The Seven Deadly Sins

The book of Judges is like a battlefield manual for the redeemed community. This
book exposes the enemies and teaches us to deal with these enemies and conquer
them as members of the Body of Messiah. Most of these enemies are squatters in
your soul and they want to take back the land that YHVH conquered in your life. The
enemy is very uncomfortable when we study Judges and we need to follow through
and complete it as part of our spiritual preparation for the times to come.

Median means ‘discord’ and this word is also found in Prov 6:19 where Solomon
listed six things that YHVH hates and a seventh sin that is an abomination:

! " # $ %
& ' (# '# ) $
& * )( & # ' '
* * & ( # * * )
+ % $ +)' $ %

YHVH hates these six things:

1) Pride, thinking you are better than someone else, even sinners. Saying things
to elevate yourself and putting others down.
2) Lies, hiding your shame behind a white lie to protect your dignity.
3) Killing innocent people, physically and spiritually by slandering and killing
someone’s reputation and good name.
4) Wicked heart that plots evil plans to cause someone pain or loss.
5) People eager to do evil and attracted to evil things, thriving and entertained
by sinful things – (movies, music, scoffing, est.).
6) Bearing a false witness to bring someone in trouble so that you can escape.

The seventh is even worst than these six mentioned, and this is causing conflict and
fighting inside the assembly (brothers). This is very interesting that the name of the
enemy is Median who reigned over Israel for seven years and link to the seventh
thing that is an abomination unto YHVH. The seventh sin is not found without the
other six and that is why the Midianites was such a powerful enemy. In our minds we
would have thought that killing someone is the worst thing by far and not having unity
is nothing. But this is different in YHVH’s perspective and He sees things from a
bigger picture and knows all wisdom. We need to adjust to His way of looking at
things and make the same things important and prioritise accordingly. We have seen
in the previous section how important it is to gain and maintain unity so that YHVH’s
presence can be established in the midst of His people.

33
We need His full presence to overcome the external enemies. This is the reason why
YHVH hates the seventh sin more than the six because Satan will cripple YHVH’s
people with little effort if the people allow him.

Median was not alone; if you read further in verse 3 you will see that Amalek was
right by their side. Amalek means ‘people of licking up’ and they were Israel’s first
enemy in the Wilderness. They represent the flesh and will never be destroyed till the
end. When Moses’ hands were raised, Israel won, but when his hands got weak and
was lowered, Amalek won. Aaron and Hur supported him during the battle, holding
his hands, they represent YHVH’s Word and YHVH’s Spirit. If you compromise and
go slack on His Word or in your relationship with Him, you will be overcome by the
flesh (First Enemy). Stay disciplined and hold the standard of the Word in your life
and you will come out victorious. Fleshliness will cause Median to come into your life.

The Midianites were like grasshoppers and their camels could not be numbered.
They oppressed the people of Israel greatly and the people of Israel hid themselves
in holes, mountains, caves and fortresses to get away from the enemy. This is an
interesting observation if you look at it from the context of the seven sins listed in
Proverbs. The people affected by the disunity, fighting, slandering, lies est. remove
themselves from the assembly and hide away in their ‘caves’ and do not mix with the
rest of the people. The result is disunity and the assembly is scattered and made
ineffective and weak. To defeat this enemy is to stand together and realise what you
are dealing with and to sort out the issues so that YHVH’s presence can be restored
and the enemy will then flee from your midst.

How can we protect our selves from this fierce enemy?

We get the answer in verse 8 where YHVH sent a
prophet to the people of Israel and told them they were in
this mess because they have allowed the worship of the
gods of the Amorites. Amorite comes from the word
“amor” that means ‘talker’ or people who like to talk a lot.
This links up perfectly with the seventh sin that is
committed through words and the evil tongue. How do
we protect our selves from the Midianites and their seven
evil sins? By keeping your mouth shut, putting a guard before your mouth and to
think seven times before you say a word. Everything you say that may cause disunity
is the enemy (Median) that is getting its foot in the door through one of the seven
sins.

, - &' - #(
' ) #&'

We should only speak the Words of YHVH, and purify our words seven times before
we say anything, so that we will not step into the trap of the tongue, causing division
in the assembly of YHVH.

Stand up, stand together and fight back.

When we are attacked by this enemy, we need to stick together

and face the issues and sort out misconceptions so that the
seventh sin is not committed and the damage is to great to fix.
The only time you should isolate yourself (hide in a cave) is
when you want to isolate yourself in YHVH’s presence to seek
His face and grow in relationship with Him.

34
When things go bad, unify and stick together and do not go into hiding, hoping
the problem will go away, on the contrary, it will only get worse.

The People Repented

The Midianites oppressed Israel and they cried out to YHVH and He sent them a
prophet.

. / # & & #*
#0 # 1 $ ' ''&
1 & $ ' ' ' ' $
' ' 1 & # '
* && '# '
$ ' ' +/% The Voice of YHVH
'# ' 1 2
* ' 3' '
$ )

The prophet quoted the first of the Ten Commandments to

remind them of the Voice of YHVH they heard of Mt Sinai. In
verse 10 he reminded them that they did not listen to the Voice
of YHVH (Commandments) but listen to other voices. We are
the same today, we rather listen to what other people e say
that to heed to the Voice and the Word of YHVH. The result of
this sin was that Israel ended up under bondage to other nations serving them
because they listened to them. They took their advice from the people and
started to serve their gods, neglecting their own Elohim. Man is like this because
it is easier to serve VISIBLE gods than to serve and listen to an INVISIBLE God.
This is because we are physically and fleshly orientated and not spiritually
minded.

The Forth Judge – Gideon – The Thresher and hater of sin – The one
who Prunes.

) ' (* )
* 4& #* ) $ $ 5
6 * $ * & #

YHVH in Disguise
The word Oak is the Hebrew word “elah” and means ‘oak’, ‘strong tree’, and is
the singular form of ‘Elohim’. The Oak or Elohim was in Ophrah (ashes/ death). This
means that Elohim was in the midst of the bad situation and even when things turns
bad and people rebelled against Him, He was still there, in control, waiting for the
right moment to fulfil His plan. One wise man once said that everything bad that
happens is YHVH in disguise. This is a perfect picture of just how YHVH never
leaves His people and uses the ‘bad situation’ they brought over them selves, to use
that and turn it into something that will change the people for the good.

35
 7 . ,. * (
* 1

YHVH’s Justice & Word Corrupted

The word “elah” or oak is first found in Scripture in Gen 35:4 where the people of
Jacob (Israel) brought all their strange gods and put it under the ‘oak’ tree in
Shechem.

6 89: * ) *
) $# )$
' (* ) * $ 0 )
1 * '& ) * ' $' #
&' ' )$ ) $) ;'5
< # #3 # & & *

The story goes back in Gen 34 where Shechem, the son of Hamor, the Hivite defiled
Jacob’s daughter Dinah and wanted to marry her afterwards. Dinah means ‘Justice’
and Shechem means ‘part’ or ‘portion’, and this shows us that a portion of the Justice
of Israel was defiled and ended up in all sorts of pagan interweaving between
cultures. As we have seen, the Hivites represents false teachers and it is they that
corrupt YHVH’s justice. It only takes a small portion of YHVH’s Word to be defiled to
corrupt everything.

< 9 2 ' ( * *
' &=

This is why it is so important to keep YHVH’s Word and His Justice pure so that the
defiled portion would not become the foundation for false doctrine and
misinterpretation of His Word, leading people away from Him instead of leading them
closer to Him. This is the system called Babylon (mixing and confusion) that the
enemy uses to corrupt a small portion of YHVH’s Word in order to enslave His people
making them ineffective for the Kingdom. To fix this problem, YHVH looked for
someone with certain qualities to restore His Justice in Israel again. That is why He
raised up Judges, and is still rising up Judges today, to remove the leaven and false
doctrines from His Word and from among His people.

In Gen 35:4 we see that they brought their false gods and earrings and place it under
the Oak tree. They ‘cleaned out their houses’ and denounced their pagan masters so
that they could enter into Betel, the ‘House of Elohim’, and be safe. Once they did
that they were protected and the surrounding enemies were terrified of them and
their El and did not attempt to attack them.

To repent is to denounce Satan and his powers and the ‘enemies’ that controlled
your life, and you choose not to listen to them any more (put the earrings under the
tree). You also have to ‘clean out your house’ and get rid of everything that comes
from Satan and the pagan cultures that symbolise false gods If you do this, then you
will enter the ‘House of El’ (Bet-El) and will dwell safely and in peace under His
authority, doing the things that please Him and obeying His Voice.

36
Death - Because of Sin
Ophrah comes from the root word “aphar” that means ‘dust, ashes, mortar

and rubbish’. It consists of three letters and all three have warnings; “Ayin” – ‘eye’

– see and want or covet, “Pey” – ‘mouth’ – speak words that are wrong and

“Resh” – ‘human reasoning’ – reasoning your way around YHVH’s Word. These
three things causes ‘spiritual death’ and we should stay away from being like ‘Oprah’.
YHVH came to the dusty place and this shows us the humility of our Elohim that He
will meet us where we are to save us.

7 9. ! !! " * * *
'

This shows us YHVH’s grace and we can receive this grace through repentance, and
He will meet you at the place where you are (spiritual deadness) and help you to
come back into Life where He is.

YHVH Chooses His Leader

The angel met Gideon there, busy threshing wheat at the The Qualities YHVH
winepress, hiding from the Midianites. This shows us that he was looks for in potential
set apart and not part of the situation. In the same way we are in Leaders.
this world but not part of the world that is pagan. Wheat is the word
“chittah” that share the same root as the word “chattah” • !"
" #
which means ‘sin’. “Chet” means ‘Life’ and “Tet” $
represents the ‘Serpent’ and ‘death’. Looking at this verse now • %
gives us the insight that Gideon was set apart threshing ‘sin’. This
made him the perfect candidate for YHVH to be used to help Israel
to come out under the bondage of the enemy. Are you like Gideon,
living set apart and threshing sin out of your life, making decisions
• &'
that will result in life rather than death? Do you love what YHVH
loves and do you hate what YHVH hates?

Gideon faced his fear – The Second Enemy

, : && #
# * '# * # 6
#4# # * ' #*
&& '= * ) * ) '
' # #2 $ ' '& 1 & =3' *
( '# '
$ ( '& #6 '
# '
'=

Gideon was a man just like you and me and he had limited vision of what YHVH
planned feared at the thought of being used by YHVH. The task looked so big and
undoable. YHVH knew the end result and called Gideon a mighty warrior. Gideon is
an example to us to show that you can overcome your fear by YHVH’s faith. You just
have to start walking in the promises and in the anointing of YHVH.

37
YHVH will equip you and provide everything you need for what He has called you for.
If you are in His will, He WILL look after you and empower you so fear not. We have
learned earlier that fear is one of the enemies you need to conquer in your life. If not,
then YHVH can’t use you.

> '$$ + 6 % & & *

* # '& & ) $ * #
* #$
#

We see how Gideon overcame his fear in the first verse of chapter 7. ‘Harod’ means
‘terror’ and this is the well of terror or fear in the valley. It sounds like the passage in
Ps 23 where David wrote, “… % " &'
' % ' " (' ) ! () Conquering Fear
) '' & !' ! We do not have to fear
because YHVH is with us and He will guide us and protect us, even Fears are lies and to
if we stare death in the face. conquer these fears
(enemies) you have to
Moreh means ‘teacher’ and you will always find yourself between learn the truth from the
‘fear’ and ‘the Teacher’. You can turn to fear or you can turn to the Teacher Who is in the
Teacher. YHVH is the Teacher that is in every terrifying situation. midst f these
He brings things across your path that you will fear but that is to situations.
‘stretch’ you and that you can learn from that situation so that you
can be trained in becoming a ‘Mighty Warrior’. Your Teacher will
always teach you in the midst of your fears so that you can grow out of fear and grow
into your destiny.

7 . 8>8 3' * ) ?' '

* ' # @ & ' #
# # & )& # &* # & #
) ## # & #
) ' # $ $ & ' 1 * )
A ' '

: . #$' & ) ) ' #

$)' * $ & )
+ %- $)' '

If you fear, you have no faith in Him whom you love. If you love Him perfectly,
perusing His Word, doing his Commandments, He will protect you and guide you in
and through all things and you do not have to fear anything. The one thing you will
learn in your terrifying quests is the Character of YHVH, and the more you learn Who
He is, the less you will fear the situation or the enemy.

What you fear you will worship, that is why it is a form of idolatry if you fear other
things other than YHVH. Fear only YHVH and worship Him alone because He is the
One Who can destroy your soul in the Day of Judgement.

We have looked at the Six Main Enemies in the Second Part of this study; the First
Enemy was the Flesh and the Second Enemy was Fear. Gideon also depicts a
“Judge in training” overcoming the Second Enemy.

38
The First Task Gideon had to do – Clean Out his House

Gideon means ‘one who bruises’, ‘one who breaks or prunes’ and the
‘destroyer’ and this is exactly what he did. He went and destroyed the
altar of Baal at his father’s house, cut down the pillar and used it as wood
for a burnt offering unto YHVH. He feared his father and his household
and the people of the town and did all of this during the night. The next
morning they accused Gideon and wanted to kill him. Gideon’s father
stood up for him and said that if Baal was alive and real, he should kill
Gideon and not the people of the town. From that day they called Gideon
Jerubbaal that means’ let Baal defend his cause’.

YHVH asks us to do the same where we live, to stand up against the enemy and
throw down their altars and remove their presence from our homes. A lot of people
will resist you and even your family will stand up against you if you stand for YHVH.
Y‘shua said that if they persecuted Him, they will also persecute you, because you
are not greater than your Master.

, 8 , # * A ' *
$ & )'

9,/ , * ! !+ % &
& )' # *
& )' '%' & " ,& & & & -
3' * ' B ( #$ ) '
( * *

Note verse 21, they persecuted Y’shua’s followers for His Name’s sake, quite ironic.
In other words, it was religious people who wanted to defend the faith who will
persecute you. They do this because they do not know YHVH. This is also true today
because people who belief in Jesus do not read the OT and do not understand the
Ways of YHVH and His Torah and persecute those who wants to follow YHVH. This
means that your main persecution will come from followers of Christ who do not know
the Scripture or the Father. If you really follow Y’shua, you will not be liked by these
religious people and they will persecuted you for what you stand for.

Gathering the People

8: 89 3' & ) 6 #
$ * B ) $ 5
# ' '
#* *
# C $' ' #
D & ) '&

The Spirit of YHVH came upon Gideon and he blew the Shophar to
gather and assemble the people for war. The name Abiezrites means ‘help of the
Father’ and the blowing of the Shophar is a call for the Father to help us. This is the
reason we are supposed to blow the Shophar on every new moon, Sabbath
(appointed time) and every Feast day.

. 8 3 * B * #
&& # '

39
 D : ,/. * & ) ' ' A #
E ' 4' 1 ' /

The word “shophar” (translated as ‘trumpet’) means ‘beauty’ and the shophar is
blown to gather the people into Unity so that they can stand up against the enemy
and be beautified as they come back into the “original things” of the Father. (Father
means “Av” or origin). Blowing of the Shophar is to assemble and unify the people.
The sin that is the worst of the seven sins is the one where the
unity is broken amongst the brothers through conflict and
fighting. This gives the Shophar great spiritual significance in
binging the people together as ONE (echad), which is ‘beautiful’
(shophar) and pleasing to YHVH.

88 8 0 1 ' '2 " 33 # *

* ;1 0 D $ *
461 17 DFD G- ( & ) '
'& # * '& $ # B
$ * * ( "# *
# * ) '& '
C ) $ #

Pleasant is the Hebrew word “nah-eem” that means: pleasant, delightful, and
beautiful. ‘Together in Unity’ is the Hebrew phrase ”gam yachad” and it means ‘to
assemble in one unit’. This is exactly what the Shophar represents; Beautiful
Unified people functioning as One. The Ram’s horn was also used to carry the
anointing oil that was used to anoint the Priests and Kings. This is a symbol of
YHVH’s Spirit and the appointment of His people who will lead
others into unity. Do not rebel against the leadership YHVH gave Shophar = Unity
through the anointing and Gifts of His Spirit. If you do this, you
will do the seventh and most grievous sin in the eyes of YHVH; The Shophar represents
breaking the unity in the Assembly. unity by gathering the
people. It also means
If we blow the Shophar on New Moon, it gathers the people that beauty. In YHVH’s eyes,
are still in the Darkness, who will start to enter into the Light. This Unity is beautiful and this
is seen in the ‘Dark Moon’ showing the first sliver of light. Blowing is what makes His Bride
the Shophar we gather these people in the spirit to gather and beautiful, if ‘She’ function
come into the Kingdom of YHVH. as One Body.

Gideon’s Fear and Doubt – Overcoming the Enemy of Fear

8 8> 4 !%') "% +&

!& ) " # $ #* &' )
* * ) #
'& ' # ( * '*
$ # '

8 4 !; ' $
# * & ($' ) & '#
$' )* ) ; *$
'& )# '& ' $ *

40
Many people use this example of Gideon as a way to “hear” from YHVH. Looking at
the surrounding evidence Gideon presents to us through his actions, it appears that
he was a scared young man who found it hard to grasp that YHVH wanted to use him
for something great. This is a ‘bad’ character trade Gideon and we should not ‘copy’
him in his weak state.

Gideon first asked for the dew to fall only on the fleece and not on the ground. Then
he asked for the dew to fall on the ground and not on the fleece. Even with Gideon’s
faithless acts, YHVH still gave him the conformation he needed to be convinced and
conquer his fears. If your faith is build upon fleeces, you are immature and need to
grow up spiritually.

$ D * '$ ) & # )

If you use a fleece you would never again have to apply your will or wisdom to make
a decision. People are lazy to study the Scripture to attain wisdom and want a ‘quick
fix’ every time. We as believers in Messiah should know the Plan and Will of YHVH
and be led by the Spirit and not by things we see. People who are physically
orientated and who are drawn to physical things will easily be misled by these fleshly
signs. We should listen to the Spirit of YHVH and know His Word to know what to do
when we are in a situation. You should learn to pray and wait of YHVH for an
answer. Do not make your own idols (fleeces) and ask YHVH to speak through them,
learn to hear the Voice of YHVH so that He can lead you by His Spirit.

7 . :@ $ 0& 1 #
1
YHVH wants us to grow up spiritually and wants us to learn to listen to His Spirit
when we isolate our selves in prayer and if we wait patiently on Him. There is so
much noise in this world that cause us not to hear His voice and most of the times is
it us that do not shut up and be quiet so that we can hear Him. You have to make
time to get quiet and to listen to Him in your inner room. This is related to worship
that will make your relationship strong with Him and that will help you to stand in this
life with all its challenges.

41