God Raises the Faithful

Hey, hey, good morning, good morning. Welcome to Coffee and Devotions. This morning, we are just looking at two verses. Tola of Dodo. Let's have some coffee, we'll pray, talk about this two-verse blessing. Father, we thank you so much for this day. Thank you for your word. Thank you, Lord, that you are a gracious God. You are the one who gives and cares for your people. Father, we pray that this morning you would please care for us by your Holy Spirit. Teach us the ways so we can walk in your path. Alright, here we go. We are at Judges chapter 10 verses 1 and 2.
After Abimelech, there arose to save Israel, Hola, the son of Pua, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar. And he dwelt in Shamir in the mountains of Ephraim. He judged Israel 23 years, and he died and was buried in Shamir. All right, so after Abimelech there arises, Thola.
Thola, right? And so this is two verses. Man, we don't get any introduction. He's one of a number of different minor prophets. He's the sixth, or sorry, minor judges. He's the sixth of the judges that we've come to find. And we've had Shamgar before, who had a very small portion. And we have Thola in chapter 12. We're going to get three other minor, quote unquote, minor judges.
But here he's saving. Israel. Where's he from? Well, he's a man of Issachar. He dwelt in Shamir in the mountains of Ephraim. Most likely this similar region where Abimelech had just carried out his tyrannical rule. The area of Shechem. Those same mountains up in the northern kingdom.
Now we have Tola who comes. Son of Pua, the son of Dodo. This man comes and he gives 20, half a generation of people. We find him as a Lord's sinner. We judge Shabbat, judging Israel, but we find him as a man specifically. What's the best verse to summarize this? Well, you choose one or two. You can underline verse one or two in your Bible if you like. What are we called to do? What a great blessing. There's a wicked, wicked man who is to call himself a king and reign with an iron fist, selfish rule, this hunger and gluttony for power. And yet God humbles. The next. Judge. Anything. Is that there's. It is. It can be a breaker they had on.
Do you remember what we had read? the end of chapter 8. As soon as Gideon was dead the children of Israel again played the harlot with balls. They did not remember the Lord their God who had delivered them from the hands of their enemies on every side. They go and they played virtual harlot. We often think of the God of the Old Testament as somehow this God who's like, all wrath and all anger and all vengeance and... So they proved to be unfaithful.
They want the bramble bush to rule over them, the Lord. God who's for his people. Light of love. Satisfied in his. No matter how all we may be, how little history is our name. Thank God. I'm because of says he's the one who of him reason I said We prove so unfit for all. We prove to be fickle. You are fickle. Help us to love you. One who raised up the shepherd of the