Fourth Sunday in Lent – March 6, 2016
Thank God for the “Foolishness” of His Grace
Judges 10:6-16 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord. They served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites and the gods of the Philistines. And because the Israelites forsook the Lord and no longer served him, 7 he became angry with them. He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites, 8 who that year shattered and crushed them. For eighteen years they oppressed all the Israelites on the east side of the Jordan in Gilead, the land of the Amorites. 9 The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin and the house of Ephraim; and Israel was in great distress. 10 Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, “We have sinned against you, forsaking our God and serving the Baals.”
11 The Lord replied, “When the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, 12 the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you and you cried to me for help, did I not save you from their hands? 13 But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. 14 Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!”
15 But the Israelites said to the Lord, “We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now.” 16 Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the Lord. And he could bear Israel’s misery no longer.
Imagine that one day you are driving down the interstate and come across a teenage boy along the side of the road. He looks miserable and completely worn out. He has no family who will care for him. He has no money; no job; no place to live. So you take him home. You and your family put food before him, let him take a shower, and give him some warm, dry clothes. In fact, you let him live with you in your house.
Days turn to weeks and weeks to months as you continue to care for him. You spend a great deal of time, money and emotions on this young man. Then one day he steals your car and wrecks it. He ends up in the hospital so you go and visit him. He apologizes for his mistake and you take him back in.
Not more than a week later this same young man unlocks the door late at night so some hooligans he has met can come and steal the valuables of your house. You find out what he has done. He comes clean with his part in the whole ordeal and asks your forgiveness. You forgive him and let him stay with you.
Not long after this you are hit with another bombshell. You find out that this boy has been running around town ruining your reputation. He has gone to where you work and told lies about you - even costing you your job. On top of that, in a fit of rage he hasso severely injured your own child that he is arrested and behind bars. So, you go to the jail to talk with him. He hesitantly approaches you and begs that you be merciful to him. He pleads for your forgiveness and that you would post his bond and welcome him back into your home. Who in their right mind would do it? Who, having all of their senses, would continue to put up with that? Who would be foolish enough to take him back?
You know, it isn’t that hard to imagine such a scenario when you take time to read through the book of Judges. Now, the book of judges records for us the history of God’s people in the Promised Land after Joshua had died, and three separate passages from the book do well to sum up the situation. In the second chapter we are told, “After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel” (Judges 2:10). The last verse of the book records, “In those days Israel had no king: everyone did as he saw fit” (Judges 21:25). And at the beginning of the section of God’s Word that sits before us it says, “Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord.”
Again! That was what characterized these Israelites. This evil was a persistent pattern. This was something that they had done before. Not once, not twice, in fact no less than five times in the first 10 chapters we hear that again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord. As a result, the Lord would send an enemy to burden and chastise them for their evil, and each time the Israelites would cry out for the Lord to deliver them. Then Lord would raise up a judge and deliver them. But now once more we hear, “Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord.”
Look at the levels to which they had sunk! It had gotten so bad that they worshiped and served all and every god – except the one true God! And to show just how stupid and irrational sin is, the gods that they had taken and were worshiping were gods that God had already destroyed – they were worshiping the gods of defeated enemies.
So, God sold them into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites. And sure enough, when things were oppressive and difficult; when life wasn’t peaches and cream; when they were in great distress they cried out to the Lord for help. But who in their right mind would listen to their cries? Who would continue to put up with that? Who would be so “foolish” to take them back? God would – that’s who!
And all of this hits rather close to home, doesn’t it? After all, were the Lord to have someone record the history of our lives as he did his people Israel, could not the same thing be said about us: “Again [insert name] did evil in the eyes of the Lord.” Oh how our heads must hang in shame!
Again those venomous words flew from our mouths as they poured down on the ones they were meant to belittle and destroy. Again our eyes drank in the illicit, immoral, and impure. Again we promised to God with eloquent words only to find it broken even sooner than last time. Again our time and resources were spent satisfying and filling our love for but one person – ourselves.
Yes, when we look with a discerning eye we see how often the god of pleasure has been the driving force in our lives. So we are willing to work tirelessly to receive the praise of others; labor and spend furiously to retain our youthful appearance; but then offer to the one true God our measly leftovers. Then there are the times we find the god of convenience settled in on the throne of our hearts. So we push Jesus aside, so to speak, wanting him to control and direct our lives less and less. Thinking, “It’s not always so ‘convenient’ to have him around; he cramps my style.”As sinful children of Adam there is a spirit in all of us that wants Jesus out of the way; or at the very least, wants him only on our own terms.
And yet here we are, so bold as to come crying for mercy and pardon. Here we are, when things become difficult and life isn’t peaches and cream,audaciously looking for help. Who in their right mind would listen? Who would continue to put up with this? We deserve to be abandoned forever! Who would be so “foolish” to take us back? God would – that’s who!
And he does – time and time again. It’s incredible – isn’t it! He welcomes us back with arms wide open when in repentance we seek his mercy. Not because we deserve it! Not because we have done anything! He doesn’t give us a list of demands that we must meet first. He doesn’t tell us there are hoops through which we must jump. No, he is the father in our parable this morning. He throws his arms around us! He calls us his child! He says you are forgiven and part of the family!
But why would he do that? Isn’t that too easy! Why would he do that? Isn’t that “foolish”? Not when you look at it from God’s point of view. This is how God describes himself: “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin” (Exodus 34:6,7). There you have it. God is completely merciful. By his unsearchable compassion, he chooses to forgive everything that would damn us to hell for eternity. But that’s not all! God continues: “Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation” (Exodus 34:7). What’s that, God is not only compassionate; he is equally just? That means he has no choice but to punish your sins and mine!
So how can he welcome us back? How can he forgive us? How is it that he isn’t exacting a pound of our flesh? How can God be perfectly merciful, forgiving every sin, and at the same time perfectly just, punishing every sin. That is the “foolishness” that Paul talks about in our second lesson this morning. Those two contradictory facts can only be reconciled on Jesus’ cross.
God laid all of the punishment for our sins upon his holy, innocent Son on that cross. On the cross God treated his sinless Son as we sinners should have been treated. The perfect mercy and love of God comes to us poor sinners from Jesus. Because of Jesus, God treats rebels, like you and me, as he should only treat his Son!
While that might seem easy for us – it was anything but. While we receive that forgiveness and mercy free – it wasn’t cheap. It cost the holy, innocent, and perfect blood of the very Son of God. Now understand this: while this message of Jesus and his cross gives you great comfort; it does not give you a license to sin or reason to be comfortable in your sin. Remember, “God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction” (Galatians 6:7,8).
Likewise, while our full, free, and complete forgiveness through our Savior’s death and resurrection gives you tremendous peace; it does not give you the freedom to exchange true repentance for lip-service. Remember, “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God” (Galatians 5:19-21).
Consider our gospel lesson this morning – the parable of the Lost Son (or Christ’s crazy love). Could you imagine, after the father of the parable prepared the celebratory feast, if the son were to say, “Dad, I’m tired. I think I’ll head up to my old room, play some video games, and call it night. You go on and celebrate without me.” Could you imagine him saying, “Don’t wake me too early tomorrow morning. I’ve been gone so long and am so tired out, I plan to sleep and laze around for the next month or two.”
He wouldn’t think of it. His attitude toward his father would have changed. He would live with a daily celebration in his heart. In fact, it’s not hard to imagine that son now regularly working overtime in his father’s fields; working hard not because he had to, but because he wanted to. It would be a labor of love.
The story of this son is our story isn’t it? Just like the story of the Israelites is ours. The father is our God. God saved us from rebellion. He welcomed us back when we didn’t deserve it. He took us back even though there was no reason to. He has poured out his forgiveness to us in Baptism and continues to assure us of his love through Holy Communion. How can we do anything but strive diligently for our Father? How can we not get rid of our gods and serve the Lord?
The book of Judges can be difficult reading. Sometimes it is a challenge to see clearly what our Lord wants us to see; what he is teaching us. However, when we take put our lessons together we notice that God’s grace it what is being highlighted. It is God’s grace that listened to Israel and saved; and yes, in ultimately saving us. From our point of view we could call it “foolish” - but thank God that it is! Now, live in celebration of this “foolish” grace by basking in the forgiveness he so generously pours out on us. And, celebrate that “foolish” grace by staying out of the slop of sin. Amen.