sat down with
her husband and let her.
That's a wonderful example of a man, of
a woman who knew her place, but who
had the anointing of God upon her life
and could help a man like Apollos who
grew up to be a co-worker of
the Apostle Paul.
But the one who helped him first was
a woman, Priscilla.
So, Deborah here used to sit under the
palm tree.
It was called the palm tree of Deborah,
verse 5.
And the sons of Israel came to her
for judgment.
And maybe her husband Lappidoth was cooking the
food inside and she was sitting under the
tree, judging.
Yeah, that happens sometimes.
God has to do that.
Because the condition of all the men in
Israel was so pathetic at that time.
And then she sent and summoned Berach.
See, this is the difference.
She was a woman who recognized her position.
She didn't go out to battle.
She said, I need a man just like
Priscilla called Aquila.
She called Berach, the son of Abinom and
said, see, the Lord has commanded you go
and march and take 10,000 men with
you and go and fight.
And I'll draw out Sisera and I will
give him into your hand.
The last part of verse 7.
Such a clear word from the Lord.
And if you want to know the condition
of Israel's men and Berach was the best
of them.
See, listen to his reply.
He said, sister, if you come with me,
I'll go.
I'm scared to go alone.
Please.
See the condition of the best man in
Israel.
Sister, please come with me.
Then I will go.
Otherwise, I will not go, sister.
If you say you're not coming.
I'm not going.
I'm scared.
And she said, okay, I'll come with you,
Berach.
Oh, thank you, sister.
Now I'll go.
But the Lord says, Deborah told Berach because
you're like this.
You're a effeminate man.
The honor of killing Sisera will not come
to you.
A woman will kill Sisera.
And you read later on at the end
of that story that it was a woman
called Jel.
J-E-L who killed Sisera in verse
22.
A woman.
See, this is the condition of the men
in that time.
And I find that there is a lesson
here for men.
God is disappointed when he doesn't find men
to lead.
But God's work will not be hindered just
because the men fail him.
He will use the sisters.
And he's used so many sisters as missionaries
through the centuries across the lands in many,
many places to even in Africa.
Mary Schleser and different ones like that who've
been used of God to do a tremendous
work.
Amy Carmichael here down in South India.
Many godly women like that whom God has
raised up because he couldn't find a man.
So God is not limited.
He will use a woman if he can't
find a man.
And he'll use anybody.
But God is going to determine to do
his work.
And Deborah and Barak then sing a song.
In chapter 5, it's called A Song of
Deborah and Barak.
And I want you to notice one or
two things here in this song.
It says here in chapter 5 in the
song, verse 16.
He's talking about the different tribes that came
to fight in the battle.
And he says, among the divisions of Reuben
there were great searchings of heart.
Verse 16.
And verse 23.
Curse Meroes.
Why?
Why curse Meroes?
Because they did nothing.
They did not sin.
They did nothing.
They did not come to the help of
the Lord when the enemy was coming.
Sometimes we may say, well I never sinned
anything.
Maybe you didn't sin.
But you did not go out in the
battle to fight against the Lord.
That's your sin.
And there's a curse.
There's a curse on people who sit back
committing no sin and not fighting the battles
of the Lord.
That's not a sin of commission.
That's a sin of omission.
There are two types of sins.
Sins of commission and sins of omission.
Sins of commission are where you go and
do something wrong.
Sins of omission are where you do nothing.
When you should have done something.
You know the story of the Good Samaritan?
The man was lying there fallen, beaten up.
What was the sin of the Levite and
the priest who walked by?
They did nothing.
That was their sin.
Miro's was like that.
There was a need for warriors to fight
for the Lord.
They did nothing.
There's a need for warriors today.
When you do nothing you're sinning.
When you sit back and say I'm living
a good life.
I'm living a comfortable life.
I'm not hurting anybody.
I'm not harming anybody.
You're living in sin.
Because you do not come to the aid
of the Lord's workers who are battling in
the battlefront.
Okay.
Now we come to the land was undisturbed
chapter 5 verse 31 for 40 years and
again chapter 6 verse 1 the Lord they
did evil in the sight of the Lord
they became captives to the Midianites for 7
years and then God raised up Gideon and
it says about Gideon that the spirit of
the Lord came upon him verse 34 the
spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon the margin
says like a dress came upon him that's
how it was in the Old Testament like
a dress it came upon Gideon and Gideon
blew a trumpet and went out to battle
and I want you to notice how he
selected these men there were 32,000 people
who came to fight and the Lord said
these people are too many chapter 7 verse
2 God doesn't want so many people because
they are not all wholehearted send them home
he says all those who are afraid go
home that's what the Lord says are you
afraid of the devil?
go home are you afraid that somebody will
call you a bad name?
go home are you afraid that somebody will
call you a bilzy boob or heretic or
false prophet?
go home if you are scared of bad
names brother go home don't serve the Lord
22,000 went home 10,000 were left
in verse 3 he says this is also
too much these 10,000 are not wholehearted
most of them are interested in money most
of them are interested in seeking their own
take them down to the water verse 4
and I will test them there and when
they came to the water there were some
people who forgot all about the enemy bowed
down their heads in the water and began
to drink like people who when they see
something attractive in the world forget about the
Lord forget about the Lord's battles and bury
their head in their job and in their
pursuit of money and the Lord says send
them home 9,700 went home but there
were 300 there when they came to the
water they stood up looking for the enemy
and just drinking enough water and being alert
these are the believers who they need the
world they need money but they don't get
taken up with it they do their jobs
but that's minimum their aim is to live
for God the Lord says those are the
people I want and there were only 300
1% of that original 32,000 1
% it's always like that 2 Joshua and
Caleb out of 600,000 the Lord says
that's enough for me and they went down
and they took it says here in chapter
7 and verse 20 the three they divided
into three companies a hundred each each of
them carried a trumpet and a pitcher with
a light inside now this is very significant
they broke their pitcher so that the light
shone and they blew their trumpets this is
a picture of life and witness ministry a
witness through our life and through our speech
through our trumpet we proclaim the Lord and
when Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4 we
have this treasure in earthen vessels and that
earthen vessel must be broken through carrying the
dying of Jesus 2 Corinthians 4 7-10
he was thinking of Gideon's army carrying an
earthen vessel with a light inside which could
not be seen until the vessel was broken
so God is looking for people who are
broken so that the light of the life
of Christ can be seen and who blow
the trumpet and proclaim the word of God
unashamedly those are the people the Lord is
looking for and the enemy was defeated I
just want to say one more thing before
Gideon went to this battle the Lord told
him if you want to get a little
courage verse 9 just go down at night
to the enemy camp and listen to what
they are saying and he heard that they
were scared of Gideon and I would say
to you if you go into the camp
of the devil and listen you will hear
that they are scared of Jesus and all
those who follow him and that should encourage
you that's what encourages me to go into
this battle the devil is scared of Jesus
Christ my captain and that's how they went
into battle Gideon is a picture of Christ
here but we read that even Gideon did
not endure they wanted him to rule over
them chapter 8 verse 22 and he said
no I won't rule neither will my son
rule the Lord will rule over you that
sounds very spiritual but then some of these
people who sound very spiritual in the next
sentence they compromised they said but please give
me an earring all of you so all
the people gave their earrings and when they
got Gideon got 1700 shekels of gold verse
26 and what did he do with it
he made it into an ephod verse 27
and placed it in the city of Aphra
and that became an idol so you see
that Gideon backslid we see the story so
often even in history mighty men used by
God towards the end of their life the
anointing is gone they have run after money
they are collecting earrings gold they didn't start
like that we are seeing it even in
the 20th century we see examples of that
in our own country people who started so
well some of you have started very well
learn a lesson from these people and then
we read of other leaders Abimelech Tola Jer
Jephthah Ibzan Elon Abdon and then we come
to the 13th Samson chapter 13 we read
of a family there that didn't have any
children and they God said you are going
to have a son he is going to
be a Nazarite and Samson was born and
the spirit of God came stirred him it
says in chapter 13 verse 25 the Lord
blessed him and the spirit of God began
to move this is the secret of all
these leaders and unfortunately the next verse it
says Samson went down chapter 14 verse 1
and saw a woman this was his weakness
throughout his life God used him but he
had a weakness for women and Samson's example
stands in great contrast to Joseph in the
old in Genesis many many servants of God
have been ruined through women and Samson is
one outstanding example of that and he was
drawn to women who were not even Jews
heathen women unconverted women and then it says
in verse 5 Samson chapter 14 verse 5
went down to Timnah and in the vineyards
of Timnah a young lion came roaring towards
him and again that expression the spirit of
the Lord came upon him mightily verse 6
and he caught that lion and tore him
to pieces just like we tear a piece
of paper he tore him to pieces and
then he didn't tell anybody he didn't tell
his father or mother I suppose if you
and I had killed a lion we'd probably
be telling the whole town about it but
Samson was a humble man he knew that
it was the Holy Spirit many people start
out like this but after a while they
change he didn't tell anyone it says but
next thing it says in verse 10 is
he went down to the woman again the
father went down and Samson married her and
you find this alternate thing in Samson's life
he would do a mighty thing and then
he would go down and chapter 16 verse
1 he went to Gaza and he saw
Harlot there and he went to her then
he would when he was going to be
caught he'd just take out the gates of
the city and walk out and then after
that he went somewhere else 16 verse 4
and he loved another woman called Delilah of
the Philistines and we know that she was
the one who finally, this was not the
first case I mean God must have spoken
to him many many times with all these
other women be careful, be careful, be careful
sometimes God speaks to you, be careful, be
careful be careful and you keep playing the
fool, you keep playing the fool till finally
one day calamity hits and your ministry is
gone that's what happened it's what happened to
many many many preachers he finally put his
head on Delilah's lap revealed his innermost secrets
to her, she cut off his hair and
that was the end of his ministry what
a tragedy, a man who was such a
mighty deliverer enslaved to his passions Paul says
in 1 Corinthians chapter 9 he says it's
possible for me to preach to other people
and be disqualified myself verse 27, 1 Corinthians
9 verse 27 and he says if I'm
not to be disqualified there's only one thing
I have to do to prevent myself from
being disqualified I have to keep my body
in subjection like the living bible paraphrases it
I tell my body what it should do,
I make my body do what it should
do not what it wants to do I
make my body do what it should do
not what it wants to do I make
my body eat as much as it should
eat, not what it wants to eat, I
make my body sleep as much as it
should sleep and not how much it wants
to sleep I control my eyes so that
they don't look at the things the eyes
want to look at, but look at the
things they should look at I control my
tongue so that it speaks what it should
speak not what it wants to speak if
you don't control your bodily passions, you can
preach wonderful messages and be disqualified that's the
message of Samson wonderful ministry, so many people
blessed, but the man himself do you know
how many great preachers and healers have fallen
a prey to women more in western countries
it doesn't mean it's not happening here here
it happens more secretly I think but it's
happening even among leaders and some of those
leaders continue as leaders even though there's immorality
in their life, that's a sad state of
Christendom today pathetic, don't look at, don't make
such people your examples even if they are
great leaders of huge organizations God cannot use
such a man if you're not faithful with
women I'll tell you this, don't try to
have a ministry, forget it don't dishonor God's
name by trying to be an elder or
a leader if you don't know how to
be faithful with women just be an ordinary
brother in a church don't try to fool
the people that you're a holy man, when
you're not God will expose you one day
if you continue, you think no no no,
you're clever, maybe you're clever, but not clever
enough for God He will expose you, worse
than you've ever been exposed so far and
it says in chapter 16, how he was
defeated by this woman who cut her hair
and he lost his power and his eyes
were blinded this is what happens when people
go after women, they lose their spiritual vision,
they cannot see clearly anymore they understood all
the doctrines in their head but spiritual vision
is gone and we read that he was
enslaved but finally he repented and he destroyed
a lot of philistines in his death but
notice, there were two lions one was the
lion outside and the other was the lion
of lust, inside his heart which was stronger?
the lion inside because he could conquer the
external lion, he couldn't conquer the inward one,
which teaches us that the lion of sexual
lust is more to be feared than even
if a huge lion came pouncing at you
on the outside, what would you do if
you saw a lion, a fierce lion coming
down your way on the road tell me
what would you do I know what I'll
do, I'll turn around and run and I'll
probably break a few world records in that
running process I'd be scared do you believe
that the lion inside is worse?
are you ready to run?
flee immorality, there's only one thing to do
don't go anywhere near temptation don't go near
women who tempt you be with godly sisters
don't ever go near a woman who's flirtatious
take that warning unless you want to destroy
your life now those are some of the
important chapters in Judges chapter 17 to 21
speak about a lot of idolatry and immorality
and wars and it can be summed up,
everything can be summed up in chapter 21
verse 25 the last verse of Judges which
says in those days there was no king
in Israel everyone did what was right in
his own eyes you see how it was
everyone did what was right in his own
eyes that's how they lived in those days
it's the verse that describes the book of
Judges, there was no leader everyone did what
was right in their own eyes, just like
a lot of Christians today who don't have
any leadership, they don't allow Jesus to lead
them, and they don't have godly leaders to
lead them if you don't have Jesus as
your leader you must at least have a
godly leader on earth otherwise you'll end up
like this, particularly when you're young you will
do what you think is right and you
will go completely astray so that's how we
conclude the book of Judges now the book
of Ruth that follows that is a very
brief book and I'd just like to quickly
cover that before we finish this session the
book of Ruth it's a story it's an
interesting story because it deals with a woman
who was a Moabitess she was not a
Jew she was a Moabitess now Moab was
one of the sons of Lot which came
through incest when he committed adultery with his
own daughter he got a son called Moab
and from this race, this polluted incestuous relationship
came a race called the Moabites and from
those Moabites was this woman Ruth a very
bad heritage and yet this woman became the
great grandmother of King David and came in
the ancestral line of Jesus Christ of Joseph
and of Mary the earthly parents of Jesus
so it's amazing and that's why this story
is so wonderful about this woman who was
a Moabitess with all this bad history see
God's love for prostitutes, for people who've come
from incestuous relationships it's a great encouragement for
some of you who may have come from
a very bad past life maybe your family
is a bad family maybe you were born
out of prostitution it doesn't matter maybe you
were born out of something worse than prostitution,
incest like Ruth it doesn't matter you can
be a godly woman even now, that's the
encouragement in the book of Ruth because of
her character God did not judge her because
she came from a certain race, God looked
at her heart and saw that she was
interested and you see particularly I don't have
time to go into the whole story you
must read that for yourself, it's a very
interesting story you read about how she was
married first of all there was Elimelech and
Naomi when there was a famine they went
into Moab they had two sons and the
two sons married Moabite women Elimelech died and
Naomi was a widow and then the two
sons also died and the two daughters-in
-law Ruth and Orpha also became widows and
then Naomi was a good lady she said,
all of you can go back to your
own land verse 8 may the Lord deal
kindly with you, I'm sorry that I brought
all this trouble upon you, my children have
died I'm going back to my homeland of
Israel and don't come with me and they
both, verse 14, lifted up their voices and
wept Ruth and Orpha wept and Orpha kissed
her mother-in-law and said goodbye I
have to go home, I've got to find
another husband I've got to take care of
my life but Ruth clung to her she
had learned something about the true God Orpha
did not care for that there was a
fork in the road there Orpha took the
wrong one Ruth took the right one sometimes
we come to forks in the road and
we choose the way of God sometimes you
hear a message which shows you two ways
some of you may be facing that right
now Orpha chose one, Ruth chose the other
and it made all the difference, you never
hear about Orpha again those forks in the
road are very important, that's the time you
take a decision and Ruth said don't tell
me to go back I will go where
you go verse 16 I will stay where
you stay your people will be my people
your God, my God she took a decision
and that was it I'm going to follow
your God is my God your people are
my people and when Naomi saw Ruth 118
that she was determined, she said ok and
they both went and came back to Bethlehem
verse 19 this is interesting, they came from
Bethlehem this is where Jesus was born the
city of David because that's where Ruth came
Naomi says I went out full but the
Lord has brought me back empty, if only
Naomi knew what lay ahead of her sometimes
we complain that the Lord has brought me
back empty the Lord has witnessed against me
the Almighty has afflicted me, verse 21 how
foolish of Naomi to do that, but even
though she had a mother-in-law like
that, Ruth did not complain she took care
of her mother-in-law and was a
very very good daughter-in-law to her
mother-in-law and God was watching all
this God was watching this heathen girl, not
complaining sometimes the people who come out of
heathenism to Christ behave much better than those
who are born in Christian families, even in
believers families and that's what we see here
a girl who came out of a heathen
background seeing her is a challenge to all
of us, her devotion to her mother-in
-law the way she took care of her
and then it says here that Naomi had
a kinsman, chapter 2 verse 1, a relative
a man of great wealth, called Boaz now
there was a law in Israel that if
your brother dies you must in Deuteronomy 25,
verse 5 to 9 you read about that
law that if your brother dies, you must
marry the widow and bring her up or
the closest relative must marry the widow so
that the name does not get destroyed and
so Naomi thought well, here is a close
relative of mine called Boaz, perhaps he is
still single perhaps he can marry Ruth now
Ruth didn't know all that she did not
go looking for a husband she went looking
for God it was Orpha who went looking
for a husband Ruth went looking for God
and found not only God but a good
husband and a good future everything because she
sought God first it's one of those examples
of people who seek God's kingdom first and
find all the other things added to them
so we see here that Ruth is told
let me go and get some do some
work in the fields just like a field
worker she was a servant girl let me
go and earn some money, pick up some
grain glean among the ears of grain and
pick up something so that we can have
food you know there was a law in
Israel that when people glean their fields rich
people, they shouldn't go back a second time
to pick everything leave it for the poor
so Ruth went to pick up these things
she was a poor girl and wanted to
take care of herself and her mother-in
-law and then she saw Boaz and Boaz
saw this woman gleaning there he said, who
is this woman and they said this is
the young Moabite woman who has come back
with Naomi and she said, can I please
pick up the leftovers and Boaz was such
a kind man he went up to Ruth
and said listen carefully my daughter he was
scared, this young girl can be corrupted by
other people so he was a godly upright
man he said don't go to glean in
any other field, it's dangerous stay here and
let your eyes be on the field and
I have commanded the servants not to touch
you and she fell on her face bowing
down why have I found favor in your
sight she was a very humble girl why
did God pick such a girl to be
the ancestor of David and of Jesus Christ
why did God pick such a girl to
be the husband to the wife of Boaz
because she was hardworking she was kind, she
was gracious she was a woman of faith
one who treated her mother-in-law with
respect and kindness and loving and God chose
those are the qualities God looks for even
today in a young sister, a wonderful example
we see in Ruth and later on we
see her mother-in-law when she came
and asked her where did you glean today,
verse 19 he said, I gleaned in the
field of Boaz and then Naomi said I
think I should seek security for you chapter
3 verse 1 Boaz is our relative and
do one thing go to his field and
just lie down there quietly and she did
that and she told her what to say
and she must have explained to Ruth about
this law which says a relative can marry
you and redeem your property which you have
sold and so when Boaz meets her she
says in chapter 3 verse 9 I am
Ruth your maid you are my close relative
please redeem me and Boaz said blessed are
you my daughter that you did not go
after one of these young men Boaz must
have been a much older man and usually
young girls like to go for young men
and he said no, I am so happy
to see that you did not go after
these young men there is another relative who
is closer than me, I must ask him
first whether he will redeem you so the
next day Boaz went to the gate, chapter
4 and asked this other relative Naomi has
come back, you are the closest relative are
you willing to redeem her redeem her property
the land which belonged to our brother Abimelech
verse 3 and he said yes I will
redeem it but Boaz said, there is one
more thing when you redeem it, you also
got to marry Ruth the Moabites and he
said no in that case I don't want
to marry this Moabites because I will jeopardize
my own inheritance and I may have some
problems if I marry her her sons will
claim an inheritance with my sons and so
on, he said, so I cannot redeem it
and there was a custom those days, verse
7, the man would take off his sandal
and give it to say that, verse 7
I am not going to redeem Ruth Boaz
said, ok then he told everybody you are
witnesses then I am going to do it,
I am going to buy this land and
I am going to make Ruth my wife
now that was a tremendous step for a
man like Boaz to marry a Moabites but
he had seen qualities in this girl who
had come from heathenism you know sometimes if
you want to understand it, you see how
Christian boys sometimes do not like to marry
a girl who has come from Hinduism but
some of those girls who come out of
Hinduism are more godly than some who are
born in so called believers families if you
understand that problem, you understand Boaz's problem and
how bold he was to take that step
and he married her and we read later
on at the end of that chapter that
to Ruth and Boaz, verse 21 they had
a son called Obed verse 22, to Obed
was born Jesse and to Jesse was born
David verse 17, Obed was the father of
Jesse, the father of David you see how
God honored a woman from a heathen background
because she honored God what we learn in
Ruth is the truth of 1 Samuel 2
.30 those who honor me I will honor
and there is no partiality with God so
I hope you are encouraged, especially you sisters,
God bless you let's pray Heavenly Father we
thank you for the examples of godly men
and women and also for the warnings we
have from those who did not follow after
you help us to be wise and learn
from all these examples and warnings we pray
in Jesus name Amen