Proverbs: The Fear of the Lord and Wisdom: The Doctrine of Election

Doing Evil Again

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Old Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2005-12-18

Synopsis: John Weaver examines Judges 13:1, where Israel 'did evil again in the sight of the Lord,' leading to forty years of Philistine oppression. He traces a pattern through Judges and Amos showing that repeated rebellion brings increasingly severe judgment. The sermon distinguishes the fool who refuses correction from the wise, warns that greater privilege means greater culpability, and applies the principle to personal conversion, Christian living, and national sin.

[John Weaver] Okay, let's begin. Turn in your Bibles to Judges chapter 13. Judges chapter 13. While I was preaching out in Texas, I heard a pastor read this verse. And although he was preaching on the life of Samson, he never dealt with this verse. But there was a phrase in it that caught my eye. And I looked back at a friend of mine, Brother Eric, and he caught his eye as well.

[John Weaver] And so, as I thought about it, I just wanted to bring a message on it. Judges chapter 13, verse 1. And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord. And the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look at that verse very closely. And the children of Israel did evil, what? Again. in the sight of the Lord. And he delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years." So the message is entitled, Doing Evil Again. Now, our text tells us that the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord. Committing evil, even once, is bad enough in and of itself. But when you commit evil again and again, it expresses great wickedness and great rebellion. Moreover, it evidences great stubbornness and great foolishness.

[John Weaver] Now let me just point out, and I ask that you hold Judges 13, but turn in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs chapter 12, because I want to just show you several verses to document what I'm about to say. When we talk about a fool, I want you to understand that a fool in Scripture is not a mentally deficient person. But a fool in Scripture is someone who will not listen, hear, heed, or follow instruction. Look in your Bibles to Proverbs chapter 12 and verse 15. Notice if you would, Proverbs 12 and verse 15. The Bible says the way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise. Now note that verse, a way of the fool is right in his own eyes. In other words, he doesn't need counsel. He doesn't need to listen to anyone. He's just going to do what he thinks is right in and of himself. So the Bible says the way of a fool is right in his own eyes.

[John Weaver] Look in Proverbs 15 and verse 5. Proverbs 15 and verse 5. A fool despises his father's instruction, but he that regardeth it for proof is prudent. Remember now I told you a fool is not a mentally deficient person. He's just someone who is stubborn and will not listen. So a fool then is someone who despises his father's instruction. He is the opposite of a prudent person in this verse who regards reproof. If you look in Proverbs 17 in verse 10. Proverbs 17 in verse 10 to show you the hardness and the stubbornness of a fool. In Proverbs 17 and verse 10, the Bible says a reproof entered more into a wise man than a hundred stripes into a fool. So a wise man then will listen. But God says you can beat a fool with a hundred stripes and he still won't listen. And then if you look in Proverbs 23 and verse 9, Proverbs 23 and verse 9, Here the Word of God says, Speak not in the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

[John Weaver] So once again, a fool is someone who refuses to listen. He's someone who refuses to hear and to heed instruction. Is it any wonder, therefore, that God referred to the children of Israel in the Old Testament as stiff-necked? Listen to what he said. I'll just read it for you. Exodus 32 verses 9 and 10. God told Moses, And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people.

[John Weaver] Now therefore let me alone that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them, and I will make of thee a great nation. So God says this people, talking about Israel, is a stiff-necked people. And I want you to know that Israel was charged with being stiff-necked many times in the Old Testament. And when you get to the New Testament, Stephen, in giving his defense in Acts chapter 7 and verse 51, he says this to Israel. He says, You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart, you do always resist the Holy Ghost.

[John Weaver] As your fathers did, so do you. So what did he call Israel? Stiff-necked. and uncircumcised in heart. Now, what does a stiff neck denote? Well, all of us have had stiff necks at some time, and I'm not just talking about spiritually right now, I'm talking about physically. When you have a stiff neck, I mean, you can't turn it. I mean, it hurts just to even look. Well, a stiff neck then indicates hardness, stubbornness, and the inability to be turned from one's ways. So when you say someone is a stiff necked person, you're not only saying he's stubborn and hard headed, but you're saying he's unable to be turned.

[John Weaver] I never will forget, but I give you an excellent illustration. We had a mule and her name was Krip because every now and then she'd stumble along. So we just called her old Krip. Well, I had a a cousin who came up from Miami, Florida, and he saw the mule and he wanted to ride the horse. I said, Larry, that's a mule. That's not a horse. What he said, I want to ride her. I said, well, okay. And I put the bridle on the old mule. So I jumped up on her bare back and I helped Larry up. Well, everybody knows the stubbornness of a mule. Mule started walking straight for a low-hanging pecan limb.

[John Weaver] And this is no lie. This is no exaggeration. I pulled on that rein to turn that mule, and the mule would not turn. She just kept walking straight. I took both hands and pulled as hard as I could. I had the mule's head turn sideways, and she kept walking straight. When I saw that I could not turn her, I saw the limb coming. I said, duck, Larry. I laid down and grabbed the mule's neck.

[John Weaver] Well, my city cousin looked up in the sky and said, where? And about that time, the limb caught him across the chest. He hit the ground. You know, he never forgave me. He always said I did that on purpose. But I never. The truth is I tried my best to turn that mule and she wouldn't turn. Why? She has stiff neck. She's just stiff-necked.

[John Weaver] Now that's exactly what God says about Israel in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. We're stiff-necked people. Now listen, as I read the Old Testament, I'm not only amazed, but amused at the same time, because it seems as if those people never, ever learned. Over and over, judgment befell them because of their wickedness and their rebellion. God would mercifully and graciously deliver them, and just time he did, they would turn around and sin again.

[John Weaver] Do you realize it's really no different today? Times have changed, but we have not. It seems as if we no sooner get out of one problem that once again we turn and are doing evil again. not only true individually, but ecclesiastically in family and especially nationally. Doing evil merits judgment and punishment. But doing evil again and again merits greater judgment and greater punishment.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to look in your Bibles to Judges chapter 13 and look at verse 1 and then let's go back and let me show you a principle that I wish to develop this morning. Look in Judges chapter 13 verse 1. And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them in the hand of the Philistines. How long? 40 years. 40 years. Now, I want you to understand that this was not. The. God did not just start out punishing Israel for 40 years, they work up to this punishment, they married it, they earned it, they deserved it. Let me explain. Remember now, the Scripture says in verse one, and the children of Israel did evil again. Well, go back in your Bibles to Judges chapter three, if you would please. And look at verses seven and eight. Judges chapter three. Verses seven and eight. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and forgot the Lord their God and served Balaam and the groves.

[John Weaver] Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel and he sold them into the hand of Cush and Rishthahim king of Mesopotamia and the children of Israel served Cush and Rishthahim eight years. So now the children of Israel initially have sinned and rebelled and so God sends them judgment and he punishes them eight years at the hand of a foreign king. Well, skip down to verse 11 in Judges chapter 3. And the land had rest forty years, and often the eldest son of Kenias died. Watch verse 12. And the children of Israel did again, did evil again in the sight of the Lord.

[John Weaver] Notice how that phrase occurs over and over. And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord. And the Lord strengthened Eglon, the king of Egypt, against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord. And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon, and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of the palm trees. So the children of Israel served Eglon, the king of Moab, eighteen years.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to note, what initially was an eight year judgment, after they turned from that judgment and did evil again, then God increased their punishment by ten years. So they went to 18 years.

[John Weaver] Now look at verse 4, verse 1 of chapter 4. And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord when Ehud was dead. And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin, king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor, the captain of whose host was Sisera, who dwelt in Harosheth with the Gentiles. And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, for he had 900 chariots of iron and 20 years. He mightily oppressed the children of Israel.

[John Weaver] Are you beginning to see a principle? It was eight years, it was 18 years, and now it's 20 years.

[John Weaver] Now, although God delivered them into the hand of foreign kings initially. Now, I want you to note that not only are foreign kings judging them, but now You are seeing phrases like mightily oppressed. Look in your Bibles to Judges chapter six. And verse one, watch this passage very closely. Judges six, verse one. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and the Lord delivered them in the hand of Midian seven years.

[John Weaver] Now, what you're going to say is, wait a minute, Brother Weaver. It went from 8 to 18 to 20.

[John Weaver] Now it's down to 7 years. Why? This is a lighter punishment. Oh no. Oh no. It is a shorter period of time, but I want you to notice what happens. And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel, and because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made them the dens, which are the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. And so it was when Israel was sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them. And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou comest to Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came up as grasshoppers for multitude.

[John Weaver] For both they and their camels were without number, and they entered into the land, what? To destroy it. Here was only a seven-year judgment, but it was far more severe than even the 20-year judgment. Because now they have nothing, and the enemy is coming up and destroying everything they have. The people are so frightened, they flee to the mountains, and they're making dens and caves. Oh yes, the Midianites did enter the land to destroy it. Now when you get to Judges chapter 9, in that passage you have a three year judgment under Abimelech. I'm not going to read all of chapter 9, but let me just remind you that Abimelech was Gideon's son by a concubine.

[John Weaver] Now listen to this carefully. This judgment was only three years. But there is a difference. Gideon had 70 sons plus Abimelech. Abimelech turned around and murdered 69 of his brothers. Only Jotham escaped. In this judgment, in Judges chapter 9, it is not an outsider coming in, it is an insider killing those who are inside. In other words, basically what you have is a civil war. You have neighbor fighting against neighbor.

[John Weaver] There was no need for an outside adversary. For every man was his neighbor's adversary. You know what the Bible says in Proverbs 16 verse 7. Listen closely. When a man's ways please the Lord, he make it even his enemies to be at peace with him. Now think about that. When a man's ways please the Lord, he make it even his enemies to be at peace with him.

[John Weaver] Now the opposite is also true. When a man's ways displease the Lord, God raises up enemies against him. All you have to do is read 1 Kings 2, and the Lord raised up an adversary to Solomon. Over and over you read that in the scripture. When a man's ways displease the Lord, God raises up enemies against him. Do you remember what our Lord said in Matthew 10 in verse 36? He said a man's enemies shall be they of what? Of his own household. So God is capable of raising up enemies inside as well as outside.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look in Judges chapter 10. Here is another judgment, but now it is back up to 18 years. Judges chapter 10 verse 6. And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and served Balaam and Ashtoreth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zion, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the Lord and served him not. And 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 children of Ammon. And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel eighteen years. All the children of Israel were on the other side of Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is Gilead. Moreover, the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim. So that Israel, what are the next three words was, sore distressed.

[John Weaver] So here now is an 18 year judgment and now you find the phrase in this judgment sore distressed. Now there were a few other minor judges Between Judges 10 and Judges 13, you have Jephthah. But when you get to Judges chapter 13, you have the judgeship of Samson. And notice if you would please, verse 1 again, and the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for 40 years. Now, that's why I said that Israel worked up to the 40 year judgment. God had judged them 8 years, and then 18 years, and then 20 years. And then seven years, you see what I'm saying? And then 18 years again? In other words, he made every judgment either increased with length or increased in intensity and severity. Now listen, the principle that I want you to see is this.

[John Weaver] The principle of culpability, and the word culpability means someone is deserving blame or censure. Let me just spell it out for you. The individual or individuals who have greater blessings and greater privileges also deserve greater censure and greater punishment, you see. It would be bad if you read in the paper in the morning that Ed Wolfe was captured robbing the bank downtown. That would be bad because everybody says, you know, it's a Christian. He ought to know thou shalt not steal. That's bad. What would be worse is if the paper said, Pastor John Weaver arrested Robin the Bank. Not only do I know better, I teach better. You see what I'm saying? So the greater the responsibility and the greater the privileges, the greater the censure. So here, the greater the culpability, that is, the greater the judgment and the more intense and the more severe the judgment. Not only that, once again, doing evil one time is bad enough in and of itself. But when you continue to do evil over and over, when you perform continuous acts of rebellion, It merits and deserves greater and more severe judgment.

[John Weaver] Now let me show you. I want you to turn your Bibles to Amos chapter 4. I want you to see these principles are clearly enunciated. Amos chapter 4. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. Amos chapter 4. And let's begin reading there with verse 6. I think we can follow this very easily. Amos 4 verse 6. God says to Israel, and I have also given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities.

[John Weaver] And one of bread in all your places. Now look. Yet have you not returned unto me, saith the Lord.

[John Weaver] Now, why did God judge them with famine? Because they were doing evil again. You got that? He says, yes, had you not returned to me, I sent famine to you. That is, you did not have anything to eat. Cleanness of teeth. Your teeth only get dirty normally when you eat, so if you've got cleanness of teeth, you haven't been eating in a while. So God sent them famine. That's not all. When the famine did not cause them to repent and turn to God, look in verse 7.

[John Weaver] I also withhold in the rain from you, when there was yet three months to the harvest, and I caused it to rain upon one city and caused it not to rain upon another city. One piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered. So two or three cities wandered into one city to drink water, but they were not satisfied. Yet have you not returned, and me saith the Lord." Now watch carefully.

[John Weaver] God said, I sent the famine to you. And you wouldn't listen, you wouldn't repent, you wouldn't return. Now, said God, I sent a drought to you. By the way. What does a drought do on top of a famine? It increases the severity of the famine. Because nothing is growing, nothing is producing, and yet God is saying he cut off their rain three months before the harvest. So if God cuts off the rain three months before the harvest, that means their fields are not producing. So here is an increase in the severity of the judgment and the punishment. Why? Because they would not listen.

[John Weaver] They continue to do evil again and again. Now, skip on down to verse 9. Look at it there. God said, I have smitten you with blasting and mildew, When your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmer worm devoured them, yet have you not returned unto me, saith the Lord."

[John Weaver] Now, some of the fruit trees and some of the fruit vines may have escaped the droughts of the field because, you know, they're close to the house. And if you have any water at all, you could water them a little bit. But God says, look, I'm taking care of that. I'm going to send mail to you. I'm going to send plant diseases. I'm going to send worms. They're going to even devour your fruit trees and those that you've tried to guard and take care of.

[John Weaver] Now, let me ask you a question. If God sent a famine and then a drought on top of the famine and then milled you and worms to destroy anything that was green, how much is left? Nothing. Alice and I were traveling in New Jersey. I was going up there to preach years ago, and I got to noticing all of these limbs on the trees were cracked and dead limbs everywhere. And when I got there, I asked the pastor, I said, what in the world happened to these limbs on these trees? I said, they're just dead. Locusts. They come out every seven years. They ate and killed. Limbs killed everything and hardly a tree without a dead limb or two. And some of the trees were just totally dead. God said, I've said the famine, I've said the drought, I've said the the mildew, the worms.

[John Weaver] And yet, what does he say in verse nine? Yes, you've not returned to me, said the Lord. What are they doing evil again? They're doing evil continually. Well, look at verse 10. God said, I've sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt. Your young men have I slain with a sword and have taken away your horses. And I've made the sting of your camps to come up in your nostrils. Yet have you not returned to me, said the Lord. Now, on top of all that, what does God do? God sends pestilence. He sends diseases. He sends war. Your young men were killed with a sword. And the stink of your camps, they lost hundreds, thousands slain. The stink of your camps have come up into your nostrils. Yet, what's he saying? You've not returned to me, saith the Lord. What are you doing? You're doing evil again. You're continuing in evil. And as you continue in evil, the judgments increase in intensity and severity. Watch verse 11.

[John Weaver] I have overthrown some of you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning. Yet if you don't return to me," said the Lord. In other words, on top of the famine, the drought, the mildew, the worms, on top of the pestilence and the war, God said, I sent supernatural judgments against you, just like fire falling out of the sky, just like I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Yet, said God, You didn't return it to me. You wouldn't listen.

[John Weaver] You were doing evil again and again. You were continuing in your rebellion against me. Now watch. What is the answer? Here it is in verse 11. Verse 12. Therefore, thus will I do unto thee, O Israel. And because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. Now, wait a minute. When he says, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel, that's not saying, child, I'm bringing you home. That's not what he's saying. Let me show you what he's saying. Verse 12, Therefore, thus will I do unto thee, O Israel, and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel, for, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man that what is his thought, and that maketh the morning darkness, and trendeth upon

[John Weaver] the high places of the earth, the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name. Here's what God's going to do. Hear ye this word which I take up against you, even a lamentational house of Israel. The virgin of Israel is fallen. She shall no more rise. She is forsaken upon her land. There is none to raise her up." What is God saying? God saying, I'm going to take you and destroy you as a nation. That's why in verse 3 says, For thus said the Lord God, the city that went out by a thousand shall leave a hundred, and that which went forth by a hundred shall leave ten to the house of Israel. God said, I will just literally. Why? you out.

[John Weaver] Now, turn over, if you would, to Amos chapter 9. Let me show you. Here he is saying it very plainly. Amos chapter 9, beginning there with verse 7. Remember, he's talking to the children of Israel. Look what he tells them. Amos 9 verse 7. Are you not as the children of Ethiopians unto me? Did God judge the Ethiopians? Yes. Are you not as the children of the Ethiopians and of the old children of Israel, saith the Lord? Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Capernaum, and the Syrians from Kerr? Now look, behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom. I will destroy it from the face of the earth, saving it, and I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the Lord." God said, I'm going to take you out as a nation. I'm going to save some of you alive, but I'm going to destroy you as a nation.

[John Weaver] Do you see the increase in the severity and intensity of the judgment as people continued to do evil again and again? Now, the principle of doing evil over and over brings immediate and intense punishment, and that truth is repeated many times in Scripture. One of those passages is Proverbs 29 and verse 1. Proverbs 29 and verse 1. Here is a verse. that it would do you well to memorize. Proverbs 29 in verse 1, listen carefully.

[John Weaver] He that being often reproved, that is often rebuked, often warned, often admonished, he that being often reproved and hardeneth his neck, that is, he becomes stiff-necked, he will not listen, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. Isn't that amazing? God says he that being often reproved, often warned, often admonished, and yet he still continues to harden or stiffen his neck. He will not listen. He will not receive rebuke. He shall suddenly be destroyed. And that without remedy.

[John Weaver] In other words, there will be no correcting it. There will be no changing it. Do you realize, and this is a very important point to understand, Proverbs 29 in verse 1 is true individually, familially, ecclesiastically, and nationally. And nationally. What did God do to Israel? He destroyed her as a nation. What has God done to plenty of other peoples? He's destroyed them as nations. They are no more. Now, no one, no group, no state, no nation can continually do evil and escape the judgment of God.

[John Weaver] I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Lamentations. You remember Jeremiah wrote the book of Lamentations, Lamentations chapter 4. In this passage, Jeremiah is describing the fall of Jerusalem. You remember Samaria was the capital of the northern kingdom, Jerusalem the capital of the southern kingdom. You remember that Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet. He preached and prophesied to these people they would not listen They would not hear, they would not hearken.

[John Weaver] They refused the message and the messenger. So in Lamentations chapter four and verse six, as Jeremiah watched the destruction of Jerusalem, he wrote the book of Lamentations. And when you get to Lamentations four and verse six, look at what he says. For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people, is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom that was overthrown as in a moment and no hands stayed on her. Now look at that again. For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people, that is for the punishment of Jerusalem, is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom that was overthrown as in a moment and no hands stayed on her. Now what is Jeremiah saying? Jeremiah is saying that the sack and the destruction of Jerusalem was greater punishment than the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. How could that be?

[John Weaver] Well, he explains it partly. He says in verse 6 that Sodom that was overthrown as in a moment had no hand stayed on her. When God sent fire and brimstone from heaven to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, to put it bluntly, they never knew what hit them. I mean, they were wiped out instantly. They were killed. They were dead as a doornail. God sent it, and it was over with. But when God sent Nebuchadnezzar against Jerusalem, according to Jeremiah 52, The siege, sack, and destruction of Jerusalem lasted almost two years. So hands stayed upon Jerusalem. Wicked hands stayed upon Jerusalem. Heathen hands stayed upon Jerusalem.

[John Weaver] The rape, the robbing, the murder, the famine, the killing. Let me show you how bad it was. Remember now, in verse 6, Look at it again. Lamentations 4 and verse 6, Jeremiah says, For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom that was overthrown as in a moment, that is very quickly, and no hand stayed on her.

[John Weaver] Now he's going to show you what happened in Jerusalem. Watch what he says. Verse 7. Her Nazarites, that is those who had taken a Nazarite vow, her Nazarites were purer than snow. Notice past tense were purer than snow. They were whiter than milk. They were more ruddy in body than rubies. Their polishing was of sapphire. That's what they were. But now he says their visage is blacker than a coal.

[John Weaver] They are not known in the streets. No one can recognize them. Their skin cleaveth to their bones. It is withered. It has become like a stick. They were starving to death in Jerusalem. You could not go out without being killed. And if you stayed inside, you were starving to death. He said in verse 9, they that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger. For these kind of ways, stricken through for one of the fruits of the field. If you're killed by the sword, it's quick. It's over with. If you starve to death, it's days and months. Watch verse 10.

[John Weaver] The hands of the pitiful women have soddened their own children. They were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people. Women killed, cooked, and ate their own children. That's why he said in verse 11, Watch, the Lord hath accomplished his fury, he hath poured out his fierce anger, and he hath kindled a fire in Zion, and hath devoured the foundations thereof. Do you see this principle?

[John Weaver] When you do evil again and again, God continues to judge you. But he always increases the severity and intensity of that judgment. And to those who have greater privileges and greater blessings, there's greater culpability, which merits greater punishment. It is one thing to sin. It's quite another thing to continue to sin over and over again. It is one thing to fail, to make mistakes, to fall short and even to sin. But it's quite another thing to never learn from your fall and never learn from your mistakes and never learn from your sin and still continue headstrong in your sins. And when you continue headstrong in your sins, you're just demonstrating obstinacy, stubbornness, contumacy and laying up for yourselves.

[John Weaver] wrath against the day of wrath. That's what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 2, verses 3 through 6. For those who were not thankful and did not appreciate the goodness and the mercy of God, they just laid up for themselves wrath against the day of wrath. Here's the principle. When you do evil again and again, God judges. But with each act, the judgment increases in severity and intensity.

[John Weaver] Now let me make some applications. And I'm going to take some time on these, so I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 John 3. Here's the first application. One of the greatest evidences that we are genuinely converted is that we are not continually sinning. Let me say that again. One of the greatest evidences that we're genuinely converted is that we're not continually sinning. I did not say that we were perfect. I did not say that we never sinned. I said one of the greatest evidences that we're genuinely converted is that we're not continually sinning. Yes, we do sin. Yes, we are imperfect, but we do not consistently and constantly.

[John Weaver] Violate the law of God. Now look what he says, let me show you this first John 3 beginning there with verse 7. First John 3 verse 7. Little children, let no man deceive you. He that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

[John Weaver] Now, by the way, let me tell you something. I'm going to read through verse probably at least nine or verse 10. Every one of these verbs is a present active indicative. What does that mean? It has reference to constancy, continuance, Now, look what he says. I'll read it like that. Verse seven, little children, let no man deceive you. He that is continually doing righteousness is righteous even as he is righteous. He that committed sin or he that is continually committing sin is of the devil. For the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil. Watch. Whosoever is born of God or has been begotten of God is not continually committing sin. Why? For a seed remaineth in him, he cannot continually sin because he has been begotten of God. In this, now look, in this the children of God are manifest and the children of the devil.

[John Weaver] How do we know the difference? Whosoever is not continually doing righteousness is not of God. Neither he that is continually or he that is not continually loving his brother. So here's what he's saying. The way that you can tell that you are genuinely converted, one of the ways is that you're not continually sinning over and over. You're not continually doing evil.

[John Weaver] Now, see, David is known in Scripture as a man after God's own heart. Did David sin? Yes, he did. He sinned mightily and grievously, but the general tenor of David's life was that he was a man after God's own heart. Do you remember the children of Israel that God brought out of Egypt? In fact, we've been reading about them. How they did evil again and again and again.

[John Weaver] You know what the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10 and verse 5? In reference to the children of Israel that God brought out of Egypt, the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10 and verse 5, but with many of them, God was not well pleased. I almost laugh every time I read that verse, but with many of them, God was not well pleased. How many of the original people that God brought out of Egypt, how many of them got into the promised land? Two. Two. Joshua and Caleb. What did God do the rest of them? He killed them. When you get to Hebrews chapter 4, the Bible says concerning these people, so then they could not come into the promised land. Why? Because of their unbelief. What do unsaved people do?

[John Weaver] sin over and over and again and again and doesn't bother them. How are the children of God manifested? How are they different from the children of the devil? We don't continually sin over and over. Yes, we're sinners. Yes, we sin. But we do not go out deliberately, purposely, premeditatedly and plan on sinning on a constant, continual basis. I don't do it. So the very truth of the matter is this. The very fact that you are not doing evil over and over again is evidence of your conversion. How does God describe the ungodly? Let me tell you.

[John Weaver] 2 Peter 2, verse 14. Listen closely. He says, they have eyes full of adultery that cannot cease from sin. And heart they have exercised to covetous practice. They have eyes that cannot cease from sin. They can't stop sinning, not for a day, not for a minute. They have a heart that is exercised, gymnasticized to evil and to covetousness. So the big difference, one of the big differences between the children of God, the children of the evil one is the children of the evil one constantly and continually do evil over and over. And we who are saved do not sin like that. Yes, we sin. Yes, we are imperfect. But we do not premeditatedly and constantly and continually sin. Number two. Listen to this.

[John Weaver] When Christians sin, when they do sin, a real Christian, when a real Christian sins, he is miserable until he repents and makes things right. Let me repeat that. I want you to get what I'm about to say next. When a real, genuine Christian sins, He is miserable until he repents and makes things right. William Secker, an old Puritan, said this. I love this. I wrote it down in my Bible.

[John Weaver] It's such a blessing just to read it over and over. Here's what he said. A saint is not free from sin. That is his burden. A saint is not free to sin, that is his blessing. Sin is in him, that is his lamentation. His soul is not in his sin, that is his consolation. Isn't that beautiful? A saint is not free from sin, that is our burden.

[John Weaver] I mean, I don't want it. We are not free to sin. That is our blessing. Sin is in us. That is our lamentation. But our heart and our soul is not in our sin. That is our consolation. You let a hog fall down in a mud hole and he'll lie there and enjoy it. You let a sheep fall in the mud hole And the sheep's going to get up and get out as quickly as he can. I want you to look in your Bibles to Romans chapter 6. Romans chapter 6. I want you to follow what the Apostle Paul is saying without me having to give an exposition of this chapter again. This chapter teaches us that we've been freed from the dominion of sin. Look at what he says, beginning in verse 17, Romans 6, verse 17. Romans 6, verse 17. But God be thanked that you were, that's past tense now, that you were the servants of sin, but you have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine, that is the gospel which was delivered unto you, being then made free from sin, that is free from the dominion of sin.

[John Weaver] You became what? The servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh. For as you have yielded your member service to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity, even so now yield your member service to righteousness and to holiness. Now look, for when you were the servants of sin, you were free from righteousness. Now look what he says. When you were lost, What fruit had you then in those things where you are now shamed? For the end of those things are dead.

[John Weaver] How many of you really like to rejoice in and talk about the sins that you committed in the old days? I don't. I'm ashamed of mine. That's what he said. What fruit did you have in those things when you were the servants of sin? Now you're ashamed of those things. Why? For the end of those things is death. Look at verse 22. But now being made free from sin, that is free from the dominion of sin, and become the servants to God, you have your fruit unto holiness and the everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. What is he saying? He's saying the difference is this, when you're the servant of sin, you sin and you commit wickedness and ungodliness, but when you're the servant of Jesus Christ and you're freed from the dominion of sin, yes, sin is in you, but you're no longer obeying sin as a master. You're now free to obey the Lord Jesus Christ unto holiness and righteousness.

[John Weaver] So we, who have been converted, no longer love sin. and its fruits. We love righteousness. And when we do sin, we're grieved and it hurts us.

[John Weaver] Thirdly, God will never allow His people, either individually or nationally, to sin and get by with it. Look in your Bibles to Hebrews 12. One of these days, I'm going to come back Preach on this passage. This is such a tremendous passage. Hebrews chapter 12, beginning there with verse 5. Look what he says. And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children. My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou are rebuked of him. Watch, for whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. How many get away with it? None. If you endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons. For what son is he whom the Father chastened not? But if you be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are you bastards and not sons? Now, God says, listen carefully, if you can sin constantly and continually and get by with it and never be whipped, never be judged, never be chastised in this life, what's that mean?

[John Weaver] Means you don't belong to him. You know what a bastard is? A bastard, and this is a good word, a bastard is someone that has been produced by a man, but didn't have a father. What's that mean? The father doesn't love him. The father doesn't own him. The father doesn't discipline him. So what does he say? He's saying, if you're mine, individually, familially, ecclesiastically, nationally, if you're mine and you do wrong, I'm going to whip the living daylights out of you. But if you can sin and not be whipped, now sinners are going to be judged, but if you can sin and not be chastised, you're not mine. You know what the Bible said in the book of Micah, chapter six and verse nine, hear ye the rod.

[John Weaver] and him who hath appointed it." You know, nationally, ecclesiastically, familially, and individually, we may either hear God's Word and obey it, and if we don't, we're going to hear His rod. But we're going to hear it one way or the other. I find it much easier just to obey to begin with. It sure saves a lot on the bridges, I can assure you. This brings me to the fourth and final application.

[John Weaver] We should be wise as to where our nation is heading. And prepare ourselves every way practically possible. for that which we know is going to befall us nationally. Listen, I don't care if we escape Y2K. I don't care if we escape any other scenario. You cannot murder thousands of babies a day and escape the judgment of God. You cannot have a false, fraudulent economy and escape the judgment of God. You cannot promote sodomy and Marxism and communism and escape the judgment of God. You can't do it.

[John Weaver] And so we need to be wise and prepare ourselves spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, any way and every way that we can for what we know is going to come down the pike sooner or later. Because no one can sin against God and escape his judgment. Let's pray. Father, we're so thankful for the salvation that we find in Jesus Christ. We're thankful, Lord, that we have been delivered from sin, from the dominion of sin. And we're thankful one day by Your infinite power and grace we'll be even delivered not just from the penalty of sin, but from the presence of sin. And Lord, we do pray that You would make us wise in Your Word.

[John Weaver] Help us to honor Thee. Help us to determine in our souls that we're not going to do evil, and we're certainly not going to do evil again and again and again. But we want fruit of a righteousness and holiness. Make us, Father, holy as Thou art holy. For Thou hast said, Be ye holy, for I am holy, saith the Lord. May Your will be done in our lives.

[John Weaver] In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

Doing Evil Again

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	2106164328
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Proverbs: The Fear of the Lord and Wisdom: The Doctrine of Election
Genre	Sermon
Date	2005-12-18
Dictation Name
Book	Book 081: Proverbs: The Fear of the Lord and Wisdom - Volume 1 — Chapter 3
Source Timed Segments	75

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Phrase 'Did Evil Again'

Weaver introduces Judges 13:1 and the phrase 'did evil again,' noting its significance and the message title.

Okay, let's begin. Turn in your Bibles to Judges chapter 13. Judges chapter 13. While I was preaching out in Texas, I heard a pastor read this verse. And although he was preaching on the life of Samson, he never dealt with this verse. But there was a phrase in it that caught my eye. And I looked back at a friend of mine, Brother Eric, and he caught his eye as well.

And so, as I thought about it, I just wanted to bring a message on it. Judges chapter 13, verse 1: "And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord. And the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years." Now, I want you to look at that verse very closely. "And the children of Israel did evil"—what? "Again in the sight of the Lord. And he delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years." So the message is entitled, "Doing Evil Again." Now, our text tells us that the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord. Committing evil, even once, is bad enough in and of itself. But when you commit evil again and again, it expresses great wickedness and great rebellion. Moreover, it evidences great stubbornness and great foolishness.

The Nature of a Fool

A fool in Scripture is not mentally deficient but stubbornly refuses instruction, as shown in Proverbs 12:15, 15:5, 17:10, and 23:9.

Now let me just point out, and I ask that you hold Judges 13, but turn in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs chapter 12, because I want to just show you several verses to document what I'm about to say. When we talk about a fool, I want you to understand that a fool in Scripture is not a mentally deficient person. But a fool in Scripture is someone who will not listen, hear, heed, or follow instruction. Look in your Bibles to Proverbs chapter 12 and verse 15. Notice if you would, Proverbs 12 and verse 15. The Bible says, "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise." Now note that verse, "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes." In other words, he doesn't need counsel. He doesn't need to listen to anyone. He's just going to do what he thinks is right in and of himself. So the Bible says the way of a fool is right in his own eyes.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 12:15

Look in Proverbs 15 and verse 5. Proverbs 15 and verse 5: "A fool despises his father's instruction, but he that regardeth reproof is prudent." Remember now I told you a fool is not a mentally deficient person. He's just someone who is stubborn and will not listen. So a fool then is someone who despises his father's instruction. He is the opposite of a prudent person in this verse who regards reproof. If you look in Proverbs 17 in verse 10. Proverbs 17 in verse 10 to show you the hardness and the stubbornness of a fool. In Proverbs 17 and verse 10, the Bible says, "A reproof entereth more into a wise man than a hundred stripes into a fool." So a wise man then will listen. But God says you can beat a fool with a hundred stripes and he still won't listen. And then if you look in Proverbs 23 and verse 9, Proverbs 23 and verse 9, here the Word of God says, "Speak not in the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of thy words."

So once again, a fool is someone who refuses to listen. He's someone who refuses to hear and to heed instruction. Is it any wonder, therefore, that God referred to the children of Israel in the Old Testament as stiff-necked? Listen to what he said. I'll just read it for you. Exodus 32 verses 9 and 10. God told Moses, "And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people."

Israel as Stiff-Necked

God called Israel stiff-necked (Exodus 32:9-10; Acts 7:51), indicating hardness and inability to be turned, illustrated by a stubborn mule.

"Now therefore let me alone that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them, and I will make of thee a great nation." So God says this people, talking about Israel, is a stiff-necked people. And I want you to know that Israel was charged with being stiff-necked many times in the Old Testament. And when you get to the New Testament, Stephen, in giving his defense in Acts chapter 7 and verse 51, he says this to Israel. He says,

Scripture Reading — Acts 7:51

"Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost." "As your fathers did, so do ye."

So what did he call Israel? Stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart. Now, what does a stiff neck denote? Well, all of us have had stiff necks at some time, and I'm not just talking about spiritually right now, I'm talking about physically. When you have a stiff neck, I mean, you can't turn it. I mean, it hurts just to even look. Well, a stiff neck then indicates hardness, stubbornness, and the inability to be turned from one's ways. So when you say someone is a stiff-necked person, you're not only saying he's stubborn and hard-headed, but you're saying he's unable to be turned.

I never will forget, but I'll give you an excellent illustration. We had a mule and her name was Krip because every now and then she'd stumble along. So we just called her old Krip. Well, I had a cousin who came up from Miami, Florida, and he saw the mule and he wanted to ride the horse. I said, "Larry, that's a mule. That's not a horse." He said, "I want to ride her." I said, "Well, okay." And I put the bridle on the old mule. So I jumped up on her bare back and I helped Larry up. Well, everybody knows the stubbornness of a mule. Mule started walking straight for a low-hanging pecan limb.

And this is no lie. This is no exaggeration. I pulled on that rein to turn that mule, and the mule would not turn. She just kept walking straight. I took both hands and pulled as hard as I could. I had the mule's head turned sideways, and she kept walking straight. When I saw that I could not turn her, I saw the limb coming. I said, "Duck, Larry." I laid down and grabbed the mule's neck.

Well, my city cousin looked up in the sky and said, "Where?" And about that time, the limb caught him across the chest. He hit the ground. You know, he never forgave me. He always said I did that on purpose. But I never. The truth is I tried my best to turn that mule and she wouldn't turn. Why? She has a stiff neck. She's just stiff-necked.

Now that's exactly what God says about Israel in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. We're stiff-necked people. Now listen, as I read the Old Testament, I'm not only amazed, but amused at the same time, because it seems as if those people never, ever learned. Over and over, judgment befell them because of their wickedness and their rebellion. God would mercifully and graciously deliver them, and just as soon as he did, they would turn around and sin again.

Escalating Judgments in Judges

Israel's repeated evil led to judgments of increasing length and severity: 8 years (Judges 3:8), 18 years (3:14), 20 years (4:3), a severe 7 years (6:1-6), a 3-year civil war (ch. 9), 18 years of distress (10:8-9), and finally 40 years (13:1).

Do you realize it's really no different today? Times have changed, but we have not. It seems as if we no sooner get out of one problem than once again we turn and are doing evil again. Not only true individually, but ecclesiastically, in family, and especially nationally. Doing evil merits judgment and punishment. But doing evil again and again merits greater judgment and greater punishment.

Now I want you to look in your Bibles to Judges chapter 13 and look at verse 1 and then let's go back and let me show you a principle that I wish to develop this morning. Look in Judges chapter 13 verse 1: "And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines." How long? Forty years. Forty years. Now, I want you to understand that this was not—God did not just start out punishing Israel for forty years; they worked up to this punishment, they merited it, they earned it, they deserved it. Let me explain. Remember now, the Scripture says in verse one, "And the children of Israel did evil again." Well, go back in your Bibles to Judges chapter three, if you would please. And look at verses seven and eight. Judges chapter three, verses seven and eight: "And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and forgot the Lord their God and served Baalim and the groves."

Scripture Reading — Judges 3:7-8

"Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia and the children of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years."

So now the children of Israel initially have sinned and rebelled and so God sends them judgment and he punishes them eight years at the hand of a foreign king. Well, skip down to verse 11 in Judges chapter 3: "And the land had rest forty years, and Othniel the son of Kenaz died." Watch verse 12:

Scripture Reading — Judges 3:7-8

"And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord."

Notice how that phrase occurs over and over.

Scripture Reading — Judges 3:7-8

"And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord. And the Lord strengthened Eglon, the king of Moab, against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord. And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of the palm trees. So the children of Israel served Eglon, the king of Moab, eighteen years."

Now I want you to note, what initially was an eight-year judgment, after they turned from that judgment and did evil again, then God increased their punishment by ten years. So they went to eighteen years. Now look at verse 1 of chapter 4:

Scripture Reading — Judges 4:1-3

"And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord when Ehud was dead. And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin, king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor, the captain of whose host was Sisera, who dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles. And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, for he had nine hundred chariots of iron and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel."

Are you beginning to see a principle? It was eight years, it was eighteen years, and now it's twenty years.

Now, although God delivered them into the hand of foreign kings initially. Now, I want you to note that not only are foreign kings judging them, but now you are seeing phrases like "mightily oppressed." Look in your Bibles to Judges chapter 6. And verse 1, watch this passage very closely. Judges 6, verse 1: "And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years."

Now, what you're going to say is, "Wait a minute, Brother Weaver. It went from eight to eighteen to twenty." Now it's down to seven years. Why? This is a lighter punishment. Oh no. Oh no. It is a shorter period of time, but I want you to notice what happens. "And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel, and because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. And so it was when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them. And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou comest to Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came up as grasshoppers for multitude."

"For both they and their camels were without number, and they entered into the land"—what?—"to destroy it." Here was only a seven-year judgment, but it was far more severe than even the twenty-year judgment. Because now they have nothing, and the enemy is coming up and destroying everything they have. The people are so frightened, they flee to the mountains, and they're making dens and caves. Oh yes, the Midianites did enter the land to destroy it. Now when you get to Judges chapter 9, in that passage you have a three-year judgment under Abimelech. I'm not going to read all of chapter 9, but let me just remind you that Abimelech was Gideon's son by a concubine.

Now listen to this carefully. This judgment was only three years. But there is a difference. Gideon had seventy sons plus Abimelech. Abimelech turned around and murdered sixty-nine of his brothers. Only Jotham escaped. In this judgment, in Judges chapter 9, it is not an outsider coming in, it is an insider killing those who are inside. In other words, basically what you have is a civil war. You have neighbor fighting against neighbor.

There was no need for an outside adversary. For every man was his neighbor's adversary. You know what the Bible says in Proverbs 16 verse 7? Listen closely. "When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him." Now think about that. When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Now the opposite is also true. When a man's ways displease the Lord, God raises up enemies against him. All you have to do is read 1 Kings 2, and the Lord raised up an adversary to Solomon. Over and over you read that in the scripture. When a man's ways displease the Lord, God raises up enemies against him. Do you remember what our Lord said in Matthew 10 in verse 36? He said, "A man's enemies shall be they of his own household." So God is capable of raising up enemies inside as well as outside.

Now, I want you to look in Judges chapter 10. Here is another judgment, but now it is back up to eighteen years. Judges chapter 10 verse 6:

Scripture Reading — Judges 10:6-9

"And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim and Ashtoreth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the Lord and served him not. And 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 children of Ammon. And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel eighteen years. All the children of Israel were on the other side of Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is Gilead. Moreover, the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim. So that Israel"

—what are the next three words?—"was sore distressed."

So here now is an eighteen-year judgment and now you find the phrase in this judgment "sore distressed." Now there were a few other minor judges between Judges 10 and Judges 13, you have Jephthah. But when you get to Judges chapter 13, you have the judgeship of Samson. And notice if you would please, verse 1 again: "And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years." Now, that's why I said that Israel worked up to the forty-year judgment. God had judged them eight years, and then eighteen years, and then twenty years. And then seven years, you see what I'm saying? And then eighteen years again? In other words, he made every judgment either increased with length or increased in intensity and severity. Now listen, the principle that I want you to see is this.

The Principle of Culpability

Greater blessings and privileges bring greater responsibility and deserve greater punishment when sin is repeated.

The principle of culpability, and the word culpability means someone is deserving blame or censure. Let me just spell it out for you. The individual or individuals who have greater blessings and greater privileges also deserve greater censure and greater punishment, you see. It would be bad if you read in the paper in the morning that Ed Wolfe was captured robbing the bank downtown. That would be bad because everybody says, "You know, it's a Christian. He ought to know thou shalt not steal." That's bad. What would be worse is if the paper said, "Pastor John Weaver arrested robbing the bank." Not only do I know better, I teach better. You see what I'm saying? So the greater the responsibility and the greater the privileges, the greater the censure. So here, the greater the culpability, that is, the greater the judgment and the more intense and the more severe the judgment. Not only that, once again, doing evil one time is bad enough in and of itself. But when you continue to do evil over and over, when you perform continuous acts of rebellion, it merits and deserves greater and more severe judgment.

Now let me show you. I want you to turn your Bibles to Amos chapter 4. I want you to see these principles are clearly enunciated. Amos chapter 4. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. Amos chapter 4. And let's begin reading there with verse 6. I think we can follow this very easily. Amos 4 verse 6. God says to Israel, "And I have also given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities."

Amos 4: Escalating Judgments on Unrepentant Israel

God sent famine, drought, blight, pestilence, war, and supernatural destruction, yet Israel did not return; therefore God threatened national destruction (Amos 4:6-12; 5:1-3; 9:7-8).

"And want of bread in all your places." Now look. "Yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." Now, why did God judge them with famine? Because they were doing evil again. You got that? He says, "Yet have ye not returned unto me." I sent famine to you. That is, you did not have anything to eat. Cleanness of teeth. Your teeth only get dirty normally when you eat, so if you've got cleanness of teeth, you haven't been eating in a while. So God sent them famine. That's not all. When the famine did not cause them to repent and turn to God, look in verse 7.

"I also withholden the rain from you, when there was yet three months to the harvest, and I caused it to rain upon one city and caused it not to rain upon another city. One piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered. So two or three cities wandered into one city to drink water, but they were not satisfied. Yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." Now watch carefully. God said, "I sent the famine to you. And you wouldn't listen, you wouldn't repent, you wouldn't return. Now," said God, "I sent a drought to you." By the way, what does a drought do on top of a famine? It increases the severity of the famine. Because nothing is growing, nothing is producing, and yet God is saying he cut off their rain three months before the harvest. So if God cuts off the rain three months before the harvest, that means their fields are not producing. So here is an increase in the severity of the judgment and the punishment. Why? Because they would not listen.

They continue to do evil again and again. Now, skip on down to verse 9. Look at it there. God said, "I have smitten you with blasting and mildew. When your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them, yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord."

Now, some of the fruit trees and some of the fruit vines may have escaped the droughts of the field because, you know, they're close to the house. And if you have any water at all, you could water them a little bit. But God says, "Look, I'm taking care of that. I'm going to send mildew to you. I'm going to send plant diseases. I'm going to send worms. They're going to even devour your fruit trees and those that you've tried to guard and take care of."

Now, let me ask you a question. If God sent a famine and then a drought on top of the famine and then mildew and worms to destroy anything that was green, how much is left? Nothing. Alice and I were traveling in New Jersey. I was going up there to preach years ago, and I got to noticing all of these limbs on the trees were cracked and dead limbs everywhere. And when I got there, I asked the pastor, I said, "What in the world happened to these limbs on these trees?" I said, "They're just dead." Locusts. They come out every seven years. They ate and killed. Limbs killed everything and hardly a tree without a dead limb or two. And some of the trees were just totally dead. God said, "I've sent the famine, I've sent the drought, I've sent the mildew, the worms."

And yet, what does he say in verse nine? "Yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." What are they doing? Doing evil again. They're doing evil continually. Well, look at verse 10. God said, "I've sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt. Your young men have I slain with a sword and have taken away your horses. And I've made the stink of your camps to come up into your nostrils. Yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." Now, on top of all that, what does God do? God sends pestilence. He sends diseases. He sends war. Your young men were killed with a sword. And the stink of your camps, they lost hundreds, thousands slain. The stink of your camps have come up into your nostrils. Yet, what's he saying? "Ye have not returned unto me, saith the Lord." What are you doing? You're doing evil again. You're continuing in evil. And as you continue in evil, the judgments increase in intensity and severity. Watch verse 11.

"I have overthrown some of you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning. Yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." In other words, on top of the famine, the drought, the mildew, the worms, on top of the pestilence and the war, God said, "I sent supernatural judgments against you, just like fire falling out of the sky, just like I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah." Yet, said God, "You didn't return unto me. You wouldn't listen." You were doing evil again and again. You were continuing in your rebellion against me. Now watch. What is the answer? Here it is in verse 12. "Therefore, thus will I do unto thee, O Israel. And because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel." Now, wait a minute. When he says, "Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel," that's not saying, "Child, I'm bringing you home." That's not what he's saying. Let me show you what he's saying. Verse 12, "Therefore, thus will I do unto thee, O Israel, and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel, for, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, and that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon

the high places of the earth, the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name." Here's what God's going to do. "Hear ye this word which I take up against you, even a lamentation, O house of Israel. The virgin of Israel is fallen. She shall no more rise. She is forsaken upon her land. There is none to raise her up." What is God saying? God saying, "I'm going to take you and destroy you as a nation." That's why in verse 3 it says, "For thus saith the Lord God, The city that went out by a thousand shall leave a hundred, and that which went forth by a hundred shall leave ten to the house of Israel." God said, "I will just literally wipe you out."

Now, turn over, if you would, to Amos chapter 9. Let me show you. Here he is saying it very plainly. Amos chapter 9, beginning there with verse 7. Remember, he's talking to the children of Israel. Look what he tells them. Amos 9 verse 7:

Scripture Reading — Amos 9:7-8

"Are ye not as the children of the Ethiopians unto me?"

Did God judge the Ethiopians? Yes.

Scripture Reading — Amos 9:7-8

"Are ye not as the children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel, saith the Lord? Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?"

Now look,

Scripture Reading — Amos 9:7-8

"Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom. I will destroy it from the face of the earth, saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the Lord."

God said, "I'm going to take you out as a nation. I'm going to save some of you alive, but I'm going to destroy you as a nation."

Do you see the increase in the severity and intensity of the judgment as people continued to do evil again and again? Now, the principle of doing evil over and over brings immediate and intense punishment, and that truth is repeated many times in Scripture. One of those passages is Proverbs 29 and verse 1. Proverbs 29 and verse 1. Here is a verse that it would do you well to memorize. Proverbs 29 in verse 1, listen carefully.

Proverbs 29:1 and Lamentations 4:6

Those often reproved who harden their neck will be suddenly destroyed without remedy. Jerusalem's punishment was greater than Sodom's because it was prolonged and horrific.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 29:1

"He that being often reproved"

—that is, often rebuked, often warned, often admonished—

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 29:1

"he that being often reproved and hardeneth his neck"

—that is, he becomes stiff-necked, he will not listen—

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 29:1

"shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy."

Isn't that amazing? God says he that being often reproved, often warned, often admonished, and yet he still continues to harden or stiffen his neck. He will not listen. He will not receive rebuke. He shall suddenly be destroyed. And that without remedy. In other words, there will be no correcting it. There will be no changing it. Do you realize, and this is a very important point to understand, Proverbs 29 in verse 1 is true individually, familially, ecclesiastically, and nationally. And nationally. What did God do to Israel? He destroyed her as a nation. What has God done to plenty of other peoples? He's destroyed them as nations. They are no more. Now, no one, no group, no state, no nation can continually do evil and escape the judgment of God.

I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Lamentations. You remember Jeremiah wrote the book of Lamentations, Lamentations chapter 4. In this passage, Jeremiah is describing the fall of Jerusalem. You remember Samaria was the capital of the northern kingdom, Jerusalem the capital of the southern kingdom. You remember that Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet. He preached and prophesied to these people; they would not listen. They would not hear, they would not hearken.

They refused the message and the messenger. So in Lamentations chapter 4 and verse 6, as Jeremiah watched the destruction of Jerusalem, he wrote the book of Lamentations. And when you get to Lamentations 4 and verse 6, look at what he says:

Scripture Reading — Lamentations 4:6-11

"For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom that was overthrown as in a moment and no hands stayed on her."

Now look at that again.

Scripture Reading — Lamentations 4:6-11

"For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people"

—that is, for the punishment of Jerusalem—

Scripture Reading — Lamentations 4:6-11

"is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom that was overthrown as in a moment and no hands stayed on her."

Now what is Jeremiah saying? Jeremiah is saying that the sack and the destruction of Jerusalem was greater punishment than the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. How could that be?

Well, he explains it partly. He says in verse 6 that Sodom that was overthrown as in a moment had no hand stayed on her. When God sent fire and brimstone from heaven to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, to put it bluntly, they never knew what hit them. I mean, they were wiped out instantly. They were killed. They were dead as a doornail. God sent it, and it was over with. But when God sent Nebuchadnezzar against Jerusalem, according to Jeremiah 52, the siege, sack, and destruction of Jerusalem lasted almost two years. So hands stayed upon Jerusalem. Wicked hands stayed upon Jerusalem. Heathen hands stayed upon Jerusalem.

The rape, the robbing, the murder, the famine, the killing. Let me show you how bad it was. Remember now, in verse 6, look at it again. Lamentations 4 and verse 6, Jeremiah says,

Scripture Reading — Lamentations 4:6-11

"For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom that was overthrown as in a moment"

—that is, very quickly—"and no hand stayed on her."

Now he's going to show you what happened in Jerusalem. Watch what he says. Verse 7: "Her Nazarites"—that is, those who had taken a Nazarite vow—"her Nazarites were purer than snow." Notice past tense: "were purer than snow. They were whiter than milk. They were more ruddy in body than rubies. Their polishing was of sapphire." That's what they were. But now he says, "Their visage is blacker than a coal."

"They are not known in the streets." No one can recognize them. "Their skin cleaveth to their bones. It is withered. It has become like a stick." They were starving to death in Jerusalem. You could not go out without being killed. And if you stayed inside, you were starving to death. He said in verse 9, "They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger. For these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field." If you're killed by the sword, it's quick. It's over with. If you starve to death, it's days and months. Watch verse 10.

"The hands of the pitiful women have soddened their own children. They were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people." Women killed, cooked, and ate their own children. That's why he said in verse 11, "Watch, the Lord hath accomplished his fury, he hath poured out his fierce anger, and he hath kindled a fire in Zion, and hath devoured the foundations thereof." Do you see this principle?

Application 1: Evidence of Conversion

A genuine Christian does not continually sin (1 John 3:7-10); the ungodly cannot cease from sin (2 Peter 2:14).

Now let me make some applications. And I'm going to take some time on these, so I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 John 3. Here's the first application. One of the greatest evidences that we are genuinely converted is that we are not continually sinning. Let me say that again. One of the greatest evidences that we're genuinely converted is that we're not continually sinning. I did not say that we were perfect. I did not say that we never sinned. I said one of the greatest evidences that we're genuinely converted is that we're not continually sinning. Yes, we do sin. Yes, we are imperfect, but we do not consistently and constantly

violate the law of God. Now look what he says, let me show you this. 1 John 3 beginning there with verse 7. 1 John 3 verse 7:

Scripture Reading — 1 John 3:7-10

"Little children, let no man deceive you. He that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous."

Now, by the way, let me tell you something. I'm going to read through verse probably at least nine or verse 10. Every one of these verbs is a present active indicative. What does that mean? It has reference to constancy, continuance. Now, look what he says. I'll read it like that. Verse 7, "Little children, let no man deceive you. He that is continually doing righteousness is righteous even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin"—or he that is continually committing sin—"is of the devil. For the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil." Watch. "Whosoever is born of God"—or has been begotten of God—"is not continually committing sin. Why? For a seed remaineth in him, he cannot continually sin because he has been begotten of God. In this"—now look—"in this the children of God are manifest and the children of the devil."

How do we know the difference? "Whosoever is not continually doing righteousness is not of God. Neither he that is continually"—or he that is not continually loving his brother. So here's what he's saying. The way that you can tell that you are genuinely converted, one of the ways is that you're not continually sinning over and over. You're not continually doing evil.

Now, see, David is known in Scripture as a man after God's own heart. Did David sin? Yes, he did. He sinned mightily and grievously, but the general tenor of David's life was that he was a man after God's own heart. Do you remember the children of Israel that God brought out of Egypt? In fact, we've been reading about them. How they did evil again and again and again.

You know what the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10 and verse 5? In reference to the children of Israel that God brought out of Egypt, the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10 and verse 5, "But with many of them, God was not well pleased." I almost laugh every time I read that verse, "But with many of them, God was not well pleased." How many of the original people that God brought out of Egypt, how many of them got into the promised land? Two. Two. Joshua and Caleb. What did God do the rest of them? He killed them. When you get to Hebrews chapter 4, the Bible says concerning these people, "So then they could not enter into the promised land." Why? Because of their unbelief. What do unsaved people do?

Sin over and over and again and again and it doesn't bother them. How are the children of God manifested? How are they different from the children of the devil? We don't continually sin over and over. Yes, we're sinners. Yes, we sin. But we do not go out deliberately, purposely, premeditatedly and plan on sinning on a constant, continual basis. I don't do it. So the very truth of the matter is this. The very fact that you are not doing evil over and over again is evidence of your conversion. How does God describe the ungodly? Let me tell you.

2 Peter 2, verse 14. Listen closely. He says, "They have eyes full of adultery that cannot cease from sin. And a heart they have exercised with covetous practices." They have eyes that cannot cease from sin. They can't stop sinning, not for a day, not for a minute. They have a heart that is exercised, gymnasticized to evil and to covetousness. So the big difference, one of the big differences between the children of God and the children of the evil one is the children of the evil one constantly and continually do evil over and over. And we who are saved do not sin like that. Yes, we sin. Yes, we are imperfect. But we do not premeditatedly and constantly and continually sin. Number two. Listen to this.

Application 2: The Believer's Misery in Sin

When a real Christian sins, he is miserable until he repents. A saint is not free from sin but is not free to sin (Romans 6:17-23).

When Christians sin, when they do sin, a real Christian, when a real Christian sins, he is miserable until he repents and makes things right. Let me repeat that. I want you to get what I'm about to say next. When a real, genuine Christian sins, he is miserable until he repents and makes things right. William Secker, an old Puritan, said this. I love this. I wrote it down in my Bible.

It's such a blessing just to read it over and over. Here's what he said: "A saint is not free from sin. That is his burden. A saint is not free to sin, that is his blessing. Sin is in him, that is his lamentation. His soul is not in his sin, that is his consolation." Isn't that beautiful? A saint is not free from sin, that is our burden.

I mean, I don't want it. We are not free to sin. That is our blessing. Sin is in us. That is our lamentation. But our heart and our soul is not in our sin. That is our consolation. You let a hog fall down in a mud hole and he'll lie there and enjoy it. You let a sheep fall in the mud hole and the sheep's going to get up and get out as quickly as he can. I want you to look in your Bibles to Romans chapter 6. Romans chapter 6. I want you to follow what the Apostle Paul is saying without me having to give an exposition of this chapter again. This chapter teaches us that we've been freed from the dominion of sin. Look at what he says, beginning in verse 17, Romans 6, verse 17. Romans 6, verse 17: "But God be thanked that ye were"—that's past tense now—"that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine"—that is, the gospel—"which was delivered unto you, being then made free from sin"—that is, free from the dominion of sin.

You became what? The servants of righteousness. "I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh. For as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity, even so now yield your members servants to righteousness and to holiness." Now look, "For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness." Now look what he says. When you were lost, "What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death." How many of you really like to rejoice in and talk about the sins that you committed in the old days? I don't. I'm ashamed of mine. That's what he said. "What fruit had ye then in those things when ye were the servants of sin? Now ye are ashamed of those things. Why? For the end of those things is death." Look at verse 22: "But now being made free from sin"—that is, free from the dominion of sin—"and become the servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." What is he saying? He's saying the difference is this: when you're the servant of sin, you sin and you commit wickedness and ungodliness, but when you're the servant of Jesus Christ and you're freed from the dominion of sin, yes, sin is in you, but you're no longer obeying sin as a master. You're now free to obey the Lord Jesus Christ unto holiness and righteousness.

So we, who have been converted, no longer love sin and its fruits. We love righteousness. And when we do sin, we're grieved and it hurts us.

Application 3: God Chastens His Own

God chastens every son He receives; those without chastisement are illegitimate (Hebrews 12:5-8).

Thirdly, God will never allow His people, either individually or nationally, to sin and get by with it. Look in your Bibles to Hebrews 12. One of these days, I'm going to come back and preach on this passage. This is such a tremendous passage. Hebrews chapter 12, beginning there with verse 5. Look what he says: "And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children. My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him. Watch, for whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." How many get away with it? None. "If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons. For what son is he whom the Father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons." Now, God says, listen carefully, if you can sin constantly and continually and get by with it and never be whipped, never be judged, never be chastised in this life, what's that mean?

Means you don't belong to him. You know what a bastard is? A bastard, and this is a good word, a bastard is someone that has been produced by a man, but didn't have a father. What's that mean? The father doesn't love him. The father doesn't own him. The father doesn't discipline him. So what does he say? He's saying, "If you're mine, individually, familially, ecclesiastically, nationally, if you're mine and you do wrong, I'm going to whip the living daylights out of you. But if you can sin and not be whipped"—now sinners are going to be judged, but if you can sin and not be chastised, you're not mine. You know what the Bible said in the book of Micah, chapter 6 and verse 9, "Hear ye the rod

Application 4: National Judgment and Preparation

America cannot escape judgment for abortion, economic fraud, sodomy, and Marxism. Believers should prepare spiritually, physically, and practically.

We should be wise as to where our nation is heading. And prepare ourselves every way practically possible for that which we know is going to befall us nationally. Listen, I don't care if we escape Y2K. I don't care if we escape any other scenario. You cannot murder thousands of babies a day and escape the judgment of God. You cannot have a false, fraudulent economy and escape the judgment of God. You cannot promote sodomy and Marxism and communism and escape the judgment of God. You can't do it.

And so we need to be wise and prepare ourselves spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, any way and every way that we can for what we know is going to come down the pike sooner or later. Because no one can sin against God and escape his judgment. Let's pray. Father, we're so thankful for the salvation that we find in Jesus Christ. We're thankful, Lord, that we have been delivered from sin, from the dominion of sin. And we're thankful one day by Your infinite power and grace we'll be even delivered not just from the penalty of sin, but from the presence of sin. And Lord, we do pray that You would make us wise in Your Word.

Conclusion and Prayer

Weaver prays for deliverance from sin, wisdom, and holiness, urging determination not to do evil again.

Help us to honor Thee. Help us to determine in our souls that we're not going to do evil, and we're certainly not going to do evil again and again and again. But we want fruit of righteousness and holiness. Make us, Father, holy as Thou art holy. For Thou hast said, "Be ye holy, for I am holy, saith the Lord." May Your will be done in our lives. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Danger of Repeated Sin

Summary: Doing evil once is bad, but doing evil again and again expresses great wickedness, rebellion, stubbornness, and foolishness, and merits greater judgment.

Evidence: Committing evil, even once, is bad enough in and of itself. But when you commit evil again and again, it expresses great wickedness and great rebellion. Moreover, it evidences great stubbornness and great foolishness.

Escalating Divine Judgment

Summary: God's judgments on Israel increased in length and severity as they persisted in evil, from 8 years to 40 years, and from foreign oppression to civil war and national destruction.

Evidence: God had judged them eight years, and then eighteen years, and then twenty years. And then seven years... he made every judgment either increased with length or increased in intensity and severity.

Culpability and Privilege

Summary: Those with greater blessings and privileges bear greater responsibility and deserve greater censure and punishment when they sin.

Evidence: The individual or individuals who have greater blessings and greater privileges also deserve greater censure and greater punishment.

The Fool as One Who Refuses Instruction

Summary: A biblical fool is not mentally deficient but stubbornly refuses to listen, heed, or follow instruction, despising wisdom and reproof.

Evidence: A fool in Scripture is not a mentally deficient person. But a fool in Scripture is someone who will not listen, hear, heed, or follow instruction.

Evidence of Genuine Conversion

Summary: A true Christian does not continually sin; the pattern of life is righteousness, not constant rebellion, distinguishing children of God from children of the devil.

Evidence: One of the greatest evidences that we are genuinely converted is that we are not continually sinning.

God's Chastening of His Children

Summary: God disciplines every true son; those who sin without chastisement prove they are not His. Chastening is a mark of sonship.

Evidence: For whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth... if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons.

National Sin and Impending Judgment

Summary: Nations that persist in evil—abortion, sexual immorality, economic fraud—cannot escape God's judgment, and believers should prepare accordingly.

Evidence: You cannot murder thousands of babies a day and escape the judgment of God. You cannot have a false, fraudulent economy and escape the judgment of God.

Key Arguments

Repeated evil brings escalating judgment

Summary: Israel's cycle of sin led to progressively longer and harsher punishments, demonstrating that God increases judgment when repentance is withheld.

Evidence: What initially was an eight-year judgment, after they turned from that judgment and did evil again, then God increased their punishment by ten years. So they went to eighteen years.

Greater privilege means greater accountability

Summary: Those who know better and have received more light are more culpable and will receive severer judgment.

Evidence: It would be bad if you read in the paper... that Ed Wolfe was captured robbing the bank... What would be worse is if the paper said, 'Pastor John Weaver arrested robbing the bank.' Not only do I know better, I teach better.

A fool is defined by refusal to heed correction

Summary: Scripture defines a fool not by intellect but by stubbornness and rejection of instruction, leading to destruction.

Evidence: The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

Sudden destruction awaits the often-reproved

Summary: Proverbs 29:1 warns that those who harden their neck despite repeated reproof will be destroyed suddenly and without remedy.

Evidence: He that being often reproved and hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

Continual sin is a mark of the unregenerate

Summary: 1 John 3 teaches that those born of God do not continually sin; a lifestyle of unbroken sin indicates one is of the devil.

Evidence: Whosoever is born of God is not continually committing sin... In this the children of God are manifest and the children of the devil.

True believers are miserable in sin

Summary: A genuine Christian cannot sin comfortably; he is grieved and driven to repentance, unlike the ungodly who enjoy sin.

Evidence: When a real, genuine Christian sins, he is miserable until he repents and makes things right.

Chastisement proves sonship

Summary: Hebrews 12 shows that God's discipline is proof of His love and legitimate relationship; absence of chastening indicates illegitimacy.

Evidence: If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons... if ye be without chastisement... then are ye bastards and not sons.

National sins guarantee national judgment

Summary: America's persistent sins—abortion, sodomy, economic corruption—will bring inevitable divine judgment, and believers must prepare.

Evidence: You cannot murder thousands of babies a day and escape the judgment of God. You cannot have a false, fraudulent economy and escape the judgment of God.

Scripture References

Judges 13:1

Context: Introduction of the text: Israel did evil again, leading to forty years of Philistine oppression.

Proverbs 12:15

Context: Defines a fool as one who is right in his own eyes and rejects counsel.

Proverbs 15:5

Context: A fool despises his father's instruction; a prudent person regards reproof.

Proverbs 17:10

Context: A reproof enters a wise man more than a hundred stripes into a fool.

Proverbs 23:9

Context: Do not speak in the ears of a fool, for he will despise wisdom.

Exodus 32:9-10

Context: God calls Israel a stiff-necked people.

Acts 7:51

Context: Stephen calls Israel stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart, always resisting the Holy Spirit.

Judges 3:7-8

Context: Israel did evil, served Baalim, and was sold to Cushan-rishathaim for eight years.

Judges 3:11-14

Context: Israel did evil again and served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years.

Judges 4:1-3

Context: Israel again did evil and was oppressed by Jabin king of Canaan for twenty years.

Judges 6:1-6

Context: Israel did evil and was delivered to Midian for seven years, a severe judgment with destruction and hiding in dens.

Judges 9

Context: Abimelech's three-year judgment involved civil war and the murder of his brothers.

Judges 10:6-9

Context: Israel did evil again, serving many gods, and was oppressed eighteen years by Philistines and Ammon, being sore distressed.

Amos 4:6-12

Context: God sent famine, drought, blight, pestilence, war, and supernatural judgments, yet Israel did not return; therefore, prepare to meet God.

Amos 5:1-3

Context: God laments Israel's fall; the city that went out by a thousand shall leave a hundred.

Amos 9:7-8

Context: God will destroy the sinful kingdom from the face of the earth, saving a remnant.

Proverbs 29:1

Context: He who is often reproved and hardens his neck will be suddenly destroyed without remedy.

Lamentations 4:6-11

Context: Jerusalem's punishment was greater than Sodom's; women boiled their children during the siege.

1 John 3:7-10

Context: Those born of God do not continually sin; this distinguishes children of God from children of the devil.

Romans 6:17-23

Context: Believers have been freed from sin's dominion and now serve righteousness, being ashamed of past sins.

Historical References

Israel's cycle of sin in Judges

Context: The repeated pattern of Israel doing evil, being oppressed, crying out, and being delivered, only to sin again.

Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

Context: Compared to Jerusalem's destruction; Sodom was overthrown instantly, while Jerusalem's siege lasted nearly two years.

Nebuchadnezzar's siege of Jerusalem

Context: The Babylonian siege, sack, and destruction of Jerusalem lasted almost two years, causing extreme famine and cannibalism.

William Secker (Puritan)

Context: Quoted: 'A saint is not free from sin. That is his burden. A saint is not free to sin, that is his blessing...'

Important Quotes

Committing evil, even once, is bad enough in and of itself. But when you commit evil again and again, it expresses great wickedness and great rebellion. Moreover, it evidences great stubbornness and great foolishness.

Significance: Establishes the core message that repeated sin reveals a hardened heart and invites greater judgment.

A fool in Scripture is not a mentally deficient person. But a fool in Scripture is someone who will not listen, hear, heed, or follow instruction.

Significance: Defines the biblical fool as morally stubborn, not intellectually lacking, setting up the warning against stiff-necked rebellion.

For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom that was overthrown as in a moment and no hands stayed on her.

Significance: Shows that prolonged judgment on those with greater light is more severe than swift destruction on the overtly wicked.

One of the greatest evidences that we are genuinely converted is that we are not continually sinning.

Significance: A key application: the pattern of a believer's life is not unbroken sin, distinguishing true conversion.

When a real, genuine Christian sins, he is miserable until he repents and makes things right.

Significance: Highlights the convicting work of the Spirit in a believer, contrasting with the ungodly who sin without remorse.

A saint is not free from sin. That is his burden. A saint is not free to sin, that is his blessing. Sin is in him, that is his lamentation. His soul is not in his sin, that is his consolation.

Significance: A Puritan quote that poetically captures the believer's struggle with indwelling sin and the assurance of a new nature.

You cannot murder thousands of babies a day and escape the judgment of God. You cannot have a false, fraudulent economy and escape the judgment of God. You cannot promote sodomy and Marxism and communism and escape the judgment of God.

Significance: Direct application of the sermon's principle to contemporary national sins, warning of inevitable divine judgment.

Discussion Questions

How does the biblical definition of a fool challenge our modern understanding of foolishness?

Context: Weaver explains that a fool is not mentally deficient but morally stubborn, refusing instruction (Proverbs 12:15; 15:5).

In what ways do we see the principle of escalating judgment in our own lives or in the church today?

Context: The sermon traces how Israel's judgments increased from 8 years to 40 years and in severity.

Why does greater privilege and blessing lead to greater culpability? How should this affect those in positions of spiritual leadership?

Context: Weaver argues that those who know better and teach others are more accountable.

How does 1 John 3:7-10 help us examine whether our profession of faith is genuine?

Context: The passage teaches that those born of God do not continually sin.

What is the difference between a believer's occasional sin and an unbeliever's continual sin?

Context: Weaver contrasts the misery of a sinning saint with the ungodly who cannot cease from sin.

How should the reality of God's chastening shape our view of suffering and discipline?

Context: Hebrews 12:5-8 teaches that chastening is proof of sonship, not rejection.

What practical steps can believers take to prepare for national judgment while maintaining trust in God?

Context: Weaver urges preparation spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially.

How can we cultivate a heart that quickly repents rather than hardening when reproved?

Context: Proverbs 29:1 warns of sudden destruction for those who harden their neck despite reproof.

Applications

Examine your life for patterns of continual sin

Summary: A genuine Christian does not continually sin; if you are living in unbroken rebellion, examine whether you are truly converted.

Evidence: One of the greatest evidences that we are genuinely converted is that we are not continually sinning.

Respond to reproof with repentance, not hardness

Summary: Do not be like the fool who hardens his neck when corrected; instead, heed instruction and turn from sin quickly.

Evidence: He that being often reproved and hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

Embrace God's chastening as proof of His love

Summary: When you experience discipline, recognize it as God's fatherly care, not rejection; lack of chastening would indicate you are not His child.

Evidence: For whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

Do not presume upon God's patience

Summary: Repeated sin without repentance stores up wrath; do not mistake God's delay for approval.

Evidence: When you continue headstrong in your sins, you're just demonstrating obstinacy... and laying up for yourselves wrath against the day of wrath.

Prepare spiritually and practically for national judgment

Summary: Recognize that America's sins will bring judgment; prepare yourself spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially.

Evidence: We need to be wise and prepare ourselves spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, financially... for what we know is going to come down the pike.

Cultivate a tender conscience that is grieved by sin

Summary: A true believer is miserable when he sins; let that grief drive you to repentance and restoration.

Evidence: When a real, genuine Christian sins, he is miserable until he repents and makes things right.

Remember that greater knowledge brings greater accountability

Summary: If you have been taught the truth, you are more responsible to obey it; do not take your privileges lightly.

Evidence: The individual or individuals who have greater blessings and greater privileges also deserve greater censure and greater punishment.

Determine not to do evil again

Summary: Make a conscious decision to break cycles of sin and pursue righteousness and holiness.

Evidence: Help us to determine in our souls that we're not going to do evil, and we're certainly not going to do evil again and again and again.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T14:51:49Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T03:44:05Z

Clean Transcript

Doing Evil Again

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Okay, let's begin. Turn in your Bibles to Judges chapter 13. Judges chapter 13. While I was preaching out in Texas, I heard a pastor read this verse. And although he was preaching on the life of Samson, he never dealt with this verse. But there was a phrase in it that caught my eye. And I looked back at a friend of mine, Brother Eric, and he caught his eye as well.
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And so, as I thought about it, I just wanted to bring a message on it. Judges chapter 13, verse 1: "And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord. And the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years."
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Now, I want you to look at that verse very closely. "And the children of Israel did evil"—what? "Again in the sight of the Lord. And he delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years." So the message is entitled, "Doing Evil Again." Now, our text tells us that the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord. Committing evil, even once, is bad enough in and of itself. But when you commit evil again and again, it expresses great wickedness and great rebellion. Moreover, it evidences great stubbornness and great foolishness.
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Now let me just point out, and I ask that you hold Judges 13, but turn in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs chapter 12, because I want to just show you several verses to document what I'm about to say. When we talk about a fool, I want you to understand that a fool in Scripture is not a mentally deficient person. But a fool in Scripture is someone who will not listen, hear, heed, or follow instruction. Look in your Bibles to Proverbs chapter 12 and verse 15. Notice if you would, Proverbs 12 and verse 15. The Bible says, "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise." Now note that verse, "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes." In other words, he doesn't need counsel. He doesn't need to listen to anyone. He's just going to do what he thinks is right in and of himself. So the Bible says the way of a fool is right in his own eyes.
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Look in Proverbs 15 and verse 5. Proverbs 15 and verse 5: "A fool despises his father's instruction, but he that regardeth reproof is prudent." Remember now I told you a fool is not a mentally deficient person. He's just someone who is stubborn and will not listen. So a fool then is someone who despises his father's instruction. He is the opposite of a prudent person in this verse who regards reproof. If you look in Proverbs 17 in verse 10. Proverbs 17 in verse 10 to show you the hardness and the stubbornness of a fool. In Proverbs 17 and verse 10, the Bible says, "A reproof entereth more into a wise man than a hundred stripes into a fool." So a wise man then will listen. But God says you can beat a fool with a hundred stripes and he still won't listen. And then if you look in Proverbs 23 and verse 9, Proverbs 23 and verse 9, here the Word of God says, "Speak not in the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of thy words."
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So once again, a fool is someone who refuses to listen. He's someone who refuses to hear and to heed instruction. Is it any wonder, therefore, that God referred to the children of Israel in the Old Testament as stiff-necked? Listen to what he said. I'll just read it for you. Exodus 32 verses 9 and 10. God told Moses, "And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people."
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"Now therefore let me alone that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them, and I will make of thee a great nation." So God says this people, talking about Israel, is a stiff-necked people. And I want you to know that Israel was charged with being stiff-necked many times in the Old Testament. And when you get to the New Testament, Stephen, in giving his defense in Acts chapter 7 and verse 51, he says this to Israel. He says, "Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost."
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"As your fathers did, so do ye." So what did he call Israel? Stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart. Now, what does a stiff neck denote? Well, all of us have had stiff necks at some time, and I'm not just talking about spiritually right now, I'm talking about physically. When you have a stiff neck, I mean, you can't turn it. I mean, it hurts just to even look. Well, a stiff neck then indicates hardness, stubbornness, and the inability to be turned from one's ways. So when you say someone is a stiff-necked person, you're not only saying he's stubborn and hard-headed, but you're saying he's unable to be turned.
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I never will forget, but I'll give you an excellent illustration. We had a mule and her name was Krip because every now and then she'd stumble along. So we just called her old Krip. Well, I had a cousin who came up from Miami, Florida, and he saw the mule and he wanted to ride the horse. I said, "Larry, that's a mule. That's not a horse." He said, "I want to ride her." I said, "Well, okay." And I put the bridle on the old mule. So I jumped up on her bare back and I helped Larry up. Well, everybody knows the stubbornness of a mule. Mule started walking straight for a low-hanging pecan limb.
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And this is no lie. This is no exaggeration. I pulled on that rein to turn that mule, and the mule would not turn. She just kept walking straight. I took both hands and pulled as hard as I could. I had the mule's head turned sideways, and she kept walking straight. When I saw that I could not turn her, I saw the limb coming. I said, "Duck, Larry." I laid down and grabbed the mule's neck.
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Well, my city cousin looked up in the sky and said, "Where?" And about that time, the limb caught him across the chest. He hit the ground. You know, he never forgave me. He always said I did that on purpose. But I never. The truth is I tried my best to turn that mule and she wouldn't turn. Why? She has a stiff neck. She's just stiff-necked.
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Now that's exactly what God says about Israel in the Old Testament and in the New Testament. We're stiff-necked people. Now listen, as I read the Old Testament, I'm not only amazed, but amused at the same time, because it seems as if those people never, ever learned. Over and over, judgment befell them because of their wickedness and their rebellion. God would mercifully and graciously deliver them, and just as soon as he did, they would turn around and sin again.
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Do you realize it's really no different today? Times have changed, but we have not. It seems as if we no sooner get out of one problem than once again we turn and are doing evil again. Not only true individually, but ecclesiastically, in family, and especially nationally. Doing evil merits judgment and punishment. But doing evil again and again merits greater judgment and greater punishment.
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Now I want you to look in your Bibles to Judges chapter 13 and look at verse 1 and then let's go back and let me show you a principle that I wish to develop this morning. Look in Judges chapter 13 verse 1: "And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines." How long? Forty years. Forty years. Now, I want you to understand that this was not—God did not just start out punishing Israel for forty years; they worked up to this punishment, they merited it, they earned it, they deserved it. Let me explain. Remember now, the Scripture says in verse one, "And the children of Israel did evil again." Well, go back in your Bibles to Judges chapter three, if you would please. And look at verses seven and eight. Judges chapter three, verses seven and eight: "And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and forgot the Lord their God and served Baalim and the groves."
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"Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia and the children of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years." So now the children of Israel initially have sinned and rebelled and so God sends them judgment and he punishes them eight years at the hand of a foreign king. Well, skip down to verse 11 in Judges chapter 3: "And the land had rest forty years, and Othniel the son of Kenaz died." Watch verse 12: "And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord."
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Notice how that phrase occurs over and over. "And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord. And the Lord strengthened Eglon, the king of Moab, against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord. And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of the palm trees. So the children of Israel served Eglon, the king of Moab, eighteen years."
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Now I want you to note, what initially was an eight-year judgment, after they turned from that judgment and did evil again, then God increased their punishment by ten years. So they went to eighteen years.
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Now look at verse 1 of chapter 4: "And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord when Ehud was dead. And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin, king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor, the captain of whose host was Sisera, who dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles. And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, for he had nine hundred chariots of iron and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel."
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Are you beginning to see a principle? It was eight years, it was eighteen years, and now it's twenty years.
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Now, although God delivered them into the hand of foreign kings initially. Now, I want you to note that not only are foreign kings judging them, but now you are seeing phrases like "mightily oppressed." Look in your Bibles to Judges chapter 6. And verse 1, watch this passage very closely. Judges 6, verse 1: "And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years."
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Now, what you're going to say is, "Wait a minute, Brother Weaver. It went from eight to eighteen to twenty."
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Now it's down to seven years. Why? This is a lighter punishment. Oh no. Oh no. It is a shorter period of time, but I want you to notice what happens. "And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel, and because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. And so it was when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them. And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou comest to Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came up as grasshoppers for multitude."
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"For both they and their camels were without number, and they entered into the land"—what?—"to destroy it." Here was only a seven-year judgment, but it was far more severe than even the twenty-year judgment. Because now they have nothing, and the enemy is coming up and destroying everything they have. The people are so frightened, they flee to the mountains, and they're making dens and caves. Oh yes, the Midianites did enter the land to destroy it. Now when you get to Judges chapter 9, in that passage you have a three-year judgment under Abimelech. I'm not going to read all of chapter 9, but let me just remind you that Abimelech was Gideon's son by a concubine.
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Now listen to this carefully. This judgment was only three years. But there is a difference. Gideon had seventy sons plus Abimelech. Abimelech turned around and murdered sixty-nine of his brothers. Only Jotham escaped. In this judgment, in Judges chapter 9, it is not an outsider coming in, it is an insider killing those who are inside. In other words, basically what you have is a civil war. You have neighbor fighting against neighbor.
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There was no need for an outside adversary. For every man was his neighbor's adversary. You know what the Bible says in Proverbs 16 verse 7? Listen closely. "When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him." Now think about that. When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
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Now the opposite is also true. When a man's ways displease the Lord, God raises up enemies against him. All you have to do is read 1 Kings 2, and the Lord raised up an adversary to Solomon. Over and over you read that in the scripture. When a man's ways displease the Lord, God raises up enemies against him. Do you remember what our Lord said in Matthew 10 in verse 36? He said, "A man's enemies shall be they of his own household." So God is capable of raising up enemies inside as well as outside.
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Now, I want you to look in Judges chapter 10. Here is another judgment, but now it is back up to eighteen years. Judges chapter 10 verse 6: "And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim and Ashtoreth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the Lord and served him not. And 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 children of Ammon. And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel eighteen years. All the children of Israel were on the other side of Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is Gilead. Moreover, the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim. So that Israel"—what are the next three words?—"was sore distressed."
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So here now is an eighteen-year judgment and now you find the phrase in this judgment "sore distressed." Now there were a few other minor judges between Judges 10 and Judges 13, you have Jephthah. But when you get to Judges chapter 13, you have the judgeship of Samson. And notice if you would please, verse 1 again: "And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years." Now, that's why I said that Israel worked up to the forty-year judgment. God had judged them eight years, and then eighteen years, and then twenty years. And then seven years, you see what I'm saying? And then eighteen years again? In other words, he made every judgment either increased with length or increased in intensity and severity. Now listen, the principle that I want you to see is this.
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The principle of culpability, and the word culpability means someone is deserving blame or censure. Let me just spell it out for you. The individual or individuals who have greater blessings and greater privileges also deserve greater censure and greater punishment, you see. It would be bad if you read in the paper in the morning that Ed Wolfe was captured robbing the bank downtown. That would be bad because everybody says, "You know, it's a Christian. He ought to know thou shalt not steal." That's bad. What would be worse is if the paper said, "Pastor John Weaver arrested robbing the bank." Not only do I know better, I teach better. You see what I'm saying? So the greater the responsibility and the greater the privileges, the greater the censure. So here, the greater the culpability, that is, the greater the judgment and the more intense and the more severe the judgment. Not only that, once again, doing evil one time is bad enough in and of itself. But when you continue to do evil over and over, when you perform continuous acts of rebellion, it merits and deserves greater and more severe judgment.
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Now let me show you. I want you to turn your Bibles to Amos chapter 4. I want you to see these principles are clearly enunciated. Amos chapter 4. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos. Amos chapter 4. And let's begin reading there with verse 6. I think we can follow this very easily. Amos 4 verse 6. God says to Israel, "And I have also given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities."
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"And want of bread in all your places." Now look. "Yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord."
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Now, why did God judge them with famine? Because they were doing evil again. You got that? He says, "Yet have ye not returned unto me." I sent famine to you. That is, you did not have anything to eat. Cleanness of teeth. Your teeth only get dirty normally when you eat, so if you've got cleanness of teeth, you haven't been eating in a while. So God sent them famine. That's not all. When the famine did not cause them to repent and turn to God, look in verse 7.
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"I also withholden the rain from you, when there was yet three months to the harvest, and I caused it to rain upon one city and caused it not to rain upon another city. One piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered. So two or three cities wandered into one city to drink water, but they were not satisfied. Yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." Now watch carefully.
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God said, "I sent the famine to you. And you wouldn't listen, you wouldn't repent, you wouldn't return. Now," said God, "I sent a drought to you." By the way, what does a drought do on top of a famine? It increases the severity of the famine. Because nothing is growing, nothing is producing, and yet God is saying he cut off their rain three months before the harvest. So if God cuts off the rain three months before the harvest, that means their fields are not producing. So here is an increase in the severity of the judgment and the punishment. Why? Because they would not listen.
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They continue to do evil again and again. Now, skip on down to verse 9. Look at it there. God said, "I have smitten you with blasting and mildew. When your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them, yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord."
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Now, some of the fruit trees and some of the fruit vines may have escaped the droughts of the field because, you know, they're close to the house. And if you have any water at all, you could water them a little bit. But God says, "Look, I'm taking care of that. I'm going to send mildew to you. I'm going to send plant diseases. I'm going to send worms. They're going to even devour your fruit trees and those that you've tried to guard and take care of."
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Now, let me ask you a question. If God sent a famine and then a drought on top of the famine and then mildew and worms to destroy anything that was green, how much is left? Nothing. Alice and I were traveling in New Jersey. I was going up there to preach years ago, and I got to noticing all of these limbs on the trees were cracked and dead limbs everywhere. And when I got there, I asked the pastor, I said, "What in the world happened to these limbs on these trees?" I said, "They're just dead." Locusts. They come out every seven years. They ate and killed. Limbs killed everything and hardly a tree without a dead limb or two. And some of the trees were just totally dead. God said, "I've sent the famine, I've sent the drought, I've sent the mildew, the worms."
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And yet, what does he say in verse nine? "Yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." What are they doing? Doing evil again. They're doing evil continually. Well, look at verse 10. God said, "I've sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt. Your young men have I slain with a sword and have taken away your horses. And I've made the stink of your camps to come up into your nostrils. Yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." Now, on top of all that, what does God do? God sends pestilence. He sends diseases. He sends war. Your young men were killed with a sword. And the stink of your camps, they lost hundreds, thousands slain. The stink of your camps have come up into your nostrils. Yet, what's he saying? "Ye have not returned unto me, saith the Lord." What are you doing? You're doing evil again. You're continuing in evil. And as you continue in evil, the judgments increase in intensity and severity. Watch verse 11.
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"I have overthrown some of you as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning. Yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord." In other words, on top of the famine, the drought, the mildew, the worms, on top of the pestilence and the war, God said, "I sent supernatural judgments against you, just like fire falling out of the sky, just like I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah." Yet, said God, "You didn't return unto me. You wouldn't listen."
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You were doing evil again and again. You were continuing in your rebellion against me. Now watch. What is the answer? Here it is in verse 12. "Therefore, thus will I do unto thee, O Israel. And because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel." Now, wait a minute. When he says, "Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel," that's not saying, "Child, I'm bringing you home." That's not what he's saying. Let me show you what he's saying. Verse 12, "Therefore, thus will I do unto thee, O Israel, and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel, for, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, and that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon
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the high places of the earth, the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name." Here's what God's going to do. "Hear ye this word which I take up against you, even a lamentation, O house of Israel. The virgin of Israel is fallen. She shall no more rise. She is forsaken upon her land. There is none to raise her up." What is God saying? God saying, "I'm going to take you and destroy you as a nation." That's why in verse 3 it says, "For thus saith the Lord God, The city that went out by a thousand shall leave a hundred, and that which went forth by a hundred shall leave ten to the house of Israel." God said, "I will just literally wipe you out."
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Now, turn over, if you would, to Amos chapter 9. Let me show you. Here he is saying it very plainly. Amos chapter 9, beginning there with verse 7. Remember, he's talking to the children of Israel. Look what he tells them. Amos 9 verse 7: "Are ye not as the children of the Ethiopians unto me?" Did God judge the Ethiopians? Yes. "Are ye not as the children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel, saith the Lord? Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?" Now look, "Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom. I will destroy it from the face of the earth, saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the Lord." God said, "I'm going to take you out as a nation. I'm going to save some of you alive, but I'm going to destroy you as a nation."
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Do you see the increase in the severity and intensity of the judgment as people continued to do evil again and again? Now, the principle of doing evil over and over brings immediate and intense punishment, and that truth is repeated many times in Scripture. One of those passages is Proverbs 29 and verse 1. Proverbs 29 and verse 1. Here is a verse that it would do you well to memorize. Proverbs 29 in verse 1, listen carefully.
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"He that being often reproved"—that is, often rebuked, often warned, often admonished—"he that being often reproved and hardeneth his neck"—that is, he becomes stiff-necked, he will not listen—"shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy." Isn't that amazing? God says he that being often reproved, often warned, often admonished, and yet he still continues to harden or stiffen his neck. He will not listen. He will not receive rebuke. He shall suddenly be destroyed. And that without remedy.
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In other words, there will be no correcting it. There will be no changing it. Do you realize, and this is a very important point to understand, Proverbs 29 in verse 1 is true individually, familially, ecclesiastically, and nationally. And nationally. What did God do to Israel? He destroyed her as a nation. What has God done to plenty of other peoples? He's destroyed them as nations. They are no more. Now, no one, no group, no state, no nation can continually do evil and escape the judgment of God.
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I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Lamentations. You remember Jeremiah wrote the book of Lamentations, Lamentations chapter 4. In this passage, Jeremiah is describing the fall of Jerusalem. You remember Samaria was the capital of the northern kingdom, Jerusalem the capital of the southern kingdom. You remember that Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet. He preached and prophesied to these people; they would not listen. They would not hear, they would not hearken.
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They refused the message and the messenger. So in Lamentations chapter 4 and verse 6, as Jeremiah watched the destruction of Jerusalem, he wrote the book of Lamentations. And when you get to Lamentations 4 and verse 6, look at what he says: "For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom that was overthrown as in a moment and no hands stayed on her." Now look at that again. "For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people"—that is, for the punishment of Jerusalem—"is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom that was overthrown as in a moment and no hands stayed on her." Now what is Jeremiah saying? Jeremiah is saying that the sack and the destruction of Jerusalem was greater punishment than the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. How could that be?
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Well, he explains it partly. He says in verse 6 that Sodom that was overthrown as in a moment had no hand stayed on her. When God sent fire and brimstone from heaven to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, to put it bluntly, they never knew what hit them. I mean, they were wiped out instantly. They were killed. They were dead as a doornail. God sent it, and it was over with. But when God sent Nebuchadnezzar against Jerusalem, according to Jeremiah 52, the siege, sack, and destruction of Jerusalem lasted almost two years. So hands stayed upon Jerusalem. Wicked hands stayed upon Jerusalem. Heathen hands stayed upon Jerusalem.
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The rape, the robbing, the murder, the famine, the killing. Let me show you how bad it was. Remember now, in verse 6, look at it again. Lamentations 4 and verse 6, Jeremiah says, "For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom that was overthrown as in a moment"—that is, very quickly—"and no hand stayed on her."
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Now he's going to show you what happened in Jerusalem. Watch what he says. Verse 7: "Her Nazarites"—that is, those who had taken a Nazarite vow—"her Nazarites were purer than snow." Notice past tense: "were purer than snow. They were whiter than milk. They were more ruddy in body than rubies. Their polishing was of sapphire." That's what they were. But now he says, "Their visage is blacker than a coal."
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"They are not known in the streets." No one can recognize them. "Their skin cleaveth to their bones. It is withered. It has become like a stick." They were starving to death in Jerusalem. You could not go out without being killed. And if you stayed inside, you were starving to death. He said in verse 9, "They that be slain with the sword are better than they that be slain with hunger. For these pine away, stricken through for want of the fruits of the field." If you're killed by the sword, it's quick. It's over with. If you starve to death, it's days and months. Watch verse 10.
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"The hands of the pitiful women have soddened their own children. They were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people." Women killed, cooked, and ate their own children. That's why he said in verse 11, "Watch, the Lord hath accomplished his fury, he hath poured out his fierce anger, and he hath kindled a fire in Zion, and hath devoured the foundations thereof." Do you see this principle?
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When you do evil again and again, God continues to judge you. But he always increases the severity and intensity of that judgment. And to those who have greater privileges and greater blessings, there's greater culpability, which merits greater punishment. It is one thing to sin. It's quite another thing to continue to sin over and over again. It is one thing to fail, to make mistakes, to fall short and even to sin. But it's quite another thing to never learn from your fall and never learn from your mistakes and never learn from your sin and still continue headstrong in your sins. And when you continue headstrong in your sins, you're just demonstrating obstinacy, stubbornness, contumacy and laying up for yourselves
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wrath against the day of wrath. That's what the Apostle Paul said in Romans 2, verses 3 through 6. For those who were not thankful and did not appreciate the goodness and the mercy of God, they just laid up for themselves wrath against the day of wrath. Here's the principle. When you do evil again and again, God judges. But with each act, the judgment increases in severity and intensity.
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Now let me make some applications. And I'm going to take some time on these, so I want you to turn in your Bibles to 1 John 3. Here's the first application. One of the greatest evidences that we are genuinely converted is that we are not continually sinning. Let me say that again. One of the greatest evidences that we're genuinely converted is that we're not continually sinning. I did not say that we were perfect. I did not say that we never sinned. I said one of the greatest evidences that we're genuinely converted is that we're not continually sinning. Yes, we do sin. Yes, we are imperfect, but we do not consistently and constantly
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violate the law of God. Now look what he says, let me show you this. 1 John 3 beginning there with verse 7. 1 John 3 verse 7: "Little children, let no man deceive you. He that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous."
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Now, by the way, let me tell you something. I'm going to read through verse probably at least nine or verse 10. Every one of these verbs is a present active indicative. What does that mean? It has reference to constancy, continuance. Now, look what he says. I'll read it like that. Verse 7, "Little children, let no man deceive you. He that is continually doing righteousness is righteous even as he is righteous. He that committeth sin"—or he that is continually committing sin—"is of the devil. For the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil." Watch. "Whosoever is born of God"—or has been begotten of God—"is not continually committing sin. Why? For a seed remaineth in him, he cannot continually sin because he has been begotten of God. In this"—now look—"in this the children of God are manifest and the children of the devil."
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How do we know the difference? "Whosoever is not continually doing righteousness is not of God. Neither he that is continually"—or he that is not continually loving his brother. So here's what he's saying. The way that you can tell that you are genuinely converted, one of the ways is that you're not continually sinning over and over. You're not continually doing evil.
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Now, see, David is known in Scripture as a man after God's own heart. Did David sin? Yes, he did. He sinned mightily and grievously, but the general tenor of David's life was that he was a man after God's own heart. Do you remember the children of Israel that God brought out of Egypt? In fact, we've been reading about them. How they did evil again and again and again.
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You know what the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10 and verse 5? In reference to the children of Israel that God brought out of Egypt, the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10 and verse 5, "But with many of them, God was not well pleased." I almost laugh every time I read that verse, "But with many of them, God was not well pleased." How many of the original people that God brought out of Egypt, how many of them got into the promised land? Two. Two. Joshua and Caleb. What did God do the rest of them? He killed them. When you get to Hebrews chapter 4, the Bible says concerning these people, "So then they could not enter into the promised land." Why? Because of their unbelief. What do unsaved people do?
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Sin over and over and again and again and it doesn't bother them. How are the children of God manifested? How are they different from the children of the devil? We don't continually sin over and over. Yes, we're sinners. Yes, we sin. But we do not go out deliberately, purposely, premeditatedly and plan on sinning on a constant, continual basis. I don't do it. So the very truth of the matter is this. The very fact that you are not doing evil over and over again is evidence of your conversion. How does God describe the ungodly? Let me tell you.
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2 Peter 2, verse 14. Listen closely. He says, "They have eyes full of adultery that cannot cease from sin. And a heart they have exercised with covetous practices." They have eyes that cannot cease from sin. They can't stop sinning, not for a day, not for a minute. They have a heart that is exercised, gymnasticized to evil and to covetousness. So the big difference, one of the big differences between the children of God and the children of the evil one is the children of the evil one constantly and continually do evil over and over. And we who are saved do not sin like that. Yes, we sin. Yes, we are imperfect. But we do not premeditatedly and constantly and continually sin. Number two. Listen to this.
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When Christians sin, when they do sin, a real Christian, when a real Christian sins, he is miserable until he repents and makes things right. Let me repeat that. I want you to get what I'm about to say next. When a real, genuine Christian sins, he is miserable until he repents and makes things right. William Secker, an old Puritan, said this. I love this. I wrote it down in my Bible.
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It's such a blessing just to read it over and over. Here's what he said: "A saint is not free from sin. That is his burden. A saint is not free to sin, that is his blessing. Sin is in him, that is his lamentation. His soul is not in his sin, that is his consolation." Isn't that beautiful? A saint is not free from sin, that is our burden.
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I mean, I don't want it. We are not free to sin. That is our blessing. Sin is in us. That is our lamentation. But our heart and our soul is not in our sin. That is our consolation. You let a hog fall down in a mud hole and he'll lie there and enjoy it. You let a sheep fall in the mud hole and the sheep's going to get up and get out as quickly as he can. I want you to look in your Bibles to Romans chapter 6. Romans chapter 6. I want you to follow what the Apostle Paul is saying without me having to give an exposition of this chapter again. This chapter teaches us that we've been freed from the dominion of sin. Look at what he says, beginning in verse 17, Romans 6, verse 17. Romans 6, verse 17: "But God be thanked that ye were"—that's past tense now—"that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine"—that is, the gospel—"which was delivered unto you, being then made free from sin"—that is, free from the dominion of sin.
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You became what? The servants of righteousness. "I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh. For as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity, even so now yield your members servants to righteousness and to holiness." Now look, "For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness." Now look what he says. When you were lost, "What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death."
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How many of you really like to rejoice in and talk about the sins that you committed in the old days? I don't. I'm ashamed of mine. That's what he said. "What fruit had ye then in those things when ye were the servants of sin? Now ye are ashamed of those things. Why? For the end of those things is death." Look at verse 22: "But now being made free from sin"—that is, free from the dominion of sin—"and become the servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." What is he saying? He's saying the difference is this: when you're the servant of sin, you sin and you commit wickedness and ungodliness, but when you're the servant of Jesus Christ and you're freed from the dominion of sin, yes, sin is in you, but you're no longer obeying sin as a master. You're now free to obey the Lord Jesus Christ unto holiness and righteousness.
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So we, who have been converted, no longer love sin and its fruits. We love righteousness. And when we do sin, we're grieved and it hurts us.
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Thirdly, God will never allow His people, either individually or nationally, to sin and get by with it. Look in your Bibles to Hebrews 12. One of these days, I'm going to come back and preach on this passage. This is such a tremendous passage. Hebrews chapter 12, beginning there with verse 5. Look what he says: "And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children. My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him. Watch, for whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." How many get away with it? None. "If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons. For what son is he whom the Father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards and not sons." Now, God says, listen carefully, if you can sin constantly and continually and get by with it and never be whipped, never be judged, never be chastised in this life, what's that mean?
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Means you don't belong to him. You know what a bastard is? A bastard, and this is a good word, a bastard is someone that has been produced by a man, but didn't have a father. What's that mean? The father doesn't love him. The father doesn't own him. The father doesn't discipline him. So what does he say? He's saying, "If you're mine, individually, familially, ecclesiastically, nationally, if you're mine and you do wrong, I'm going to whip the living daylights out of you. But if you can sin and not be whipped"—now sinners are going to be judged, but if you can sin and not be chastised, you're not mine. You know what the Bible said in the book of Micah, chapter 6 and verse 9, "Hear ye the rod
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and him who hath appointed it." You know, nationally, ecclesiastically, familially, and individually, we may either hear God's Word and obey it, and if we don't, we're going to hear His rod. But we're going to hear it one way or the other. I find it much easier just to obey to begin with. It sure saves a lot on the bridges, I can assure you. This brings me to the fourth and final application.
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We should be wise as to where our nation is heading. And prepare ourselves every way practically possible for that which we know is going to befall us nationally. Listen, I don't care if we escape Y2K. I don't care if we escape any other scenario. You cannot murder thousands of babies a day and escape the judgment of God. You cannot have a false, fraudulent economy and escape the judgment of God. You cannot promote sodomy and Marxism and communism and escape the judgment of God. You can't do it.
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And so we need to be wise and prepare ourselves spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, financially, any way and every way that we can for what we know is going to come down the pike sooner or later. Because no one can sin against God and escape his judgment. Let's pray. Father, we're so thankful for the salvation that we find in Jesus Christ. We're thankful, Lord, that we have been delivered from sin, from the dominion of sin. And we're thankful one day by Your infinite power and grace we'll be even delivered not just from the penalty of sin, but from the presence of sin. And Lord, we do pray that You would make us wise in Your Word.
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Help us to honor Thee. Help us to determine in our souls that we're not going to do evil, and we're certainly not going to do evil again and again and again. But we want fruit of righteousness and holiness. Make us, Father, holy as Thou art holy. For Thou hast said, "Be ye holy, for I am holy, saith the Lord." May Your will be done in our lives.
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In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T14:51:49Z

Doing Evil Again

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver examines Judges 13:1, where Israel 'did evil again in the sight of the Lord,' leading to forty years of Philistine oppression. He traces a pattern through Judges and Amos showing that repeated rebellion brings increasingly severe judgment. The sermon distinguishes the fool who refuses correction from the wise, warns that greater privilege means greater culpability, and applies the principle to personal conversion, Christian living, and national sin.

Introduction: The Phrase 'Did Evil Again'

Weaver introduces Judges 13:1 and the phrase 'did evil again,' noting its significance and the message title.

The Nature of a Fool

A fool in Scripture is not mentally deficient but stubbornly refuses instruction, as shown in Proverbs 12:15, 15:5, 17:10, and 23:9.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 12:15

Look in Proverbs 15 and verse 5. Proverbs 15 and verse 5: "A fool despises his father's instruction, but he that regardeth reproof is prudent." Remember now I told you a fool is not a mentally deficient person. He's just someone who is stubborn and will not listen. So a fool then is someone who despises his father's instruction. He is the opposite of a prudent person in this verse who regards reproof. If you look in Proverbs 17 in verse 10. Proverbs 17 in verse 10 to show you the hardness and the stubbornness of a fool. In Proverbs 17 and verse 10, the Bible says, "A reproof entereth more into a wise man than a hundred stripes into a fool." So a wise man then will listen. But God says you can beat a fool with a hundred stripes and he still won't listen. And then if you look in Proverbs 23 and verse 9, Proverbs 23 and verse 9, here the Word of God says, "Speak not in the ears of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of thy words."

Israel as Stiff-Necked

God called Israel stiff-necked (Exodus 32:9-10; Acts 7:51), indicating hardness and inability to be turned, illustrated by a stubborn mule.

Scripture Reading — Acts 7:51

"Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost." "As your fathers did, so do ye."

Escalating Judgments in Judges

Scripture Reading — Judges 3:7-8

"Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel and he sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia and the children of Israel served Cushan-rishathaim eight years."

Scripture Reading — Judges 3:7-8

"And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord."

Notice how that phrase occurs over and over.

Scripture Reading — Judges 3:7-8

"And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord. And the Lord strengthened Eglon, the king of Moab, against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord. And he gathered unto him the children of Ammon and Amalek, and went and smote Israel, and possessed the city of the palm trees. So the children of Israel served Eglon, the king of Moab, eighteen years."

Scripture Reading — Judges 4:1-3

"And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord when Ehud was dead. And the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin, king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor, the captain of whose host was Sisera, who dwelt in Harosheth of the Gentiles. And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, for he had nine hundred chariots of iron and twenty years he mightily oppressed the children of Israel."

Are you beginning to see a principle? It was eight years, it was eighteen years, and now it's twenty years.

Now, I want you to look in Judges chapter 10. Here is another judgment, but now it is back up to eighteen years. Judges chapter 10 verse 6:

Scripture Reading — Judges 10:6-9

"And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim and Ashtoreth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the Lord and served him not. And 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 children of Ammon. And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel eighteen years. All the children of Israel were on the other side of Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is Gilead. Moreover, the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah and against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim. So that Israel"

—what are the next three words?—"was sore distressed."

The Principle of Culpability

Greater blessings and privileges bring greater responsibility and deserve greater punishment when sin is repeated.

Amos 4: Escalating Judgments on Unrepentant Israel

God sent famine, drought, blight, pestilence, war, and supernatural destruction, yet Israel did not return; therefore God threatened national destruction (Amos 4:6-12; 5:1-3; 9:7-8).

Scripture Reading — Amos 9:7-8

"Are ye not as the children of the Ethiopians unto me?"

Did God judge the Ethiopians? Yes.

Scripture Reading — Amos 9:7-8

"Are ye not as the children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel, saith the Lord? Have not I brought up Israel out of the land of Egypt, and the Philistines from Caphtor, and the Syrians from Kir?"

Now look,

Scripture Reading — Amos 9:7-8

"Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom. I will destroy it from the face of the earth, saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the Lord."

God said, "I'm going to take you out as a nation. I'm going to save some of you alive, but I'm going to destroy you as a nation."

Proverbs 29:1 and Lamentations 4:6

Those often reproved who harden their neck will be suddenly destroyed without remedy. Jerusalem's punishment was greater than Sodom's because it was prolonged and horrific.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 29:1

"He that being often reproved"

—that is, often rebuked, often warned, often admonished—

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 29:1

"he that being often reproved and hardeneth his neck"

—that is, he becomes stiff-necked, he will not listen—

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 29:1

"shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy."

Scripture Reading — Lamentations 4:6-11

"For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom that was overthrown as in a moment and no hands stayed on her."

Now look at that again.

Scripture Reading — Lamentations 4:6-11

"For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people"

—that is, for the punishment of Jerusalem—

Scripture Reading — Lamentations 4:6-11

"is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom that was overthrown as in a moment and no hands stayed on her."

Now what is Jeremiah saying? Jeremiah is saying that the sack and the destruction of Jerusalem was greater punishment than the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. How could that be?

The rape, the robbing, the murder, the famine, the killing. Let me show you how bad it was. Remember now, in verse 6, look at it again. Lamentations 4 and verse 6, Jeremiah says,

Scripture Reading — Lamentations 4:6-11

"For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom that was overthrown as in a moment"

—that is, very quickly—"and no hand stayed on her."

Application 1: Evidence of Conversion

A genuine Christian does not continually sin (1 John 3:7-10); the ungodly cannot cease from sin (2 Peter 2:14).

violate the law of God. Now look what he says, let me show you this. 1 John 3 beginning there with verse 7. 1 John 3 verse 7:

Scripture Reading — 1 John 3:7-10

"Little children, let no man deceive you. He that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous."

Application 2: The Believer's Misery in Sin

When a real Christian sins, he is miserable until he repents. A saint is not free from sin but is not free to sin (Romans 6:17-23).

So we, who have been converted, no longer love sin and its fruits. We love righteousness. And when we do sin, we're grieved and it hurts us.

Application 3: God Chastens His Own

God chastens every son He receives; those without chastisement are illegitimate (Hebrews 12:5-8).

Application 4: National Judgment and Preparation

America cannot escape judgment for abortion, economic fraud, sodomy, and Marxism. Believers should prepare spiritually, physically, and practically.

Conclusion and Prayer

Weaver prays for deliverance from sin, wisdom, and holiness, urging determination not to do evil again.

Doing Evil Again

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	2106164328
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Proverbs: The Fear of the Lord and Wisdom: The Doctrine of Election
Genre	Sermon
Date	2005-12-18
Dictation Name
Book	Book 081: Proverbs: The Fear of the Lord and Wisdom - Volume 1 — Chapter 3
Source Timed Segments	75

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Phrase 'Did Evil Again': Weaver introduces Judges 13:1 and the phrase 'did evil again,' noting its significance and the message title.
The Nature of a Fool: A fool in Scripture is not mentally deficient but stubbornly refuses instruction, as shown in Proverbs 12:15, 15:5, 17:10, and 23:9.
Israel as Stiff-Necked: God called Israel stiff-necked (Exodus 32:9-10; Acts 7:51), indicating hardness and inability to be turned, illustrated by a stubborn mule.
Escalating Judgments in Judges: Israel's repeated evil led to judgments of increasing length and severity: 8 years (Judges 3:8), 18 years (3:14), 20 years (4:3), a severe 7 years (6:1-6), a 3-year civil war (ch. 9), 18 years of distress (10:8-9), and finally 40 years (13:1).
The Principle of Culpability: Greater blessings and privileges bring greater responsibility and deserve greater punishment when sin is repeated.
Amos 4: Escalating Judgments on Unrepentant Israel: God sent famine, drought, blight, pestilence, war, and supernatural destruction, yet Israel did not return; therefore God threatened national destruction (Amos 4:6-12; 5:1-3; 9:7-8).
Proverbs 29:1 and Lamentations 4:6: Those often reproved who harden their neck will be suddenly destroyed without remedy. Jerusalem's punishment was greater than Sodom's because it was prolonged and horrific.
Application 1: Evidence of Conversion: A genuine Christian does not continually sin (1 John 3:7-10); the ungodly cannot cease from sin (2 Peter 2:14).
Application 2: The Believer's Misery in Sin: When a real Christian sins, he is miserable until he repents. A saint is not free from sin but is not free to sin (Romans 6:17-23).
Application 3: God Chastens His Own: God chastens every son He receives; those without chastisement are illegitimate (Hebrews 12:5-8).
Application 4: National Judgment and Preparation: America cannot escape judgment for abortion, economic fraud, sodomy, and Marxism. Believers should prepare spiritually, physically, and practically.
Conclusion and Prayer: Weaver prays for deliverance from sin, wisdom, and holiness, urging determination not to do evil again.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Repeated evil brings escalating judgment

Israel's cycle of sin led to progressively longer and harsher punishments, demonstrating that God increases judgment when repentance is withheld.

What initially was an eight-year judgment, after they turned from that judgment and did evil again, then God increased their punishment by ten years. So they went to eighteen years.

Greater privilege means greater accountability

Those who know better and have received more light are more culpable and will receive severer judgment.

It would be bad if you read in the paper... that Ed Wolfe was captured robbing the bank... What would be worse is if the paper said, 'Pastor John Weaver arrested robbing the bank.' Not only do I know better, I teach better.

A fool is defined by refusal to heed correction

Scripture defines a fool not by intellect but by stubbornness and rejection of instruction, leading to destruction.

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.

Sudden destruction awaits the often-reproved

Proverbs 29:1 warns that those who harden their neck despite repeated reproof will be destroyed suddenly and without remedy.

He that being often reproved and hardeneth his neck shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

Continual sin is a mark of the unregenerate

1 John 3 teaches that those born of God do not continually sin; a lifestyle of unbroken sin indicates one is of the devil.

Whosoever is born of God is not continually committing sin... In this the children of God are manifest and the children of the devil.

True believers are miserable in sin

A genuine Christian cannot sin comfortably; he is grieved and driven to repentance, unlike the ungodly who enjoy sin.

When a real, genuine Christian sins, he is miserable until he repents and makes things right.

Chastisement proves sonship

Hebrews 12 shows that God's discipline is proof of His love and legitimate relationship; absence of chastening indicates illegitimacy.

If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons... if ye be without chastisement... then are ye bastards and not sons.

National sins guarantee national judgment

America's persistent sins—abortion, sodomy, economic corruption—will bring inevitable divine judgment, and believers must prepare.

You cannot murder thousands of babies a day and escape the judgment of God. You cannot have a false, fraudulent economy and escape the judgment of God.

Scripture References

Judges 13:1: Introduction of the text: Israel did evil again, leading to forty years of Philistine oppression.
Proverbs 12:15: Defines a fool as one who is right in his own eyes and rejects counsel.
Proverbs 15:5: A fool despises his father's instruction; a prudent person regards reproof.
Proverbs 17:10: A reproof enters a wise man more than a hundred stripes into a fool.
Proverbs 23:9: Do not speak in the ears of a fool, for he will despise wisdom.
Exodus 32:9-10: God calls Israel a stiff-necked people.
Acts 7:51: Stephen calls Israel stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart, always resisting the Holy Spirit.
Judges 3:7-8: Israel did evil, served Baalim, and was sold to Cushan-rishathaim for eight years.
Judges 3:11-14: Israel did evil again and served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years.
Judges 4:1-3: Israel again did evil and was oppressed by Jabin king of Canaan for twenty years.
Judges 6:1-6: Israel did evil and was delivered to Midian for seven years, a severe judgment with destruction and hiding in dens.
Judges 9: Abimelech's three-year judgment involved civil war and the murder of his brothers.
Judges 10:6-9: Israel did evil again, serving many gods, and was oppressed eighteen years by Philistines and Ammon, being sore distressed.
Amos 4:6-12: God sent famine, drought, blight, pestilence, war, and supernatural judgments, yet Israel did not return; therefore, prepare to meet God.
Amos 5:1-3: God laments Israel's fall; the city that went out by a thousand shall leave a hundred.
Amos 9:7-8: God will destroy the sinful kingdom from the face of the earth, saving a remnant.
Proverbs 29:1: He who is often reproved and hardens his neck will be suddenly destroyed without remedy.
Lamentations 4:6-11: Jerusalem's punishment was greater than Sodom's; women boiled their children during the siege.
1 John 3:7-10: Those born of God do not continually sin; this distinguishes children of God from children of the devil.
Romans 6:17-23: Believers have been freed from sin's dominion and now serve righteousness, being ashamed of past sins.

Historical References

Israel's cycle of sin in Judges: The repeated pattern of Israel doing evil, being oppressed, crying out, and being delivered, only to sin again.
Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah: Compared to Jerusalem's destruction; Sodom was overthrown instantly, while Jerusalem's siege lasted nearly two years.
Nebuchadnezzar's siege of Jerusalem: The Babylonian siege, sack, and destruction of Jerusalem lasted almost two years, causing extreme famine and cannibalism.
William Secker (Puritan): Quoted: 'A saint is not free from sin. That is his burden. A saint is not free to sin, that is his blessing...'

Important Quotes

Committing evil, even once, is bad enough in and of itself. But when you commit evil again and again, it expresses great wickedness and great rebellion. Moreover, it evidences great stubbornness and great foolishness.

Establishes the core message that repeated sin reveals a hardened heart and invites greater judgment.

A fool in Scripture is not a mentally deficient person. But a fool in Scripture is someone who will not listen, hear, heed, or follow instruction.

Defines the biblical fool as morally stubborn, not intellectually lacking, setting up the warning against stiff-necked rebellion.

For the punishment of the iniquity of the daughter of my people is greater than the punishment of the sin of Sodom that was overthrown as in a moment and no hands stayed on her.

Shows that prolonged judgment on those with greater light is more severe than swift destruction on the overtly wicked.

One of the greatest evidences that we are genuinely converted is that we are not continually sinning.

A key application: the pattern of a believer's life is not unbroken sin, distinguishing true conversion.

When a real, genuine Christian sins, he is miserable until he repents and makes things right.

Highlights the convicting work of the Spirit in a believer, contrasting with the ungodly who sin without remorse.

A saint is not free from sin. That is his burden. A saint is not free to sin, that is his blessing. Sin is in him, that is his lamentation. His soul is not in his sin, that is his consolation.

A Puritan quote that poetically captures the believer's struggle with indwelling sin and the assurance of a new nature.

You cannot murder thousands of babies a day and escape the judgment of God. You cannot have a false, fraudulent economy and escape the judgment of God. You cannot promote sodomy and Marxism and communism and escape the judgment of God.

Direct application of the sermon's principle to contemporary national sins, warning of inevitable divine judgment.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does the biblical definition of a fool challenge our modern understanding of foolishness?

[Context]

Weaver explains that a fool is not mentally deficient but morally stubborn, refusing instruction (Proverbs 12:15; 15:5).

[Question]

In what ways do we see the principle of escalating judgment in our own lives or in the church today?

[Context]

The sermon traces how Israel's judgments increased from 8 years to 40 years and in severity.

[Question]

Why does greater privilege and blessing lead to greater culpability? How should this affect those in positions of spiritual leadership?

[Context]

Weaver argues that those who know better and teach others are more accountable.

[Question]

How does 1 John 3:7-10 help us examine whether our profession of faith is genuine?

[Context]

The passage teaches that those born of God do not continually sin.

[Question]

What is the difference between a believer's occasional sin and an unbeliever's continual sin?

[Context]

Weaver contrasts the misery of a sinning saint with the ungodly who cannot cease from sin.

[Question]

How should the reality of God's chastening shape our view of suffering and discipline?

[Context]

Hebrews 12:5-8 teaches that chastening is proof of sonship, not rejection.

[Question]

What practical steps can believers take to prepare for national judgment while maintaining trust in God?

[Context]

Weaver urges preparation spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, and financially.

[Question]

How can we cultivate a heart that quickly repents rather than hardening when reproved?

[Context]

Proverbs 29:1 warns of sudden destruction for those who harden their neck despite reproof.

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T03:44:05Z