Judges 10:14 Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation
What do you think of Warren G. Harding? You probably do not think of him at all. In fact, you may be wondering who he is. Unless you are from Ohio or are a history teacher of seventh grade, you may have forgotten that Warren G. Harding was at one time the President of the United States of America. One of the reasons we don’t know much about him is the times in which he lived probably did not necessitate bold leadership in the way that other times have.
What about George Washington? You would probably know much more about him than you do about Warren G. Harding. Apart from being the first President of our country, George Washington was a great leader who was President during a significant time. “Light-Horse” Henry Lee said that Washington was “first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.” He was first in peace and in hearts because he was first in war. He was a man of whom the times demanded much. So, you know him.
The same is true when you come to the judges of Israel. Some of them we know and some we do not. If I were to ask you, “What do you think of Tola and Jair from Judges 10?” You probably don’t even remember them. You find subsequently in chapter 11 the story of a judge named Jephthah. He is not extremely memorable either, but he is more known than the previous two because he was a strong leader and a judge in perilous times of great conflict. Judges 11:1 says, “Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.” In Hebrews 11:32 we read about Jephthah because he was a man of faith and God used him because he was.
When you read Jephthah’s story, you find out that when times demand little, the leaders are remembered little. When times demand much, leaders are generally regarded more highly and thought of more often. The same might be said of the gods that God’s people were serving. When times were good, the Israelites reverted back to the gods of the land of Canaan. When times were easy, they thought, “Hey, we built these houses, planted these vineyards, and conquered this land. It is ours.” That was not true. They had houses they did not build, vineyards they did not plant, and land they did not deserve. It was Jehovah’s. But when the tide turned, when times of trouble came, they discovered they needed the Jehovah they had rejected.
Judges 10:13 says, “Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.” God later had compassion on them and the Bible says, “His soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.” Verse 14 says, “Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.” In other words, perilous times demand a God that lives and Who is real.
Later on, speaking to those who objected to Israel having what God had given, Judges 11:24 says, “Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess.” This is saying, “If your god is so great, let him take care of you in times of trouble.” Well, that god could not.
Later on, in times of great peril, Jephthah vowed to God, “If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, then it shall be, that whatever comes forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace…I will offer it up for a burnt offering.” God delivered Jephthah’s enemies into his hand and when he returned home, the first one to greet him was his own daughter. Jephthah says in difficult times, when it was obvious that Jehovah was his God, “I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.” Earlier in chapter 11 about another incident he basically says, “What I have said I have said. I have uttered all these words before the Lord.”
The point of all this is that you see who your God really is when push comes to shove. When God’s people were in perilous times, they realized that they had rejected God. When the pagans of the land objected to Israel, they realized they had gods that were not God. When Jephthah was given victory, he realized it was because of God so he was obliged to keep his word. Incidentally and parenthetically, I do not believe that Jephthah sacrificed his daughter as Abraham initially thought he would have to do with his son. I think there are things in the text that make that very clear. But whatever happened here, it was significant and of great cost, and Jephthah kept his word because God was his God.
Now, when times are easy, it is easy to not think much about God, but you see who God really is in your life when push comes to shove. There are two things I would say about this. First, you are only as able as the God you serve. For example, if you are putting all your trust, dependence, and love into money, then you are as able as your money. The problem with money is that it has limitations. There are things in life that money cannot buy. Money is a great servant, but it is not worthy of being God because you are only as able as the god you serve.
God Jehovah is a God who delivered. He will deliver the enemy into your hands. Money is a god that cannot always deliver. Does that mean we should not earn, save, and spend money wisely? No, we should do all those things. That is part of money being our servant. But if all your life is wrapped up and absorbed in money, that gives you power, but only as much power as money will produce. And money makes itself wings and flies away.
Second, you are only as wise as the god you serve. If all the decisions you make are based on one metric, such as what it may do for you financially, that is not wise. Is money a factor? Of course, you should consider finances when you make major decisions. But if that is the only metric by which you make a choice, you are going to be making choices that may be good financially, but disastrous for the most significant parts of your life because you are only as wise as the god you serve. People do foolish things with money, but God gives us wisdom for the moment, the need, and the person who asks for it. If you lack wisdom, ask God for it.
The question today is, “What god do you serve?” How you answer that question will determine how able and wise you are. In every circumstance of your life, you are going to see who your god actually is when push comes to shove.