A Frog in the Kettle
Judges 15:9-14 – Victory Fellowship
June 7, 2026 - Rev. Roderick Grabski
George Barna book from 1990.
Frog put in hot water jumps right out. (Frog in my chili)
Frog put in cold water over a fire will stay until it’s too late.
Acclamation takes a deadly toll.
Think about what was unacceptable 20-30-40 yrs. ago.
The Israelites were like that Frog in the kettle when it came to possessing the Promised Land. By the time of Samson, they were no longer asking God for help. They were content to be ruled over by the Philistines. They worshipped false idols.
The application for the modern church could never be more crucial.
Relate the story of today’s text.
Rather than take their 3000 men and join with Samson to build an army to defeat the Philistines in the Promised Land (something that God had commanded them to do), Judah chose to do the opposite.
Samson (God’s chosen Judge) became the enemy. What was once considered right was now wrong. Judah and all of Israel were boiling in the kettle and didn’t even know it. In fact, they were so far from God’s will that a civil war will erupt within the tribes of Israel. Everyone will do what is right in their own eyes.
Sound familiar? If it doesn’t you might want to check the temperature of the water around you. In the course of my lifetime, the church, and our culture for that matter, have given up so much to Satan without even a fight that it will take a major spiritual battle to recover lost ground.
We live in a world where the same people that will crucify you for harming a dog or breaking an eagle’s egg – celebrate the opportunity to legally terminate the life of a nine month old baby.
We live in a world where people who oppose homosexuality and transgenders are seen as the enemy.
We live in a world where things that were very wrong when I was young are now, not only right, but those who oppose them are publically humiliated, threatened, ostracized, and silenced.
We often read the Old Testament and wonder how the Israelites could go so wrong when God was leading them.
We read the New Testament and wonder how the disciples could mess it up so much when Jesus was right there with them.
Well, when we point that finger we’ve got three more pointing right back at us. The modern church has given up much without even a fight. If we ask most mainline Christians what they believe there isn’t much difference from the values of the culture around them. Think about the last few times you’ve missed church-what was the reason?
We are not much different from the days of Samson when everyone did what was right in their own eyes.
Gee whiz that’s depressing! What are we to do? I’ve told you before not to worry that the world is going to hell in a handbasket – it’s there.
1st Timothy 4:1-2 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron,
The good news is that Jesus died on the cross for our sins so we don’t have to.
While we don’t have to die on the cross, Jesus did say deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.
When we read the whole bible we see that the shape the world is in is exactly what God predicted. And hello it’s going to get worse than this!
2nd Timothy 3:1-5 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.
Jesus doesn’t expect us to change the course of biblical prediction. He expects to find us faithful when He returns. What are we to do?
1st Peter 3:15-17…but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong.
Jesus said, (John 16:33 33) "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." Even so Lord Jesus, come quickly. Amen.
PRAYER
SONG: Less Like Me
Judges 15:9-14 NLT
The Philistines retaliated by setting up camp in Judah and spreading out near the town of Lehi. 10 The men of Judah asked the Philistines, “Why are you attacking us?” The Philistines replied, “We’ve come to capture Samson. We’ve come to pay him back for what he did to us.” 11 So 3,000 men of Judah went down to get Samson at the cave in the rock of Etam. They said to Samson, “Don’t you realize the Philistines rule over us? What are you doing to us?” But Samson replied, “I only did to them what they did to me.” 12 But the men of Judah told him, “We have come to tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines.” “All right,” Samson said. “But promise that you won’t kill me yourselves.” 13 “We will only tie you up and hand you over to the Philistines,” they replied. “We won’t kill you.” So they tied him up with two new ropes and brought him up from the rock. 14 As Samson arrived at Lehi, the Philistines came shouting in triumph. But the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon Samson, and he snapped the ropes on his arms as if they were burnt strands of flax, and they fell from his wrists.
