Church Order: Preaching and Pastoral Ministry

Why Have You Done This? - Part 1 of 2

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Church Government

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2026-01-05

Synopsis: Pastor John Weaver examines Judges 2:1-13, where God asks Israel 'Why have you done this?' after their disobedience. He draws parallels between Israel's covenant unfaithfulness and America's departure from its Christian founding. The sermon identifies two reasons for this rebellion: remorse without repentance and leaders without godly leadership. Applications emphasize the necessity of genuine repentance and prayer for biblical leaders.

[John Weaver] All right, I want you to open your Bibles if you would please to the book of Judges chapter 2 Judges chapter 2 This is going to be a two-part message. I Cannot get it all in one message. So the first part is today. The second part will be next Sunday Lord willing So the title of the message is, Why Have You Done This? And of course, you will see that that is a scriptural question in our text. So look in Judges chapter 2, beginning with verse 1. We'll read through verse 13. And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt and have brought you into the land which I swear unto your fathers.

[John Weaver] And I said, I will never break my covenant with you. And you shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land. You shall throw down their altars, but you have not obeyed my voice. Why have you done this? Wherefore, I also said, I will not drive them out from before you, but they shall be as thorns in your sides and their gods shall be a snare unto you. It came to pass when the angel of the Lord spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice and wept. And they called the name of that place Bochim, and they sacrificed there unto the Lord. And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man into his inheritance to possess the land. And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord that he did for Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died being 110 years old.

[John Weaver] And they buried him in the border of his inheritance and dipped in Timnath here is in the mount of Ephraim on the north side of the old gay ash. And also that generation were gathered under their fathers. And there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and serve Balaam. And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt and followed other gods. the gods of the people that were around about them and bowed themselves unto them and provoked the Lord to anger. And they forsook the Lord and surveilled an ashtaroth. So if you will notice in verse two, the Lord asked this question to Israel, why have you done this? So the title of this message is a question that has been asked innumerable times. Why have you done this? We asked this question to our children, we ask it to our spouses, we ask it to our friends, even our enemies.

[John Weaver] And many times we even ask this question to our pets. Why have you done this? There are times that we certainly know the answer to that question. The answer could be a very simple answer such as, well, your instructions were not clear or I did not know any better. Usually the unspoken answer to this question, why have you done this, is simply this. I don't care what you said or what you ask.

[John Weaver] I did what I wanted to do. And that is nothing less than pure rebellion. But that is the real answer most of the time.

[John Weaver] Now, it's also important to note that this question was not just asked to individuals, but it was also asked to a nation. You know, of course, that nations are made up of individuals. Nations are made up of families and families are made up of individuals. And of course, the scripture teaches us that individuals are answerable and accountable to God. They are certainly his creatures and they are certainly sinners. They're going to give an account to God. But not only are individuals answerable and accountable to God, so are nations, because God is the creator, he is the lawgiver, and he is the judge and the sovereign. However, covenant nations, that is those that adhere to a covenant with God, are especially answerable and accountable to God. So Israel was a covenant nation.

[John Weaver] Everyone knows that because the covenant was given at Mount Sinai and the people agreed to it. And of course, that was God's law. that was given there, which you'll find in Exodus chapter 20 and Deuteronomy chapter 5 as well. But what many people do not understand is simply this, that America was begun as a covenant nation also. All you have to do is examine copies of our founding documents. In fact, look at the Mayflower Compact or the Mayflower Covenant.

[John Weaver] In other words, there are numerous covenants. Now, I want to give you just a couple of original documents just to prove what I've just said, that America was begun as a covenantal nation as well. So here's the first charter of Virginia, which was April the 10th, 1606. This was granted by King James I for those individuals who would endeavor to settle Jamestown. And listen to this paragraph.

[John Weaver] We greatly commending and graciously accepting of their desires for the furtherance of so noble a work, which may, by the providence of Almighty God, hereafter tend to the glory of His Divine Majesty in propagating of Christian religion to such people as yet live in darkness and miserable ignorance of the true knowledge and worship of God, may in time bring the infidels and savages living in those parts to human civility and to a settled and quiet government. So they're saying that we are intending to honor God, to establish this, and try to reach these individuals for his honor and glory.

[John Weaver] Here is the first charter of Massachusetts, March the 4th, 1629, which was granted by King Charles I. So listen to this paragraph. For the directing, ruling, and disposing of all other matters and things, whereby our said people may be so religiously peaceable and civilly governed, as their good life and orderly conversation may win and incite the natives of the country to the knowledge and obedience of the only true God and Savior of mankind, and

[John Weaver] the Christian faith, which in our royal intention and the adventures of free profession is the principal end of this plantation." So the principal end, he said, was honoring and glorifying God and reaching those who were unsaved.

[John Weaver] Now I'm going to give you one more, and that is the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. This was January the 14th, 1639, and this was the first constitution actually written in America, and this constitution was the model even of our American Constitution, the United States Constitution. It was penned by Roger Ludlow, and after he had heard a message by the Puritan pastor Thomas Hooker. And so Hooker then in his congregation also helped Ludlow. And this was the founding document of Connecticut. In fact, it was so impressive that Connecticut now is known as the Constitution State. So I want to give you just one little sentence and then the first two articles. Here's the sentence.

[John Weaver] Which according to the truth of said gospel, is now practice among us. Now listen carefully. And also in our civil affairs to be guided and governed according to such laws, rules, orders, and decrees that is from the word of God. So here's the first two articles of the constitution of Connecticut. Article one, that the scriptures hold forth a perfect rule for the direction and government of all men in all duties, which they are to perform to God, to men, as well as in families and commonwealths, that's civil government, as in matters of churches. So here's Article 2, that as in matters which concern the gathering and ordering of a church, so likewise in all public offices which concern civil order, as the choice of magistrates and officers, making and repealing laws, dividing allotments of inheritance, and all things of like nature, They would all be governed by those rules which scripture held forth to them.

[John Weaver] So once again, here are these colonies saying, we are going to follow the law of God. We're going to follow the word of God.

[John Weaver] Now, you're going to say, well, I would really like to see that for myself, but I don't have access to all of those documents. Surely you do. All you have to do is simply go on the internet and type in the Avalon Project. And you're going to get all of the documents from the 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th century. You're going to have them all up to date.

[John Weaver] And you can read the charters. You can read the Constitution of every colony and of every state, that is for sure. So I could multiply illustrations, but I think you get the picture that America was actually begun then as a Christian nation and in covenant with the one true and the living God through the Lord Jesus Christ.

[John Weaver] Now, in Judges chapter 2, when we're looking at this text where God has asked, why have you done this? I want you to note that not just only in Judges chapter 2, but throughout the book of Judges particularly, as well as throughout the Bible, there is a very, very strong contrast. And that contrast is between the absolute faithfulness of God and the unfaithfulness of man. Let me say it another way. The contrast is between the faithfulness of God to his covenant. And the unfaithfulness of men and nations to his covenant. So, I want you to look in Judges chapter 2 and verse 1. Look at this.

[John Weaver] And the angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt and have brought you into the land which I swear unto your fathers. And I said, here's what he said, I will never break my covenant with you. Now, here's a good question. Who was this angel? The angel, the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bokin. Now the Hebrew word for angel here is the word malach. And it literally means an angel, a messenger, or a theophany, or a theophonic angel is what we would call that. So what is a theophany? A theophany is a pre-incarnate appearing of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament before he actually became incarnate or before he actually became flesh. So the angel here is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ himself.

[John Weaver] I'll show you that in just a moment. But if you will turn back in your Bibles just a few pages, to Joshua chapter 5, I will show you this again, beginning there with verse 13, and we'll read through verse 15. So Joshua chapter 5, beginning there with verse 13. And it came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes, and behold, there stood a man over against him with a sword drawn in his hand. Now Joshua had to be a very brave man. Because Joshua went unto him and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?

[John Weaver] And he said, Nay, but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant? And the captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot, for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so. This is the same message that was given to Moses at the burning bush. Take your shoes off. The ground on which you're standing is holy. So we have then in Joshua chapter five, a theophany that is a pre-incarnate appearing of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament.

[John Weaver] Now, if we go back to Judges chapter two in verse one, we can ask this question. How do we know that this is the Lord Jesus Christ? How do we know that this is a theophonic angel? Well, the answer to that is very simple. When you look at verse one, the angel said this, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and I brought you onto the land which I swear to your fathers.

[John Weaver] And I said, I will never break my covenant with you. So it was the Lord himself who brought Israel up out of the land of Egypt. It was the Lord himself who brought them into the promised land. It was the Lord Himself who swore unto the fathers. It was the Lord Himself who now has said, I will never break my covenant with you. So, God has never broken His covenant. He has never lied. He has never broken His word. Israel has broken the covenant multitudinous times, but God has never ever broken His covenant because He is the faithful God.

[John Weaver] Now here's a scripture that I would encourage everyone to memorize. It's found in Deuteronomy chapter 7 and verse 9. The Word of God says, Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations. So note, if you would, he is the faithful God. And when you get to first Corinthians chapter one in verse nine, Bible just simply says this. God is faithful by whom you were called into the fellowship of his son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. So the faithfulness of God is given to us throughout scripture. And if you would take the time when you get home to read Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy chapter 28, you will find that there God sets forth His blessings and His curses. And God tells us in these passages, as well as many others, that He is faithful to bless those who obey Him, and He is also faithful to curse those who disobey Him. In other words, He is going to be faithful to his covenant whether or not it is faithful in blessing or faithful in cursing But he is the faithful God now I want you to contrast verse 1 with verses 2 & 3 of Judges 2 look at it Here's what the angel said and

[John Weaver] you shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land You shall throw down their altars But you have not obeyed my voice. Now look at the question. Why have you done this? Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you, but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. So God asked them, why have you done this?

[John Weaver] Unhappily, in Judges chapter 2, this is not a single incident of rebellion. Rebellion is recorded of the nation and of the people over and over. They rejected God's law, they violated His commandments, and they did so multitudinous times. So just skip down to verses 12 and 13 of Judges chapter 2. Look at this. What did they do? And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them. bowed themselves unto them and provoked the Lord to anger and look at this and they forsook the Lord and served Baal and Ashtoreth Wow now skip down to verse 16 and let's go through verse 19 The Bible says nevertheless the Lord raised up judges Which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoil them. Hey, oh boy, what's this and yet they would not hearken unto their judges and But they went a-whoring after other gods and bowed themselves unto them. They turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the Lord.

[John Weaver] But they did not so. And when the Lord raised them up judges, then the Lord was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For it repented the Lord because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned and corrupted themselves more than their fathers in following other gods to serve them and to bow down on them.

[John Weaver] They cease not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way. Wow.

[John Weaver] Now that's just in Judges chapter two. Now, there is a phrase that happens to appear over and over in the book of Judges. It's also found in the book of Nehemiah. And I want to show you that phrase. In fact, the phrase is simply this, they did evil again. So if you look in Judges chapter three and verse 12, Judges three and verse 12, the Bible says this, 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. Notice they did evil again. Look in Judges chapter 4 and verse 1. And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord when Ehud was dead. Look in Judges chapter 10 and verse 6. Judges 10 and 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

[John Weaver] not. Now look in Judges chapter 13 and verse 1. Judges 13 and 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." One more time, and I'll quote it. That's from the book of Nehemiah, chapter 9, verse 28, where the Word of God says, But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee, and therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them. And when they returned and cried unto thee, thou hurtest them from heaven, And many times since thou delivered them according thy mercies, but note they did evil again. Now we know that God is faithful. We know that God is infinitely holy, righteous, just.

[John Weaver] He's merciful, kind and loving. But we also know that man, fallen man, is depraved. He's a sinner. He's wicked. He's rebellious. He's ungodly. And notice, if you would, Therefore he is in rebellion against God. So this is why our Lord asked this question in verse 2. Why have you done this? I told you exactly what to do. I gave you clear commandments and instruction, but you have not obeyed my voice. So why have you not done what I asked you to do? So let me ask this question and try to begin answering it for you.

[John Weaver] I want you to think about this. God looks at the nation Israel and he asks, why have you done this? So let's ask the same question of America. Why have you done this? I mean, we have forsaken God and his law for man and his law. We've turned from the worship of God to the worship of money and materialism. We have gone from honoring God to sheer humanism. And we've left theology and gone into secularism. I mean, we've basically done the same thing as national Israel. We've turned our backs upon Him. So why have we done it? Why did Israel do it?

[John Weaver] Why are we doing it? Now, there are clear answers to this question in our text. But today, I'm only going to be able to give you two of those answers. And Lord willing, next Sunday, I'm going to give you the other three of those answers. When our Lord asks, why have you done this? Here's the first answer. That is, they had remorse without repentance. They had remorse without repentance.

[John Weaver] And it's the same truth in America. We have remorse without repentance. So look in verse four. And it came to pass when the angel of the Lord spake those words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice and wept. And they called the name of that place, Vokim, and they sacrificed there unto the Lord. Let me just point something out. Weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth are not necessarily signs of repentance. Just because someone weeps, just because someone gets emotional or sentimental, does not mean that they have repented.

[John Weaver] It may be a sign of embarrassment. It may be a sign that they're sorry that they were caught in their sins. It may be a sign that they're sorry that they were exposed. And it may be a sign of just sheer hypocrisy and deceit. I've known In my lifetime, many people that have wept over a situation made a temporary change, vowed and declared that they were going to be different people.

[John Weaver] They would never, ever do such again. And they kept their word for at least two weeks and then went right back to doing what they were doing previously. They went back to their old ways. They went back to their old habits. What does that mean? It means they had remorse, but they did not have repentance. Now, how do we know that Israel merely had remorse and not repentance?

[John Weaver] Well, I've already showed you that from the Bible. Because they continually committed the same sin over and over. They committed idolatry. They left God. They left His law. They left His worship. And they went to Baal, and they went to Ashtoreth, and to all the other gods as well. I want you to understand there is a vast difference between worldly sorrow and a godly sorrow. So if you will turn in your Bibles very quickly to the book of 2 Corinthians chapter 7, 2 Corinthians chapter 7, and look if you would please, beginning there with verse 9. 2 Corinthians chapter 7 and verse 9. Look what the Word of God says. The Apostle Paul, writing these Corinthians, said, Verse 9, Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but watch this, but that you sorrowed to repentance. For you were made sorry after a godly manner, that you might receive damage by us in nothing. Then he makes this statement, For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of, but the sorrow of this world worketh death.

[John Weaver] So there is a worldly sorrow that can be expressed in embarrassment, shock. I got caught. I got exposed. There can be a worldly sorrow that is hypocritical, that is deceptive. But he said there is also a godly sorrow and that godly sorrow works repentance that is not to be repented of. In other words, there is a genuine repentance. And then there is just that simple remorse without the repentance. Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change of conduct. So, if I happen to be walking due east and I repent, I change my mind, I do an about-face, 180 degrees, and I turn and begin walking west. So, the word for repentance is the word metanoia.

[John Weaver] Noio is verb, noia would be the noun, meta-with, So it actually means with the mind. So repentance begins in the mind. We change our mind concerning God. We change our mind concerning sin. We change our mind concerning our attitudes and our actions. And of course, then we turn from our sins unto God.

[John Weaver] Now, let me point out that there is a negative aspect to repentance and there is a positive aspect of repentance. So if you would turn right on over to 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, I will show you both of these aspects. So in 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, the Apostle Paul is writing about the effect of the gospel upon these Thessalonians. So in 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 9, he says this, For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God.

[John Weaver] And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivered us from the wrath to come. Now watch this. Verse 9, For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, how you turn to God from idols. In other words, that's the negative aspect. You're leaving your sin, you're leaving your rebellion, you're turning from any and everything that is contrary to God, and contrary to His Word. But here's the positive. You turn to God from idols, what is the purpose? To serve the living and true God. So those who truly, genuinely repented have an evidence of it in that they've turned from their sins, which is a negative, but it's also a positive because now they've turned to God to serve Him and to wait for His Son from heaven, that is to be faithful and continually obedient until he returns.

[John Weaver] Now, may I point out that this is one problem that we have today in our modern churches. We have a church full of people that have never, ever genuinely repented of their sins. And hence, they're not intent upon serving God. They're not obedient. They're not submissive. They're certainly not faithful by any stretch of the imagination. And so what we've done is we've got a church full of individuals who profess to be Christians who've never, ever repented.

[John Weaver] And it's impossible to have true faith without repentance, just like it's impossible to have true repentance without faith. Those two things simply go together. And so what has happened then, we have church full of people who end up causing more problems than they do anything else. And they are always interested in their programs, they're always interested in anything and everything except the Word of God and the worship in God.

[John Weaver] They don't want any part of that. And we've turned our churches into social organizations and business meetings, this kind of thing. And so our churches then have turned out to be nothing more than social clubs because all of our so-called worship now It's just basically ceremony and ritual. In fact, I've said this before and I'll say it again. If the Holy Spirit of God was taken out of the world tomorrow, most churches would continue as usual. There'd be no problem.

[John Weaver] Because they have all their programs, they have all their plans, they have everything. Except the true worship of God.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn to one passage, if you would, and that's Amos chapter 5. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, and I want you to look and see what God says concerning this worship. You can also find a similar passage in the book of Isaiah chapter 1, but I want you to look, if you would please, at Amos chapter 5, and notice, if you would please, what is said particularly by God. Amos chapter 5, and let's notice, if you would, verse 21. Amos chapter 5, verse 21. Look what God says to Israel. What they have done is they've taken the worship of God and boiled it down into ceremonies and rituals. And so God says this, I hate, I despise your feast days. Whoa! Did not God ordain those feast days? Yes, He did.

[John Weaver] He said, I will not smell in your solemn assemblies. Did not God ordain the solemn assemblies? Yes, He did. Watch if you would in verse 22. Though you offer me burnt offerings in your meal offerings, I will not accept them. I don't want them. I won't have them. Neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. I will not take anything that you give me. Then he said, take away from me the noise of thy songs. In other words, all your singing, all of your music is nothing but noise in my ears. I don't want it. He said, for I will not hear the melody of thy vows. Why? They've got rituals, they've got ceremonies, but they don't have truth.

[John Weaver] He says in verse 24, but let judgment run down as waters and righteousness as a mighty stream. And so God has never meant for his worship to be turned into ceremonies and rituals. And God said, I hate it. I despise it. I will not have it. So this is where we are today. And you can ask this question. In America, you can ask this question in our modern day churches, why has thou done this?

[John Weaver] And the answer is going to always come back, rebellion. We don't want God. We don't want his word. We don't want his law. We don't want him governing us and ruling over us and directing us. So the first answer to why has thou done this is we have remorse without repentance.

[John Weaver] Now, here's the second point today. Why has thou done this? Well, we have leaders without leadership. If you look down in verse seven, and the people serve the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord that he did for Israel. So notice if you would now, the people were faithful as long as Joshua was alive. And they were also faithful as long as the elders who outlived Joshua were alive. But when they died off, when the original group died off, there were new leaders that came into existence that did not lead in a biblical manner.

[John Weaver] You know, it's the same thing that's true in America. When America began, we began as a Christian nation, and our founding fathers laid forth the principles from the Word of God. In fact, The Bible is the most often quoted book in all of the founding documents. And it just so happens the book of Deuteronomy happens to be the most often quoted book in the Bible, which deals, of course, with God's law. So it's interesting that when our founders died off, then we began to drift into pure humanism and secularism and materialism. It's interesting there is an adage that said leaders lead. And that is true. Leaders do lead. But you have to understand that not every leader is a Christian and not every leader has a biblical philosophy. Not every leader believes the word of God and wants to bring his life into conformity to the word of God. So there is a vast difference now between a biblical godly leader and a worldly unsaved leader. So we do have leaders today and they are leading, but they're leading in the wrong direction.

[John Weaver] They're not leading us in conformity to the word of God. They're not leading us in the worship of God. They're not leading us to biblical obedience. No, no. What they're doing is they are leading us in such a way to destroy our country, destroy the people of the country. destroy our freedom and destroy our prosperity. When you stop and think about prosperity, the truth of the matter is this.

[John Weaver] We probably have more money today than we've ever had in our entire lives. But it's more worthless today than it ever has been in our entire lives. That's why it takes so much money to live. Inflation is not higher prices. Inflation happens to be the symptom, or the higher prices happen to be the symptom of inflation. You get inflation by the constant and continual printing of more and more money, and the more money that is printed, the less valuable is that which you possess. And thus it takes more and more.

[John Weaver] And I tell people, and they look astounded and amazed, that when Alice and I got married, Nearly 63 years ago, I gave her 10 bucks a week to buy groceries for us. And I'd kind of fuss if she didn't bring two or three of it back. So that meant the two of us could live all week long on six or seven bucks worth of groceries. I mean, that would include meat, milk, veggies, bread, whatever we wanted. You can even walk out of the grocery store today with a loaf of bread for less than five or six bucks.

[John Weaver] So I'm just simply saying we have been destroyed. In fact, Our politicians today are more like leeches. They're bloodsuckers, and they're sucking the blood out of our country. They're serving themselves and not us. They are enriching themselves at the expense of the nation. I think you've seen this in some of the exposés that have been going on. And when you have a government organization that loses a trillion dollars, something is wrong somewhere, and we're being led in the direction of idolatry and in the direction of tyranny now let me point out the fact you have to understand that there are indeed leaders that lead but they can lead in the wrong direction now Jeroboam the first king of Israel Jeroboam the first he was the first king of the northern kingdom he was also a servant and worked under Solomon until Solomon got jealous of him then he had to leave And when there was a split under Rehoboam, Solomon's son, then Jeroboam was called for out of Egypt, and he became the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel.

[John Weaver] And Jeroboam was a very industrious man. He was a very smart man, and he took counsel. You can read about this in 1 Kings 11 and 12. He took counsel together, and he is the one who made the two golden calves and said, these be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And he put one in Dan and the other in Bethel.

[John Weaver] And it became a huge sin. And he drove out the Levites that were there, the true priests. And he made priests of his own. In other words, here's a man that led the people into idolatry. And he led them into idolatry for one simple reason, to preserve his life And his rule, he said, if I let them go down to Judah, then they'll return to Rehoboam and they'll kill me. And what's going to happen to my rule and my power and my posterity.

[John Weaver] And so he introduced the two golden camps. I'm just going to be pointing out here was a real leader, but he led an entire nation into idolatry. It's too much for you to go up to Jerusalem to worship. Stay right here. worship these golden games. And may I tell you, Judah had her wicked kings as well. Manasseh was one of them. He not only led the southern kingdom into idolatry, but also into immorality. Let me show you, if you will turn in your Bibles very quickly, the second Kings chapter 21.

[John Weaver] And let's begin reading with verse nine. And we're going to read about Manasseh. You need to read the entire chapter. You're going to see the wickedness of this man and what he did. But look in second Kings chapter 21 in verse nine, we'll read through verse 16. The Bible says, but they hearken not. That is, they would not listen to the prophets of God. They wouldn't listen to the law of Moses, but they hearken not. And Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel. And the Lord spake by service of prophets, saying, Because Manasseh, king of Judah, hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols. Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria.

[John Weaver] and the plummet of the house of Ahab. And I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth the dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies. And they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies, because they have done that which was evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day of their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even in this day."

[John Weaver] Watch this, Moab and Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, that is the babies. till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, beside his sin, wherewith he made Judah to sin, and doing that which was evil in the sight of the Lord."

[John Weaver] Now look at verse 17. Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh and all that he did, and his sin that he sinned, are written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah. And of course you can find this same truth in 2 Chronicles as well as 2 Kings here. But Manasseh had children, had babies, sacrificed to Baal, to Molech. He even put sodomites in the temple. He even put an idol in the temple.

[John Weaver] So here is a king that again seduced an entire nation and led them into immorality and idolatry. Well, if the people are idolatrous and immoral, then they're not going to condemn their leaders who are idolatrous immoral. So I want you to understand something. There are many leaders, whether they be good or bad, but there are many leaders with great personalities, great abilities, they're great orators, they have goals, they have desires, but most of these, instead of being biblical, are unsaved and ungodly. This is why in Deuteronomy 17, God said, if you have a king, which would be equivalent to a ruler, if you have a king, he has to be one from among your own brethren.

[John Weaver] That is, he has to be like you. He has to be a believer. He cannot be a foreigner. He cannot be an unbeliever. Moreover, the scripture says in Deuteronomy chapter 17, he has to have his own copy, his own personal copy of the law of God. And he's to read there in every day. He has to be man of the covenant that's what the Word of God is emphasizing now here is a quote from our Supreme Court justice and in fact I will rephrase that our very first Supreme Court justice John Jay who was appointed by George Washington and John Jay said this Providence has given

[John Weaver] to our people the choice of their ruler and it is the duty of as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers. Wow.

[John Weaver] Now, I do want you to turn to Isaiah chapter three. I will do a look if you would please at verse 12. This is one of the problems that we are experiencing in this country. And this is not a put down on you ladies, but it is a truth that God shows us. And I think you can understand some of this. Look if you would in Isaiah chapter 3 and verse 12. Look what God says.

[John Weaver] As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. He says, O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err and destroy the way of thy paths. So he says, children are your oppressors, and women rule over you. You just stop and think. about the women that happened to be in Congress, and some men as well. It's kind of like one man said, I wouldn't put them with my dogs.

[John Weaver] Now, think if you would, please, about AOC, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She was a former bartender. She has been in Congress for six years. She started with nothing and just this week I read where she is now worth 30 million bucks. How do you amass 30 million bucks in six years on a $285,000 a year salary? I just, I don't know. That's not all. Everybody is aware of Nancy Pelosi? Okay. Paul and Nancy Pelosi, here is a quote. According to the New York Post, the couple's net worth surged to $413 million from their 2023 net worth of $370 million. How do you get $413 million? Wow. Hang on.

[John Weaver] I'm just trying to lay something out for you. Here's another quote. In 2020, a stat analysis found that 72 senators and 302 House members received contributions from the pharmaceutical industry, representing over two-thirds of Congress. The industry donated a total of $14 million that cycle. with major PACs like Pfizer contributing to 228 lawmakers. The top four recipients of this money are number one, Kamala Harris, Democrat. She got 11,341,349. Number two, Joe Biden, Democrat, 9,128,291. Number three, Barack Obama, Democrat, six million.

[John Weaver] Forty one thousand six hundred seventy eight and then fourthly Hillary Clinton Democrat four million six hundred twenty two thousand six hundred fifty four I Think it would be wise to check all the names of your senators and representatives that have taken gifts quote-unquote Which are really bribes from such indices and I just read this this week This is absolutely astounding Here's the quote The quote stated, out of 535 members of Congress, only 10 of them, only 10 of them reject IPAC money, that's money from Israel. 525 members of Congress, that's 98.2%, are paid to put Israel's interests before yours. Only 10 do not receive money from Israel.

[John Weaver] Wow. I have read this past week. Where they are promoting another covid shot. And I want to make a statement. In light of all the death and devastation. And disease and heartache from the first covid shots. If you are dumb enough, and I'm going to rephrase that, if you are stupid enough to take another one, you really need your head examined. Anything now that they're pushing, you better beware of, you better learn to do your own research.

[John Weaver] You should understand why vaccines are supported by our leaders and it's not for our benefit, it's they are being paid by the pharmaceutical interests. They have their interest in mind and not your interest.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to 2 Samuel chapter 5. So here are two questions that I'm going to ask before I make some applications. 2 Samuel chapter 5, and I want you to look at verse 12. And here's my question. Do you personally know or have you ever known of a politician in our modern times that have come to this realization?

[John Weaver] Anyone or any group of them. I don't care. Look in 2 Samuel 5, verse 12. And David perceived that the Lord had established him king over Israel and that he exalted his kingdom for his people Israel's sake. What did David realize? God made me king. God established His kingdom. Why? For His people Israel's sake. In other words, it's my responsibility to protect His people. It's my responsibility to promote His people. It's my responsibility to serve them, not myself. God put me in this position of authority. God put me in this position of power for His people's sake. Now, I want you to turn, if you would, please, to 2 Samuel chapter 23. 2 Samuel chapter 23. And I want you to look, if you would, at the first three verses.

[John Weaver] So here's my second question. Do you know any politicians, any leaders that have come to this realization and this truth? So watch carefully. 2 Samuel chapter 23, verse 1.

[John Weaver] Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob and the sweet psalmist of Israel said, that would be one time, the spirit of the Lord spake by me, that's twice. His word was in my tongue, that's three times. The God of Israel said, that's four times. The Rock of Israel spake to me, that's five times. David is claiming direct inspiration for this one simple sentence. He that ruleth over men must be just ruling in the fear of God. You cannot rule in the fear of God unless you are obedient to God, because fearing God and obedience are synonymous. You cannot be just unless you're obedient to God in His Word. That's why our Lord said in Luke chapter 18, there was an unjust judge who feared not God, neither regarded man. If there is no fear of God, there is no regard for man. It's just that simple. And you look around, what has happened to Israel?

[John Weaver] What has happened to America? The same exact thing. Without biblical godly leadership, there is loss without biblical godly leadership. It will turn into a deadly Devastating and disastrous loss you consider All of the lives that have been lost in wars. Let me put this another way you consider all the lives that have been lost in needless useless wars Do you know why there's so many wars Here's the answer. War is profitable. If you took the profit out of war, nobody would want to fight anymore.

[John Weaver] It was General Smedley Butler who said it correctly. War is a racket. You look at the devastation from the last COVID shots and the flu shots. I'm just simply pointing out the facts. Without biblical, godly leadership, there is loss and it is a deadly loss. So I've given you two reasons for the answer. Why has thou done this? Remorse without repentance and leaders without leadership. That is without godly leadership.

[John Weaver] Let me make a couple of applications. I think you understand this one. First, we will never, as individuals or as a nation, be acceptable unto God without repentance. Our Lord made that exceedingly clear in Luke chapter 13, when He said to those people, except you repent, ye shall likewise perish. They said, hey, did you hear about those men whose blood Pilate mingled with their sacrifices? And did you hear about those 18 men on whom the tyrant Sloan fell? Our Lord said, Do you think they were sinners above all others? Nay, I tell you, but except you repent, you shall all likewise perish. In other words, the truth is, if we do not repent, we will perish. And there's many different ways to perish. We can perish spiritually. That is true. We can perish physically. We can perish financially. We can perish emotionally and mentally. We can perish any number of ways. And the Word of God tells us in Acts chapter 17, verses 30 and 31, listen to this. And the times of this ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.

[John Weaver] Now, why does God command all men everywhere to repent? Listen to verse 31. Here it is. He said, because he, God, hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man, whereof he hath given assurance unto all in that he hath raised him from the dead. So just as surely as God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, there's going to be a judgment. And just as surely, men will give an account to God. Wow. Therefore he commands all men everywhere to repent. So without repentance, There's no way individuals, families, societies, or nations can be acceptable with God.

[John Weaver] The second one is this. We need to learn to pray for leaders, biblical, godly leaders. Wow. Just stop and think about this. Those who do not lead biblically and scripturally are going to lead us into idolatry. and immorality and destruction. It's just that simple. So we have to have the courage to stand against all of the ungodliness, all of the immorality, all of the idolatry that is going on in the world today. We have to. In America today. Just stop and think about this.

[John Weaver] There's persecution on every hand. And it's probably going to get worse. There's no two ways about that. But listen to what our Lord said in Revelation chapter 2 in verse 10. He said, Fear none of those things which you shall suffer. Listen, Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried, and you shall have a tribulation ten days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life.

[John Weaver] So what we have to do in this age of wickedness, immorality, idolatry, humanism, secularism, materialism, we have to stand. We have to say, here I stand, I can do no other. We have to determine that we're not going to sell our souls for materialism or gain. We're not going to quit, we're not going to give in, we're not going to give up, we're just going to stand.

[John Weaver] Let me tell you, I can tell you right now, who will abide the persecution? I can tell you that right now. Only those who know the Word of God. Only those who know the Lord Jesus Christ. Only those who know that God is the faithful God. Only those who know that we know that all things work together for good to them who are called according to His purpose.

[John Weaver] It doesn't matter what transpires. We know. We know. And we're going to stand and we're going to be true and faithful. So why hast thou done this? Well, we have remorse without repentance. And we have leaders without leadership. And next Sunday, Lord willing, I'm going to show you the other three problems that Israel had that we have. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to thee.

[John Weaver] We thank you for your word. We thank you for your truth. And Lord, I pray that you would open our eyes Make us wise, Lord, give us wisdom, give us understanding, give us insight, and give us a holy boldness and a holy determination to stand for Thee and Thy Word. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

[John Weaver] ♪

Why Have You Done This? - Part 1 of 2

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	Ae1Q7GJJvGw
Subject	Church Government
Course	Church Order: Preaching and Pastoral Ministry
Genre	Sermon
Date	2026-01-05
Dictation Name
Book	Book 054: Why Have You Done This? — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	86

Formatted Transcript

Introduction and Scripture Reading

Weaver introduces the two-part message from Judges 2:1-13, highlighting God's question 'Why have you done this?' as a question asked of individuals and nations.

All right, I want you to open your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Judges chapter 2. Judges chapter 2. This is going to be a two-part message. I cannot get it all in one message. So the first part is today. The second part will be next Sunday, Lord willing. So the title of the message is, "Why Have You Done This?" And of course, you will see that that is a scriptural question in our text. So look in Judges chapter 2, beginning with verse 1. We'll read through verse 13.

Scripture Reading — Judges 2:1-13

"And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt and have brought you into the land which I swear unto your fathers."

America as a Covenant Nation

Weaver argues that America was founded as a Christian covenant nation, citing founding documents like the First Charter of Virginia, the First Charter of Massachusetts, and the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut.

Everyone knows that because the covenant was given at Mount Sinai and the people agreed to it. And of course, that was God's law that was given there, which you'll find in Exodus chapter 20 and Deuteronomy chapter 5 as well. But what many people do not understand is simply this, that America was begun as a covenant nation also. All you have to do is examine copies of our founding documents. In fact, look at the Mayflower Compact or the Mayflower Covenant. In other words, there are numerous covenants. Now, I want to give you just a couple of original documents just to prove what I've just said, that America was begun as a covenantal nation as well. So here's the first charter of Virginia, which was April the 10th, 1606. This was granted by King James I for those individuals who would endeavor to settle Jamestown. And listen to this paragraph.

"We greatly commending and graciously accepting of their desires for the furtherance of so noble a work, which may, by the providence of Almighty God, hereafter tend to the glory of His Divine Majesty in propagating of Christian religion to such people as yet live in darkness and miserable ignorance of the true knowledge and worship of God, may in time bring the infidels and savages living in those parts to human civility and to a settled and quiet government." So they're saying that we are intending to honor God, to establish this, and try to reach these individuals for his honor and glory. Here is the first charter of Massachusetts, March the 4th, 1629, which was granted by King Charles I. So listen to this paragraph. "For the directing, ruling, and disposing of all other matters and things, whereby our said people may be so religiously peaceable and civilly governed, as their good life and orderly conversation may win and incite the natives of the country to the knowledge and obedience of the only true God and Savior of mankind, and

the Christian faith, which in our royal intention and the adventures' free profession is the principal end of this plantation." So the principal end, he said, was honoring and glorifying God and reaching those who were unsaved. Now I'm going to give you one more, and that is the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. This was January the 14th, 1639, and this was the first constitution actually written in America, and this constitution was the model even of our American Constitution, the United States Constitution. It was penned by Roger Ludlow, and after he had heard a message by the Puritan pastor Thomas Hooker. And so Hooker then in his congregation also helped Ludlow. And this was the founding document of Connecticut. In fact, it was so impressive that Connecticut now is known as the Constitution State. So I want to give you just one little sentence and then the first two articles. Here's the sentence.

"Which according to the truth of said gospel, is now practiced among us." Now listen carefully. "And also in our civil affairs to be guided and governed according to such laws, rules, orders, and decrees as is from the word of God." So here's the first two articles of the constitution of Connecticut. Article 1: "That the scriptures hold forth a perfect rule for the direction and government of all men in all duties, which they are to perform to God, to men, as well as in families and commonwealths"—that's civil government—"as in matters of churches." So here's Article 2: "That as in matters which concern the gathering and ordering of a church, so likewise in all public offices which concern civil order, as the choice of magistrates and officers, making and repealing laws, dividing allotments of inheritance, and all things of like nature, they would all be governed by those rules which scripture held forth to them."

So once again, here are these colonies saying, "We are going to follow the law of God. We're going to follow the word of God." Now, you're going to say, "Well, I would really like to see that for myself, but I don't have access to all of those documents." Surely you do. All you have to do is simply go on the internet and type in the Avalon Project. And you're going to get all of the documents from the 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th century. You're going to have them all up to date. And you can read the charters. You can read the Constitution of every colony and of every state, that is for sure. So I could multiply illustrations, but I think you get the picture that America was actually begun then as a Christian nation and in covenant with the one true and the living God through the Lord Jesus Christ.

God's Faithfulness vs. Man's Unfaithfulness

The contrast between God's faithfulness to His covenant and Israel's repeated rebellion is emphasized, with God declaring 'I will never break my covenant' while Israel disobeyed.

Now, in Judges chapter 2, when we're looking at this text where God has asked, "Why have you done this?" I want you to note that not just only in Judges chapter 2, but throughout the book of Judges particularly, as well as throughout the Bible, there is a very, very strong contrast. And that contrast is between the absolute faithfulness of God and the unfaithfulness of man. Let me say it another way. The contrast is between the faithfulness of God to his covenant and the unfaithfulness of men and nations to his covenant. So, I want you to look in Judges chapter 2 and verse 1. Look at this. "And the angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt and have brought you into the land which I swear unto your fathers. And I said"—here's what he said—"I will never break my covenant with you." Now, here's a good question. Who was this angel? The angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim. Now the Hebrew word for angel here is the word malach. And it literally means an angel, a messenger, or a theophany, or a theophanic angel is what we would call that. So what is a theophany? A theophany is a pre-incarnate appearing of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament before he actually became incarnate or before he actually became flesh. So the angel here is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ himself.

I'll show you that in just a moment. But if you will turn back in your Bibles just a few pages, to Joshua chapter 5, I will show you this again, beginning there with verse 13, and we'll read through verse 15. So Joshua chapter 5, beginning there with verse 13.

Scripture Reading — Joshua 5:13-15

"And it came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes, and behold, there stood a man over against him with a sword drawn in his hand."

Now Joshua had to be a very brave man.

Scripture Reading — Joshua 5:13-15

"Because Joshua went unto him and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?" "And he said, Nay, but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant? And the captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot, for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so."

This is the same message that was given to Moses at the burning bush. "Take your shoes off. The ground on which you're standing is holy." So we have then in Joshua chapter 5, a theophany, that is a pre-incarnate appearing of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament.

Now, if we go back to Judges chapter 2 in verse 1, we can ask this question. How do we know that this is the Lord Jesus Christ? How do we know that this is a theophanic angel? Well, the answer to that is very simple. When you look at verse 1, the angel said this, "I made you to go up out of Egypt, and I brought you into the land which I swear to your fathers. And I said, I will never break my covenant with you." So it was the Lord himself who brought Israel up out of the land of Egypt. It was the Lord himself who brought them into the promised land. It was the Lord himself who swore unto the fathers. It was the Lord himself who now has said, "I will never break my covenant with you." So, God has never broken His covenant. He has never lied. He has never broken His word. Israel has broken the covenant multitudinous times, but God has never ever broken His covenant because He is the faithful God.

Now here's a scripture that I would encourage everyone to memorize. It's found in Deuteronomy chapter 7 and verse 9. The Word of God says,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 7:9

"Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations."

So note, if you would, He is the faithful God. And when you get to 1 Corinthians chapter 1 in verse 9, the Bible just simply says this: "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." So the faithfulness of God is given to us throughout scripture. And if you would take the time when you get home to read Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy chapter 28, you will find that there God sets forth His blessings and His curses. And God tells us in these passages, as well as many others, that He is faithful to bless those who obey Him, and He is also faithful to curse those who disobey Him. In other words, He is going to be faithful to his covenant whether or not it is faithful in blessing or faithful in cursing. But He is the faithful God. Now I want you to contrast verse 1 with verses 2 and 3 of Judges 2. Look at it. Here's what the angel said: "And

you shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land. You shall throw down their altars. But you have not obeyed my voice." Now look at the question. "Why have you done this? Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you, but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you." So God asked them, "Why have you done this?"

Israel's Repeated Rebellion

Weaver traces the phrase 'they did evil again' through Judges and Nehemiah, showing Israel's cycle of sin despite God's deliverance.

Now that's just in Judges chapter 2. Now, there is a phrase that happens to appear over and over in the book of Judges. It's also found in the book of Nehemiah. And I want to show you that phrase. In fact, the phrase is simply this: "they did evil again." So if you look in Judges chapter 3 and verse 12, Judges 3 and verse 12, the Bible says this:

Scripture Reading — Judges 3:12

"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."

Notice they did evil again. Look in Judges chapter 4 and verse 1:

Scripture Reading — Judges 3:12

"And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord when Ehud was dead."

Look in Judges chapter 10 and verse 6. Judges 10 and verse 6:

Scripture Reading — Judges 3:12

"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." Now look in Judges chapter 13 and verse 1. Judges 13 and verse 1:

Scripture Reading — Judges 10:6

"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." One more time, and I'll quote it. That's from the book of Nehemiah, chapter 9, verse 28, where the Word of God says, "But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee, and therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them. And when they returned and cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven, and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies," but note they did evil again. Now we know that God is faithful. We know that God is infinitely holy, righteous, just.

First Reason: Remorse Without Repentance

Israel wept at Bochim but lacked true repentance, as evidenced by their continued idolatry. Weaver distinguishes worldly sorrow from godly sorrow that leads to genuine change.

Why are we doing it? Now, there are clear answers to this question in our text. But today, I'm only going to be able to give you two of those answers. And Lord willing, next Sunday, I'm going to give you the other three of those answers. When our Lord asks, "Why have you done this?" here's the first answer. That is, they had remorse without repentance. They had remorse without repentance.

And it's the same truth in America. We have remorse without repentance. So look in verse 4. "And it came to pass when the angel of the Lord spake those words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice and wept. And they called the name of that place Bochim, and they sacrificed there unto the Lord." Let me just point something out. Weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth are not necessarily signs of repentance. Just because someone weeps, just because someone gets emotional or sentimental, does not mean that they have repented.

It may be a sign of embarrassment. It may be a sign that they're sorry that they were caught in their sins. It may be a sign that they're sorry that they were exposed. And it may be a sign of just sheer hypocrisy and deceit. I've known in my lifetime many people that have wept over a situation, made a temporary change, vowed and declared that they were going to be different people. They would never, ever do such again. And they kept their word for at least two weeks and then went right back to doing what they were doing previously. They went back to their old ways. They went back to their old habits. What does that mean? It means they had remorse, but they did not have repentance. Now, how do we know that Israel merely had remorse and not repentance?

Well, I've already showed you that from the Bible. Because they continually committed the same sin over and over. They committed idolatry. They left God. They left His law. They left His worship. And they went to Baal, and they went to Ashtoreth, and to all the other gods as well. I want you to understand there is a vast difference between worldly sorrow and a godly sorrow. So if you will turn in your Bibles very quickly to the book of 2 Corinthians chapter 7, 2 Corinthians chapter 7, and look if you would please, beginning there with verse 9. 2 Corinthians chapter 7 and verse 9. Look what the Word of God says. The Apostle Paul, writing to these Corinthians, said, verse 9,

Scripture Reading — 2 Corinthians 7:9-10

"Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but"

—watch this—

Scripture Reading — 2 Corinthians 7:9-10

"but that you sorrowed to repentance. For you were made sorry after a godly manner, that you might receive damage by us in nothing."

Then he makes this statement:

Scripture Reading — 2 Corinthians 7:9-10

"For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of, but the sorrow of this world worketh death."

So there is a worldly sorrow that can be expressed in embarrassment, shock—"I got caught. I got exposed." There can be a worldly sorrow that is hypocritical, that is deceptive. But he said there is also a godly sorrow and that godly sorrow works repentance that is not to be repented of. In other words, there is a genuine repentance. And then there is just that simple remorse without the repentance. Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change of conduct. So, if I happen to be walking due east and I repent, I change my mind, I do an about-face, 180 degrees, and I turn and begin walking west. So, the word for repentance is the word metanoia.

Noeo is the verb, noia would be the noun, meta- means "with." So it actually means "with the mind." So repentance begins in the mind. We change our mind concerning God. We change our mind concerning sin. We change our mind concerning our attitudes and our actions. And of course, then we turn from our sins unto God.

The Nature of True Repentance

Repentance is defined as a change of mind leading to a change of conduct, involving turning from idols to serve God, as seen in 1 Thessalonians 1:9.

Now, let me point out that there is a negative aspect to repentance and there is a positive aspect of repentance. So if you would turn right on over to 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, I will show you both of these aspects. So in 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, the Apostle Paul is writing about the effect of the gospel upon these Thessalonians. So in 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 9, he says this:

Scripture Reading — 1 Thessalonians 1:9

"For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God. And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivered us from the wrath to come."

Now watch this. Verse 9:

Scripture Reading — 1 Thessalonians 1:9

"For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, how you turned to God from idols."

In other words, that's the negative aspect. You're leaving your sin, you're leaving your rebellion, you're turning from any and everything that is contrary to God, and contrary to His Word. But here's the positive. You turn to God from idols—what is the purpose? To serve the living and true God. So those who truly, genuinely repented have an evidence of it in that they've turned from their sins, which is a negative, but it's also a positive because now they've turned to God to serve Him and to wait for His Son from heaven, that is to be faithful and continually obedient until he returns.

Now, may I point out that this is one problem that we have today in our modern churches. We have a church full of people that have never, ever genuinely repented of their sins. And hence, they're not intent upon serving God. They're not obedient. They're not submissive. They're certainly not faithful by any stretch of the imagination. And so what we've done is we've got a church full of individuals who profess to be Christians who've never, ever repented.

Second Reason: Leaders Without Leadership

After Joshua and the elders died, new leaders failed to lead biblically. Weaver parallels this with America's drift from its founding principles and cites examples of wicked kings like Jeroboam and Manasseh.

Now, here's the second point today. "Why hast thou done this?" Well, we have leaders without leadership. If you look down in verse 7, "And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord that he did for Israel." So notice if you would now, the people were faithful as long as Joshua was alive. And they were also faithful as long as the elders who outlived Joshua were alive. But when they died off, when the original group died off, there were new leaders that came into existence that did not lead in a biblical manner. You know, it's the same thing that's true in America. When America began, we began as a Christian nation, and our founding fathers laid forth the principles from the Word of God. In fact, the Bible is the most often quoted book in all of the founding documents. And it just so happens the book of Deuteronomy happens to be the most often quoted book in the Bible, which deals, of course, with God's law. So it's interesting that when our founders died off, then we began to drift into pure humanism and secularism and materialism. It's interesting there is an adage that said leaders lead. And that is true. Leaders do lead. But you have to understand that not every leader is a Christian and not every leader has a biblical philosophy. Not every leader believes the word of God and wants to bring his life into conformity to the word of God. So there is a vast difference now between a biblical godly leader and a worldly unsaved leader. So we do have leaders today and they are leading, but they're leading in the wrong direction.

They're not leading us in conformity to the word of God. They're not leading us in the worship of God. They're not leading us to biblical obedience. No, no. What they're doing is they are leading us in such a way to destroy our country, destroy the people of the country, destroy our freedom and destroy our prosperity. When you stop and think about prosperity, the truth of the matter is this. We probably have more money today than we've ever had in our entire lives. But it's more worthless today than it ever has been in our entire lives. That's why it takes so much money to live. Inflation is not higher prices. Inflation happens to be the symptom, or the higher prices happen to be the symptom of inflation. You get inflation by the constant and continual printing of more and more money, and the more money that is printed, the less valuable is that which you possess. And thus it takes more and more.

And I tell people, and they look astounded and amazed, that when Alice and I got married, nearly 63 years ago, I gave her 10 bucks a week to buy groceries for us. And I'd kind of fuss if she didn't bring two or three of it back. So that meant the two of us could live all week long on six or seven bucks worth of groceries. I mean, that would include meat, milk, veggies, bread, whatever we wanted. You can't even walk out of the grocery store today with a loaf of bread for less than five or six bucks.

So I'm just simply saying we have been destroyed. In fact, our politicians today are more like leeches. They're bloodsuckers, and they're sucking the blood out of our country. They're serving themselves and not us. They are enriching themselves at the expense of the nation. I think you've seen this in some of the exposés that have been going on. And when you have a government organization that loses a trillion dollars, something is wrong somewhere, and we're being led in the direction of idolatry and in the direction of tyranny. Now let me point out the fact you have to understand that there are indeed leaders that lead, but they can lead in the wrong direction. Now Jeroboam the first, king of Israel, Jeroboam the first, he was the first king of the northern kingdom. He was also a servant and worked under Solomon until Solomon got jealous of him, then he had to leave. And when there was a split under Rehoboam, Solomon's son, then Jeroboam was called for out of Egypt, and he became the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel.

And Jeroboam was a very industrious man. He was a very smart man, and he took counsel. You can read about this in 1 Kings 11 and 12. He took counsel together, and he is the one who made the two golden calves and said, "These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." And he put one in Dan and the other in Bethel. And it became a huge sin. And he drove out the Levites that were there, the true priests. And he made priests of his own. In other words, here's a man that led the people into idolatry. And he led them into idolatry for one simple reason, to preserve his life and his rule. He said, "If I let them go down to Judah, then they'll return to Rehoboam and they'll kill me. And what's going to happen to my rule and my power and my posterity?"

And so he introduced the two golden calves. I'm just going to be pointing out here was a real leader, but he led an entire nation into idolatry. "It's too much for you to go up to Jerusalem to worship. Stay right here. Worship these golden calves." And may I tell you, Judah had her wicked kings as well. Manasseh was one of them. He not only led the southern kingdom into idolatry, but also into immorality. Let me show you, if you will turn in your Bibles very quickly, to 2 Kings chapter 21.

And let's begin reading with verse 9. And we're going to read about Manasseh. You need to read the entire chapter. You're going to see the wickedness of this man and what he did. But look in 2 Kings chapter 21 in verse 9, we'll read through verse 16. The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 21:9-17

"But they hearkened not."

That is, they would not listen to the prophets of God. They wouldn't listen to the law of Moses, but they hearkened not.

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 21:9-17

"And Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel. And the Lord spake by his servants the prophets, saying, Because Manasseh, king of Judah, hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols: Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria,

and the plummet of the house of Ahab. And I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth the dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies. And they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies, because they have done that which was evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day of their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day." Watch this: "Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much"—that is, the babies—"till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the Lord."

Now look at verse 17.

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 21:9-17

"Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh and all that he did, and his sin that he sinned, are written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah."

And of course you can find this same truth in 2 Chronicles as well as 2 Kings here. But Manasseh had children, had babies, sacrificed to Baal, to Molech. He even put sodomites in the temple. He even put an idol in the temple.

The Need for Godly Rulers

Using Deuteronomy 17 and David's example, Weaver stresses that rulers must fear God and rule justly. He laments the lack of such leaders in modern America and the resulting loss.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 17

That is, he has to be like you. He has to be a believer. He cannot be a foreigner. He cannot be an unbeliever. Moreover, the scripture says in Deuteronomy chapter 17, he has to have his own copy, his own personal copy of the law of God. And he's to read therein every day. He has to be a man of the covenant. That's what the Word of God is emphasizing. Now here is a quote from our Supreme Court justice, and in fact I will rephrase that, our very first Supreme Court justice, John Jay, who was appointed by George Washington. And John Jay said this: "Providence has given

to our people the choice of their ruler, and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers." Wow. Now, I do want you to turn to Isaiah chapter 3. I will do a look if you would please at verse 12. This is one of the problems that we are experiencing in this country. And this is not a put down on you ladies, but it is a truth that God shows us. And I think you can understand some of this. Look if you would in Isaiah chapter 3 and verse 12. Look what God says.

"As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them." He says, "O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err and destroy the way of thy paths." So he says, children are your oppressors, and women rule over you. You just stop and think about the women that happen to be in Congress, and some men as well. It's kind of like one man said, "I wouldn't put them with my dogs." Now, think if you would, please, about AOC, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She was a former bartender. She has been in Congress for six years. She started with nothing and just this week I read where she is now worth 30 million bucks. How do you amass 30 million bucks in six years on a $285,000 a year salary? I just, I don't know. That's not all. Everybody is aware of Nancy Pelosi? Okay. Paul and Nancy Pelosi, here is a quote. According to the New York Post, the couple's net worth surged to $413 million from their 2023 net worth of $370 million. How do you get $413 million? Wow. Hang on.

I'm just trying to lay something out for you. Here's another quote. In 2020, a stat analysis found that 72 senators and 302 House members received contributions from the pharmaceutical industry, representing over two-thirds of Congress. The industry donated a total of $14 million that cycle, with major PACs like Pfizer contributing to 228 lawmakers. The top four recipients of this money are number one, Kamala Harris, Democrat. She got $11,341,349. Number two, Joe Biden, Democrat, $9,128,291. Number three, Barack Obama, Democrat, $6,

$41,678. And then fourthly, Hillary Clinton, Democrat, $4,622,654. I think it would be wise to check all the names of your senators and representatives that have taken gifts, quote-unquote, which are really bribes from such indices. And I just read this this week. This is absolutely astounding. Here's the quote. The quote stated, out of 535 members of Congress, only 10 of them, only 10 of them reject AIPAC money, that's money from Israel. 525 members of Congress, that's 98.2%, are paid to put Israel's interests before yours. Only 10 do not receive money from Israel.

Wow. I have read this past week where they are promoting another COVID shot. And I want to make a statement. In light of all the death and devastation and disease and heartache from the first COVID shots, if you are dumb enough—and I'm going to rephrase that—if you are stupid enough to take another one, you really need your head examined. Anything now that they're pushing, you better beware of, you better learn to do your own research. You should understand why vaccines are supported by our leaders and it's not for our benefit, it's they are being paid by the pharmaceutical interests. They have their interest in mind and not your interest.

Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to 2 Samuel chapter 5. So here are two questions that I'm going to ask before I make some applications. 2 Samuel chapter 5, and I want you to look at verse 12. And here's my question. Do you personally know or have you ever known of a politician in our modern times that have come to this realization? Anyone or any group of them. I don't care. Look in 2 Samuel 5, verse 12.

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 5:12

"And David perceived that the Lord had established him king over Israel and that he exalted his kingdom for his people Israel's sake."

What did David realize? God made me king. God established His kingdom. Why? For His people Israel's sake. In other words, it's my responsibility to protect His people. It's my responsibility to promote His people. It's my responsibility to serve them, not myself. God put me in this position of authority. God put me in this position of power for His people's sake. Now, I want you to turn, if you would, please, to 2 Samuel chapter 23. 2 Samuel chapter 23. And I want you to look, if you would, at the first three verses.

So here's my second question. Do you know any politicians, any leaders that have come to this realization and this truth? So watch carefully. 2 Samuel chapter 23, verse 1.

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 23:1-3

"Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob and the sweet psalmist of Israel said"

—that would be one time—

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 23:1-3

"the spirit of the Lord spake by me"

—that's twice—

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 23:1-3

"His word was in my tongue"

—that's three times—

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 23:1-3

"The God of Israel said"

—that's four times—

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 23:1-3

"the Rock of Israel spake to me"

—that's five times. David is claiming direct inspiration for this one simple sentence.

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 23:1-3

"He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God."

You cannot rule in the fear of God unless you are obedient to God, because fearing God and obedience are synonymous. You cannot be just unless you're obedient to God in His Word. That's why our Lord said in Luke chapter 18, there was an unjust judge who feared not God, neither regarded man. If there is no fear of God, there is no regard for man. It's just that simple. And you look around, what has happened to Israel?

What has happened to America? The same exact thing. Without biblical godly leadership, there is loss. Without biblical godly leadership, it will turn into a deadly, devastating and disastrous loss. You consider all of the lives that have been lost in wars. Let me put this another way: you consider all the lives that have been lost in needless, useless wars. Do you know why there's so many wars? Here's the answer. War is profitable. If you took the profit out of war, nobody would want to fight anymore.

It was General Smedley Butler who said it correctly. War is a racket. You look at the devastation from the last COVID shots and the flu shots. I'm just simply pointing out the facts. Without biblical, godly leadership, there is loss and it is a deadly loss. So I've given you two reasons for the answer. "Why hast thou done this?" Remorse without repentance and leaders without leadership. That is without godly leadership.

Applications: Repentance and Prayer for Leaders

Weaver applies the message by urging genuine repentance for individuals and nations, and prayer for biblical, godly leaders who will stand against ungodliness.

Let me make a couple of applications. I think you understand this one. First, we will never, as individuals or as a nation, be acceptable unto God without repentance. Our Lord made that exceedingly clear in Luke chapter 13, when He said to those people, "Except you repent, ye shall likewise perish." They said, "Hey, did you hear about those men whose blood Pilate mingled with their sacrifices? And did you hear about those eighteen men on whom the tower in Siloam fell?" Our Lord said, "Do you think they were sinners above all others? Nay, I tell you, but except you repent, you shall all likewise perish." In other words, the truth is, if we do not repent, we will perish. And there's many different ways to perish. We can perish spiritually. That is true. We can perish physically. We can perish financially. We can perish emotionally and mentally. We can perish any number of ways. And the Word of God tells us in Acts chapter 17, verses 30 and 31, listen to this: "And the times of this ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.

Now, why does God command all men everywhere to repent? Listen to verse 31. Here it is. He said, "Because he, God, hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man, whereof he hath given assurance unto all in that he hath raised him from the dead." So just as surely as God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, there's going to be a judgment. And just as surely, men will give an account to God. Wow. Therefore he commands all men everywhere to repent. So without repentance, there's no way individuals, families, societies, or nations can be acceptable with God.

The second one is this. We need to learn to pray for leaders, biblical, godly leaders. Wow. Just stop and think about this. Those who do not lead biblically and scripturally are going to lead us into idolatry and immorality and destruction. It's just that simple. So we have to have the courage to stand against all of the ungodliness, all of the immorality, all of the idolatry that is going on in the world today. We have to. In America today. Just stop and think about this.

There's persecution on every hand. And it's probably going to get worse. There's no two ways about that. But listen to what our Lord said in Revelation chapter 2 in verse 10. He said,

Scripture Reading — Revelation 2:10

"Fear none of those things which you shall suffer. Listen, Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried, and you shall have tribulation ten days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life."

So what we have to do in this age of wickedness, immorality, idolatry, humanism, secularism, materialism, we have to stand. We have to say, "Here I stand, I can do no other." We have to determine that we're not going to sell our souls for materialism or gain. We're not going to quit, we're not going to give in, we're not going to give up, we're just going to stand. Let me tell you, I can tell you right now, who will abide the persecution? I can tell you that right now. Only those who know the Word of God. Only those who know the Lord Jesus Christ. Only those who know that God is the faithful God. Only those who know that we know that all things work together for good to them who are called according to His purpose.

It doesn't matter what transpires. We know. We know. And we're going to stand and we're going to be true and faithful. So why hast thou done this? Well, we have remorse without repentance. And we have leaders without leadership. And next Sunday, Lord willing, I'm going to show you the other three problems that Israel had that we have. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to thee.

We thank you for your word. We thank you for your truth. And Lord, I pray that you would open our eyes. Make us wise, Lord, give us wisdom, give us understanding, give us insight, and give us a holy boldness and a holy determination to stand for Thee and Thy Word. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Covenant Faithfulness and Unfaithfulness

Summary: God is absolutely faithful to His covenant, while Israel and America have been unfaithful, leading to divine judgment.

Evidence: Weaver contrasts Judges 2:1 ('I will never break my covenant') with Israel's disobedience and America's departure from its Christian founding.

Remorse Without Repentance

Summary: Emotional sorrow or weeping is not necessarily true repentance; genuine repentance involves a change of mind and conduct.

Evidence: Weaver points to Israel's weeping at Bochim (Judges 2:4) yet continuing in sin, and cites 2 Corinthians 7:9-10 on godly vs. worldly sorrow.

The Need for Godly Leadership

Summary: Without biblical, God-fearing leaders, nations drift into idolatry, immorality, and destruction.

Evidence: Weaver cites the deaths of Joshua and the elders (Judges 2:7), the wicked reigns of Jeroboam and Manasseh, and the biblical requirement for rulers to fear God (2 Samuel 23:3).

America's Departure from Its Christian Heritage

Summary: America was founded as a Christian covenant nation but has forsaken God for humanism, secularism, and materialism.

Evidence: Weaver quotes founding documents (First Charter of Virginia, Massachusetts, Fundamental Orders of Connecticut) and contrasts them with modern idolatry and corruption.

The Call to Stand Faithfully Amid Persecution

Summary: Believers must stand firm on God's Word despite increasing persecution, trusting in God's faithfulness.

Evidence: Weaver references Revelation 2:10 and encourages holy boldness and determination to stand for truth.

Key Arguments

God's question 'Why have you done this?' reveals human rebellion.

Summary: The question exposes that disobedience often stems from a rebellious heart that disregards God's clear commands.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Usually the unspoken answer to this question... is simply this: I don't care what you said... I did what I wanted to do.'

Nations, like individuals, are accountable to God.

Summary: Covenant nations are especially answerable to God, and America's founding documents show it began as such a nation.

Evidence: Weaver cites the Mayflower Compact and other charters to prove America's covenantal beginnings.

True repentance is evidenced by changed behavior.

Summary: Weeping or temporary change is not repentance; genuine repentance turns from sin to serve God.

Evidence: Weaver uses 1 Thessalonians 1:9 to show the negative (turning from idols) and positive (turning to serve God) aspects of repentance.

Leaders who do not fear God lead nations into destruction.

Summary: Biblical examples like Jeroboam and Manasseh show how ungodly leaders seduce people into idolatry and immorality.

Evidence: Weaver details Jeroboam's golden calves and Manasseh's abominations, including child sacrifice.

Modern American leaders are enriching themselves at the nation's expense.

Summary: Weaver cites examples of politicians amassing wealth through bribes and pharmaceutical money, contrasting with David's servant leadership.

Evidence: Weaver mentions AOC's $30 million net worth, Pelosi's $413 million, and AIPAC funding of 98.2% of Congress.

Scripture References

Judges 2:1-13

Context: The primary text of the sermon, where God asks Israel 'Why have you done this?' after their disobedience.

Joshua 5:13-15

Context: Used to identify the angel of the Lord in Judges 2 as a theophany of Christ, the captain of the Lord's host.

Deuteronomy 7:9

Context: Quoted to emphasize God's faithfulness: 'the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy.'

1 Corinthians 1:9

Context: Cited to affirm 'God is faithful' in calling believers into fellowship with His Son.

Judges 3:12

Context: Example of Israel doing 'evil again' in the sight of the Lord.

Judges 4:1

Context: Another instance of Israel again doing evil after Ehud's death.

Judges 10:6

Context: Israel did evil again, serving multiple foreign gods.

Judges 13:1

Context: Israel did evil again, leading to Philistine oppression.

Nehemiah 9:28

Context: After rest, Israel did evil again, yet God delivered them many times.

2 Corinthians 7:9-10

Context: Distinguishes godly sorrow that works repentance from worldly sorrow that produces death.

1 Thessalonians 1:9

Context: Illustrates repentance as turning to God from idols to serve the living God.

Amos 5:21-24

Context: God rejects Israel's empty rituals and calls for justice and righteousness.

2 Kings 21:9-17

Context: Manasseh's wicked reign, leading Judah into idolatry and shedding innocent blood.

Deuteronomy 17

Context: God's requirement that a king be a believer, have his own copy of the law, and read it daily.

Isaiah 3:12

Context: Children are oppressors and women rule, causing leaders to err.

2 Samuel 5:12

Context: David perceived God established his kingdom for the people's sake, modeling servant leadership.

2 Samuel 23:1-3

Context: David's inspired statement that a ruler must be just, ruling in the fear of God.

Luke 13:1-5

Context: Jesus warns that unless you repent, you will likewise perish.

Acts 17:30-31

Context: God commands all men everywhere to repent because He has appointed a day of judgment.

Revelation 2:10

Context: Encouragement to be faithful unto death despite persecution, with the promise of the crown of life.

Historical References

First Charter of Virginia (April 10, 1606)

Context: Cited to show America's founding purpose was to propagate the Christian religion and honor God.

First Charter of Massachusetts (March 4, 1629)

Context: Quoted to demonstrate the principal end of the plantation was the Christian faith.

Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (January 14, 1639)

Context: Presented as the first written constitution in America, modeled on biblical principles, influenced by Thomas Hooker.

Mayflower Compact

Context: Mentioned as an example of America's covenantal founding documents.

John Jay (first Supreme Court justice)

Context: Quoted: 'Providence has given to our people the choice of their ruler, and it is the duty... to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.'

General Smedley Butler

Context: Quoted: 'War is a racket,' used to illustrate the profit motive behind wars.

Jeroboam I, king of Israel

Context: Led the northern kingdom into idolatry by setting up golden calves at Dan and Bethel.

Manasseh, king of Judah

Context: Seduced Judah into idolatry, child sacrifice, and immorality, provoking God's judgment.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC)

Context: Cited as an example of a politician amassing $30 million in six years on a congressional salary.

Nancy Pelosi

Context: Mentioned as having a net worth of $413 million, implying corruption.

Important Quotes

I will never break my covenant with you.

Significance: Highlights God's absolute faithfulness to His covenant, contrasting with Israel's unfaithfulness.

Why have you done this?

Significance: The central question of the sermon, exposing human rebellion against God's clear commands.

God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Significance: Quoted to affirm God's faithfulness as a foundational truth.

For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of, but the sorrow of this world worketh death.

Significance: Key distinction between true repentance and mere remorse.

He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.

Significance: David's inspired standard for godly leadership, central to Weaver's argument.

Except you repent, ye shall likewise perish.

Significance: Jesus' warning that underscores the urgency of repentance.

Discussion Questions

What does God's question 'Why have you done this?' reveal about the nature of sin and rebellion?

Context: Weaver explains that the unspoken answer is often 'I did what I wanted to do,' indicating willful disobedience.

How can we distinguish between worldly sorrow and godly sorrow in our own lives?

Context: Based on 2 Corinthians 7:9-10, Weaver contrasts temporary remorse with repentance that leads to lasting change.

In what ways does modern American Christianity reflect the 'remorse without repentance' seen in Israel?

Context: Weaver critiques churches full of unrepentant professing Christians who prioritize programs over true worship.

What are the characteristics of a godly leader according to Deuteronomy 17 and 2 Samuel 23?

Context: Weaver emphasizes that leaders must be believers, know God's law, and rule in the fear of God.

How should Christians respond when political leaders enrich themselves at the nation's expense?

Context: Weaver cites examples of congressional wealth and pharmaceutical bribes, calling for discernment and courage.

What does it mean to 'stand' faithfully in an age of increasing persecution and ungodliness?

Context: Weaver references Revelation 2:10 and urges holy boldness and determination to remain true to God's Word.

Applications

Pursue genuine repentance, not just remorse.

Summary: We must examine whether our sorrow over sin leads to a true change of mind and conduct, turning from idols to serve God.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'We will never, as individuals or as a nation, be acceptable unto God without repentance,' citing Luke 13 and Acts 17.

Pray for and select godly leaders.

Summary: Believers should pray for leaders who fear God and rule justly, and use their influence to support such leaders.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'We need to learn to pray for leaders, biblical, godly leaders,' and quotes John Jay on preferring Christians for rulers.

Stand firm on God's Word amid cultural decline.

Summary: In the face of persecution and societal pressure, Christians must resolve not to compromise but to remain faithful.

Evidence: Weaver exhorts, 'We have to stand. We have to say, Here I stand, I can do no other.'

Reject empty religious ritual for true worship.

Summary: Churches must move beyond ceremonies and programs to genuine worship and obedience to God's Word.

Evidence: Weaver cites Amos 5:21-24, where God rejects Israel's feasts and calls for righteousness.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T22:53:25Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T14:12:52Z

Clean Transcript

Why Have You Done This? - Part 1 of 2

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

All right, I want you to open your Bibles, if you would please, to the book of Judges chapter 2. Judges chapter 2. This is going to be a two-part message. I cannot get it all in one message. So the first part is today. The second part will be next Sunday, Lord willing. So the title of the message is, "Why Have You Done This?" And of course, you will see that that is a scriptural question in our text. So look in Judges chapter 2, beginning with verse 1. We'll read through verse 13. "And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt and have brought you into the land which I swear unto your fathers."
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"And I said, I will never break my covenant with you. And you shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land. You shall throw down their altars, but you have not obeyed my voice. Why have you done this? Wherefore, I also said, I will not drive them out from before you, but they shall be as thorns in your sides and their gods shall be a snare unto you." It came to pass when the angel of the Lord spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice and wept. And they called the name of that place Bochim, and they sacrificed there unto the Lord. And when Joshua had let the people go, the children of Israel went every man into his inheritance to possess the land. And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord that he did for Israel. And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died being 110 years old.
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And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-heres, in the mount of Ephraim, on the north side of the hill Gaash. And also that generation were gathered unto their fathers. And there arose another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served Baalim. And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them and provoked the Lord to anger. And they forsook the Lord and served Baal and Ashtoreth. So if you will notice in verse 2, the Lord asked this question to Israel, "Why have you done this?" So the title of this message is a question that has been asked innumerable times. "Why have you done this?" We ask this question to our children, we ask it to our spouses, we ask it to our friends, even our enemies.
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And many times we even ask this question to our pets. "Why have you done this?" There are times that we certainly know the answer to that question. The answer could be a very simple answer such as, "Well, your instructions were not clear," or "I did not know any better." Usually the unspoken answer to this question, "Why have you done this?" is simply this: "I don't care what you said or what you asked.
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I did what I wanted to do." And that is nothing less than pure rebellion. But that is the real answer most of the time.
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Now, it's also important to note that this question was not just asked to individuals, but it was also asked to a nation. You know, of course, that nations are made up of individuals. Nations are made up of families, and families are made up of individuals. And of course, the scripture teaches us that individuals are answerable and accountable to God. They are certainly his creatures and they are certainly sinners. They're going to give an account to God. But not only are individuals answerable and accountable to God, so are nations, because God is the creator, he is the lawgiver, and he is the judge and the sovereign. However, covenant nations, that is those that adhere to a covenant with God, are especially answerable and accountable to God. So Israel was a covenant nation.
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Everyone knows that because the covenant was given at Mount Sinai and the people agreed to it. And of course, that was God's law that was given there, which you'll find in Exodus chapter 20 and Deuteronomy chapter 5 as well. But what many people do not understand is simply this, that America was begun as a covenant nation also. All you have to do is examine copies of our founding documents. In fact, look at the Mayflower Compact or the Mayflower Covenant.
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In other words, there are numerous covenants. Now, I want to give you just a couple of original documents just to prove what I've just said, that America was begun as a covenantal nation as well. So here's the first charter of Virginia, which was April the 10th, 1606. This was granted by King James I for those individuals who would endeavor to settle Jamestown. And listen to this paragraph.
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"We greatly commending and graciously accepting of their desires for the furtherance of so noble a work, which may, by the providence of Almighty God, hereafter tend to the glory of His Divine Majesty in propagating of Christian religion to such people as yet live in darkness and miserable ignorance of the true knowledge and worship of God, may in time bring the infidels and savages living in those parts to human civility and to a settled and quiet government." So they're saying that we are intending to honor God, to establish this, and try to reach these individuals for his honor and glory.
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Here is the first charter of Massachusetts, March the 4th, 1629, which was granted by King Charles I. So listen to this paragraph. "For the directing, ruling, and disposing of all other matters and things, whereby our said people may be so religiously peaceable and civilly governed, as their good life and orderly conversation may win and incite the natives of the country to the knowledge and obedience of the only true God and Savior of mankind, and
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the Christian faith, which in our royal intention and the adventures' free profession is the principal end of this plantation." So the principal end, he said, was honoring and glorifying God and reaching those who were unsaved.
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Now I'm going to give you one more, and that is the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. This was January the 14th, 1639, and this was the first constitution actually written in America, and this constitution was the model even of our American Constitution, the United States Constitution. It was penned by Roger Ludlow, and after he had heard a message by the Puritan pastor Thomas Hooker. And so Hooker then in his congregation also helped Ludlow. And this was the founding document of Connecticut. In fact, it was so impressive that Connecticut now is known as the Constitution State. So I want to give you just one little sentence and then the first two articles. Here's the sentence.
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"Which according to the truth of said gospel, is now practiced among us." Now listen carefully. "And also in our civil affairs to be guided and governed according to such laws, rules, orders, and decrees as is from the word of God." So here's the first two articles of the constitution of Connecticut. Article 1: "That the scriptures hold forth a perfect rule for the direction and government of all men in all duties, which they are to perform to God, to men, as well as in families and commonwealths"—that's civil government—"as in matters of churches." So here's Article 2: "That as in matters which concern the gathering and ordering of a church, so likewise in all public offices which concern civil order, as the choice of magistrates and officers, making and repealing laws, dividing allotments of inheritance, and all things of like nature, they would all be governed by those rules which scripture held forth to them."
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So once again, here are these colonies saying, "We are going to follow the law of God. We're going to follow the word of God."
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Now, you're going to say, "Well, I would really like to see that for myself, but I don't have access to all of those documents." Surely you do. All you have to do is simply go on the internet and type in the Avalon Project. And you're going to get all of the documents from the 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, and 20th century. You're going to have them all up to date.
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And you can read the charters. You can read the Constitution of every colony and of every state, that is for sure. So I could multiply illustrations, but I think you get the picture that America was actually begun then as a Christian nation and in covenant with the one true and the living God through the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Now, in Judges chapter 2, when we're looking at this text where God has asked, "Why have you done this?" I want you to note that not just only in Judges chapter 2, but throughout the book of Judges particularly, as well as throughout the Bible, there is a very, very strong contrast. And that contrast is between the absolute faithfulness of God and the unfaithfulness of man. Let me say it another way. The contrast is between the faithfulness of God to his covenant and the unfaithfulness of men and nations to his covenant. So, I want you to look in Judges chapter 2 and verse 1. Look at this.
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"And the angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt and have brought you into the land which I swear unto your fathers. And I said"—here's what he said—"I will never break my covenant with you." Now, here's a good question. Who was this angel? The angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim. Now the Hebrew word for angel here is the word malach. And it literally means an angel, a messenger, or a theophany, or a theophanic angel is what we would call that. So what is a theophany? A theophany is a pre-incarnate appearing of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament before he actually became incarnate or before he actually became flesh. So the angel here is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ himself.
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I'll show you that in just a moment. But if you will turn back in your Bibles just a few pages, to Joshua chapter 5, I will show you this again, beginning there with verse 13, and we'll read through verse 15. So Joshua chapter 5, beginning there with verse 13. "And it came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes, and behold, there stood a man over against him with a sword drawn in his hand." Now Joshua had to be a very brave man. "Because Joshua went unto him and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?"
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"And he said, Nay, but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant? And the captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot, for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so." This is the same message that was given to Moses at the burning bush. "Take your shoes off. The ground on which you're standing is holy." So we have then in Joshua chapter 5, a theophany, that is a pre-incarnate appearing of Jesus Christ in the Old Testament.
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Now, if we go back to Judges chapter 2 in verse 1, we can ask this question. How do we know that this is the Lord Jesus Christ? How do we know that this is a theophanic angel? Well, the answer to that is very simple. When you look at verse 1, the angel said this, "I made you to go up out of Egypt, and I brought you into the land which I swear to your fathers.
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And I said, I will never break my covenant with you." So it was the Lord himself who brought Israel up out of the land of Egypt. It was the Lord himself who brought them into the promised land. It was the Lord himself who swore unto the fathers. It was the Lord himself who now has said, "I will never break my covenant with you." So, God has never broken His covenant. He has never lied. He has never broken His word. Israel has broken the covenant multitudinous times, but God has never ever broken His covenant because He is the faithful God.
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Now here's a scripture that I would encourage everyone to memorize. It's found in Deuteronomy chapter 7 and verse 9. The Word of God says, "Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations." So note, if you would, He is the faithful God. And when you get to 1 Corinthians chapter 1 in verse 9, the Bible just simply says this: "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." So the faithfulness of God is given to us throughout scripture. And if you would take the time when you get home to read Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy chapter 28, you will find that there God sets forth His blessings and His curses. And God tells us in these passages, as well as many others, that He is faithful to bless those who obey Him, and He is also faithful to curse those who disobey Him. In other words, He is going to be faithful to his covenant whether or not it is faithful in blessing or faithful in cursing. But He is the faithful God. Now I want you to contrast verse 1 with verses 2 and 3 of Judges 2. Look at it. Here's what the angel said: "And
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you shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land. You shall throw down their altars. But you have not obeyed my voice." Now look at the question. "Why have you done this? Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you, but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you." So God asked them, "Why have you done this?"
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Unhappily, in Judges chapter 2, this is not a single incident of rebellion. Rebellion is recorded of the nation and of the people over and over. They rejected God's law, they violated His commandments, and they did so multitudinous times. So just skip down to verses 12 and 13 of Judges chapter 2. Look at this. What did they do? "And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, bowed themselves unto them and provoked the Lord to anger." And look at this: "And they forsook the Lord and served Baal and Ashtoreth." Wow. Now skip down to verse 16 and let's go through verse 19. The Bible says, "Nevertheless the Lord raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them." Hey, oh boy, what's this? "And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a-whoring after other gods and bowed themselves unto them. They turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the Lord.
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But they did not so. And when the Lord raised them up judges, then the Lord was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For it repented the Lord because of their groanings by reason of them that oppressed them and vexed them. And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned and corrupted themselves more than their fathers in following other gods to serve them and to bow down unto them.
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They ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way." Wow.
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Now that's just in Judges chapter 2. Now, there is a phrase that happens to appear over and over in the book of Judges. It's also found in the book of Nehemiah. And I want to show you that phrase. In fact, the phrase is simply this: "they did evil again." So if you look in Judges chapter 3 and verse 12, Judges 3 and verse 12, the Bible says this: "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." Notice they did evil again. Look in Judges chapter 4 and verse 1: "And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord when Ehud was dead." Look in Judges chapter 10 and verse 6. Judges 10 and 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
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not." Now look in Judges chapter 13 and verse 1. Judges 13 and 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." One more time, and I'll quote it. That's from the book of Nehemiah, chapter 9, verse 28, where the Word of God says, "But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee, and therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they had dominion over them. And when they returned and cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven, and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies," but note they did evil again. Now we know that God is faithful. We know that God is infinitely holy, righteous, just.
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He's merciful, kind and loving. But we also know that man, fallen man, is depraved. He's a sinner. He's wicked. He's rebellious. He's ungodly. And notice, if you would, therefore he is in rebellion against God. So this is why our Lord asked this question in verse 2: "Why have you done this? I told you exactly what to do. I gave you clear commandments and instruction, but you have not obeyed my voice." So why have you not done what I asked you to do? So let me ask this question and try to begin answering it for you.
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I want you to think about this. God looks at the nation Israel and he asks, "Why have you done this?" So let's ask the same question of America. "Why have you done this?" I mean, we have forsaken God and his law for man and his law. We've turned from the worship of God to the worship of money and materialism. We have gone from honoring God to sheer humanism. And we've left theology and gone into secularism. I mean, we've basically done the same thing as national Israel. We've turned our backs upon Him. So why have we done it? Why did Israel do it?
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Why are we doing it? Now, there are clear answers to this question in our text. But today, I'm only going to be able to give you two of those answers. And Lord willing, next Sunday, I'm going to give you the other three of those answers. When our Lord asks, "Why have you done this?" here's the first answer. That is, they had remorse without repentance. They had remorse without repentance.
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And it's the same truth in America. We have remorse without repentance. So look in verse 4. "And it came to pass when the angel of the Lord spake those words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice and wept. And they called the name of that place Bochim, and they sacrificed there unto the Lord." Let me just point something out. Weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth are not necessarily signs of repentance. Just because someone weeps, just because someone gets emotional or sentimental, does not mean that they have repented.
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It may be a sign of embarrassment. It may be a sign that they're sorry that they were caught in their sins. It may be a sign that they're sorry that they were exposed. And it may be a sign of just sheer hypocrisy and deceit. I've known in my lifetime many people that have wept over a situation, made a temporary change, vowed and declared that they were going to be different people.
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They would never, ever do such again. And they kept their word for at least two weeks and then went right back to doing what they were doing previously. They went back to their old ways. They went back to their old habits. What does that mean? It means they had remorse, but they did not have repentance. Now, how do we know that Israel merely had remorse and not repentance?
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Well, I've already showed you that from the Bible. Because they continually committed the same sin over and over. They committed idolatry. They left God. They left His law. They left His worship. And they went to Baal, and they went to Ashtoreth, and to all the other gods as well. I want you to understand there is a vast difference between worldly sorrow and a godly sorrow. So if you will turn in your Bibles very quickly to the book of 2 Corinthians chapter 7, 2 Corinthians chapter 7, and look if you would please, beginning there with verse 9. 2 Corinthians chapter 7 and verse 9. Look what the Word of God says. The Apostle Paul, writing to these Corinthians, said, verse 9, "Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but"—watch this—"but that you sorrowed to repentance. For you were made sorry after a godly manner, that you might receive damage by us in nothing." Then he makes this statement: "For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of, but the sorrow of this world worketh death."
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So there is a worldly sorrow that can be expressed in embarrassment, shock—"I got caught. I got exposed." There can be a worldly sorrow that is hypocritical, that is deceptive. But he said there is also a godly sorrow and that godly sorrow works repentance that is not to be repented of. In other words, there is a genuine repentance. And then there is just that simple remorse without the repentance. Repentance is a change of mind that leads to a change of conduct. So, if I happen to be walking due east and I repent, I change my mind, I do an about-face, 180 degrees, and I turn and begin walking west. So, the word for repentance is the word metanoia.
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Noeo is the verb, noia would be the noun, meta- means "with." So it actually means "with the mind." So repentance begins in the mind. We change our mind concerning God. We change our mind concerning sin. We change our mind concerning our attitudes and our actions. And of course, then we turn from our sins unto God.
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Now, let me point out that there is a negative aspect to repentance and there is a positive aspect of repentance. So if you would turn right on over to 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, I will show you both of these aspects. So in 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, the Apostle Paul is writing about the effect of the gospel upon these Thessalonians. So in 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 verse 9, he says this: "For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God.
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And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivered us from the wrath to come." Now watch this. Verse 9: "For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, how you turned to God from idols." In other words, that's the negative aspect. You're leaving your sin, you're leaving your rebellion, you're turning from any and everything that is contrary to God, and contrary to His Word. But here's the positive. You turn to God from idols—what is the purpose? To serve the living and true God. So those who truly, genuinely repented have an evidence of it in that they've turned from their sins, which is a negative, but it's also a positive because now they've turned to God to serve Him and to wait for His Son from heaven, that is to be faithful and continually obedient until he returns.
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Now, may I point out that this is one problem that we have today in our modern churches. We have a church full of people that have never, ever genuinely repented of their sins. And hence, they're not intent upon serving God. They're not obedient. They're not submissive. They're certainly not faithful by any stretch of the imagination. And so what we've done is we've got a church full of individuals who profess to be Christians who've never, ever repented.
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And it's impossible to have true faith without repentance, just like it's impossible to have true repentance without faith. Those two things simply go together. And so what has happened then, we have church full of people who end up causing more problems than they do anything else. And they are always interested in their programs, they're always interested in anything and everything except the Word of God and the worship of God.
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They don't want any part of that. And we've turned our churches into social organizations and business meetings, this kind of thing. And so our churches then have turned out to be nothing more than social clubs because all of our so-called worship now is just basically ceremony and ritual. In fact, I've said this before and I'll say it again. If the Holy Spirit of God was taken out of the world tomorrow, most churches would continue as usual. There'd be no problem.
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Because they have all their programs, they have all their plans, they have everything. Except the true worship of God.
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Now, I want you to turn to one passage, if you would, and that's Amos chapter 5. Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, and I want you to look and see what God says concerning this worship. You can also find a similar passage in the book of Isaiah chapter 1, but I want you to look, if you would please, at Amos chapter 5, and notice, if you would please, what is said particularly by God. Amos chapter 5, and let's notice, if you would, verse 21. Amos chapter 5, verse 21. Look what God says to Israel. What they have done is they've taken the worship of God and boiled it down into ceremonies and rituals. And so God says this: "I hate, I despise your feast days." Whoa! Did not God ordain those feast days? Yes, He did.
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He said, "I will not smell in your solemn assemblies." Did not God ordain the solemn assemblies? Yes, He did. Watch if you would in verse 22. "Though you offer me burnt offerings and your meal offerings, I will not accept them. I don't want them. I won't have them. Neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts. I will not take anything that you give me." Then he said, "Take away from me the noise of thy songs." In other words, all your singing, all of your music is nothing but noise in my ears. I don't want it. He said, "For I will not hear the melody of thy viols." Why? They've got rituals, they've got ceremonies, but they don't have truth.
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He says in verse 24, "But let judgment run down as waters and righteousness as a mighty stream." And so God has never meant for his worship to be turned into ceremonies and rituals. And God said, "I hate it. I despise it. I will not have it." So this is where we are today. And you can ask this question. In America, you can ask this question in our modern day churches, "Why hast thou done this?"
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And the answer is going to always come back, rebellion. We don't want God. We don't want his word. We don't want his law. We don't want him governing us and ruling over us and directing us. So the first answer to "Why hast thou done this?" is we have remorse without repentance.
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Now, here's the second point today. "Why hast thou done this?" Well, we have leaders without leadership. If you look down in verse 7, "And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen all the great works of the Lord that he did for Israel." So notice if you would now, the people were faithful as long as Joshua was alive. And they were also faithful as long as the elders who outlived Joshua were alive. But when they died off, when the original group died off, there were new leaders that came into existence that did not lead in a biblical manner.
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You know, it's the same thing that's true in America. When America began, we began as a Christian nation, and our founding fathers laid forth the principles from the Word of God. In fact, the Bible is the most often quoted book in all of the founding documents. And it just so happens the book of Deuteronomy happens to be the most often quoted book in the Bible, which deals, of course, with God's law. So it's interesting that when our founders died off, then we began to drift into pure humanism and secularism and materialism. It's interesting there is an adage that said leaders lead. And that is true. Leaders do lead. But you have to understand that not every leader is a Christian and not every leader has a biblical philosophy. Not every leader believes the word of God and wants to bring his life into conformity to the word of God. So there is a vast difference now between a biblical godly leader and a worldly unsaved leader. So we do have leaders today and they are leading, but they're leading in the wrong direction.
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They're not leading us in conformity to the word of God. They're not leading us in the worship of God. They're not leading us to biblical obedience. No, no. What they're doing is they are leading us in such a way to destroy our country, destroy the people of the country, destroy our freedom and destroy our prosperity. When you stop and think about prosperity, the truth of the matter is this.
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We probably have more money today than we've ever had in our entire lives. But it's more worthless today than it ever has been in our entire lives. That's why it takes so much money to live. Inflation is not higher prices. Inflation happens to be the symptom, or the higher prices happen to be the symptom of inflation. You get inflation by the constant and continual printing of more and more money, and the more money that is printed, the less valuable is that which you possess. And thus it takes more and more.
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And I tell people, and they look astounded and amazed, that when Alice and I got married, nearly 63 years ago, I gave her 10 bucks a week to buy groceries for us. And I'd kind of fuss if she didn't bring two or three of it back. So that meant the two of us could live all week long on six or seven bucks worth of groceries. I mean, that would include meat, milk, veggies, bread, whatever we wanted. You can't even walk out of the grocery store today with a loaf of bread for less than five or six bucks.
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So I'm just simply saying we have been destroyed. In fact, our politicians today are more like leeches. They're bloodsuckers, and they're sucking the blood out of our country. They're serving themselves and not us. They are enriching themselves at the expense of the nation. I think you've seen this in some of the exposés that have been going on. And when you have a government organization that loses a trillion dollars, something is wrong somewhere, and we're being led in the direction of idolatry and in the direction of tyranny. Now let me point out the fact you have to understand that there are indeed leaders that lead, but they can lead in the wrong direction. Now Jeroboam the first, king of Israel, Jeroboam the first, he was the first king of the northern kingdom. He was also a servant and worked under Solomon until Solomon got jealous of him, then he had to leave. And when there was a split under Rehoboam, Solomon's son, then Jeroboam was called for out of Egypt, and he became the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel.
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And Jeroboam was a very industrious man. He was a very smart man, and he took counsel. You can read about this in 1 Kings 11 and 12. He took counsel together, and he is the one who made the two golden calves and said, "These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." And he put one in Dan and the other in Bethel.
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And it became a huge sin. And he drove out the Levites that were there, the true priests. And he made priests of his own. In other words, here's a man that led the people into idolatry. And he led them into idolatry for one simple reason, to preserve his life and his rule. He said, "If I let them go down to Judah, then they'll return to Rehoboam and they'll kill me. And what's going to happen to my rule and my power and my posterity?"
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And so he introduced the two golden calves. I'm just going to be pointing out here was a real leader, but he led an entire nation into idolatry. "It's too much for you to go up to Jerusalem to worship. Stay right here. Worship these golden calves." And may I tell you, Judah had her wicked kings as well. Manasseh was one of them. He not only led the southern kingdom into idolatry, but also into immorality. Let me show you, if you will turn in your Bibles very quickly, to 2 Kings chapter 21.
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And let's begin reading with verse 9. And we're going to read about Manasseh. You need to read the entire chapter. You're going to see the wickedness of this man and what he did. But look in 2 Kings chapter 21 in verse 9, we'll read through verse 16. The Bible says, "But they hearkened not." That is, they would not listen to the prophets of God. They wouldn't listen to the law of Moses, but they hearkened not. "And Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel. And the Lord spake by his servants the prophets, saying, Because Manasseh, king of Judah, hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols: Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria,
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and the plummet of the house of Ahab. And I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth the dish, wiping it and turning it upside down. And I will forsake the remnant of mine inheritance, and deliver them into the hand of their enemies. And they shall become a prey and a spoil to all their enemies, because they have done that which was evil in my sight, and have provoked me to anger, since the day of their fathers came forth out of Egypt, even unto this day."
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Watch this: "Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much"—that is, the babies—"till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the Lord."
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Now look at verse 17. "Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh and all that he did, and his sin that he sinned, are written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah." And of course you can find this same truth in 2 Chronicles as well as 2 Kings here. But Manasseh had children, had babies, sacrificed to Baal, to Molech. He even put sodomites in the temple. He even put an idol in the temple.
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So here is a king that again seduced an entire nation and led them into immorality and idolatry. Well, if the people are idolatrous and immoral, then they're not going to condemn their leaders who are idolatrous and immoral. So I want you to understand something. There are many leaders, whether they be good or bad, but there are many leaders with great personalities, great abilities, they're great orators, they have goals, they have desires, but most of these, instead of being biblical, are unsaved and ungodly. This is why in Deuteronomy 17, God said, if you have a king, which would be equivalent to a ruler, if you have a king, he has to be one from among your own brethren.
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That is, he has to be like you. He has to be a believer. He cannot be a foreigner. He cannot be an unbeliever. Moreover, the scripture says in Deuteronomy chapter 17, he has to have his own copy, his own personal copy of the law of God. And he's to read therein every day. He has to be a man of the covenant. That's what the Word of God is emphasizing. Now here is a quote from our Supreme Court justice, and in fact I will rephrase that, our very first Supreme Court justice, John Jay, who was appointed by George Washington. And John Jay said this: "Providence has given
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to our people the choice of their ruler, and it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers." Wow.
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Now, I do want you to turn to Isaiah chapter 3. I will do a look if you would please at verse 12. This is one of the problems that we are experiencing in this country. And this is not a put down on you ladies, but it is a truth that God shows us. And I think you can understand some of this. Look if you would in Isaiah chapter 3 and verse 12. Look what God says.
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"As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them." He says, "O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err and destroy the way of thy paths." So he says, children are your oppressors, and women rule over you. You just stop and think about the women that happen to be in Congress, and some men as well. It's kind of like one man said, "I wouldn't put them with my dogs."
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Now, think if you would, please, about AOC, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. She was a former bartender. She has been in Congress for six years. She started with nothing and just this week I read where she is now worth 30 million bucks. How do you amass 30 million bucks in six years on a $285,000 a year salary? I just, I don't know. That's not all. Everybody is aware of Nancy Pelosi? Okay. Paul and Nancy Pelosi, here is a quote. According to the New York Post, the couple's net worth surged to $413 million from their 2023 net worth of $370 million. How do you get $413 million? Wow. Hang on.
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I'm just trying to lay something out for you. Here's another quote. In 2020, a stat analysis found that 72 senators and 302 House members received contributions from the pharmaceutical industry, representing over two-thirds of Congress. The industry donated a total of $14 million that cycle, with major PACs like Pfizer contributing to 228 lawmakers. The top four recipients of this money are number one, Kamala Harris, Democrat. She got $11,341,349. Number two, Joe Biden, Democrat, $9,128,291. Number three, Barack Obama, Democrat, $6,
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$41,678. And then fourthly, Hillary Clinton, Democrat, $4,622,654. I think it would be wise to check all the names of your senators and representatives that have taken gifts, quote-unquote, which are really bribes from such indices. And I just read this this week. This is absolutely astounding. Here's the quote. The quote stated, out of 535 members of Congress, only 10 of them, only 10 of them reject AIPAC money, that's money from Israel. 525 members of Congress, that's 98.2%, are paid to put Israel's interests before yours. Only 10 do not receive money from Israel.
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Wow. I have read this past week where they are promoting another COVID shot. And I want to make a statement. In light of all the death and devastation and disease and heartache from the first COVID shots, if you are dumb enough—and I'm going to rephrase that—if you are stupid enough to take another one, you really need your head examined. Anything now that they're pushing, you better beware of, you better learn to do your own research.
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You should understand why vaccines are supported by our leaders and it's not for our benefit, it's they are being paid by the pharmaceutical interests. They have their interest in mind and not your interest.
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Now, I want you to turn in your Bibles, if you would, to 2 Samuel chapter 5. So here are two questions that I'm going to ask before I make some applications. 2 Samuel chapter 5, and I want you to look at verse 12. And here's my question. Do you personally know or have you ever known of a politician in our modern times that have come to this realization?
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Anyone or any group of them. I don't care. Look in 2 Samuel 5, verse 12. "And David perceived that the Lord had established him king over Israel and that he exalted his kingdom for his people Israel's sake." What did David realize? God made me king. God established His kingdom. Why? For His people Israel's sake. In other words, it's my responsibility to protect His people. It's my responsibility to promote His people. It's my responsibility to serve them, not myself. God put me in this position of authority. God put me in this position of power for His people's sake. Now, I want you to turn, if you would, please, to 2 Samuel chapter 23. 2 Samuel chapter 23. And I want you to look, if you would, at the first three verses.
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So here's my second question. Do you know any politicians, any leaders that have come to this realization and this truth? So watch carefully. 2 Samuel chapter 23, verse 1.
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"Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob and the sweet psalmist of Israel said"—that would be one time—"the spirit of the Lord spake by me"—that's twice—"His word was in my tongue"—that's three times—"The God of Israel said"—that's four times—"the Rock of Israel spake to me"—that's five times. David is claiming direct inspiration for this one simple sentence. "He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God." You cannot rule in the fear of God unless you are obedient to God, because fearing God and obedience are synonymous. You cannot be just unless you're obedient to God in His Word. That's why our Lord said in Luke chapter 18, there was an unjust judge who feared not God, neither regarded man. If there is no fear of God, there is no regard for man. It's just that simple. And you look around, what has happened to Israel?
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What has happened to America? The same exact thing. Without biblical godly leadership, there is loss. Without biblical godly leadership, it will turn into a deadly, devastating and disastrous loss. You consider all of the lives that have been lost in wars. Let me put this another way: you consider all the lives that have been lost in needless, useless wars. Do you know why there's so many wars? Here's the answer. War is profitable. If you took the profit out of war, nobody would want to fight anymore.
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It was General Smedley Butler who said it correctly. War is a racket. You look at the devastation from the last COVID shots and the flu shots. I'm just simply pointing out the facts. Without biblical, godly leadership, there is loss and it is a deadly loss. So I've given you two reasons for the answer. "Why hast thou done this?" Remorse without repentance and leaders without leadership. That is without godly leadership.
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Let me make a couple of applications. I think you understand this one. First, we will never, as individuals or as a nation, be acceptable unto God without repentance. Our Lord made that exceedingly clear in Luke chapter 13, when He said to those people, "Except you repent, ye shall likewise perish." They said, "Hey, did you hear about those men whose blood Pilate mingled with their sacrifices? And did you hear about those eighteen men on whom the tower in Siloam fell?" Our Lord said, "Do you think they were sinners above all others? Nay, I tell you, but except you repent, you shall all likewise perish." In other words, the truth is, if we do not repent, we will perish. And there's many different ways to perish. We can perish spiritually. That is true. We can perish physically. We can perish financially. We can perish emotionally and mentally. We can perish any number of ways. And the Word of God tells us in Acts chapter 17, verses 30 and 31, listen to this: "And the times of this ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent.
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Now, why does God command all men everywhere to repent? Listen to verse 31. Here it is. He said, "Because he, God, hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man, whereof he hath given assurance unto all in that he hath raised him from the dead." So just as surely as God raised Jesus Christ from the dead, there's going to be a judgment. And just as surely, men will give an account to God. Wow. Therefore he commands all men everywhere to repent. So without repentance, there's no way individuals, families, societies, or nations can be acceptable with God.
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The second one is this. We need to learn to pray for leaders, biblical, godly leaders. Wow. Just stop and think about this. Those who do not lead biblically and scripturally are going to lead us into idolatry and immorality and destruction. It's just that simple. So we have to have the courage to stand against all of the ungodliness, all of the immorality, all of the idolatry that is going on in the world today. We have to. In America today. Just stop and think about this.
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There's persecution on every hand. And it's probably going to get worse. There's no two ways about that. But listen to what our Lord said in Revelation chapter 2 in verse 10. He said, "Fear none of those things which you shall suffer. Listen, Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried, and you shall have tribulation ten days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life."
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So what we have to do in this age of wickedness, immorality, idolatry, humanism, secularism, materialism, we have to stand. We have to say, "Here I stand, I can do no other." We have to determine that we're not going to sell our souls for materialism or gain. We're not going to quit, we're not going to give in, we're not going to give up, we're just going to stand.
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Let me tell you, I can tell you right now, who will abide the persecution? I can tell you that right now. Only those who know the Word of God. Only those who know the Lord Jesus Christ. Only those who know that God is the faithful God. Only those who know that we know that all things work together for good to them who are called according to His purpose.
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It doesn't matter what transpires. We know. We know. And we're going to stand and we're going to be true and faithful. So why hast thou done this? Well, we have remorse without repentance. And we have leaders without leadership. And next Sunday, Lord willing, I'm going to show you the other three problems that Israel had that we have. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to thee.
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We thank you for your word. We thank you for your truth. And Lord, I pray that you would open our eyes. Make us wise, Lord, give us wisdom, give us understanding, give us insight, and give us a holy boldness and a holy determination to stand for Thee and Thy Word. In the name of Jesus Christ, we ask and pray. Amen.
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♪
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T22:53:25Z

Why Have You Done This? - Part 1 of 2

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

Pastor John Weaver examines Judges 2:1-13, where God asks Israel 'Why have you done this?' after their disobedience. He draws parallels between Israel's covenant unfaithfulness and America's departure from its Christian founding. The sermon identifies two reasons for this rebellion: remorse without repentance and leaders without godly leadership. Applications emphasize the necessity of genuine repentance and prayer for biblical leaders.

Introduction and Scripture Reading

Weaver introduces the two-part message from Judges 2:1-13, highlighting God's question 'Why have you done this?' as a question asked of individuals and nations.

Scripture Reading — Judges 2:1-13

"And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt and have brought you into the land which I swear unto your fathers."

America as a Covenant Nation

God's Faithfulness vs. Man's Unfaithfulness

The contrast between God's faithfulness to His covenant and Israel's repeated rebellion is emphasized, with God declaring 'I will never break my covenant' while Israel disobeyed.

Scripture Reading — Joshua 5:13-15

"And it came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes, and behold, there stood a man over against him with a sword drawn in his hand."

Now Joshua had to be a very brave man.

Scripture Reading — Joshua 5:13-15

"Because Joshua went unto him and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?" "And he said, Nay, but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant? And the captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot, for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so."

Now here's a scripture that I would encourage everyone to memorize. It's found in Deuteronomy chapter 7 and verse 9. The Word of God says,

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 7:9

"Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations."

Israel's Repeated Rebellion

Weaver traces the phrase 'they did evil again' through Judges and Nehemiah, showing Israel's cycle of sin despite God's deliverance.

Scripture Reading — Judges 3:12

"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."

Notice they did evil again. Look in Judges chapter 4 and verse 1:

Scripture Reading — Judges 3:12

"And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord when Ehud was dead."

Look in Judges chapter 10 and verse 6. Judges 10 and verse 6:

Scripture Reading — Judges 3:12

"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." Now look in Judges chapter 13 and verse 1. Judges 13 and verse 1:

Scripture Reading — Judges 10:6

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

First Reason: Remorse Without Repentance

Israel wept at Bochim but lacked true repentance, as evidenced by their continued idolatry. Weaver distinguishes worldly sorrow from godly sorrow that leads to genuine change.

Scripture Reading — 2 Corinthians 7:9-10

"Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but"

—watch this—

Scripture Reading — 2 Corinthians 7:9-10

"but that you sorrowed to repentance. For you were made sorry after a godly manner, that you might receive damage by us in nothing."

Then he makes this statement:

Scripture Reading — 2 Corinthians 7:9-10

"For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of, but the sorrow of this world worketh death."

The Nature of True Repentance

Repentance is defined as a change of mind leading to a change of conduct, involving turning from idols to serve God, as seen in 1 Thessalonians 1:9.

Scripture Reading — 1 Thessalonians 1:9

"For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve the living and true God. And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivered us from the wrath to come."

Now watch this. Verse 9:

Scripture Reading — 1 Thessalonians 1:9

"For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, how you turned to God from idols."

Second Reason: Leaders Without Leadership

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 21:9-17

"But they hearkened not."

That is, they would not listen to the prophets of God. They wouldn't listen to the law of Moses, but they hearkened not.

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 21:9-17

"And Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel. And the Lord spake by his servants the prophets, saying, Because Manasseh, king of Judah, hath done these abominations, and hath done wickedly above all that the Amorites did which were before him, and hath made Judah also to sin with his idols: Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold, I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria,

Now look at verse 17.

Scripture Reading — 2 Kings 21:9-17

"Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh and all that he did, and his sin that he sinned, are written in the book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah."

The Need for Godly Rulers

Using Deuteronomy 17 and David's example, Weaver stresses that rulers must fear God and rule justly. He laments the lack of such leaders in modern America and the resulting loss.

Scripture Reading — Deuteronomy 17

That is, he has to be like you. He has to be a believer. He cannot be a foreigner. He cannot be an unbeliever. Moreover, the scripture says in Deuteronomy chapter 17, he has to have his own copy, his own personal copy of the law of God. And he's to read therein every day. He has to be a man of the covenant. That's what the Word of God is emphasizing. Now here is a quote from our Supreme Court justice, and in fact I will rephrase that, our very first Supreme Court justice, John Jay, who was appointed by George Washington. And John Jay said this: "Providence has given

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 5:12

"And David perceived that the Lord had established him king over Israel and that he exalted his kingdom for his people Israel's sake."

So here's my second question. Do you know any politicians, any leaders that have come to this realization and this truth? So watch carefully. 2 Samuel chapter 23, verse 1.

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 23:1-3

"Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob and the sweet psalmist of Israel said"

—that would be one time—

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 23:1-3

"the spirit of the Lord spake by me"

—that's twice—

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 23:1-3

"His word was in my tongue"

—that's three times—

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 23:1-3

"The God of Israel said"

—that's four times—

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 23:1-3

"the Rock of Israel spake to me"

—that's five times. David is claiming direct inspiration for this one simple sentence.

Scripture Reading — 2 Samuel 23:1-3

"He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God."

Applications: Repentance and Prayer for Leaders

Weaver applies the message by urging genuine repentance for individuals and nations, and prayer for biblical, godly leaders who will stand against ungodliness.

There's persecution on every hand. And it's probably going to get worse. There's no two ways about that. But listen to what our Lord said in Revelation chapter 2 in verse 10. He said,

Scripture Reading — Revelation 2:10

"Fear none of those things which you shall suffer. Listen, Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried, and you shall have tribulation ten days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life."

Why Have You Done This? - Part 1 of 2

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	Ae1Q7GJJvGw
Subject	Church Government
Course	Church Order: Preaching and Pastoral Ministry
Genre	Sermon
Date	2026-01-05
Dictation Name
Book	Book 054: Why Have You Done This? — Chapter 1
Source Timed Segments	86

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction and Scripture Reading: Weaver introduces the two-part message from Judges 2:1-13, highlighting God's question 'Why have you done this?' as a question asked of individuals and nations.
America as a Covenant Nation: Weaver argues that America was founded as a Christian covenant nation, citing founding documents like the First Charter of Virginia, the First Charter of Massachusetts, and the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut.
God's Faithfulness vs. Man's Unfaithfulness: The contrast between God's faithfulness to His covenant and Israel's repeated rebellion is emphasized, with God declaring 'I will never break my covenant' while Israel disobeyed.
Israel's Repeated Rebellion: Weaver traces the phrase 'they did evil again' through Judges and Nehemiah, showing Israel's cycle of sin despite God's deliverance.
First Reason: Remorse Without Repentance: Israel wept at Bochim but lacked true repentance, as evidenced by their continued idolatry. Weaver distinguishes worldly sorrow from godly sorrow that leads to genuine change.
The Nature of True Repentance: Repentance is defined as a change of mind leading to a change of conduct, involving turning from idols to serve God, as seen in 1 Thessalonians 1:9.
Second Reason: Leaders Without Leadership: After Joshua and the elders died, new leaders failed to lead biblically. Weaver parallels this with America's drift from its founding principles and cites examples of wicked kings like Jeroboam and Manasseh.
The Need for Godly Rulers: Using Deuteronomy 17 and David's example, Weaver stresses that rulers must fear God and rule justly. He laments the lack of such leaders in modern America and the resulting loss.
Applications: Repentance and Prayer for Leaders: Weaver applies the message by urging genuine repentance for individuals and nations, and prayer for biblical, godly leaders who will stand against ungodliness.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

God's question 'Why have you done this?' reveals human rebellion.

The question exposes that disobedience often stems from a rebellious heart that disregards God's clear commands.

Weaver states, 'Usually the unspoken answer to this question... is simply this: I don't care what you said... I did what I wanted to do.'

Nations, like individuals, are accountable to God.

Covenant nations are especially answerable to God, and America's founding documents show it began as such a nation.

Weaver cites the Mayflower Compact and other charters to prove America's covenantal beginnings.

True repentance is evidenced by changed behavior.

Weeping or temporary change is not repentance; genuine repentance turns from sin to serve God.

Weaver uses 1 Thessalonians 1:9 to show the negative (turning from idols) and positive (turning to serve God) aspects of repentance.

Leaders who do not fear God lead nations into destruction.

Biblical examples like Jeroboam and Manasseh show how ungodly leaders seduce people into idolatry and immorality.

Weaver details Jeroboam's golden calves and Manasseh's abominations, including child sacrifice.

Modern American leaders are enriching themselves at the nation's expense.

Weaver cites examples of politicians amassing wealth through bribes and pharmaceutical money, contrasting with David's servant leadership.

Weaver mentions AOC's $30 million net worth, Pelosi's $413 million, and AIPAC funding of 98.2% of Congress.

Scripture References

Judges 2:1-13: The primary text of the sermon, where God asks Israel 'Why have you done this?' after their disobedience.
Joshua 5:13-15: Used to identify the angel of the Lord in Judges 2 as a theophany of Christ, the captain of the Lord's host.
Deuteronomy 7:9: Quoted to emphasize God's faithfulness: 'the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy.'
1 Corinthians 1:9: Cited to affirm 'God is faithful' in calling believers into fellowship with His Son.
Judges 3:12: Example of Israel doing 'evil again' in the sight of the Lord.
Judges 4:1: Another instance of Israel again doing evil after Ehud's death.
Judges 10:6: Israel did evil again, serving multiple foreign gods.
Judges 13:1: Israel did evil again, leading to Philistine oppression.
Nehemiah 9:28: After rest, Israel did evil again, yet God delivered them many times.
2 Corinthians 7:9-10: Distinguishes godly sorrow that works repentance from worldly sorrow that produces death.
1 Thessalonians 1:9: Illustrates repentance as turning to God from idols to serve the living God.
Amos 5:21-24: God rejects Israel's empty rituals and calls for justice and righteousness.
2 Kings 21:9-17: Manasseh's wicked reign, leading Judah into idolatry and shedding innocent blood.
Deuteronomy 17: God's requirement that a king be a believer, have his own copy of the law, and read it daily.
Isaiah 3:12: Children are oppressors and women rule, causing leaders to err.
2 Samuel 5:12: David perceived God established his kingdom for the people's sake, modeling servant leadership.
2 Samuel 23:1-3: David's inspired statement that a ruler must be just, ruling in the fear of God.
Luke 13:1-5: Jesus warns that unless you repent, you will likewise perish.
Acts 17:30-31: God commands all men everywhere to repent because He has appointed a day of judgment.
Revelation 2:10: Encouragement to be faithful unto death despite persecution, with the promise of the crown of life.

Historical References

First Charter of Virginia (April 10, 1606): Cited to show America's founding purpose was to propagate the Christian religion and honor God.
First Charter of Massachusetts (March 4, 1629): Quoted to demonstrate the principal end of the plantation was the Christian faith.
Fundamental Orders of Connecticut (January 14, 1639): Presented as the first written constitution in America, modeled on biblical principles, influenced by Thomas Hooker.
Mayflower Compact: Mentioned as an example of America's covenantal founding documents.
John Jay (first Supreme Court justice): Quoted: 'Providence has given to our people the choice of their ruler, and it is the duty... to select and prefer Christians for their rulers.'
General Smedley Butler: Quoted: 'War is a racket,' used to illustrate the profit motive behind wars.
Jeroboam I, king of Israel: Led the northern kingdom into idolatry by setting up golden calves at Dan and Bethel.
Manasseh, king of Judah: Seduced Judah into idolatry, child sacrifice, and immorality, provoking God's judgment.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC): Cited as an example of a politician amassing $30 million in six years on a congressional salary.
Nancy Pelosi: Mentioned as having a net worth of $413 million, implying corruption.

Important Quotes

I will never break my covenant with you.

Highlights God's absolute faithfulness to His covenant, contrasting with Israel's unfaithfulness.

Why have you done this?

The central question of the sermon, exposing human rebellion against God's clear commands.

God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

Quoted to affirm God's faithfulness as a foundational truth.

For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of, but the sorrow of this world worketh death.

Key distinction between true repentance and mere remorse.

He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.

David's inspired standard for godly leadership, central to Weaver's argument.

Except you repent, ye shall likewise perish.

Jesus' warning that underscores the urgency of repentance.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

What does God's question 'Why have you done this?' reveal about the nature of sin and rebellion?

[Context]

Weaver explains that the unspoken answer is often 'I did what I wanted to do,' indicating willful disobedience.

[Question]

How can we distinguish between worldly sorrow and godly sorrow in our own lives?

[Context]

Based on 2 Corinthians 7:9-10, Weaver contrasts temporary remorse with repentance that leads to lasting change.

[Question]

In what ways does modern American Christianity reflect the 'remorse without repentance' seen in Israel?

[Context]

Weaver critiques churches full of unrepentant professing Christians who prioritize programs over true worship.

[Question]

What are the characteristics of a godly leader according to Deuteronomy 17 and 2 Samuel 23?

[Context]

Weaver emphasizes that leaders must be believers, know God's law, and rule in the fear of God.

[Question]

How should Christians respond when political leaders enrich themselves at the nation's expense?

[Context]

Weaver cites examples of congressional wealth and pharmaceutical bribes, calling for discernment and courage.

[Question]

What does it mean to 'stand' faithfully in an age of increasing persecution and ungodliness?

[Context]

Weaver references Revelation 2:10 and urges holy boldness and determination to remain true to God's Word.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T14:12:52Z