Just a little pornography doesn’t affect the taste…or does it?

Judges 10:1-6 Now after Abimelech died, Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, arose to save Israel; and he lived in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. He judged Israel twenty-three years. Then he died and was buried in Shamir. After him, Jair the Gileadite arose and judged Israel twenty-two years. He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys, and they had thirty cities in the land of Gilead that are called Havvoth-jair to this day. And Jair died and was buried in Kamon. Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the sons of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; thus they forsook the Lord and did not serve Him.

One Saturday a Pastor got a note placed in the “in” box at his office: It read: Please say in your sermon that Peter Peterson has been a good boy all week. I am Peter Peterson. Sincerely Peter Peterson." 

Funny…because he is a child…reality…because we humans desire to be called good, “just because!” However, that is not the way life is. There is a very strong current that pulls humanity to do what is wrong and selfish…this is called the sin nature. It will not rest or dissipate, it only can be confronted…and a clear willful effort must happen to conquer that current. This passage has some silence in it that should cause us to reflect on the “heart” condition of God’s people.

Notice, two leaders are mentioned that followed Abimelech, Tola and Jair. We get a little history about them, and we see that Jair must have been rich based on his possessions. What I want to discuss is what is “NOT” there.

What I find interesting is, unlike the Judges before these two, where it is mentioned how each one “cleaned” the land from idols, that is not brought up here. Is it possible that this is why the Israelites not only fall back into sin, but also embrace ALL the false gods in the land! Whether the previous leaders did or did not clean out the land, the principle that needs to be learned is still essential. When coming out of a sinful situation, we need to come ALL the way out! Half hearted repentance produces complacency and sets a person up to be swept away by another current of sin. There is no such thing as “a little bit of sin.” That is like saying my daughter is “a little pregnant!” How silly, either she is or she is not.

Galatians 5:7–9 You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth? ⁸ This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you. ⁹ A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.

The reality of sin is, not only if it is not swept completely clean that it will return, which it will, but also when it returns, it multiplies!

2 Peter 2:20 For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.

Luke 11:24–26  “When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ “And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order. “Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.”

We need to understand the spiritual battle that takes place when confronting sin, especially a habitual sin. Let me use my battle with pornography as an example. Year after year I kept fighting, yielding to the Holy Spirit, setting up accountabilities, weeping, feeling humiliated, angered, etc! There were times I was free for weeks, months and years, but then, like a dog, I would “return to the vomit!” Each time the grip of porn became stronger and it became harder to return to the fight. 

Part of the problem is that when I would plan to be free again, my mind would say, “been there, done that!” Habitual sin is like salt, if you think you can add just a little to water and it won’t change the taste…you are in for a rude awakening!

Finally, with the Lord’s help, I made a comprehensive plan and filled my life with the things of God in such a way that the current was broken and I “swam” free! I have been free 8 years now and this January will make 9 years. If I were to return now I fear I would be consumed by the current…that is one of the truths that helps me remain free! Israel is no different that any of us, if we keep returning to that same old sin, each time it will grow stronger. Judges is a prime example of how this works as we see Israel become deeper involved in sin and more controlled by it. I spent a year developing an all day seminar for men dealing with becoming free from pornography. I have done twelve of these seminars so far, the stories I hear from the men are all too familiar. This is a solid principle that the Scripture expounds continually, and which life’s experience will attest to its reality. 

If we are to break the “death cycle” of habitual sin, we must enter into that battle with a complete dependency on the Holy Spirit, a constant feeding from the Word of God, an honest transparency through clear accountability and a proactive, thought out strategy that God illuminated our minds to in dealing with our habitual sin. Oh, one more thing…we need an understanding and conviction that every time we reopen that door to sin, the harder it will become to close it!

Meditation Questions: Do you have some of the same sins in your life for years? Do they make you doubt your salvation? What conscious plan have you made to become free? If you hate sin, why do you continue in it? Is it possible hating sin is not enough? When was the last time you sat down and took an inventory of your life, focusing on habitual behaviors? How can you ask God for a strategy to defeat those sins if you do not take the time to identify them?

There is another “silent” issue that we will look at in this passage next time!