Are you going in circles?

Tunnel boring machines (TBMs) are being used to build new roads and new metro rail lines in Sydney (see Appendix). The road is the Western Harbour tunnel from North Sydney to Rozelle. And there are three metro rail projects: from Chatswood under the harbour and the city to Sydenham, from the city to Westmead and from St Marys to the new Western Sydney Airport.

And the Snowy 2.0 pumped-storage hydroelectric project to help Australia’s electricity network is using three TBMs to excavate about 40 km of tunnels. But one of the machines named Florence, got bogged. Florence was meant to drill a tunnel 15 kilometres long but had only travelled about 150 metres before getting stuck in very soft wet ground for 14 months. It had only travelled 1% of the distance!  The machine weighs 2,400 tonnes and measures 143 metres in length and 11 metres (3 stories) in diameter.

So TBMs, which rotate to bore a hole should be able to excavate a tunnel, but sometimes they can keep rotating and make no progress at all.

In this post we look at the book of Judges in the Bible where we will see that God’s people (the Israelites) kept going in circles like a bogged TBM. The main point is to avoid unnecessary cycles of sin and its consequences by following God instead of the culture we live in.

Context

Moses led the Israelites from slavery in Egypt across the wilderness to reach Canaan in the Middle East. Then Joshua led them in many battles to invade and occupy the land. God had promised to drive out the pagan occupants gradually (Dt. 7:22). He was using Israel to bring judgment upon wicked nations (Gen. 15:16; Lev. 18:24). Joshua also divided the land with a portion for each of the 12 tribes.

Before his death, Joshua gave them a warning and a choice (Josh. 23). They were commanded to obey the law of Moses and not associate with the pagan nations. Obedience would give them ongoing victories. But if they intermarried and associated with the pagan nations, God would no longer drive these nations out of Canaan. Disobedience and idolatry would result in them being expelled from Canaan. Remaining in the promised land was conditioned on faithfulness to the Lord and separation from the idolaters still around them. This is consistent with the rewards for obedience and the punishments for disobedience in the law (Dt. 28:1-68) and with the choice of obedience or disobedience (Dt. 30:15-20).

Moses told them to throw away their idols and serve the Lord (Josh. 24:14-15; Jud. 2:7). They promised to serve the Lord and set up a stone monument to remind them of this promise. And they were faithful while this generation of leaders were alive (Josh. 24:31).

Joshua said they had the choice of serving God or serving idols? His choice was, “But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:15NIV).

Do you know that we still have idols today? They are anything that stops us following and serving God. Or anything we love more than God. And there are lots of things that can occupy us today. Paul equated greed with idolatry (Col. 3:5). Who will you serve in 2024? God or something/someone else?

The conquest continues

The book of Judges begins with the Israelites continuing to attack the pagan nations in Canaan in order to claim the land that God had promised them (Jud. 1). But most of the tribes disobeyed God by failing to destroy or drive them out. They didn’t drive out the Canaanites after a military victory. Instead, they made treaties with them (2:2) and used the Canaanites as slave labor, and intermarried with them (3:6). They didn’t keep separate from them, which led to their downfall.

The book of Judges describes events in Canaan over a period of about 300 years between the lives of Joshua and Samuel – about 1400 BC to 1100 BC.

Here’s what happened next.

Delivered by Othniel

The Bible says, “The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs”, who were idols (Jud. 3:7). Baal was the Canaanite God over the weather and nature and Israel lived in an agricultural society that needed good weather for food and wealth. Because God was angry, they were subject to the king of Aram for eight years. He came from the north-east. God hates sin because of what it does to people’s lives. After they cried out to the Lord, He raised up Othniel as a leader (called a “Judge”, or a military leader) who overpowered the king of Aram in a war and there was 40 years of peace until he died.

Delivered by Ehud

“Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord” (Jud. 3:12). So they were subject to the king of Moab for 18 years. He came from the south-east. After they cried out to the Lord, He raised up Ehud who was left-handed and assassinated the king of Moab and there was 80 years of peace until he died. Being left-handed he could conceal his dagger (it was “strapped to his right thigh under his clothing”) where it was not expected.

Delivered by Deborah

“Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord” (Jud. 4:1). So they were subject to the king of Canaan for 20 years. He came from the north and had 900 chariots fitted with iron. After they cried out to the Lord, He raised up Deborah, the only female judge. She summoned Barak to lead 10,000 men and attack the Canaanites. But he insisted that she accompany him. Because of this, the commander of Canaan’s army was killed by another woman (Jael) while he was hiding and asleep. Then the Israelites defeated the Canaanites. And there was 40 years of peace.

Delivered by Gideon

“Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord” (Jud. 6:2). So they were subject to the king of Midian for seven years. He came from the east. After they cried out to the Lord, He raised up Gideon. At first he gave excuses and asked for a sign from God. Then God asked him to tear down his father’s idols and Gideon asked for more signs of God’s leading. And God used only 300 men to defeat an army of 135,000 (8:10) and there was 40 years of peace. But Gideon used gold taken from the Midianites to make an idol that was worshipped by the Israelites.

“No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They set up Baal-Berith as their god and did not remember the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side” (Jud. 8:33-34).

Delivered by Jephthah

“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” (Jud. 10:6).

So they were subject to the king of Ammon for 18 years. He came from the east. After they cried out to the Lord “We have sinned against you, forsaking our God and serving the Baals” (10:10), and got rid of their idols and served the Lord He raised up Jephthah who defeated the king of Ammon and he ruled for six years (but “peace” is not mentioned in the Bible). Jephthath made a rash promise that affected his daughter. There was also the tragedy of 42,000 men of Ephraim dying in a civil war because they were troublemakers.

Delivered by Samson?

“Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord” (Jud. 13:1). So they were subject to the king of Philistia for 40 years. He came from the south-west. So God raised up Samson who was given supernatural strength to attack the Philistines and lead Israel for 20 years (but an appeal to the Lord for help and “peace” are not mentioned in the Bible).

Samson killed 1,000 men with a jawbone in an act of revenge. But after he was betrayed by his girlfriend, Delilah, he was captured by the Philistines and blinded. Finally, he died in captivity when he destroyed the temple and over a thousand Philistines died.

I have a question mark about whether Samson actually delivered the Israelites. It seems as though Samson only started to save Israel from Philistine oppression. He didn’t bring much relief. Samson was more interested in loving foreign women that saving Israel and was motivated by self-gratification and personal revenge.

The next generation

The reason for this cyclic pattern in Judges is that after Joshua “another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what He had done for Israel” (Jud. 2:10). Did the older generation not teach the younger generation? Or did the younger generation not want to learn? Maybe it was both.

What about us? Are we teaching the next generation about God by what we say and do? Meanwhile, they are influenced by the atheistic humanism taught by schools, universities and society.

Here’s the pattern of their deliverance from the consequences of their sin through the judges empowered by God. Because they broke the first commandment by worshipping and serving Canaanite idols, God punished them by giving victory to their enemies (Jud. 2:11-15). Like Israel today, they were surrounded by enemies from the north, north-east, east, south-east and south-west. This was a complete change of circumstances – they were oppressed instead of victorious. God used tough times to get their attention.

But when they repented and pleaded for help (Jud. 10:10), the Lord raised up judges [leaders] to deliver them from the oppression of their enemies (Jud. 2:16, 18) and bring victory and peace.

“But when the judge died, the people returned to … their evil practices” (Jud. 2:19). They lapsed back into idolatry when there was no godly leader. They were following the leader rather than following God. They were enjoying peace and prosperity rather than cultivating a relationship with God. Their repentance wasn’t genuine. So the pattern becomes a cycle, they go from sin to deliverance and back to sin again. The Bible lists 12 judges, we only looked at six of them. So they went through this cycle at least 12 times! Such repetition is an emphasis showing that this is important to remember.

Because of this, God no longer drove out the pagan nations Joshua left when he died. God used their enemies to test the obedience of the Israelites.

The last five chapters of Judges show that the disobedience of the Israelites led to religious and moral corruption (Jud. 17-21). It’s R-rated! There was idolatry, civil war, murder and rape. They allowed the evil of their surrounding culture to pollute them. It is explained as, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit” (Jud. 17:6; 21:25). People did whatever seemed right in their own eyes. They did their own thing. Everyone acted as their own king. They followed their sinful desires that led to defeat and failure. They forgot about God and lived as though He didn’t exist.

This is like the slogan/song “Go you own way” which is used in Australia to advertize the Isuzu ute (pickup truck).

It’s similar today. People are ignorant of sin and its consequences. Each person decides what is right and wrong. We are the authority, the judge and the deliverer, and not God. So there is idolatry, conflict, abuse and immorality all around us. The greatest threat to Christians and the church is our internal sinfulness. What ungodly habits have you picked up from the culture around you?

Application to us

The book of Judges describes what happened to the people of God, who were Israelites, after Joshua died. They kept going around the sin cycle and didn’t progress physically or spiritually. But God delivered His people from hopeless situations in surprising ways. How can this apply to us today? What’s changed since then? People still sin, which is anything we think say or do that is against God’s will. And sin still separates us from God. But since then Jesus came and died for our sins. Today the people of God are those from any nation who have trusted that Jesus died for their sin so that their sins are forgiven and they have peace with God. God’s ultimate deliverance comes through Jesus.

Joining the people of God

The process for dealing with our separation from God is summarized in this diagram. It shows the eternal solution to our sin.

– We all sin by thinking saying and doing things that are against God’s will.
– Consequently we are separated from God and put under His judgment, and if we do nothing about this separation and judgment, it is final and hell is our ultimate destiny. But God wants to deliver you from an empty way of life.
– The first step to fix the problem is to be convicted of our sin. It involves recognizing it. We may feel guilty or sorry.
– The second step is to confess our sin to God. It means admitting that we are wrong.
– The third step is repentance, which is a change of behavior where our change of attitude is shown in our actions. It’s like doing a U-turn in a car to go in the opposite direction.
– God sent Jesus as the ultimate leader and deliverer, who had victory over sin. The judges who rescued Israel were a foretaste (or typology, or pattern prophecy) of the rescue that would come through Jesus.
– When we repent, God promises to forgive all our sins, in the past, the present and the future (Acts 3:19). This eternal forgiveness removes the barrier to heaven. There is no cycle here – it only happens once. If we acknowledge our sinfulness and believe that Jesus paid the penalty for us, then we are viewed as God’s children. Jesus died for all our sins. Have you experienced this forgiveness? If not, why not start following the Lord by confessing your sins and trusting Christ as your Savior?
– After our sins have been dealt with, we have peace with God and are reconciled with God. And heaven is our ultimate destiny, where all our sins are forgotten.

This diagram summarizes the gospel – the good news about Jesus. Are you part of these people of God? Or are you distracted by following idols that will enslave us?

Being the people of God

There are good cycles and there are bad cycles for the people of God. The rotations of a wheel on a car or bicycle take you to a destination. These are effective rotations. But if you get stuck in the mud your wheels can keep rotating, but you go nowhere like a bogged TBM. These are unnecessary rotations.

Good cycles. The Bible tells Christians how to maintain our relationship with God. The process for dealing with our daily sins is summarized in this diagram. It shows the daily solution to our sin.

Consequences. One of the consequences is that sin spoils a Christian’s relationship with God.

Conviction. The first step is to admit our sins instead of excusing them.

Confession. The next step is to confess our sin (1 Jn. 1:9). Christians need to do this regularly. It means admitting our sins and confessing them so our relationships can be restored with each other and with God. If we examine ourselves and get right with God, we will not come under His discipline.

Repentance. The next step is to change direction and turn around to follow God once again. It involves completely changed attitudes and behavior.

Forgiveness. After we are convicted and confess and repent, God offers forgiveness because of Christ’s victory over sin. He has great mercy. This relational forgiveness restores a believer’s fellowship with God after it has been broken by our sin. The Bible says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:9).

Restoration. Once we are forgiven, we are restored to following Christ once again.

This cycle moves from sin to deliverance and restoration.

Bad cycles. In the book of Judges God’s people kept going in circles like a bogged TBM. Florence was bogged for 14 months, but the Israelites were bogged for about 300 years! These are cycles where you are stuck and go nowhere. They kept disobeying the laws of Moses, which was their Bible.

This cycle moves from sin to deliverance, and then from sin to deliverance, and keeps repeating this pattern.

“Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of these raiders. Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted themselves to other gods and worshiped them” (Jud. 2:16-17).

“But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their ancestors, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways” (Jud. 2:19). They kept going back to religious and moral evil. It was habitual. So habitual ungodly behavior will stop spiritual growth. If we live by our own desires, we will end up in the sin cycle.

It’s like when the Christians in Corinth were told not to associate with such people, “you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer [Christian] yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people” (1 Cor. 5:11NLT). Later Paul was concerned that they may continue to indulge in this sinful behavior and not repent (2 Cor. 12:20-21).

And in Ephesus Paul told them not to grieve the Holy Spirit, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior” (Eph. 4:3). And he added sexual immorality and greed to this list (Eph. 5:3-4).

Christians have a new life. Paul told them to be consistent. To practice their righteous position. To put off sinful ways and put on godly ways (Col. 3:5-10).

We live in ungodly world. We are exposed to ungodliness daily in our TV shows, movies and social media. We even have laws promoting ungodliness. If we follow the prevailing culture, we will be ungodly. So Christians should be countercultural and characterized by godly attitudes and behavior. God calls us to leave behind the values and practices of this sinful world (Rom. 12:1-2), and to advance to spiritual maturity (Heb. 6:1; 1 Pt. 2:1-2), that we might live holy lives (1 Pt. 1:15-16).

The prevalence of sin

Each cycle began with the words, “Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord”. When things were going well, they forgot all about the Lord. When people disobey God, they become more sinful. Even in a time of peace, sin arose amongst God’s people. Peace and prosperity led to complacency, which led to sin, and the cycle repeated itself. This is not surprising as sin arose in the perfect garden of Eden. Until Jesus returns, we live in a sinful world. Only Jesus ends the need for this cycle of dealing with the consequences of sin.

It appears as though in the period of the judges the Israelites became more sinful with time. The ratio of the time period of enemy oppression (which was God’s punishment for their sins) to the time period of peace is about 4.7 (range: 2 to 5.7) for Othniel, Ehud, Deborah and Gideon, and about 0.4 (range: 0.3 to 0.5) for Jephthah, and Samson. And Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson were the most sinful judges. When people ignore and reject God, sinfulness increases with time and the sin cycle gets worse with time. So, civilizations where idolatry is prevalent deteriorate with time. This is evident in the summary of the book of Judges in the video below.

The prevalence of God’s patience and mercy

In each cycle God provided a leader and victory over the enemy. He didn’t give up on the Israelites but granted peace even though they didn’t deserve it because they kept on sinning so much. “The Lord relented because of their groaning under those who oppressed and afflicted them” (Jud. 2:18). He intervened again and again to bring peace to those who turned back to Him. He was faithful, although most of the people were unfaithful.

The purpose of suffering

God used the enemy oppression to get their attention and to bring the Israelites to repent and turn to God. Likewise, in the New Testament, God disciplines His people (Heb 12: 4-13). The purpose of suffering is to develop character and maturity (Jas. 1:2-4). God wants to set us on a godly course. A crisis should bring us closer to God.

For example, there are speed humps (or bumps) in Cox’s Road, North Ryde to get our attention to slow down and obey the speed limit.

God uses sinners

God used flawed sinful people like Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson to accomplish His will. And their faith is commended in the New Testament (Heb. 11:32). Ungodly Babylonians invaded the kingdom of Judah as God’s judgment on them (Hab. 1:5-11). And Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus so that Jesus could become the Savior of the world. God does not wait for us to be perfect before He uses us. But we need to be humble and obedient to do His will. Are you ready for God to use you? Not being good enough is a poor excuse.

Conclusion

Like the Israelites, we face the choice of following God or following the idols in our culture. They forgot God and suffered the cycles of sin and its consequences.

Rather than forgetting God, let’s join the people of God in 2024 and behave accordingly and not get stuck in the sin cycle like the Israelites in the times of the judges.

Let’s avoid unnecessary cycles of sin and its consequences by following God in the new year instead of the culture we live in.

Appendix: What is a tunnel boring machine?

A tunnel boring machine (TBM), also known as a “mole”, is a machine used to excavate tunnels. TBMs limit the disturbance to the surrounding ground and produce a smooth tunnel wall. This reduces the cost of lining the tunnel, and is suitable for use in urban areas.

The operations of a TBM for the Sydney metro include:

1. The cutterhead at the front of the TBM spins and as it does, high-steel alloy steel discs extend out to the rock surface and crush the material in its path.
2. Crushed rock is scooped into the machine’s head and onto a conveyor belt.
3. The conveyor moves rock through the machine and out of the tunnel behind it.
4. Concrete ring segments are delivered to the ring building area.
5. Concrete ring segments are fixed onto the tunnel wall carved out by the TBM using a special vacuum lifting device.
6. When completed, the ring is connected to the previously-built ring.
7. The gap between the concrete ring and the rock is filled with grout – this helps keep water out of the tunnel.

A total of six concrete segments make up one concrete tunnel ring.

Once the TBM finishes building the fully lined tunnel, it breaks through a rock wall to arrive at its destination where it is then retrieved.

Written, January 2024