Archives for March 2012

TODAY’S READING: I SAMUEL 18-21

 

OVERVIEW:

David and Jonathan become friends; David is promoted in the site ofIsraeland despised in the eyes of Saul; Saul plots and attempts to kill David; David is helped by Jonathan and others to escape Saul.

 

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

Killing the chief enemy ofIsrael(Goliath) certainly had a big effect on the reputation of David.  God had chosen to promote him in the eyes of the Israelites while Saul, who seems to be far more concerned with how things look rather than the state of his heart, becomes protective of his position and jealous of David at the same time.  With this, Saul loses his very most prized possession – his son.  Jonathan, the supposed heir of the kingdom, is knitted to David and they become fast and permanent friends.

How sad for Saul as he continues to slide out of the picture of God’s plan.  He wants more than anything for his kingdom to be preserved and for his son to sit on the throne in his place, and he will go to any lengths to see that he accomplishes this.  In the process of this pursuit Saul loses the essence of what he was really after – respect.  Matthew16:26says it all, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”

 

Jonathan, however, is motivated by love, friendship, a covenant he made with David, and a calm sense that God is in control.  Chapter 20 makes it clear that Jonathan was not naïve about David replacing him, but Jonathan new that there are more important things than ones own promotion in front of people.  Jonathan would gladly play the role of protecting David, and with this, becomes one of the most beautiful portraits of selfless friendship and brotherly love in the whole Bible. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:13, “Ye are my friends,” Jesus continues to say, “If you do whatsoever I command you.”

 

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As the FRIEND THAT STICKETH CLOSER THAN A BROTHER – I Samuel 18:3 (Proverbs18:24, John15:13-16)

 

By JONATHAN, knowing that it was God’s will to make David king, stripped himself of his royal robe, promising all that he had to David – I Samuel 18:3-4.  (Phil. 2:5-8 – Jesus, knowing, the will of the Father, stripped Himself of His royal robe, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men… and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.)

 

 

 

TODAY’S READING: I SAMUEL 15-17

 

OVERVIEW:

Saul’s disobedience costs him the kingdom; God chooses David to be king; David kills Goliath.

 

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

These three chapters are some of the most dramatic happenings in all of scripture.  Here God rejects a king, appoints another one to replace him out of obscurity, and instantaneously promotes the new king-elect in the eyes of the entire nation ofIsrael.

 

Each of these stories has been preached on numerous times because of the very clear messages that God is sending in each of them.  In Chapter 15, God gives King Saul a very clear command to totally annihilate the enemy, and by all outside appearances it looks as if Saul is going to obey God.  He gathers the troops, confidently prepares them and courageously leads them to battle, but out of victory, Saul snatches ultimate defeat.  After the hard part is done and the battle is won and while Saul is in total control, he “reinterprets” God’s command in order to do something that better suits his taste.  He keeps some of the spoils of battle, and with his own desires fulfilled; he leaves forever behind the hand of God upon his life. 

 

Ringing in his ears are Samuel’s words, “to obey is better than sacrifice,” while we go on to read what Saul did not understand at the time.  “Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death.”  How ironic. (Note that Romans 12 makes obedience and sacrifice one when we are “beseeched” to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service.)

 

And the irony only intensifies by the last verse of I Samuel 16 when the only cure for King Saul’s oppression from the evil spirit was the beautiful harp playing of David – the young man, who unbeknownst to Saul, was God’s choice for king. 

 

As the emphasis in the scripture forever shifts from Saul to David, it is thrilling to note what is at the heart of this shift – the heart.  While Saul was a choice that was easy on the eye, David was a man after God’s own heart. (16:7 – But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him (Saul): for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.) I Sam.13:14is where Saul is disqualified over the heart issue, and I Sam.12: 24has God urging Saul to keep his heart right.  Obviously, God is serious about the state of our inner being, since “heart” is in the scriptures 765 times, and it seldom refers to the physical blood pumping muscle!

 

With the whole heart issue in mind, we launch into the story of “David and Goliath”, which should be renamed, “David and His Motivations.”  While this history is often recounted emphasizing the fact that David desired to defend the name of God against the big, bad, evil Goliath who defied the God of Israel, his motivations seem quite different when we examine the emphasis the scripture puts on David’s discussions around the campfire prior to taking on the giant.  Three times David is told what will be done for the man who defeats Goliath (twice David asks). (I Sam. 17:25-30)  And to make the point even stronger, David’s eldest brother accuses him of having a bad heart attitude right in the middle of these discussions about the booty for killing the giant.  It is clear that God is strongly endorsing the fact that rewards often naturally accompany doing right by God and we do not need to shy away from them or apologize for being motivated by them as long as we are not perverted by them from doing God’s will.

 

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

Through DAVID’S NAME, which means “BELOVED” – I Sam. 16:13 (Matt.3:17; 17:5; Mark1:11; 9:7; Luke3:22;9:35)

TODAY’S READING: I SAMUEL 11-14

 

OVERVIEW:

The rise of King Saul as he obeys God; the fall of King Saul as he relies upon his own reasoning; Jonathan, Saul’s son, acts in great courage.

 

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

With all the disobedience and rejection God has tolerated throughoutIsrael’s history, Saul’s reign is delivered with this promise and warning, “Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.  But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.” I Sam. 12:24, 25.

 

Fourteen verses later Samuel is announcing privately to Saul what will still take years for God to deliver, “thy kingdom shall not continue:  the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart.”  Watching Saul try to hang on to his power and position from this point on, instead of seeking God and desiring to keep a pure heart, is like watching so many followers of Christ who structure their existence upon maintaining a good front, and getting from God what they want from Him, rather than hearing and heeding and knowing the God who in turn promotes and protects. (I Sam. 7:9; Jeremiah 22:29; Joshua 23:11; James 4:10)

 

In the New Testament, (Acts 13:21-22) Paul, (who’s original name was Saul), makes only one mention of his name’s sake saying, “And when He had removed him.”  How ironic that the first king ofIsraelis only known for having to be removed, so that God could fulfill His plan.  God will always seek a man after His own heart. (I Sam. 13:14;)

 

Jonathan, King Saul’s son, seems to have the heart of a lion (I Sam. 14:6), but his life is caught up in the web of his father’s sin.  Although he remains pure, the tangle of Saul ends his life too.  There is no private sin or private life.  What we do affects those around us, and most often and most severely, those we love (Numbers 32:22-24).

 

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

We see Christ in all that Samuel was meant to be – judge, priest, and prophet. John 5:30; Hebrews7:26and Acts 7:37.

 

TODAY’S READING: I SAMUEL 5-10 (don’t worry, it’s only 126 verses!)

 

OVERVIEW:

God wreaks havoc on His enemies through the Ark of the Covenant; Samuel leadsIsraelin reformation and worship;Israeldemands an earthly king and Saul is chosen by God.

 

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

The glory has departedIsrael(end of Chapter 4).  Ichabod has been born at the death of his father, uncle, grandfather and mother.  In one fail swoop, Samuel is ushered in as judge, priest and ruler.  While God is establishing His man, He is wreaking havoc in the lives of His enemies.  They have taken theArkin battle, and have found that nothing is more uncomfortable than the presence of God in the house of the devil (II Cor.6:14).

 

Samuel calls God’s people back to Him and as they respond to His Word, they are restored, and once again, are protected by God in a miraculous manner (II Chron.7:14). In the end, however, the sins of Samuel’s spiritual father, Eli, are visited upon Samuel and his sons sin in a manner similar to Eli’s sons (Deut. 5:9), and given this excuse the children of Israel reject their God and choose to ask for an earthly king (Phil. 3:19).

 

Ignoring all the warnings of how oppressive their choice of having an earthly king rather than God as king would be, the children ofIsraelare given Saul.  Once again, even thoughIsraelhas chosen God’s second best plan, God makes provision to give them a king who could chose to lead them to Him.

 

To the echoes of “God save the king” (I Sam.10:24), Saul begins his reign.

 

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

We see Christ in all that Samuel was meant to be – judge, priest, and prophet. John 5:30; Hebrews7:26and Acts 7:37.

 

TODAY’S READING: I SAMUEL 1-4

 

OVERVIEW:

God gives Samuel to Hannah; Hannah gives Samuel to God; Samuel gives himself to God; God gives Samuel toIsrael; Eli misappropriates the tabernacle by permitting his sons to disobey; Eli misses God’s message; Eli misuses the Ark of the Covenant; Samuel lives; Eli dies.

 

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

The Book of I Samuel begins at a time when “the word of the Lord was precious” (3:1).  It was precious for the same reason platinum is such a “precious” commodity today: because it is incredibly rare!  God’s people were in the place He wanted them, (the Promised Land), but they hadn’t actually “possessed their possession” the way God had intended.  God had repeatedly warned them in Deuteronomy 8 and 9 of the danger of forgetting Him after He had brought them into the land.  The warning had gone totally unheeded, however, resulting in two extremely unfortunate realities in I Samuel:  1) God’s people were not bringing Him the honor, respect, fear, and glory He deserved and/or demanded; 2) God’s people were not experiencing the “abundant life” He had designed for them to enjoy in the “land that flowed with milk and honey.”  Once again,Israelis a picture of believers who are “in Christ,” but live lives beneath what God intended life in Christ to be.

 

Enter Samuel, the miracle child given to a mom who surrendered him to God before he was even born.  He was to be the first of the prophets, the last of the judges, and the man that would usher inIsrael’s earthly kings.  He was born into a time when God’s perfect will was largely ignored.  He would faithfully serve God and His people, and yet ultimately be rejected by the people.  ThoughIsraelrejected Samuel, God was clear that it was actually Him that they were rejecting (8:7).  Because of their rejection of God’s leadership, they sought out kings to lead them as had the other nations of the world.  The kings are all ultra-imperfect pictures of Christ, whose kingdom would nonetheless be ushered in at God’s perfect time.

 

The Book of I Samuel is fast paced and layered with historical and spiritual significance.  One of the most intriguing lessons repeated throughout the Book of I Samuel is the way that God always provides a “new perfect will” for His people, even as they mess up the “perfect will” He had them working within the day before.  In Chapter 1, it is out of a sticky marital situation that Samuel is born to Hannah.  Hannah is one of Elkanah’s two wives who prayed that God would give her some relief from her “adversary” (the other wife with whom she could not get along).  Elkanah loved Hannah, but his acceptance of what was culturally acceptable (bigamy), while not in God’s perfect will, was the backdrop for God’s “new perfect will” – Samuel.  (Random note – Over 30% of live births in theU.S.are now outside of marriage altogether, which is obviously not in God’s perfect will, and yet God has a “new perfect will” for each of these souls.)

 

In Chapter 2, when Hannah presents back to God His present to her, she is handing Samuel over to a priest who has long departed from God’s perfect will.  He is a carnal, obese (I Sam.4:18) old man who has allowed his own sons (who are the sons of Belial!) to run the tabernacle. And, run it they did. Right into the ground!  Out of this, God’s “new perfect will” emerges.  And even with the loss of the Ark of the Covenant in Chapter 4 in a battle improperly fought byIsrael, the “new perfect will” of God will emerge.  Lamentations3:22& 23 says, “It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.  They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.” Hallelujah for God’s unending mercies and unfailing compassions forIsrael, and US!   

 

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

We see Christ in all that Samuel was meant to be – judge, priest, and prophet. John 5:30; Hebrews7:26and Acts 7:37.

 

 

 

 

TODAY’S READING: RUTH 1-4

 

OVERVIEW: Elimelech and Naomi and their two sons sojourn into Moab during a time of famine; Elimelech’s death; the marriage of Naomi’s two sons to Orpah and Ruth; the death of Naomi’s sons; Naomi’s decision to return to Bethlehem and Ruth’s decision to go with her; Ruth goes to glean in the field of Boaz in Bethlehem; Boaz’s kindness to Ruth; Naomi informs Ruth that Boaz can fulfill the role of kinsman-redeemer; Ruth approaches Boaz at the threshingfloor; Boaz fulfills the role of Ruth’s kinsman-redeemer, taking her to wife; Ruth gives birth to Obed, King David’s grandfather.

 

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

The Book of Ruth is the record of one of the greatest love stories of all time. Ruth’s story is a familiar one. She was born into this world a Moabitess. The Moabites were a race of people cursed by God due to sin (Deut. 23:3).

 

During a time of famine (1:1), one day someone shared with Ruth the fact that the Lord had visited His people inBethlehem, giving them bread (1:6). Upon hearing that good news, she left her father and mother and the gods of her homeland, and went to partake of the Lord’s provision of bread inBethlehem(1:15-18).

 

When she arrived in Bethlehem, she just “happened” (2:3) to go to work, gleaning in the harvest field of the only man on earth who would carry out for her the Old Testament provision of the kinsman redeemer (Lev. 25:23-28). His name was Boaz, a mighty man of wealth, a Jew, from the city ofBethlehem(2:1-2). Boaz take one look at her, falls head-over-heels in love with her (2:5), and takes her out of his harvest field to be his bride (4:9-10). “And,” as the old saying goes, “they lived happily ever after.”

 

Like Ruth, we too, were born into a race of people that had been cursed by God due to sin (Rom. 5:12; 6:23a). We call it the “human” race.

 

But, one day, someone shared with us the fact that God had visited this planet, being born inBethlehem(Luke 2:4, 7), as the Bread of Life (John6:35), and could feed the famine sin had left in our soul. Upon hearing that “good news” (gospel – I Cor. 15:1-4), we left our father and mother (Matt.10:37), and the “gods” we once served in our homeland (I Thess. 1:9), and became a partaker of God’s provision on our behalf.

 

We have now been left to work, gleaning in the harvest field (Matt.13:38) of our Jewish Kinsman

Redeemer, the mighty man of wealth (the “God-man”) from the city ofBethlehem, until He calls us out of His harvest field (I Thess.4:16) to make us His bride (Rev. 19:7; 21:9), and so shall we ever be with the Lord (I Thess.4:17), living happily ever after (Rev. 21:4).

 

In October and November of 2007 we covered the book of Ruth in Sunday morning sermon series, which is available on request. 

 

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

Through BOAZ, the mighty and wealthy Jewish kinsman-redeemer from the city of Bethlehem who took a Gentile bride out of his harvest field – Ruth 2-4 (Isa. 9:6; Heb. 4:15; Luke 2:4-7: Rev. 19:7; Matt. 13:

TODAY’S READING: JUDGES 18-21

 

OVERVIEW:

The corruption of the Tribe of Dan; the wickedness of the Gibeonites; the division between the Tribe of Benjamin and the rest ofIsrael; the destruction of the Tribe of Benjamin.

 

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

As we finish the Book of Judges today, it’s vital that we recall where we are in this point of Israel’s history. After several years of COMPLACENCY, summarized in chapters one and two,Israelentered into a long period of COMPROMISE, found in chapters three through sixteen. During that time, God’s people endured seven major cycles of oppression at the hands of those over whom the Lord had previously given victory. The final five chapters of the Book of Judges sadly describes for us the CORRUPTION that ultimately takes place when they forgot God and His Word! Some of the most bizarre stories in all of scripture appear in this final part of the Book of Judges. Remember, the key to understanding this whole book is found in the last verse of the final chapter… “In those days there was no king inIsrael: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”

 

In chapter 18, the Tribe of Dan convinces Micah’s own personal priest whom he called “father” (see Jud.17:10) to leave with them to be the whole Tribe’s priest (Jud.18:19). This, of course, was appealing to the priest because he was getting a promotion, so to speak. He was so excited about this “promotion” that he stole Micah’s ephod (“priestly garment”), teraphim (“household idol”), and graven image (Jud.18:20) so he could perform his priestly duties for the Tribe of Dan. Micah was, of course, devastated by this, because they stole his religion and he had nothing left to live for (see his own words in Jud.18:24). Watch out for any religion or “faith” that can be stolen! It cannot resist the weapons of warfare (vs. 11, 16-17), its’ priest will not stand by you (vs. 18-20), its’ congregation can only cry out in despair with you (vs. 22-23), and its’ final end is heartache and loss (vs. 24-26). You can’t steal the “religion” of someone, who has been truly born again and trusted Christ for their salvation, because it’s not a “religion”, it’s an eternal “relationship” with the Creator as your Father!

 

In chapter 19, a Levite sets out on a long journey to recover his unfaithful concubine, who, consequently is abused all night long until the dawning of the day, at which time she is divided by the sword. Although this isn’t a perfect picture by any means, it still typifies for us that Jehovah God will come back in the morning to look for His unfaithful wife, the Nation of Israel, who is spiritually dead to Him. This just happens to be the book of Judges; at this point there is no king andIsraelis dead to God. But in the Book of Ruth, a Jewish kinsman redeemer takes a gentile bride to himself, then the Son of David (Solomon) will come back to give Israel life again.

 

Chapters 20 and 21 teach us the story of howIsraeldecides to deal with this despicable sin that happened within their borders (the abusing of the concubine by the men of Gibeah). There is a division between the men ofIsraeland the Tribe of Benjamin over this issue though. Benjamin takes the side of the Gibeonites and decides to fight againstIsrael. Isn’t it amazing, the depths that sin will take you! The Benjamites actually wanted to defend the wickedness of the Gibeonites! What does that tell you about the moral state of this tribe at this time? The Tribe of Benjamin was defeated byIsraelin the war and it appeared that the sin at Gibeah had been dealt with. The only problem is that history teaches us they never truly repented, because once again, they returned to their sinful ways.

 

All of chapter 21 is a counterfeit repentance that does nothing more than make them feel good about themselves for “dealing with the sin”. When you “deal with the sin in your life,” do you truly repent and turn from your sin? Or, do you go right back to doing that which you supposedly “repented” of?

 

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

Through THE HOUSE OF GOD – Judges 20:18; God’s dwelling place among His peopleIsrael.

Unfortunately, this corrupt time inIsraelis much like the Laodicean church period (Rev. 3:14-22), where God is on the outside looking in, while the people think He’s in their midst!

As the LEVITE – Judges 19:1 – see Highlights and Insights

 

 

TODAY’S READING: JUDGES 13-17

 

OVERVIEW:

The birth of Samson; the life of Samson; the death of Samson; Micah and his mother’s idolatrous religion.

 

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

Samson was born in a godly home to parents that prayed (Judges 13:8,12).  He was God’s special gift to them and the nation ofIsrael.  His parents brought offerings to God and dared to believe His wonderful promises (Judges13:15,21).  God gave Samson the power of His Spirit that made him strong and called him to be a Nazarite, one who is wholly surrendered to the Lord.  According to Numbers 6, a Nazarite was never to drink strong drink or touch a dead body; and the mark of his dedication would be his uncut hair.  This entire wonderful heritage Samson despised by the choices he made in his life.  Instead of putting himself in God’s hands to accomplish his God-given task, he chose to live to please himself.  What a tragedy it is to waste a life that was supposed to be set apart for God’s service.  Let Samson be a warning to each of us who name the name of Christ, so that we don’t repeat his sad mistakes.  For we, too, have been called by God and set apart (sanctified) for his use just as Samson (II Tim.2:21).  Hebrews 11:32 names Samson for his faith in God’s Word, but apart from this, little else can be said on his behalf. In January and February of 2009  we covered his life in the sermon series called “The tragedy of a wasted life”                                        

 

One evidence of spiritual decline is in the way we submit to the authority in our lives (in Samson’s case – his parents).  In Judges 14:1 God says “Samson went down”.  This is true both spiritually and geographically.  Instead of staying within the borders ofIsrael, Samson went into enemy territory and fell in love with a heathen woman (II Cor.6:14).  He knew the laws of separation that God had given to His people, but he chose to ignore them.  Note that he “TOLD” his father, (he did not ask him), to “get her for me” (Jud. 14:2-3) because she pleased him well.  Not exactly what you would call a selfless desire.  It did not even bother Samson that his parents were displeased with this idea of his (Jud. 14:3).  This is just the beginning of Samson’s demise because of the poor and selfish choices he made in his life.  We must understand that God has placed into His creation certain principles and laws that are non-negotiable.  Whether or not we believe them is irrelevant.  They will affect our lives just the same.  The law of gravity is one such universal principle.  Regardless of what you believe about gravity, it still holds you to the ground and can kill you if you violate it.  One of the very basic principles of God’s creation is that of authority.  God has designed that the entire world, and every individual life, be governed by authorities (Rom.13:1-6; I Pet.2:13-18).  For this reason, God made it abundantly clear in His Law that rebellion must be substituted for honor in those that take His name.  This attitude of respect and honor was to be learned very early in life, in the way we respond to our first authorities…our parents (Ex.20:12, Eph. 6:1-4).  Note that there are no qualifying statements or exceptions given (i.e. the same goes for children with good parents as it does for those with bad parents).  If you honor your parents you will be blessed and if you don’t…consider the Bible’s warnings to you (see Ex.21:15; Deut. 21:18-21; 27:16; Prov. 20:20; 30:11-17).  We must let the tragic life of Samson be a fearful reminder to us of the high price to pay for disregarding God’s principle of authority.

 

The rest of Samson’s life (Judges 15-16) is an illustration of a man who has power to conquer others, but who cannot conquer himself.  He set the Philistine fields on fire, but would not control the fires of his own lust.  He killed a lion, but would not put to death the passions of his own flesh.  He could easily break the bonds that men put on him, but the shackles of sin gradually grew stronger on his soul.  Instead of leading the nation, he preferred to work independently; and as a result left no permanent victory behind.  He was remembered for what he destroyed, not for what he built up.  He failed to check the impulses that began to dominate early in his life, and twenty years later, they killed him.  It remained for Samuel and David in later years to finally defeat the Philistines.  Samuel, by one prayer, accomplished more than Samson did in twenty years with his great physical strength (see I Sam. 7:9-14).

 

In chapter 17 we have an incredible picture of a false religious system that has black-robed priests (see vs. 4; an ephod = a priestly garment) called “fathers” (vs. 10) who use idols (vs. 4, 5,10) as aides in worship in their house of gods.  Note that Micah calls a man younger than himself “father” (vs. 7, 10).  This happens to be the exact same false religious system still existing today…it is called the Roman Catholic Church.  Note in verse 13, Micah thought he was doing the right thing and that the Lord would be pleased (compare this with vs. 6).  The sad truth is that Satan has always found a way to devise some false religious system to put God’s name on, in order to give people a false sense of security, so he can damn their souls to Hell.  And the whole reason this happened was because Micah neglected to consult God’s Word on this matter!  This is the same reason why the Roman Catholic Church still deceives so many into thinking their okay with God…they neglect to ! ever consult God’s Word on the matter! Pray for them!  One billion of the world’s six billion people are Roman Catholic.

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

Through SAMSON – Judges 13-16; the son of promise who was born to be set-apart for God in order to deliverIsraelfrom her enemies.

TODAY’S READING: JUDGES 9-12

 

OVERVIEW:

Abimelech’s rise to power and his subsequent death; the oppression of the Ammonites; Jephthah’s deliverance ofIsraeland vow to God.

 

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

Although Gideon’s fame as a courageous judge of Israel is secured in biblical history as the story of his life comes to an end in chapter 8,  the seed of sin he sowed (Jud. 8:27-31) bore some awfully bad fruit in chapter 9.  In this chapter, God details for us the consequences of the “house of the proud” (Prov.15:25) in the life of Abimelech, the son of Gideon by his concubine. Abimelech’s whole motive and purpose in life was power!  He wanted to be King at any cost (vs. 1-4).  Do others see you in this same pursuit of prestige, power, and/or position? Take an honest look at the motive behind your service for Christ to determine whether it is really for Him, or for you.  Prior to coming to Christ, the Bible says we were all driven by our pride, and our pursuit of power and/or prestige.  Many have simply changed the arena from which they seek to exalt self.  Whereas it used to be the world, now it is the church.  God forbid!

 

Abimelech is also a warning to all parents…for whatever we do in moderation; our children will do in excess.  Abimelech ended up murdering all his siblings except one (Jotham) to get the position he so greatly desired.  But God always pays his debts and no sin goes unnoticed.  Abimelech was killed by a wise woman (Prov.1:20-33) who fled to a strong tower (Ps. 61:3) by a rock (I Cor. 10:4) that she dropped on his big head!  Note that Jotham, whose name means “Jehovah is perfect”, escaped being murdered by running to Beer (which means “the well”; a place where you can go to get water – Eph.5:26).   

 

Once again, in chapters 10-12, we findIsraelin one of their repeated cycles of sin.  The real issue is that they we willing to serve any god who would make them happy.  They wanted their own way, their desires fulfilled, and their ego boosted.  It is a collision course for disaster!  The choice to serve self is sin, and sin always leads to sorrow and death (James1:15). It becomes increasingly difficult to understand, much less to tolerate, the blatant foolishness and rebellion of God’s peopleIsrael.  How could they possibly experience all of His blessings, and repeatedly turn their backs on Him?  And yet, how can we, who likewise, have been overly blessed by God, and have even seen the consequences ofIsrael’s choices, do less than make a final end to our own flirting with the world, the flesh and the devil?  We must, once and for all, make the decision, “That it is ENOUGH! I am not my own, I have been bought by the blood of God’s dear Son, and sin will not control me any longer!”  When we cry out to God, broken by our sin, we can be sure that He will hear us, and deliver us from its dominion. (Rom.6:12-14).

 

In keeping with their pattern,Israelcried out to God once again (Jud.10:10), and once again, God sent them a deliverer.  This time it was Jephthah, another incredible picture of Jesus Christ.  Jephthah was a might man of valor who was the son of an harlot (Jud. 11:1).  He was rejected by his brethren (Jud. 11:2-3), and went away to live in thelandofTob(which means “blessing, joy, beautiful, and righteous”).  While he was in Tob, he gathered vain (or “empty”) men unto himself.  He was later called home byIsraelduring a time of tribulation to deliver them from their oppressors.  He then came back as the captain of their salvation (Jud. 11:6).  Likewise, Jesus was a mighty man of valor who was accused of being an illegitimate child (John8:41).  He was rejected by His brethren (Luke19:14), and went away to a place like Tob…a beautiful place of blessing, joy, and righteousness (Ps. 48:2).  While He is there, He continues to gather empty men and women to Himself as worshippers.  He will come back during the Great Tribulation to deliverIsrael, and to be the Captain of their Salvation (see Heb.2:10and Rev. 19)!

 

Though to this point, Jephthath was a beautiful type of Christ, he made a horrendous mistake by vowing a vow to God that resulted in him foolishly and sinfully burning his own daughter as a sacrifice, supposedly to God (Jud. 11:34-40)!  Jephthah’s mistake was in thinking that there is something that we DO to EARN the blessing and/or favor of God.  He thought that by vowing his vow, he could get God on his side.  The irony was, God was already on his side!  No human work can earn God’s graciously given favor (Eph. 2:8-9), or make you the recipient of more of His power (Acts 1:8).  He gives it all to us freely (I Cor.2:12).  Though this is an incredibly sad chapter in Jephthah’s life, and an incredibly sad chapter in the Bible, it is also a blessing in the fact that God has set His Book apart from all others because of His honesty regarding its heroes. Other examples include Noah, David, Solomon, Elijah, etcl!   In the end, Jephthah was faithful to a God he just didn’t understand.

 

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As THESTRONGTOWER– Judges9:51(Psalm 18:2, 61:3)       

 

Through JEPHTHAH – Judges 11-12 (see Highlights and Insights)

TODAY’S READING: JUDGES 5-8

 

OVERVIEW:

Deborah’s song to the Lord; Gideon’s call and deliverance ofIsraelfrom the oppression of the Midianites.

 

HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:

Deborah’s song is really a prophecy of a song that the redeemed will sing when the true King (the Lord Jesus Christ) takes His rightful throne, and the ultimate king of evil (Satan) is destroyed (see Rev. 5:9; 14:3).  At the conclusion of the song (Jud.5:31), the Sun goes forth to reign in His might with those He loves, and then there was rest in the land.  That is exactly what Malachi 4:2 and Rev. 19:14 says will happen in the very near future!

 

Chapters 6-8 deal with one of the most well known heroes in the Book of Judges, Gideon.  He is called by God to be the deliverer ofIsraelfrom the Midianites.  Midian means “strife,” or “contention”.  Proverbs13:10teaches us that “only by pride cometh contention”.  The root of strife and contention is carnality (I Cor.1:10-11, 3:1-3).  If Satan can get us to focus on ourselves, rather than on God and others, he wins.  He knows that we cannot be used by God if we are focused on self. 

 

Notice what the Midianites did toIsrael.  They destroyed the fruit in thelandofIsrael, and left them with nothing to eat (Jud. 6:4).  How incredibly ironic…Israelwas starving in the midst of a land flowing with milk and honey!  Midian’s (or strife’s) ultimate target is the harvest!  Are you starving, and struggling to be fruitful because of the selfish and contentious attitude of your heart?  If so, pay close attention to what Gideon did to defeat the Midianites so you can employ the same principles to your life.

 

Hebrews11:32puts Gideon at the head of the list of judges.  Though he often wavered in doubt, he was still a “man of faith” who dared to trust the Word of God.  When you realize that he was a farmer (Jud.6:11), not a trained warrior, you can see how wonderful his faith actually was!  When you read this story and see how God chose to defeat this enemy, it emphasizes the truth we learn in I Corinthians 1:27-29… “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise…that no flesh should glory in his presence”.  God used 300 men armed with nothing more than pitchers, lamps, and trumpets to defeat a much larger and better equipped enemy,  so that He would get the glory for the victory (Jud. 7:2).  The battle plan was simple: shatter your pitcher, blow your trumpet, shine your lamp, and stand fast in your place while God defeats the enemy (Jud.7:19-21).  This is the only way Midian (pride, strife, contention) can be defeated in our lives as well.  We must be clean, broken vessels (or pitchers) for God to use (II Tim. 2:21); we must let our lights shine (Mt. 5:16); we must use our mouths as a trumpet to proclaim the gospel to the world; and finally, we must stand and watch God defeat the enemy with the sword (three times God commands us to “stand” in Eph. 6:10-14). 

CHRIST IS REVEALED:

As THE ANGEL OF THE LORD – Judges6:12-21

 

Through BARAK, the son of Abinoam – Judges 5:12; His name means “Glittering Sword” (John 1:1, 14).  Abinoam means “beautiful father”.  Barak, the glittering sword, was the son of a beautiful Father!

 

Through GIDEON – Judges 6-8; The deliverer who leadsIsraelto a most improbable victory.