Judges 10:1-18 - Two More Judges, Return to Sin

Judges 10:1-18

Tola

1 After Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in the mountains of Ephraim. 2 He judged Israel twenty-three years; and he died and was buried in Shamir.

Jair

3 After him arose Jair, a Gileadite; and he judged Israel twenty-two years. 4 Now he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys; they also had thirty towns, which are called “Havoth Jair” to this day, which are in the land of Gilead. 5 And Jair died and was buried in Camon.

Israel Oppressed Again

6 Then the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the people of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; and they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him. 7 So the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel; and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the people of Ammon. 8 From that year they harassed and oppressed the children of Israel for eighteen years—all the children of Israel who were on the other side of the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, in Gilead. 9 Moreover the people of Ammon crossed over the Jordan to fight against Judah also, against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely distressed.

10 And the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, saying, “We have sinned against You, because we have both forsaken our God and served the Baals!”

11 So the LORD said to the children of Israel, “Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites and from the people of Ammon and from the Philistines? 12 Also the Sidonians and Amalekites and Maonites oppressed you; and you cried out to Me, and I delivered you from their hand. 13 Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods. Therefore I will deliver you no more. 14 “Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress.”

15 And the children of Israel said to the LORD, “We have sinned! Do to us whatever seems best to You; only deliver us this day, we pray.” 16 So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD. And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel.

17 Then the people of Ammon gathered together and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled together and encamped in Mizpah. 18 And the people, the leaders of Gilead, said to one another, “Who is the man who will begin the fight against the people of Ammon? He shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”

Two judges, Tola and Jair, ruled over Israel for a total of forty-five years.  Then the people went right back to sinning, doing what God saw as evil and they did not.  They turned in reverse repentance from the LORD to idolatry and immorality and reaped the whirlwind (Hosea 8:1-3, 7) of the consequences.  By forgetting and rejecting the worship of the sovereign God who rescued them over and over, sending judges to warn and guide them back, they incurred the wrath due to their sins against Him and lost their protection.  This is similar to handing over unrepentant sinners to satan to save them (1 Timothy 1:20, 1 Corinthians 5:5, 2 Timothy 2:26) in the end when they come to their senses.  Repentance and restoration has always been the goal of God’s discipline.  The pattern was set early on with Israel, but without the indwelling Spirit and Law inscribed on their hearts, they kept seeking a judge and deliverer until God sent His Son to lead His people into victory (1 Corinthians 15:57) at last and forever.  Some may wander away even now, desiring to please their senses and serve the gods of this world (1 John 2;15-16), but the pattern of repentance by saying, “I have sinned against You, Lord” and turning from other worship to Him alone is still available (1 John 1:9) and essential to following the Lord God in Jesus the Christ by the conviction and enabling of the Holy Spirit to overcome sin.  May we look to Him when we sin and put away our manmade gods to worship Him alone in spirit and truth again, finding our victory over the enemy in Christ alone.  We need no other Judge or Deliverer to return to Him from our sin which so easily can (Hebrews 12:1, 2) ensnare us.  May we learn from this reverse repentance and aim in the forward direction of obedience and repentance for restoration and forgiveness.  Repentance is key.