[110501] The Lives without God's Calling (Judges 12)

The Lives without God’s Calling

 Judges 12

1. Ephraim’s deceitful life (Jud. 12:1-4) – The life without Gospel

1) Ephraim who complained – The life that did not change

(1) Ephraimites were full with deception

- Ephraim?

     - Gen 48:1 – Son of Joseph

     - Gen 48:8-22 – Jacob blessed his children

     - Jud. 8:1-3 – Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, “Why have you treated us like this? Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight Midian?” And they criticized him sharply.

     - Jud. 8:2 – But he answered them, “What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t the gleanings of Ephraim’s grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer?

But Ephraim’s next generation,

     - Jud. 12:1 – The men of Ephraim called out their forces, crossed over to Zaphon and said to Jephthah, “Why did you go to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We’re going to burn down your house over your head.”

     - Jud. 12:2-3 – I called, you didn’t save me out of their hands. When I saw that you wouldn’t help, I took my life in my hands and crossed and fight and win. But now why have you come up today to fight me?

    - The life of Ephraimites

    - Jer. 17:9 – The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond sure. Who can understand it?

    - Rom. 1:23 – And exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

2. The life made by oneself (Jud. 12:5-6)

1) Ephraim

- Gen 48:14 – But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn.

(1) Num. 26:29 – The descendants of Manasseh: through Makir, the Makirite clan (Makir was the father of Gilead); through Gilead, the Gileadite clan.

(2) Attackers became fleer

- Ephraims said, “We’re going to burn down your house over your head.”

- 12:4 – “You Gileadites are renegades from Ephraim and Manasseh.”

- Shiboleth à Sibboleth, Forty-two thousand Ephraimites were killed

- The natural consequences of one’s own bad

2) Jephthah

- Spiritual problem

- Rom. 3:20 – Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

Conclusion

1) Observing yourself is urgent

2) Give your lives to the living God 

3) Let’s live inside of God’s calling