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Rescuing Judges - The Book of Judges · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And when the children of Israel cried
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  Speaker 1: unto the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer to
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  Speaker 1: the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel, the
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  Speaker 1: son of Canaz, Caleb's younger brother. Judges 3.9. Dear God,
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  Speaker 1: as I meditate on today's reading of Judges 2-3, I ask, Lord,
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  Speaker 1: that you make me like the mighty men and women
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  Speaker 1: of Judges. who were used to deliver your children from
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  Speaker 1: the hands of the enemy. Quicken my heart and strengthen
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  Speaker 1: my hands, so that I can take on the honor
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  Speaker 1: of being used to bring freedom and breakthrough to those
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  Speaker 1: who are hurting and in bondage. Raise me up like Othniel.
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  Speaker 1: Let your spirit come upon me as I continue to
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  Speaker 1: win battles and take territory for your kingdom. Next, I
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  Speaker 1: thank you that, you are giving me the boldness of
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  Speaker 1: Ehud so that I can face my oppressor head on
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  Speaker 1: and without fear. Give me divine strategy today so that
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  Speaker 1: I know where my enemy's weak points are. Thank you
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  Speaker 1: for inside information that will ensure the victory for me
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  Speaker 1: and for all of your children. Shout out loud and
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  Speaker 1: declare that you have given us complete victory over all
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  Speaker 1: of our enemies. Thank you for rest and restoration. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for making prayer a priority in your day.
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  Speaker 1: To learn more about the Bible, stay tuned for today's story.
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  Speaker 1: Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Rescuing Judges The generation of Joshua had passed, and Israel
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  Speaker 2: made a home for themselves in their new land. The
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  Speaker 2: gods of the other kingdoms surrounding Israel made their way
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  Speaker 2: into their hearts, and they turned their backs on God.
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  Speaker 2: In this story, we will learn how God heard the
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  Speaker 2: cries of Israel, as He did once in Egypt. Only now,
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  Speaker 2: instead of sending Moses, He sent His judges, mighty heroes
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  Speaker 2: of great courage, inspired by the book.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. In today's reading, we concluded
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  Speaker 3: the story of Job and learned how God restored Job
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  Speaker 3: to health and wealth, giving him more than even he
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  Speaker 3: had lost. Today, we return to the story of Israel.
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  Speaker 3: The hearts of God's people have turned to other gods,
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  Speaker 3: and rather than influencing the culture around them, They were
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  Speaker 3: letting the pagan cultures, the unbelieving cultures, shape and corrupt them. Soon,
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  Speaker 3: they find themselves enslaved again. It is the result of
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  Speaker 3: their unfaithfulness to God and their forgetful hearts. But, as
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  Speaker 3: we'll learn again today, God is not about to abandon
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  Speaker 3: His children. He will hear their cries and come to
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  Speaker 3: their rescue just in time. So, let's listen now to
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  Speaker 3: today's readings.
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  Speaker 2: Truth had been forsaken. The generation that fought for the
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  Speaker 2: promised land had passed away. God's mighty axe had been
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  Speaker 2: buried and forgotten with the past. Now Israel lived in comfort,
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  Speaker 2: sinning on the graves of those who bled before them.
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  Speaker 2: Israel abandoned the Lord and adopted the gods of the natives.
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  Speaker 2: Since they forsook God, all their military exploits went without victory.
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  Speaker 2: In vain they marched to conquer new lands, but they
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  Speaker 2: were left with heartache and bloodshed. Israel spiraled into a
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  Speaker 2: whirlpool of defeat. They had forgotten that Israel's strength was
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  Speaker 2: not in their military might, but in the sovereignty of God.
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  Speaker 2: Weakened and distressed, Israel was vulnerable to outside attacks. Other
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  Speaker 2: nations would descend upon the people and plunder them. Women,
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  Speaker 2: and children were stolen in the dead of night, homes
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  Speaker 2: were set ablaze, and their food and livestock was taken.
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  Speaker 2: So God raised up mighty men and women of valor,
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  Speaker 2: those who would save them and bring them out of oppression.
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  Speaker 2: Yet Israel would not bow to them. They whored themselves
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  Speaker 2: to other gods, and did only what seemed right in
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  Speaker 2: their own eyes. Yet God would not relent in His
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  Speaker 2: compassion over His people. When Israel descended into destruction and slavery—
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  Speaker 2: God would send his heroes to save them. After delving
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  Speaker 2: deep into the worship of other gods, Israel found themselves
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  Speaker 2: overcome by Kushan, the king of Mesopotamia. Kushan's army took
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  Speaker 2: Israel by force, and God's people found themselves once again enslaved.
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  Speaker 2: For eight years they sat under the cruel reign of Mesopotamia.
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  Speaker 2: The people of Israel cried out to God, begging Him
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  Speaker 2: to save them as He had thousands of times before.
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  Speaker 2: God did not ignore their cries. He raised up His
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  Speaker 2: first judge, Othniel, the nephew of Caleb. The Spirit of
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  Speaker 2: God was with Othniel. The same burning intensity Joshua once
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  Speaker 2: had came upon him. Othniel gathered men from all over
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  Speaker 2: Israel to raise a resistance. For weeks he plotted, schemed,
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  Speaker 2: and strategized. Othniel was a man of few words. He
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  Speaker 2: was a man of the sword and exactly what Israel needed.
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  Speaker 2: Othniel stood at the top of a valley in front
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  Speaker 2: of Kushan's army. Weeks of preparing had led him to
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  Speaker 2: this moment. The air was cold, and the piercing wind
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  Speaker 2: of winter blew from the north. Othniel was silent. As
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  Speaker 2: lightning with thousands of Israelite soldiers behind him, Othniel stormed
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  Speaker 2: the city of their oppressors. Blood scattered across the sky
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  Speaker 2: above them. Israel had its first taste of true victory
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  Speaker 2: in years. They were free. God had gone before them,
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  Speaker 2: and Othniel was judge over Israel for forty years until
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  Speaker 2: he died. After forty years of peace under Othniel's leadership,
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  Speaker 2: the people of Israel fell prey to their old devices.
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  Speaker 2: Slowly and gradually, their old idolatry crept back into their
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  Speaker 2: lives and hearts. They let their guard down and became complacent.
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  Speaker 2: While Israel rested, feasted among idols, and enjoyed their newfound freedom,
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  Speaker 2: King Eglon from Moab gathered the Ammonites and the Amalekites
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  Speaker 2: to overtake Israel. He succeeded, and for eighteen years his
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  Speaker 2: cruelty and greed plagued the Hebrew people like a sickness.
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  Speaker 2: The people of Israel cried out again to God, not
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  Speaker 2: knowing that he was already raising up a young man
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  Speaker 2: named Ehud from the tribe of Benjamin. He was a
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  Speaker 2: left-handed man, which was uncommon and looked down upon in
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  Speaker 2: his time. Yet his skill as a warrior and master
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  Speaker 2: of deception were exactly what the people of Israel needed.
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  Speaker 2: So God provided. It was tradition for the people of
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  Speaker 2: Israel to pay a tribute to King Eglon in his palace.
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  Speaker 2: These tributes were large platters of food filled with meats, cheeses,
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  Speaker 2: and grains, for Eglon was a large and slothful man.
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  Speaker 2: He gorged on Israel's offerings and grew fat in both
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  Speaker 2: mass and confidence. The people sent Ehud to pay the
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  Speaker 2: tribute with a double-edged sword strapped to his right thigh.
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  Speaker 2: Ehud brought in the tribute. Hail the king, he said.
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  Speaker 2: I have brought you your tribute. Ehud then leaned over
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  Speaker 2: to the king's side and whispered, I have secret news
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  Speaker 2: from some spies in Israel, my king. Eglon's interest and
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  Speaker 2: concern rose. He shooed away his guards and rose from
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  Speaker 2: his seat to speak with Ehud. As Eglon rose from
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  Speaker 2: his seat, Ehud unstrapped the sword from his thigh and
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  Speaker 2: lodged it into Eglon's gigantic stomach in one motion. Eglon's
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  Speaker 2: fat wrapped around the blade and closed it into his belly.
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  Speaker 2: Entrails and dung came spewing out of Eglon as he
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  Speaker 2: fell to the floor and died. Ehud drug the king's
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  Speaker 2: massive body into his restroom. The guards heard a noise
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  Speaker 2: and entered into the king's chambers. They heard a stirring
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  Speaker 2: in the lavatory and did not want to bother the
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  Speaker 2: king while he was relieving himself. While they delayed, Ehud
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  Speaker 2: escaped through the hole where the excrement was released and
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  Speaker 2: crawled to safety. Moments later, the guards opened the doors
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  Speaker 2: to see the king dead on the floor. Ehud ran
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  Speaker 2: past the temples to Sarai. When he arrived at the
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  Speaker 2: right spot, he sounded a trumpet that echoed throughout the
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  Speaker 2: entire hill country. As one wave, the Israelite army emerged
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  Speaker 2: from the horizon and ran behind Ehud. They followed him,
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  Speaker 2: and Ehud let out a battle cry, saying,' Follow me,
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  Speaker 2: for the Lord has given them into our hand.' Ehud's
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  Speaker 2: left-handed swings tore apart the flesh of the Moabite army.
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  Speaker 2: One by one they fell, and hope in God was restored.
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  Speaker 2: Ten thousand Moabites fell that day, all of them strong
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  Speaker 2: and able-bodied soldiers. No one escaped. For eight years, Ehud
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  Speaker 2: protected the people of Israel, and there was peace in
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  Speaker 2: the land. Yet danger and temptation lurked around every corner.
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  Speaker 2: Ehud understood just as well as God that the peace
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  Speaker 2: would not last. Soon, Israel would haul itself to other
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  Speaker 2: idols again, and God, as a faithful groom, would do
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  Speaker 2: anything to protect them.
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  Speaker 3: In today's reading in God's Word, we begin with a
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  Speaker 3: new generation of Israelites. This generation is is different from
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  Speaker 3: those who followed Joshua. Joshua's people were gone, but now
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  Speaker 3: the people who had been living in comfort became complacent.
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  Speaker 3: They turned to false gods, idols. They allowed the world
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  Speaker 3: around them to infiltrate their daily lives, and the God
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  Speaker 3: of their fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
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  Speaker 3: the God of Moses and Joshua, these were a distant memory.
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  Speaker 3: As always, Rebellion and unbelief have consequences. God had warned
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  Speaker 3: them that if they turned from him, they would not
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  Speaker 3: experience victory, but only the bitterness and the brokenness of defeat.
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  Speaker 3: And that's exactly what they experienced. In loss after loss
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  Speaker 3: after loss, they became weaker and weaker as a nation.
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  Speaker 3: Even though God sent them a godly leader, the Israelites
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  Speaker 3: persisted in their rebellion until they were overcome by by
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  Speaker 3: the king of Mesopotamia, Kushan. And then the people were
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  Speaker 3: once again under the rule of another. They were slaves
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  Speaker 3: in a pagan nation. This was the price to be
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  Speaker 3: paid for their sins against God. But God would not
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  Speaker 3: abandon his people, and when they cried out to him,
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  Speaker 3: he brought a mighty warrior, a judge named Athoniel. He
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  Speaker 3: was the nephew of Caleb, and he burned with zeal,
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  Speaker 3: a zeal for God and a zeal for the people
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  Speaker 3: of God. And so God began the time of the judges.
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  Speaker 3: Athoniel raised up an army, and under God's protection, he
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  Speaker 3: led them to victory over Hushan's army. They were once
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  Speaker 3: again free, and for the next generation, this man led
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  Speaker 3: the people as God's appointed judge. But as it happened
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  Speaker 3: after Joshua died, once Athoniel was gone, the people rebelled
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  Speaker 3: against God again. And so began a tragic pattern of
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  Speaker 3: turning from God, facing defeat, turning back to God for
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  Speaker 3: help and God helping. The words in Judges 3.12 signal
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  Speaker 3: the refrain that will repeat itself too many times in
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  Speaker 3: the years to come. And the people of Israel again
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  Speaker 3: did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. Rescue, rebellion, repentance,
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  Speaker 3: and return. Before we too quickly judge the Israelites for
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  Speaker 3: their unfaithfulness, let's consider how often we do the same
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  Speaker 3: thing when we allow other gods to take over our
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  Speaker 3: hearts and our minds. Idols of the heart. We get
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  Speaker 3: caught up in the world and rebel against God. But
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  Speaker 3: here's what we know. Because of what Jesus Christ has
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  Speaker 3: done for us on the cross and by the power
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  Speaker 3: of his resurrection, God can redeem us, renew us, and
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  Speaker 3: restore us when we repent of our sin and return
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  Speaker 3: to him. God will respond and receive us because of
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  Speaker 3: what Christ has done for us. We do need to
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  Speaker 3: remember that there are consequences to our sins. And so
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  Speaker 3: when the people once again turned against God again and again,
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  Speaker 3: they were conquered by another nation. They cried out to God,
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  Speaker 3: and God brought them a new judge, Ehud. Ehud courageously
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  Speaker 3: faced the king of Moab and put him to the
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  Speaker 3: sword before leading an army against 10,000 Moabite men, killing
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  Speaker 3: them all. Once again, faith in God and hope for
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  Speaker 3: the future was restored. But once again, this would be
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  Speaker 3: only temporary as the people would turn away. They would
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  Speaker 3: often lose their faith and their faithfulness. But God was
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  Speaker 3: faithful to his people, and he would not abandon them.
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  Speaker 3: And it's a wonderful promise to know that God loves you,
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  Speaker 3: that his plans for your life, even when you fail,
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  Speaker 3: when you are fickle and when you fall, if you
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  Speaker 3: will return to him and receive him through his son,
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  Speaker 3: Jesus Christ, you can be forgiven and God will lift
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  Speaker 3: you up. Dear God, thank you for your patience with
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  Speaker 3: us when our hearts fall away and stray and our
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  Speaker 3: attentions drifts to the gods of this world. Help us
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  Speaker 3: to come back to you. and to cry out to
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  Speaker 3: you for your unending mercy and grace. We know this grace,
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  Speaker 3: this mercy is available because of your son, Jesus, who
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  Speaker 3: died on the cross for our sins and rose again
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  Speaker 3: that we may have eternal life. It is in his
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  Speaker 3: name that we pray.
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  Speaker 1: Amen.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 3: I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com
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  Speaker 3: into God's life, God's power, God's strength for successful Christian living,
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  Speaker 3: be sure to visit jackgram.org. God bless you.