WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.299 Good morning. My name is Matthew Capone, and I'm the pastor here at Cheyenne Mountain 00:00:07.299 --> 00:00:12.480 Presbyterian Church. And it's my joy to bring God's word to you this morning. 00:00:13.300 --> 00:00:19.100 A special welcome if you're new or visiting with us. We're glad that you're here. And we're glad 00:00:19.100 --> 00:00:24.240 that you're here not because we're trying to fill seats, but because we're following Jesus together 00:00:24.240 --> 00:00:29.980 as one community. And as we follow Jesus together, we become convinced that there's no one so good 00:00:29.980 --> 00:00:35.560 that they don't need God's grace, and no one so bad that they can't have it, which is why we come 00:00:35.560 --> 00:00:42.140 back week after week to hear what God has to say to us in his word. As you may have noticed, we're 00:00:42.140 --> 00:00:49.260 in the middle of the season of Advent, and Advent comes from a Latin word that means to come or to 00:00:49.260 --> 00:00:55.500 arrive. And so this is a season when we focus on Jesus coming or arriving to earth. And we do a few 00:00:55.500 --> 00:01:00.579 things during this season. First of all, we celebrate what God has done in the past. And so 00:01:00.579 --> 00:01:07.460 we sing songs like Joy to the World. And we also look forward to what God will do in the future. We 00:01:07.460 --> 00:01:13.180 don't just look to Jesus' first coming. We also anticipate his second coming. And so we sing songs 00:01:13.180 --> 00:01:19.480 like O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. And really, that's all of the Christian life. The Christian life is 00:01:19.480 --> 00:01:25.780 celebrating what God has done in the past, looking forward to what God will do in the future, and 00:01:25.780 --> 00:01:32.880 holding both of those things so that we can follow him in obedience now in the present. As we're in 00:01:32.880 --> 00:01:38.719 that season, we're continuing in the book of Judges. And you'll remember that the book of Judges is about 00:01:38.719 --> 00:01:46.760 many things. It's about the need for constant renewal and revival among God's people. It's about the need for 00:01:46.760 --> 00:01:53.800 a true and faithful king, a king who can do what no human can do, which is to change the hearts of men. 00:01:54.520 --> 00:02:01.980 It's about the power of spirit-filled leadership. And it's also about God's grace, his mercy to 00:02:01.980 --> 00:02:08.439 hard-hearted people, people like you and me. We're going to focus especially on two of those things 00:02:08.439 --> 00:02:14.800 this morning, our need for a faithful and true king, which is part of our focus during Advent, and also 00:02:14.800 --> 00:02:22.660 God's great mercy to hard-hearted people. We're continuing the story of Gideon. You'll remember 00:02:22.660 --> 00:02:28.280 last week, Gideon had a great victory. And this was a great victory where God had protected him, 00:02:28.740 --> 00:02:34.520 at least we had hoped, from the dangers of success by reminding him that it was God who wins the battle. 00:02:35.160 --> 00:02:40.980 And so in verse 21, we saw Gideon and his men simply standing there as they saw God winning 00:02:40.979 --> 00:02:48.859 for them. Unfortunately, things do not end well for Gideon. He does not avoid all the temptations 00:02:48.859 --> 00:02:55.060 that present themselves. And so as we move on to chapter 8, we're going to see all the ways that 00:02:55.060 --> 00:03:02.739 we get dragged off track, all the ways that we abandon what God has for us when we focus on ourselves 00:03:02.740 --> 00:03:14.379 in our egos, in our fears. And we'll see the sorry and sad state of God's people. And so really, this is a 00:03:14.379 --> 00:03:22.560 passage that reminds us of why Advent is so good. Reminds us of why we need a true and faithful king. 00:03:22.719 --> 00:03:27.840 Reminds us of what it is that we long for and celebrate during the Christmas season. 00:03:27.840 --> 00:03:33.560 And so with that, I'm going to invite you to turn with me in God's word. We're in Judges chapter 8. 00:03:33.740 --> 00:03:39.159 You can turn with me in your worship guide. You can turn with me in your Bible. You can turn on 00:03:39.159 --> 00:03:44.580 your phone. No matter where you turn, remember that this is God's word. And God tells us that 00:03:44.580 --> 00:03:50.400 his word is more precious than gold, even the finest gold. And it's sweeter than honey, even honey that 00:03:50.400 --> 00:03:56.140 comes straight from the honeycomb. And so that's why we read now Judges chapter 8, starting at verse 1. 00:03:57.840 --> 00:04:04.400 Then the men of Ephraim said to him, What is this that you have done to us, not to call us when you 00:04:04.400 --> 00:04:12.680 went to fight against Midian? And they accused him fiercely. And he said to them, What have I done now 00:04:12.680 --> 00:04:19.459 in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the grape harvest 00:04:19.459 --> 00:04:27.420 of Abiezer? God has given into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb, and Zeb. What have I been 00:04:27.420 --> 00:04:33.400 able to do in comparison with you? Then their anger against him subsided when he said this. 00:04:34.800 --> 00:04:39.879 And Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and the 300 men who were with him, 00:04:40.560 --> 00:04:47.759 exhausted yet pursuing. So he said to the men of Succoth, Please give loaves of bread to the people 00:04:47.759 --> 00:04:54.740 who follow me, for they are exhausted. And I am pursuing after Zeba and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian. 00:04:54.740 --> 00:05:01.220 And the officials of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zeba and Zalmunna already in your hand, 00:05:01.319 --> 00:05:08.120 that we should give bread to your army? So Gideon said, Well then, when the Lord has given 00:05:08.120 --> 00:05:13.980 Zeba and Zalmunna into my hand, I will flail your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with 00:05:13.980 --> 00:05:20.759 briars. And from there he went up to Penuel and spoke to them in the same way. And the men of Penuel 00:05:20.759 --> 00:05:27.259 answered him as the men of Succoth had answered. And he said to the men of Penuel, When I come again 00:05:27.259 --> 00:05:35.620 in peace, I will break down this tower. Verse 10. Now Zeba and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army, 00:05:35.779 --> 00:05:43.680 about 15,000 men, all who were left of the army of the people of the east. For there had fallen 120,000 00:05:43.680 --> 00:05:50.120 men who drew the sword. And Gideon went up by the way of the tent dwellers east of Naba and Jogbaha 00:05:50.120 --> 00:05:57.300 and attacked the army, for the army felt secure. And Zeba and Zalmunna fled, and he pursued them and 00:05:57.300 --> 00:06:03.560 captured the two kings of Midian, Zeba and Zalmunna, and he threw all the army into a panic. 00:06:05.160 --> 00:06:09.160 Then Gideon, the son of Joash, returned from the battle by the ascent of Heras. 00:06:09.160 --> 00:06:15.180 And he captured a young man of Succoth and questioned him. And he wrote down for him the 00:06:15.180 --> 00:06:21.460 officials and elders of Succoth, seventy-seven men. And he came to the men of Succoth and said, 00:06:21.640 --> 00:06:28.700 Behold, Zeba and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, Are the hands of Zeba and Zalmunna already 00:06:28.700 --> 00:06:35.000 in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are exhausted? And he took the elders of the 00:06:35.000 --> 00:06:42.079 city, and he took thorns of the wilderness and briars, and with them he taught the men of Succoth a lesson. 00:06:42.899 --> 00:06:50.480 And he broke down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city. Then he said to Zeba and Zalmunna, 00:06:50.660 --> 00:06:58.740 Where are the men whom you killed at Tabor? They answered, As you are, so were they. Every one of them 00:06:58.740 --> 00:07:07.660 resembled the son of a king. And he said, They were my brothers, the sons of my mother. As the Lord lives, 00:07:07.840 --> 00:07:16.180 if you had saved them alive, I would not kill you. So he said to Jether his firstborn, Rise and kill them. 00:07:17.060 --> 00:07:22.939 But the young man did not draw his sword, for he was afraid, because he was still a young man. 00:07:22.939 --> 00:07:33.160 Then Zeba and Zalmunna said, Rise yourself and fall upon us, for as the man is, so is his strength. 00:07:34.180 --> 00:07:40.459 And Gideon arose and killed Zeba and Zalmunna, and he took the crescent ornaments that were on the necks 00:07:40.459 --> 00:07:47.579 of their camels. I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's Word. 00:07:47.579 --> 00:07:56.159 Our Father in heaven, we praise you and we thank you again that you give us your Word week after week, 00:07:56.259 --> 00:08:04.500 day after day. We ask that you would use it this morning to sustain us, to encourage us, to challenge 00:08:04.500 --> 00:08:12.019 us. Most of all, we ask that you would show us your Son and our Savior, our Lord Jesus, that we would 00:08:12.019 --> 00:08:18.659 say, come, O come, Emmanuel, more and more, that our longing for him and our love for him would grow. 00:08:19.419 --> 00:08:23.319 We ask these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen. 00:08:27.159 --> 00:08:35.259 I have shared with you, I think at least once before, my controversial opinion on C.S. Lewis' series, 00:08:35.259 --> 00:08:41.439 The Chronicles of Narnia, which is that my favorite of all the books is not The Lion, the Witch, and the 00:08:41.440 --> 00:08:48.820 Wardrobe, but it is in fact the last battle. The last battle is called the last battle because it 00:08:48.820 --> 00:08:55.220 tells the story of the final battle in the land of Narnia that is fought between Assel and the true 00:08:55.220 --> 00:09:02.900 king, who's this Christ figure, and the false god, Tash. Now, one of the things that Tash does that is so 00:09:02.900 --> 00:09:11.200 tricky and so deceptive is that there is a donkey who finds a lion skin, and this donkey dresses up as 00:09:11.200 --> 00:09:18.240 if he's Aslan. So there's a true Aslan that's walking around in the world, and there's the false, the fake 00:09:18.240 --> 00:09:23.480 Aslan that's present. There's something that appears to be a lion, but it's actually a donkey. 00:09:24.800 --> 00:09:34.220 The dwarfs are duped by the false Aslan, and so they decide they are never getting tricked again. 00:09:34.960 --> 00:09:40.759 They are never going to get duped, and so they come up with this line that's repeated over and over 00:09:40.759 --> 00:09:45.460 throughout the rest of the book. Whenever they're asked to take a side or to fight for something, 00:09:45.580 --> 00:09:55.399 they simply say, the dwarves are for the dwarves. This is their way of saying, we have loyalty to 00:09:55.399 --> 00:10:03.539 no one else. We don't follow any king. We only follow ourselves. We're not interested in helping 00:10:03.539 --> 00:10:12.079 anyone else. We don't join any team except our own. As we come to Judges chapter 8, we're at a sort of a 00:10:12.079 --> 00:10:18.980 watershed moment for the book of Judges, because what we see here is the sorry state of the nation 00:10:18.980 --> 00:10:29.579 of Israel. They have reached a point where they are loyal only to themselves. We might say, Gideon is for 00:10:29.580 --> 00:10:38.660 Gideon. The men of Ephraim are for the men of Ephraim. The men of Succoth are for the men of Succoth. 00:10:39.040 --> 00:10:44.840 They have lost their unity as a tribe. They've lost their interest in anything that's greater than 00:10:44.840 --> 00:10:49.840 themselves. And so actually what we're going to see this morning are three things, and this is on page, 00:10:49.940 --> 00:10:56.000 I believe, eight or nine of your worship guide is the sermon title, Pride, Fear, and Revenge. 00:10:56.000 --> 00:11:04.460 What we have in this passage before us is pride, fear, and revenge. Now you'll remember last week, 00:11:04.580 --> 00:11:10.240 Gideon finally goes out to battle, and we saw that victory belonged to God and to God alone. 00:11:10.500 --> 00:11:16.960 They simply stand around and watch as the people of the east kill each other because they're so confused 00:11:16.960 --> 00:11:23.320 by being woken up in the middle of the night. At the end of chapter 7, we see the people of the east 00:11:23.320 --> 00:11:30.720 are fleeing away. They are leaving their own camp. It appears that Israel has won, and it is no longer 00:11:30.720 --> 00:11:38.360 just the 300 that Gideon is fighting with. Remember, his army was reduced from 32,000 down to 300 men. 00:11:38.820 --> 00:11:43.960 But at the end of chapter 7, he calls out to the other tribes of Israel for reinforcements, 00:11:44.280 --> 00:11:51.040 and so we see them rushing on to the scene to help. One of the groups that rushes on to the scene to help 00:11:51.039 --> 00:11:58.519 are the princes of the men of Ephraim, and these men of Ephraim kill two princes, Oreb and Zeb. 00:11:59.740 --> 00:12:06.199 So the 300 expand to this larger group. There's a feeding frenzy on these people of the east as 00:12:06.199 --> 00:12:12.019 they rout them. Oreb and Zeb are killed. They're the prize of the men of Ephraim, and that's where we 00:12:12.019 --> 00:12:19.620 pick up here in chapter 8. The men of Ephraim have this great prize of war, right? They have killed 00:12:19.620 --> 00:12:29.500 these two princes, but they are very upset. And why are they very upset? Well, we find out in verse 1 of 00:12:29.500 --> 00:12:39.100 chapter 8, they're upset because they were not invited to the party. Gideon went out. He went out with the 00:12:39.100 --> 00:12:49.620 300, he didn't include them. And so they want to know, why were we not called in? We are so great, 00:12:49.759 --> 00:12:56.300 why did you not look to us? And by the way, we're going to see in chapter 12, the men of Ephraim show 00:12:56.300 --> 00:13:05.879 up again. Their ego will appear as well. Why did you not invite us later? Because clearly we are so 00:13:05.879 --> 00:13:14.419 great. Thinking fast, Gideon uses his diplomatic skill to calm things down. He uses a bit of flattery 00:13:14.419 --> 00:13:19.679 here in verses 2 and 3. When he's talking about gleaning of grapes, basically he's saying, 00:13:20.220 --> 00:13:28.840 look, you guys are so much better than me. You're so great. You took the two princes. 00:13:28.840 --> 00:13:36.860 Compared to what you did, I did nothing. And there's a sense in which Gideon is right. Remember, 00:13:36.960 --> 00:13:42.360 he just stood and watched. Compared to the men of Ephraim, it's true that Gideon, in a sense, 00:13:42.759 --> 00:13:51.480 did nothing. And here we have a sad commentary on the sorry state of Israel and God's people, 00:13:51.480 --> 00:13:59.639 because that is all the men of Ephraim need to hear. Gideon's flattery, it massages their ego, 00:13:59.639 --> 00:14:09.100 and so it's exactly what they need. Gideon telling them how great they are calms them down, 00:14:09.220 --> 00:14:17.800 which reveals to us what's really going on in their hearts. They are not concerned with God's glory. 00:14:17.799 --> 00:14:24.679 They're not concerned with the good of Israel. They are concerned instead with their own status, 00:14:25.379 --> 00:14:35.919 recognition, and honor. They have lost sight of the big picture. They've lost sight of God's mission. 00:14:36.279 --> 00:14:44.000 They are not grateful that they played a part, and they are not concerned for God's people. 00:14:44.000 --> 00:14:53.100 No, they want to play the part, and they're concerned with their own glory. 00:14:54.840 --> 00:15:02.379 And so what we see here at the very beginning of chapter 8 is things go sideways when personal 00:15:02.379 --> 00:15:10.580 interests come first. Things go sideways when personal interests come first. And of course, 00:15:10.580 --> 00:15:18.660 it's true that we also are quick to look to our own honor and recognition and lose sight of the big picture. 00:15:20.020 --> 00:15:25.920 The temptation of the men of Ephraim is our temptation as well. 00:15:28.300 --> 00:15:35.240 The dwarves are for the dwarves. Their loyalty is only to themselves. 00:15:35.240 --> 00:15:45.379 The men of Ephraim are for the men of Ephraim. Their only loyalty is to themselves. 00:15:48.019 --> 00:15:55.720 Unfortunately, things only get worse here. The pursuit continues in verse 4. And it's not just 00:15:55.720 --> 00:16:01.220 the pursuit that continues. It is personal interests that continue as well. 00:16:01.220 --> 00:16:09.120 Gideon is continuing to go after these people of the east. He wants to finish off the battle that he's begun. 00:16:09.540 --> 00:16:15.980 And yet we hear that his men are exhausted and tired. We hear this twice, in fact. Verse 4, 00:16:16.279 --> 00:16:22.680 we're just told they are exhausted yet pursuing. Verse 5, he comes to the men of Succoth and he says, 00:16:22.679 --> 00:16:32.559 they are exhausted and I am pursuing. Can you please help us out? All we're asking for is a little bit of bread. 00:16:32.699 --> 00:16:37.620 If you could just give us what we need to continue on the mission that's before us. 00:16:38.819 --> 00:16:44.259 And the men of Succoth respond instead with this rhetorical question. Verse 6, 00:16:44.259 --> 00:16:53.779 are the hands of Ziba and Zalmunna already in your hand? And this is a reference to practices of war 00:16:53.779 --> 00:17:00.259 during that time. If you were to take another army, you might chop off some of their hands as 00:17:00.259 --> 00:17:05.259 demonstrations of the bodies that you had killed. And so what the men of Succoth are saying is, 00:17:05.259 --> 00:17:17.420 have you already won? No? Well, then we're not going to help you. We only play for winning teams. 00:17:18.299 --> 00:17:27.980 We only help people who have already succeeded. We're going to only make bets if they are sure. 00:17:29.240 --> 00:17:35.200 And we're told, can infer here from what's happening, that their interest, it's not one 00:17:35.200 --> 00:17:41.480 of pride. This is not the problem with the men of Ephraim. It's a problem of fear. In fact, 00:17:41.840 --> 00:17:48.420 pride and fear are the categories given by Dale Ralph Davis. This is on page 7 of your worship guide. 00:17:49.400 --> 00:17:56.720 What is it that they're afraid will happen? Well, if they bet on Gideon and Gideon loses, 00:17:57.580 --> 00:18:04.580 the people of the east are coming for them. And so they're simply saying, hey, 00:18:04.579 --> 00:18:13.699 we can't afford to be on the losing team. We are not confident that God's people are going to win. 00:18:15.559 --> 00:18:22.439 There's something gross here, though, which is that they are betting against the hometown team. 00:18:22.440 --> 00:18:32.799 They are betting against their own brothers. It's the same thing we see with the men of Penuel. 00:18:33.420 --> 00:18:39.840 They also say, hey, we can't be bothered to help out. Verse 8, 00:18:39.839 --> 00:18:50.899 Sorry, Gideon. It's too risky to play for your team. 00:18:52.339 --> 00:18:58.000 Sorry, Gideon. It's too risky to support God's team. 00:18:59.259 --> 00:19:01.639 What if you lose? 00:19:01.640 --> 00:19:06.980 What if God doesn't come through? 00:19:08.280 --> 00:19:12.440 Sorry, we have to hedge our bets. 00:19:16.040 --> 00:19:21.020 Of course, we as humans are also quick to save ourselves, 00:19:21.800 --> 00:19:27.440 quick to lose perspective and refuse to risk our time, 00:19:27.440 --> 00:19:31.220 our talents and our treasure for the sake of something bigger. 00:19:32.500 --> 00:19:38.940 Afraid of what others might think or do if we come out playing for God's team. 00:19:40.400 --> 00:19:45.220 What if God ends up on the losing team? 00:19:46.720 --> 00:19:48.059 What would happen then? 00:19:48.059 --> 00:19:55.240 And so we play it safe rather than exercising faith. 00:19:57.740 --> 00:20:00.859 The dwarves are for the dwarves. 00:20:01.839 --> 00:20:04.799 They only protect themselves. 00:20:06.019 --> 00:20:13.839 The men of Succoth and the men of Penuel are for the men of Succoth and the men of Penuel. 00:20:13.839 --> 00:20:17.940 They only protect themselves. 00:20:18.059 --> 00:20:23.500 We have not just pride and fear, though. 00:20:23.599 --> 00:20:25.559 We also have revenge. 00:20:25.720 --> 00:20:28.000 Gideon is no better. 00:20:29.240 --> 00:20:32.879 Because Gideon is also very concerned with his own ego. 00:20:33.299 --> 00:20:37.259 We would hope, we would think that this man who's been chosen by God, 00:20:37.339 --> 00:20:42.740 who's been going through all these processes of building and growing his faith, 00:20:42.740 --> 00:20:48.859 the protection he received last week from his temptation to praise himself, 00:20:48.859 --> 00:20:52.420 we would think that this would be someone who would come out on the other end, 00:20:52.559 --> 00:20:54.680 passionate for God and his glory. 00:20:56.059 --> 00:21:00.900 And yet Gideon's story is not one that ends well. 00:21:02.019 --> 00:21:06.480 Gideon is a man here who comes back ready for revenge. 00:21:06.480 --> 00:21:12.299 We see first that he is ready to take revenge on his own people. 00:21:12.860 --> 00:21:13.880 He is ticked. 00:21:14.839 --> 00:21:17.799 The men of Succoth and the men of Penuel refuse to help him, 00:21:18.200 --> 00:21:21.460 and so he is now going to make good on his threat. 00:21:21.900 --> 00:21:25.620 He has the victory that they feared he wouldn't. 00:21:25.980 --> 00:21:30.700 He shows back up in verse 14 ready to teach them a lesson. 00:21:30.700 --> 00:21:36.380 So first he goes and he gets this list, this hit list of the elders, 00:21:36.620 --> 00:21:37.620 the names of the elders. 00:21:38.279 --> 00:21:42.640 And then verses 15 and 16, he punishes them with thorns and briars. 00:21:42.920 --> 00:21:46.940 He lets them know exactly how he feels about their betrayal. 00:21:47.720 --> 00:21:50.519 Now we might think, okay, punishing with thorns and briars, 00:21:50.700 --> 00:21:51.900 things could get worse. 00:21:52.799 --> 00:21:54.720 The problem is they do. 00:21:55.840 --> 00:21:59.660 The men of Succoth get off easy compared to the men of Penuel. 00:21:59.660 --> 00:22:03.640 We have this shocking statement in verse 17. 00:22:05.080 --> 00:22:10.880 He broke down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city. 00:22:13.600 --> 00:22:17.240 Gideon kills his own brothers. 00:22:21.180 --> 00:22:29.200 And he kills them for the same failing from which God had saved him. 00:22:29.660 --> 00:22:35.540 Why did Gideon need the sign of the fleece? 00:22:36.680 --> 00:22:41.740 Why did God draw Gideon down to the camp of the peoples of the east 00:22:41.740 --> 00:22:47.300 so he could hear about the dream of the wheat barley knocking over the tent? 00:22:47.299 --> 00:22:51.059 Because Gideon was what? 00:22:51.059 --> 00:22:51.980 Afraid. 00:22:53.720 --> 00:22:57.799 And how does he now treat those who are afraid? 00:22:59.119 --> 00:23:02.539 He doesn't extend to them the mercy that God has given him. 00:23:03.879 --> 00:23:10.720 No, his only concern here is his ego that has been hurt. 00:23:10.720 --> 00:23:18.160 How quickly Gideon has forgotten God's grace to him. 00:23:20.240 --> 00:23:26.059 How quickly Gideon has turned from God's mission to his mission. 00:23:26.059 --> 00:23:33.279 How quickly Gideon has abandoned God's glory and God's honor. 00:23:33.779 --> 00:23:37.759 And he's taken up Gideon's glory and Gideon's honor. 00:23:41.619 --> 00:23:44.579 He doesn't get revenge just on his own people, though. 00:23:44.659 --> 00:23:47.919 He also gets revenge on Midian. 00:23:48.419 --> 00:23:50.559 Now, we might think initially, yeah, that makes sense. 00:23:50.559 --> 00:23:55.379 God has sent him, right, to rout these people, to rescue Israel. 00:23:55.659 --> 00:24:00.460 It would make sense that Ziba and Zalmunna would be put to death. 00:24:01.460 --> 00:24:04.359 But that's not the reason Gideon does it. 00:24:05.519 --> 00:24:10.200 Gideon doesn't kill Ziba and Zalmunna because they are God's enemies. 00:24:11.879 --> 00:24:16.000 Gideon kills them because they are Gideon's enemies. 00:24:17.019 --> 00:24:19.220 He's explicit about this. 00:24:19.220 --> 00:24:22.579 Verse 19, he tells them, 00:24:22.680 --> 00:24:28.259 Hey, these people you killed, they were my brothers, not in a general sense. 00:24:28.400 --> 00:24:30.900 These were my biological brothers. 00:24:31.120 --> 00:24:33.860 These are the sons of my mother that you killed. 00:24:35.079 --> 00:24:38.440 Had you not killed them, I would spare you. 00:24:39.720 --> 00:24:42.480 He's not killing them because they're enemies of God. 00:24:43.140 --> 00:24:46.799 He's killing them because Gideon's on a personal vendetta. 00:24:46.799 --> 00:24:55.059 Gideon, to his own people, God's people, and to God's enemies, 00:24:55.839 --> 00:24:59.579 is on a journey for revenge. 00:25:02.259 --> 00:25:05.759 The dwarves are for the dwarves. 00:25:07.259 --> 00:25:10.399 Gideon is for Gideon. 00:25:10.400 --> 00:25:15.060 Their loyalty is to themselves. 00:25:15.300 --> 00:25:18.100 Their concern for themselves. 00:25:18.099 --> 00:25:24.000 And so the main point of this passage is this. 00:25:24.919 --> 00:25:29.459 It is the sorry state of God's people. 00:25:31.059 --> 00:25:36.319 This is the first time in the book of Judges that we see blue on blue. 00:25:36.879 --> 00:25:42.079 It is the first time that God's people are killing not God's enemies, but each other. 00:25:42.079 --> 00:25:46.259 Remember I told you when we began the book of Judges, 00:25:46.439 --> 00:25:50.720 we have this cycle or this spiral that we see that's spelled out in chapter 2. 00:25:50.859 --> 00:25:56.439 It tells us each generation became more corrupt than the generation of their fathers. 00:25:57.079 --> 00:26:01.199 Each generation refused to give up their stubborn ways. 00:26:01.980 --> 00:26:05.339 Now the compound interest is arriving. 00:26:05.339 --> 00:26:11.559 Things are going downhill and they are going downhill fast. 00:26:12.079 --> 00:26:16.220 It is not simply that God's people will not work together. 00:26:16.639 --> 00:26:20.639 It's that they are actively fighting each other. 00:26:25.059 --> 00:26:30.179 And this passage presents us with no solution. 00:26:31.459 --> 00:26:34.220 In fact, in the next passage, things are going to get even worse. 00:26:34.220 --> 00:26:43.680 And the judges that follow Gideon continue in a downward spiral. 00:26:47.680 --> 00:26:51.460 So the question that the book then raises for us is, 00:26:52.100 --> 00:26:56.579 what is the solution to this sorry state of God's people? 00:26:56.579 --> 00:27:06.019 What is the solution to people who are filled with their own pride and fear and revenge? 00:27:06.339 --> 00:27:12.199 How is it that Israel is going to be brought back to God? 00:27:13.859 --> 00:27:16.579 And that leaving of no solution, 00:27:17.319 --> 00:27:21.480 that is part of the point of the book of Judges. 00:27:21.480 --> 00:27:36.839 Judges reminds us of our need for a true and faithful king. 00:27:37.720 --> 00:27:41.559 A king who can do what no human can do, 00:27:41.940 --> 00:27:44.940 which is to change the hearts of men. 00:27:44.940 --> 00:27:51.380 Judges reminds us of our sorry state, 00:27:52.200 --> 00:27:54.100 the sorry state of this world. 00:27:55.080 --> 00:27:58.380 It presents us with a problem 00:27:58.380 --> 00:28:03.200 that cannot be solved by any man. 00:28:04.840 --> 00:28:09.600 It pushes us to be able and willing to say, 00:28:09.599 --> 00:28:12.879 O come, O come, O come, Emmanuel. 00:28:14.779 --> 00:28:19.899 And it reminds us of God's mercy to hard-hearted people, 00:28:20.319 --> 00:28:22.879 people like you and me. 00:28:26.259 --> 00:28:30.039 After the dwarves have gone this way in the last battle, 00:28:30.639 --> 00:28:33.179 they say over and over the dwarves are for the dwarves. 00:28:33.219 --> 00:28:36.559 At one point, one of the children asks Aslan the lion, 00:28:36.559 --> 00:28:39.480 hey, can we help the dwarves? 00:28:40.200 --> 00:28:43.679 Is there any way that we can bring them back? 00:28:44.859 --> 00:28:46.519 And Aslan makes this sobering statement. 00:28:46.700 --> 00:28:48.740 This is on page eight of your worship guide. 00:28:49.919 --> 00:28:51.779 They will not let us help them. 00:28:52.339 --> 00:28:56.839 They have chosen cunning instead of belief. 00:28:58.720 --> 00:29:04.059 Isn't that a statement about the world and its condition? 00:29:04.059 --> 00:29:09.779 We have chosen cunning instead of belief. 00:29:11.679 --> 00:29:15.399 Gideon chooses cunning instead of belief. 00:29:16.279 --> 00:29:20.619 Gideon becomes the problem rather than the solution. 00:29:22.099 --> 00:29:26.259 And so Judges chapter eight points us to the need for a greater king, 00:29:26.339 --> 00:29:31.919 a greater king who will not choose pride or fear or revenge. 00:29:31.920 --> 00:29:36.900 A king who will come to set his people free. 00:29:38.720 --> 00:29:43.740 Advent is about the sorry state of man. 00:29:44.820 --> 00:29:48.480 The sorry state of man that we see in Judges chapter eight 00:29:48.480 --> 00:29:55.980 and the sorry state of man that we see in our own hearts and minds and lives. 00:29:55.980 --> 00:29:59.480 Gideon does a lot of good. 00:30:01.099 --> 00:30:05.259 And Gideon is ultimately a great disappointment. 00:30:07.259 --> 00:30:14.039 We are looking for a king who will do what Gideon could not do. 00:30:14.039 --> 00:30:20.240 And what we're looking for is this, what we already sang this morning, 00:30:20.659 --> 00:30:22.299 our new song on page seven. 00:30:23.259 --> 00:30:25.460 The poor and lowly he will raise, 00:30:26.399 --> 00:30:29.019 and all our bitterness and tears, 00:30:29.960 --> 00:30:31.879 our violence and our endless wars, 00:30:32.000 --> 00:30:35.259 will end at last when he draws near. 00:30:35.259 --> 00:30:38.480 Come soon, come soon, 00:30:38.480 --> 00:30:42.319 O Christ, our Lord. 00:30:43.759 --> 00:30:44.640 Let's pray. 00:30:46.759 --> 00:30:48.180 Our Father in heaven, 00:30:48.519 --> 00:30:51.879 we thank you this morning that you have not left us. 00:30:52.559 --> 00:30:54.019 You haven't abandoned us 00:30:54.019 --> 00:30:58.119 in our pride and fear and revenge. 00:30:58.119 --> 00:31:02.099 You haven't washed your hands and said, 00:31:02.319 --> 00:31:03.979 let them destroy themselves, 00:31:04.119 --> 00:31:05.599 but instead you sent your son 00:31:05.599 --> 00:31:07.939 and our Savior, our Lord Jesus, 00:31:08.319 --> 00:31:11.039 to be the true and faithful king that we need, 00:31:11.119 --> 00:31:14.039 the one that can change the hearts of men. 00:31:14.379 --> 00:31:16.459 And we ask that you would grow our faith 00:31:16.459 --> 00:31:18.000 and our love and our trust in him, 00:31:18.579 --> 00:31:21.079 that as we look forward to the celebration of Christmas, 00:31:21.079 --> 00:31:23.279 we would be able to say more and more, 00:31:23.500 --> 00:31:25.000 O come, O come, Emmanuel. 00:31:25.000 --> 00:31:28.579 We ask these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. 00:31:29.000 --> 00:31:29.240 Amen. 00:31:30.500 --> 00:31:31.460 I invite you to stand.