Five Judges

Posted on May 16, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Robert Hrovat: https://www.pexels.com/photo/wooden-hut-against-mountains-in-snow-16653328/

As we studied last week, Jephthah was the son of a prostitute, and a man who would not be defeated. Jephthah, though thrown out of his home by jealous brothers, would follow faith in God and become a “mighty man of valor”. Jephthah would be approached by the elders of Gilead – the same ones who cast him out of his family home – and by faith become the eighth legitimate Judge of Israel.

Jephthah would lead the armies of Israel to fight against and defeat the Ammonites. Jephthah would allow faithlessness and doubt to cause him to approach God with a foolish vow. This is what unbelievers do with God. “God, if you’ll give me this, or do that, I’ll do this or that”.

God does not expect us to bargain with Him, but to walk with Him. We are to fear our God, not the world!

Jephthah promised to offer up a “burnt sacrifice” of the first thing that greeted him if God gave him success in defeating the Ammonites. God never responded to the vow – but Jephthah decided he would keep his word. When he returned from battle, his only daughter greeted him. Following a two month sabbatical Jephthah offered up his only daughter to God as a spiritual burnt offering. She died childless, and Jephthah would die, closing out his line. Such are the rewards of stepping outside of God’s will. The Bible says:

2 Peter 1:3-4 (ESV) {God’s} divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

We do not need to bargain with God for blessings. We need to live our lives so as to give God the glory, and trust that He will defeat the enemy. Jephthah forgot to give God the glory for a moment – and lived to regret it.

From A Foolish Vow To An Arrogant People

Judges 12:1 And the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and went northward, and said unto Jephthah, Wherefore passedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn thine house upon thee with fire.

Following his defeat of Ammon, the “men of Ephraim” gathered warriors together to threaten Jephthah. They felt that they had been left out of the battle on purpose, and their pride was hurt. Their focus was not on the glory of God, but on their own glory.

The men of Gilead were of the Tribe of Manasseh, and as I’ve mentioned before, Manasseh along with Ephraim comprised what was called “The House of Joseph”. Since Manasseh was the “little brother” and Ephraim the “big brother”, they felt that they deserved the lion’s share of the glory from the battle. This is NOT the first time Ephraim showed “out”. When Judge Gideon led God’s people in defeating the Midianites, following the battle Ephraim came to him:

Judges 8:1 (ESV) … the men of Ephraim said to him, “What is this that you have done to us, not to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they accused {Gideon} fiercely.

Had Gideon corrected Ephraim at this time, and told them that the glory belongs to God, not to us, then it’s possible that Ephraim would have straightened up. But instead, Gideon placated them, and humbled himself before them. He told them, “Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer?”. Placating them when they “accused {Gideon} fiercely”, they went away feeling themselves justified and superior. Now they come to Jephthah even more arrogant. They tell Jephthah, “we will burn thine house upon thee with fire”. They threaten to wipe out Jephthah’s “house”, to make it like a burnt offering. Jephthah’s house is already destined to end – and Jephthah is a different sort of person that Gideon was. Jephthah tells them:

Judges 12:2-3 And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out of their hands. 3 And when I saw that ye delivered me not, I put my life in my hands, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the Lord delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?

When the Ammonites were at their greatest power and the Gileadites were being hurt, Jephthah called on Ephraim for help. However they refused to respond, being fearful of the Ammonites. Jephthah told them “when you wouldn’t help me and mine, we stood together and trusted God. We’ve won the battle through God. So who are YOU to complain?” This was not a politically correct response, but it was the truth. But once the battle was won, then Ephraim comes, demanding glory that should only belong to God.

God will not share His glory with another! God told us through the Prophet:

Isaiah 42:8, 11 (NASB) I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images … 11 For My own sake, for My own sake, I do this. How can I let Myself be defamed? I will not yield My glory to another …

God will be glorified by His people. God’s man King David decided – at Satan’s prompting – to “number Israel”. We read:

1 Chronicles 21:1-2 (NLV) Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel. 2 So David said to Joab and the leaders of the people, “Go and number Israel from Beersheba to Dan. Then let me know how many people there are.”

David’s General Joab begged the King not to do this. He warned David that to do so would “bring guilt upon Israel” (vs 3). David ordered the census be taken anyway. The Bible tells us that:

1 Chronicles 21:7-8 (NLV) God was not pleased that Israel was numbered so He punished Israel. 8 David said to God, “I have sinned very much by doing this thing. But now I beg You, take away the sin of Your servant for I have done a very foolish thing.”

Though David repented, God killed 70,000 fighting men (vs 14) because of David’s foolishness. God will not give His glory away. David won because God caused David to win.

God’s man Moses lost his sister Miriam while Israel was at Kadesh. There was no water at Kadesh, so Israel “assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron” (Numbers 20:2). Moses went to God in prayer. We read:

Numbers 20:7-8 (ESV) … the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 8 “Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.”

Moses stood in front of the Rock. Angry with Israel, Moses said:

Numbers 20:10-11 … “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” 11 And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly..

God told Moses, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them” (vs 12). God allowed water to come out of the rock. This is His Grace. But God told Moses that he had forfeited the Promised Land. Moses – after 40 long years – would not be able to enter God’s Promise. Why? Because he failed to glorify God.

Jephthah told the Ephraimites that they had their chance to fight, but did not do so. But Ephraim was not satisfied. They pushed for a fight. They slandered the men of Gilead.

Judges 12:4 Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites.

Word Study: The men of Ephraim said that “Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim”. The word translated “fugitives” is the Hebrew pālîṭ (pronounced paw-leet’), which means “fugitives or escapees”. The people of Ephraim are saying that those of Gilead are not true Israelites because they left Ephraim to build homes in Gilead.

Pride Divides And Destroys

The men of Ephraim had a chance to step out and do battle with the rest of God’s people, but refused to do so. Yet when the work was over, rather than glorify God for the mighty victory, they complained. Pride enslaved Ephraim. The Bible says:

Proverbs 8:13 (ESV) The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.

Proverbs 11:2 (ESV) When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom.

Proverbs 16:5, 18 (ESV) Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished. … 18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

God hates pride, because pride caused Lucifer to become Satan. Pride caused Adam to leave Eden. Pride caused the first murder in human history, and will be the cause of the last. The Bible tells us:

James 4:6 … God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

1 Peter 5:5 … All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’”

and our Lord Jesus said,

Luke 14:11 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Pride is a very insidious thing. God is “the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light. . . . To him be honor and might forever. Amen” (1 Timothy 6:15–16).

Ephraim would not back down, so Jephthah takes the men of Gilead against a superior force. Guess what? Jephthah and his men won the day.

Judges 12:5-6 And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay; 6 Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.

As the men of Ephraim began to be defeated, they started running and hiding. It is as the Bible says:

Proverbs 11:2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

The Ephraimites tried to hide themselves from the men of Gilead and Jephthah. So the men of Gilead would ask them to say “Shibboleth”. This is the Hebrew šibōleṯ (pronounced shib-bole), a word that means “a flowing stream”. When the men of Ephraim wanted to pass over the Jordan at its crossing (the flowing stream) the men of Gilead would say, “you want to pass Shiboleth?” The people of Ephraim were unable to say “Shibboleth” because of their regional dialect. So they would say, “we want to pass Sibboleth, unable to pronounce the “sh” sound. The men of Gideon would then kill them as enemies. 42,000 men of Ephraim died that day because of their tongues and PRIDE.

God does not walk with nor bless prideful people. The Lord says:

Isaiah 57:15 … I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.

God is HIGH and HOLY, but He walks with those who are HUMBLE and HONORING to Him. We should always remember to “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” (1 Peter 5:6).

Judges 12:7 And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.

Jephthah’s reign in Israel ended with his destruction of the arrogant men of Ephraim. He put down the insurrection, and Israel returned to peace. There is a lesson in this, one that the Enduring Word Commentary highlights:

“Today when someone talks about Jesus, you can listen to what they say and learn something about them. You can listen as they speak about the Bible, and you know something about them. It is also true that as much as our dialect gives us away, so does our everyday speech. Others should be able to tell that we are Christians by the way we talk.”

Three Minor Judges Follow Jephthah

Very little is said of the next three judges of Israel. The ninth Judge of Israel is Ibzan (Hebrew iḇṣān, meaning “father of coldness”):

Judges 12:8-10 And after him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel. 9 And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters, whom he sent abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years. 10 Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Bethlehem.

Ibzan was from the Tribe of Asher, and he did little of note, according to the Scripture. He had 30 sons and 30 daughters, which tells us that he must have been polygamous. Ibzan did what many of his (and our) day did – he blended with the culture that was around him. Ibzan lived, had many wives, many children, and died. His life did little to impact history, according to the Scripture. The Jewish Historian Josephus (Antiquities 5:7:13) notes,

“He did nothing in the seven years of his administration that was worth recording, or deserved a memorial.”

The tenth Judge of Israel is Elon (meaning “little ram”).

Judges 12:11-12 And after him Elon, a Zebulonite, judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years. 12 And Elon the Zebulonite died, and was buried in Aijalon in the country of Zebulun.

Elon is from the Tribe of Zebulon, and we are told absolutely nothing about him but that he lived and died. Ibzan had 30 sons and daughters, and “took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons”. That is, Ibzan bound Israel with other kingdoms through marriage. But Elon did nothing at all, insofar as Scripture is concerned.

The eleventh Judge of Israel is Abdon, son of Hillel:

Judges 12:13-15 And after him Abdon the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, judged Israel. 14 And he had forty sons and thirty nephews, that rode on threescore and ten ass colts: and he judged Israel eight years. 15 And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the mount of the Amalekites.

Abdon is called a “Pirathonite”. One of King David’s “mighty men of valor” Benaiah was from Pirathon (2 Samuel 23:30; 1 Chronicles 11:31; 27:14), though this in itself doesn’t make Abdon a “mighty man of valor”. Abdon had “forty sons and thirty nephews” who rode on 70 donkeys, a sign of a prosperous man. Further, his family rode on donkeys, not on horses. Perhaps this tells us that when Abdon ruled, there was peace and prosperity in the land. The Jewish Historian Josephus notes:

“[Abdon] is only recorded to have been happy in his children; for the public affairs were then so peaceable, and in such security, that neither did he perform any glorious action.”

The Bible tells us little about these last three Judges because they perhaps received the Grace of God in vain. These Judges were given the privilege of serving the Lord, a privilege they neither earned nor deserved. When God in Grace calls us to a life with Him, we are to serve Him to the best of our ability, glorifying His Name. We are to be like the Apostle Paul, who wrote:

1 Corinthians 15:9-10 I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

We are not saved BY our works, but once saved, our faith is proved genuine BY our works. Called to serve the Lord, we are immortal while doing God’s will. Each Judge – from Jephthah (6 years), Ibzan (7 years), Elon (10 years), and Abdon (8 years) – served God a total of 31 years where there was relative peace in the land. As we come to chapter 13 we read:

Judges 13:1 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

Israel went into “forty years” of Philistine enslavement. They received the Grace of God in vain. But from the broken, God will bring a miracle.

From The Broken, God Brings A Miracle:
Introducing The Nazarite Judge Samson

Judges 13:2-5 And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not. 3 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son. 4 Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: 5 For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

Every tribe of Israel has had a Judge that God raised up from them, and we have seen 11 judges so far. But one tribe still needs to be represented – the Tribe of Dan. A man of the Tribe of Dan called Manoah (Hebrew mānôaḥ, meaning “to rest”) had a wife that was unable to have a child. The Bible tells us that “the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman”. Who is “the angel of the Lord”? The Angel of the Lord represents God, and sometimes is God. Some believe that, at times, the “Angel of the Lord” was an Old Testament Manifestation of Christ our Lord. In this chapter we see the “Angel of the Lord” is both representative of God, but also IS God:

Judges 13:19-22 So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the Lord: and the angel did wonderously; and Manoah and his wife looked on. 20 For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground. 21 But the angel of the Lord did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the Lord. 22 And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.

The Angel of the Lord – a direct Representation of God – tells Manoah’s wife that she will “conceive, and bear a son”. This son will be special. The Angel tells her that her diet is to be very careful. She is told “drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing”. Her child was going to be a Nazarite Priest from birth.

The word “Nazarite” comes from the term “to be separate or consecrated”. The laws governing Nazarite Priests are found in Numbers 6:1-21. Those who were Nazarite Priests could not cut their hair, drank no wine nor grape products, avoided contact with dead things, and could eat nothing considered “unclean” (Leviticus 11). In the Bible anyone could take a Nazarite vow.The Apostle Paul at one time was a Nazarite (Acts 18:18; 21:21-26)– but in the Bible there were but three men who were Nazarites from birth for life. These were:

John the Baptist (Luke 1:15)
The Prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 1:11)
Samson (Judges 13:4-5)

When the Angel of the Lord announces Samson’s birth to his mother, he tells her:

Judges 13:5 … the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines

Israel will be under the heel of the Philistines for 40 years – and Samson “shall begin to deliver Israel”. The Nazarite Prophet Samuel – also a Judge (1 Samuel 7:6) will finish defeating Philistia at Ebenezer (1 Samuel 7, 1084 BC). The Philistines will rise up again later in history, and King David will subjugate them in his reign (see 2 Samuel 5:17-25, 1004 BC). The Philistines would come back again and oppose Israel until the Babylonian Captivity removes both Philistines and Israel from the land (Isaiah 14:29-32; Jeremiah 47; Ezekiel 25:15-17; Amos 1:6-8).

Once Manoah’s wife hears from the Angel of the Lord, she runs to tell her husband:

Judges 13:6-7 Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name: 7 But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.

We’ll return to this point next week as we explore the life of Samson. May God bless you all! Amen and Amen.

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The Elect Lady And Her Children

Posted on May 16, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Pixabay: https://www.pexels.com/photo/bible-blur-christ-christianity-372326/

2 John 1:1-3 The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth; 2 For the truth’s sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever. 3 Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

Who Are The Elect Lady And Her Children?

Who is “The Elect Lady” John is addressing? Some suggest that it is a woman that the Apostle John knew. I don’t think so. The Holman Concise Bible Commentary (pg 652) notes

“[eklektos kyria] is more likely a reference to some local church over which the elder had authority”.

This makes sense from several viewpoints. First, the Bible refers to the Church as the Bride of Christ:

Ephesians 5:25-30 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.

Word Study: The Church is the “Elect Lady”. The word “Elect” is the Greek (eklektos), which means “Chosen”. Jesus chose the Church. Jesus method in transforming the world – in saving the world – is the Church, the Elect Lady. God does not directly save anyone, but moves through the means of His Church. Jesus said:

John 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

Jesus CHOSE His Church.
Jesus CALLS His Church.
Jesus LOVES His Church.
Jesus GAVE HIMSELF for His Church.

Word Study: The Church is Christ’s Elect Lady. The word “Church” itself is the Greek ekklēsia which means “those who are CALLED OUT”. The Church and it’s children – the believers that comprise it – are NOT to be like the world. We are CALLED OUT to follow the One Who chose us. We are CALLED OUT to be Jesus’ Church. Jesus said:

Matthew 16:18 … upon this Rock (the truth that Jesus is THE Christ, the Son of the Living God) I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Word Study: The Church is the “Elect Lady”. As John writes to the Church, calling himself “The Elder”, the Greek presbyteros which means “a senior, one higher in rank, a superior teacher or a Rabbi”. What should the “Elders” do with God’s Church. The Apostle Paul told the Elders at Ephesus:

Acts 20:28-29 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood. 29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.

It is the calling of the Elder, the Pastor, to “feed the Church”. What do we “feed the Church”? Human opinion? No!

2 John 1:1 The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth

The devil loves to attack the truth. The devil attacks the truth today, just as he did in John’s day, just as he has done from the beginning.

Jesus told those who rejected Him as Messiah,

John 8:42-45 … If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. 43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. 44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. 45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.

The devil loves to attack the truth. He has attacked the truth from the beginning. The devil is attacking the truth in America today. The devil loves the philosophy called “Progressivisim”. The “Progressive” believes truth is fluid. They believe that each person can define truth their own way.

Love Dwells In The Truth

John is writing the “Elect Lady”, the Church. He is writing the Church as an Apostle, as a Pastor feeding the flock with the Word of God. He says of the Church that he “loves her IN THE TRUTH” (verse 1). It is not love to love someone apart from the truth. This is what is being pursued in America today. Everyone has “their own” truth. I have MY truth, you have YOUR truth. As long as YOUR truth does not hinder MY truth, then we get along.

What God has said in His Scripture is true. It is God Who defines good and evil, right and wrong. In the Garden of Eden Satan asked,

Genesis 3:1 (NIV) … “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

Once Eve took the bait and began to question God, the devil did as he always does. He told an outright lie. He said:

Genesis 3:4-5 (NIV) … “You will not certainly die … 5 For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Illustrate: This is what the devil ALWAYS does. He did it years ago. He is doing it now. One of the cartoons my kids loved growing up was the “Transformers”. Recently the TV Show “Transformers: Earthspark” introduced a “non-binary character”, that is a person that identifies as neither male nor female, and demands to be addressed with the pronoun of “they/them”. The devil and the world is pushing this confusion to our children. It’s going to get worst, dear friends, as we move toward the end of days. The Bible says:

1 Corinthians 14:33 … God is not a God of confusion but of peace

Where CONFUSION is, SATAN is. Where CONFUSION is, God’s Word is NOT. If we want to return to sanity and safety, we need to return to the Word of our Creator. The Psalmist wrote:

Psalm 33:4 For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth.

Psalm 119:160 Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.

John tells the Church and her children to stand up for the truth. He says:

2 John 1:2 For the truth’s sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.

The children of the Church – the Christians – are made the children of Christ’s Church by receiving the truth of God’s Word. When the Apostle spoke to the Church at Thessalonikki, he wrote:

1 Thessalonians 2:11-13 (ESV) For you know how, like a father with his children, 12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory. 13 And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.

There are two ways you can receive the Bible. You can receive it as an ancient human book, a collection of writings from human authors that may be flawed like all human works. OR you can receive the Bible as the WORD OF GOD. You can “you accept it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers”. If you accept the Scripture as a debatable work, a human work, then it has no power. But if you RECEIVE IT as it is, then it changes you. When John speaks of TRUTH this way:

2 John 1:2 For the truth’s sake, which dwelleth in us, and shall be with us for ever.

He is speaking to people who RECEIVED God’s Word as God’s Word. What does God’s Word say? When our Lord Jesus came to this earth, the Bible says:

John 1:11-13 … {Jesus} He came unto His own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

The TRUTH cannot work in you if you do not receive it, and you will not receive it if you believe it a fable.

When you RECEIVE God’s Word as God’s Word, then you RECEIVE Jesus as God’s Messiah, God the Savior. When you RECEIVE Jesus as He is, God the Holy Spirit comes to you. He is “The Spirit of Truth”. Jesus spoke of this Holy Spirit, saying:

John 14:17 (ESV) even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

John 15:26 (ESV) But when the {Comforter} comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me.

John 16:13 (ESV) When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

When you receive God’s Word as God’s Word, believing the Gospel, receiving the Scripture, God the Holy Spirit comes and dwells inside of you. He is the One who “DWELLETH IN US and SHALL BE WITH US FOREVER”. You ask me WHY I DO NOT FEAR DEATH. Because – dear Christian – if you are a Child of God, you are PART OF THE ELECT LADY. You have a DESTINY that is coming. As the Church is ELECT, YOU ARE ELECT. What does the Scripture say?

Romans 8:26-30 (ESV) Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.

Because you received the Word of God as it is, the Word of God, and believed and continue to believe that Word, God the Holy Spirit – the TRUTH of God – indwells you. God the Holy Spirit will STAY with you. We know that “all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose”. Why? Because we are of the Elect Lady. We are – dear Christians – “predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son”. We who are saved – a part of Christ’s Church – are not confused. We are children of God, children of Truth, children of the Light, living in the darkness of this fallen world.

What Are Your Pronouns? Who The Heck Are You?

2 John 1:3 Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

I believe that humanism and progressivism is no more than confusion – and I think that any sane person would believe the same. The Bible tells us that we are all fallen creatures from our mother’s womb. We are broken from the hospital. We need another birth, for our first birth is flawed. The Bible tells us:

Romans 5:12 … by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

We are all broken. We enter this life from a mother who – I pray – loved us, and bore us. But because of Adam’s sin, because of his failure in the Garden of Eden, we as the children of Adam are flawed. The Bible says “by one man’s offense death reigns”. Man is born into this world physically alive but spiritually dead. This is why our Lord Jesus told us:

John 3:5-7 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water {physical birth} and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. … 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘YOU must be born again.’”

When Jesus said “YOU must be born again”, that “YOU” is in the PLURAL. If Jesus were Southern, He would have said “Y’all MUST be BORN AGAIN”.

You must. You have to be. If you expect to be made whole, you cannot change your pronouns nor redefine yourself according to progressive confusion. What must you do? You MUST be born again. But this is nothing YOU can accomplish.

You must have GRACE. Again, John says to the Elect Lady:

2 John 1:3 Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

GRACE is with you. GRACE is offered to you. God offers each and every person entrance into the Elect Lady. He offers each and every person salvation – not by works, but BY GRACE. What does the Scripture say?

Romans 5:15 … if through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

Adam brought brokenness into the world. You were born broken into this world. You cannot help that. But you can come to Jesus, Who alone can help it. He offers healing to all. Jesus offers completeness to all. Jesus offers GRACE to all. Jesus Christ shed His Blood on Calvary, so that GRACE can be offered to whosoever will. Salvation is by Grace alone, by faith alone.

Romans 11:6 And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

There can be no peace with yourself – or with God – unless you receive Jesus as Lord and Savior. Do you know Him? Dear ones, the only way you can know Him is by receiving Him as He is. You are to REPENT of being your own god, of following your own path. How does Grace, Mercy, and Peace come? Once more:

2 John 1:3 Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

Who is your Lord? Is it YOU, or is it JESUS? What is your truth? Does it come from GOD, or from YOU? May God guide you into receiving Jesus Christ as both Lord and Savior. Amen and Amen!

Posted in 2 John, Sermons Preached | Leave a comment

Come Join The Minority

Posted on May 8, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by nappy: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-child-reading-holy-bible-935944/

1 John 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

Back when I was young and dinosaurs roamed the earth, we used to write letters that we’d put in the mail. Texting has destroyed this, but yes, we’d absolutely do this. When I ended a letter, I’d end with my name and something affectionate, like “I love you”.

Many of the books we have in the New Testament are letters the Apostles wrote to the Church. As the Apostle Paul closed his letter to the Romans he sends greetings from others in ministry with him. Paul closes with “The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” (Romans 16:24), and then adds a rather length “P.S.” that ends with “To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.” (Romans 16:27). As Paul ends his first letter to Corinth he says, “My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.” (1 Corinthians 16:24). The letter to the Hebrews ends simply with “Grace be with you all. Amen.” (Hebrews 13:25). The Apostle Peter ends with “Grow in Grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever. Amen.” (2 Peter 3:18).

Notice how the Apostle John ends his letter to the Church. What thought did John want us to remember, a final point that is so very important? He writes:

Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

What In The World Is An “Idol”?

If I speak of “Idols”, some of you will think of television shows like “American Idol”, where people show off their talents for the adulation of other people. Humans can be idols. In Biblical times,

An “idol” (the Greek eidōlon, pronounced i’-do-lon) is an image, a likeness, a thing, a person, or a concept that is put in the place of and replaces the genuine God of the Scripture.

Idolatry is when we reverse what God did in creation. The Bible tells us that in the beginning God “created mankind in His own image, male and female God created them” (Genesis 1:26-27).

In idolatry, we as humans create God
in our own image, after our own likeness.

Idolatry can be very visible, but it can also be very subtle. The ancient Egyptians worshiped many different idols (Osiris, Anubis, Sekhmet, Seth, etc.), and formed images that were honored as gods shaped like frogs, cats, dogs, and even lice. The ancient Romans worshiped many different gods and goddesses (Minerva, Jupiter, Bacchus, Venus, etc.). The ancient Greeks honored Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Hestia, Hades, and Apollo among others. Every society of every age from Adam till now has created and worshiped gods and goddesses in place of the God of the Bible. Idolatry begins in the heart when man considers himself wiser and more capable that God.

Homosexuality and Lesbianism is the unnatural consequence of idolatry.

The Apostle Paul is very clear on this when he writes:

Romans 1:22-24, 26-27 … Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. {this is idolatry} 24 THEREFORE God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves 26 For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; 27 and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men

Sexuality outside the scope of God’s creation is DISHONORABLE, not something to be PROUD of. When you reject the God of Scripture and create false gods, you unbind yourself from God’s design in creation. You become a law unto yourself, and following this pathway you move far away from God’s original intention in marriage.

Idolatry disposes of God, and creates a lesser more fallible god for the creature to heed.

The God of the Holy Scripture is “merciful, gracious, patient, and filled with goodness and truth” (Exodus 34:6-7). God’s Word is truth (John 17:17). The God of the Bible can never lie nor can He abide the presence of liars (Revelation 22:15). The God of the Bible is merciful and forgiving, but He will never allow those who are unrepentant and guilty to go unpunished. The false gods – the idols – that men worship teach that all people go to Heaven. The One True God teaches that only those who have repented of sin and who have given their hearts to Jesus Christ have the hope of Heaven.

Idolatry is the king of sins.

– Idolatry caused Satan to fall from heaven. “I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself LIKE THE MOST HIGH” (Isaiah 14:14).

– Idolatrous Satan – looking like a serpent, (the very first idolatrous image) (Revelation 20:2; 12:9) asked Adam, “Hath God really said?” Satan knows idolatry is contagious, and he invited Adam to join the delusion.

– The very first murder committed was because of idolatry. Cain demanded that God accept his inappropriate sacrifice (Genesis 4:7). When God would not do so, Cain murdered his brother Abel.

– When God called Moses to the top of Mount Sinai, what did Israel and her High Priest do? They melted down earrings and created a golden calf to worship and lead them. Israel’s idolatry kept them from inheriting the Promised Land for 40 years, and plagued the succeeding generations of Israelites to this day.

– Why did Moses lose the Promised Land himself? He made himself an idol, and refused to glorify God. (Numbers 20:10)

Our Sunday School Lesson for today states (page 115, Bible Studies for Life, Spring 2023):

“We often equate idolatry with worshiping images made of wood or metal, but idolatry happens whenever we place anything ahead of God. We can even make good things idols…”

Idolatry Cannot Make Us Children Of God

1 John 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

Let’s start with the words “Little children”. This is the Greek teknion, and is John’s favorite word in describing the believer. The word teknion is repeated in every single chapter of this Book except the first chapter(1 John 2:1,12,28; 3:7, 18; 4:4; 5:21). It is so very important that you understand,

BECOMING and BEING a Christian requires
you be like a LITTLE CHILD.

A little child doesn’t have to understand much. As a little child, I knew my father provided for my needs. As a little child, I also knew that I had better honor and obey my father – else I would be punished. I knew as a little child that I belonged to the custody of my parents. The lines were drawn. My parents set the tone – and I followed. Sadly with the rise of sexual sin and single parent households, many were not raised as I was, and so grow up too fast. That’s sad, because adults who behave like little children cause chaos in the society they are in.

To be saved does not require a seminary degree, nor does it require you understand the complexities of the God Who is. Jesus put it this way:

Mark 10:14-16 … {ESV} Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. 15 Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” 16 And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

Luke 18:17 {ESV} Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.

There will be people who will burn in hell for all eternity because they would not come to the embrace of Jesus and crawl into His lap like a little child. I am certain that Christopher Hitchins (April 13, 1949-December 15, 2011), the well educated Atheist who gained fame by bashing and mocking God, is now regretting his former life. Hitchens, like most idolaters, rejected the God of the Scripture for philosophies and “wokeness”. Jesus made it clear that there is no salvation available to those “too mature” to receive it.

The Gospel itself is exceedingly simple. The Scripture declares we are all fallen creatures because of Adam’s sin. Here many people fall away, for they make Adam to be an allegory, and Eden to be a myth. Yet the Scripture says, “by ONE MAN SIN ENTERED THE WORLD, and death by sin” (Romans 5:12). Since one man LITERALLY fell from God, ALL PEOPLE LITERALLY fell from God. Yet this is not the end of the Gospel.

God lowered Himself from Heaven to come to this earth so that He, in love, could “deliver us from the power of darkness, and attach us to His Kingdom” (Colossians 1:13). The message of Scripture is that “God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). It is through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ that the God of the Bible – in love – reaches out to this world. Unless a person rejects all other saviors and all other gods he cannot receive forgiveness from the Biblical God. It is only through Jesus Christ that “we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:14). It is only by faith in Jesus Christ that a person can be saved from this present evil world, and guaranteed entrance into God’s Heavenly Kingdom in our next life. The Gospel is a message that is received as “a little child”. Once you receive the Gospel, the Scripture says:

Romans 8:15-17 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

Galatians 4:4-6 But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

If you have received Christ as a “little child”, then God sends His Spirit to you to adopt you as God’s Children. And as God’s Children, we humble ourselves and serve the Lord.

The way to ENTER Christ’s Kingdom is by the faith of a child. The way to ADVANCE in Christ’s Kingdom is by the faith of a child. Jesus called a child to His side & said:

Matthew 18:4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

In America today our idols are not carved out of stone or wood, but our idols are formed in our hearts. Adrian Rogers once said:

“If you are saved you will have a desire to be holy, a hunger for the Word (the Bible), the inner witness of the Spirit, and a desire to share Jesus. These are the birthmarks of the believer.”

We who are His are to guard ourselves from idolatry, for idolatry robs God of what is rightfully His. It robs God of our hearts. This is why the Apostle of Love, John, closed his letter with this signature.

Idolatry Will Rob Us Of Our Heritage

1 John 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

Word Study: The next word we need to look at is the word “keep”, which is the Greek phylassō, which means “to guard against, set a watch {over your soul}, to watch lest violence come, to be a body guard to preserve the life of”. The word itself sounds like FOO – LASSO – to throw a LASSO around something valuable. People today are fond of saying,

“Follow your heart”

This is some of the stupidest advise I have ever heard. The Bible says “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked”. The world follows its heart – this is the way of the lost. The heart detached from God is, according to Jesus, the source of “evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies” (Matthew 15:19). Following your heart can get you in a world of mess!

Illustrate: A little boy came to his mother with a cherished family heirloom – a vase – stuck on his hand. This vase was several hundred years old, and was worth several thousand dollars. The mother had planned on one day selling that vase to send her only son to college. The child – like children will do – put his hand in the vase, and now his little hand was stuck. Mother soaped his arm, and gently tugged, rotated, and pulled on the vase, but nothing seemed to work. The child started crying and finally, with nothing else she could do, the mother wrapped his arm in a towel and carefully broke the vase, freeing her son’s arm. That was when she noticed that her son’s little hand was clenched. Counting to ten she looked at her little boy and said, “Son, was your hand balled up into a fist the whole time I was trying to get you loose?” The child looked at her with his little tear stained face and said, “Yes mamma, it was.” Controlling her temper she asked her son, “Son, why didn’t you straighten out your hand? If you had just unclasped your hand I could have gotten you free from this vase without breaking it!” The child, opening his hand, said, “But mamma, if I had opened my hand I would have lost my penny”. A penny was what the child traded for his future education.

Idolatry robs us of the blessings that God wants to give us. I was talking with a dear friend the other day who told me, “You know, you are in the minority with what you believe”. I suppose I am in the minority. But the Bible tells us:

1 John 5:19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

The Way of God has always been a minority. Yet Christians who compromises with the darkness will find themselves in just as bad a place as the lost world. Jesus told us that we would be in the minority. Jesus Himself was and is the minority. Jesus warned:

Matthew 7:13-14 {ESV} Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

The world follows the WIDE GATE to DESTRUCTION. This is where the majority goes. The Bible says “there is a way that seem right to a person, but its end is the way of DEATH” (Proverbs 16:25). Let me ask you:

– Was it a MAJORITY that fought Goliath, or a MINORITY? The MAJORITY hid from Goliath for 40 days while he mocked God, but DAVID ALONE who stood up and said “who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26).

– Was it a MAJORITY who refused to pray to the Medo-Persian King Darius for even one day, or a MINORITY? The MAJORITY worshiped a human king for 30 days, whereas DANIEL ALONE openly prayed to God – and was cast into the lion’s den (Daniel 6:16-24). No harm came to Daniel or the lions, by the way.

– Was it a MAJORITY who refused to bow down and worship the golden idol that the Chaldean King Nebuchadnezzar, or a MINORITY? Though all the kingdom bowed to this statue, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego ALONE said “O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Daniel 3:18). Though cast in a fiery furnace, Jesus kept even the smell of smoke from attaching to their clothing.

– When Gideon went forth to fight the Midianites, did he take a MAJORITY with him or a MINORITY? Though 32,000 warriors initially came to fight, God released all but 300 men (Judges 7:7). It was with the MINORITY that God defeated the Midianites.

When the MINORITY is standing with God, the MINORITY becomes the MAJORITY. This is proven over and over in the Scripture.

The foundation of our salvation can be traced back to a childless man named Abraham. God came to Abraham, and promised him that – IF HE WOULD LEAVE THE MAJORITY and follow God, then God would give him a child. Furthermore, God promised Abraham:

Genesis 12:3 {ESV} in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed

Abraham followed God. When Abraham was 100 years old he became a father for the first time. When his son Isaac was around 13 years old God came to him and said:

Genesis 22:2 … Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

Why did God do this? The MAJORITY of people would have refused God outright. “God, you want me to kill my ONLY son? No way!”. The MAJORITY would walk away from this. But Abraham knew something from being with God. He knew that God loved him, and Abraham loved God.

Abraham could have made an idol of Isaac,
cherishing his son above God.

But he didn’t. Abraham took his son to Mount Moriah, and planned on sacrificing that child that he so loved to God. How could he do this? Because Abraham knew God promised to bless the whole world through Isaac – and God is no liar. Abraham knew that God could resurrect Isaac (Hebrews 11:17-19). So he trusted God. He treasured God above all else. Abraham became a MINORITY, and was blessed because of it. You know the rest of the story. God provided a sacrifice to replace Isaac, and Abraham was richly blessed. You, too, will be richly blessed if you follow God and God alone. The Christian is commanded of God to:

Romans 12:1-2…. present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. {2} And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Did you get that? “be not conformed to this world”. Don’t be part of the MAJORITY. Be part of the MINORITY.

Idolatry Hurts More Than Just You

1 John 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen.

So many people today buy into the lie that if “You do you” then it’s okay, because “it only effects YOU”. That’s not true. We are to keep ourselves from idolatry because what happens to you effects others around you. When God sent Israel into Canaan, it was with standing orders to destroy the rotted and idolatrous nations that were there, and replace them with righteousness and God’s rule of law. What did Israel do? Israel blended with the lost MAJORITY:

Psalm 106:35-38 {Israel was} mingled among the heathen, and learned their works. {36} And they served their idols: which were a snare unto them. {37} Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils, {38} And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.

We see the same thing happening in America today. God calls His people to stand in the truth of the Scripture. The great Pastor C.H. Spurgeon rightly said,

“Make no idol of your child, or your wife, or your husband; for by putting them in Christ’s place, you really provoke Him to take them from you. Love them as much as you please; I would that some loved their children, their husbands, or their wives more than they do; but always love them in such a fashion that Christ shall have the first place in your hearts.”

Illustrate: Jesus must have first place in your lives. In our bulletin today a so called “preacher” decides that he will explain away what Jesus said to the rich young ruler who wanted eternal life. Jesus told him:

Mark 10:21-22 {ESV} … sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Jesus will be first in your life (Luke 14:26-27). I end with these words from John Piper: “Saving faith receives Christ as a treasure, but not as second to lands, oxen, or spouses. He is valued above them. Or he is rejected. Embracing him as one among many useful treasures is worse than useless. It is worse because it gives the impression that he is willing to be used. He is not. He will be received as our supreme treasure, or not at all.” Amen.

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Judge Jephthah

Posted on May 8, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-a-gavel-6077422/

Jephthah was the eighth legitimate judge of Israel. Whereas Gideon was a frightened man hiding near a grape press when God called him, Jephthah was a “mighty man of valor” who overcame great obstacles in his life.

Jephthah Did Not Let Abuse Define His Life

Judges 11:1-2 Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. 2 And Gilead’s wife bare him sons; and his wife’s sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father’s house; for thou art the son of a strange woman.

The name “Jephthah” (Hebrew yip̄tāḥ, pronounced yif-tawkh’) means “he opens”. He is called “Jephthah the Gileadite” because his daddy was Gilead, a branch of the Tribe of Manasseh. The two half tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh together formed the HOUSE of Joseph (of the coat of many colors, the young man sold into Egyptian slavery by his brothers). Joseph would grow up – despite all the adversity in his family – to be second hand to the King of Egypt, and the savior of Israel.

Jephthah, just like Joseph, was hated of his brothers. Joseph’s brothers hated him because “Jacob loved Joseph more than he did any of his other sons, because Joseph was born when Jacob was very old” (Genesis 37:3-35). This set up jealousy and envy, which caused his brothers to abuse him. Jephthah was hated because he “was the son of an harlot”. Whether this was a Temple Prostitute (many false religions employed prostitutes to worship their gods) or a street prostitute, we do not know. But since Jephthah was the child of a prostitute, his half brothers “thrust out Jephthah”. They threw him out of the family at a young age in violation of God’s Law. God told His people:

Leviticus 19:33-34 if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. 34 But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.

After Joseph was blessed of God so that he could save Israel from destruction, in time Joseph died and Egypt began to treat the Jews as strangers and slaves. God told His people to remember that He Himself saved them out of slavery. As Israel was given undeserved Grace, Israel was to give Grace to the strangers among them.

The sons of Gilead – of the Tribe of Manasseh, of the House of Joseph – benefited directly from God’s Grace. They should have extended Grace to their half brother, for he had no control over his birth!

Word Study: The Bible says that “God executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. 19 Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 10:18-19). Jephthah’s half brothers thrust him out (Hebrew gāraš, to drive away or forcibly expel). They took him by the seat of his britches and tossed him out in the street like garbage. We can learn quite a bit from how Jephthah handles this abuse.

When treated badly by others, we can choose to:

GIVE up, GRIEVE or GRUMBLE about our treatment, or we can, LOOK up, and LET God LIFT us up.

Judges 11:3 Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him.

“Jephthah fled” from his brothers and went 15 miles east-northeast of Ramoth-Gilead, just outside the eastern boundary of Israel. In this desolate area Jephthah learned to fight the enemy. Rather than give up and grumble, or plot vengeance on his half brothers, Jephthah used the situation to grow. This is why we are told in verse 1 that Jephthah is a “mighty man of valor”. The angel of God called Gideon a “mighty man of valor” (Judges 6:12) when God called him from the winepress to the battle field. Jephthah became a “mighty man of valor” while in exile. Jephthah trusted the Lord. The Bible says “the LORD sent Jephthah to deliver Israel out of the hand of her enemies” (1 Samuel 12:11). God uses trials to draw us to Him, to strengthen our faith, and to make us usable for His glory. In 1 Peter 1:6-7 the Apostle said:

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

In “The Nature and Purpose of Trials” Grace Theological Seminary notes:

“Like gold, our faith is tested by fire; literal fire tests gold and other precious metals, and metaphorical fire (trials, persecutions, sufferings, griefs, etc.) tests our faith: Psalm 66:10 “For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.” Proverbs 17:3 “The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the Lord tests hearts.” James 1:2-4 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

We see in James 1:2-4, suffering promotes endurance and perfection of character, and the apostle Paul also reiterates this in Romans 5:3-4 where we see that we are to “rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”

Word Study: Jephthah runs from the brutality of his brothers, but only about 15 miles. He settles in “the land of TOB” (Hebrew ṭôḇ, pronounced tobe), which means “the land of GOOD”. Though he has been chased away from his family and his rightful heritage, it was for his good. While in “the land of GOOD” we are told that:

Judges 11:3 … there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him.

The false judge Abimelech, we are told, “hired vain (rêq, empty) and light (pāḥaz, reckless, wanton) persons, which followed him” (Judges 9:4). Abimelech sought out worthless “yes” men, then hired them to follow him about. The situation is different with Jephthah. Jephthah was considered rêq or useless, empty, and without worth by his hate filled brothers. So Jephthah went to “Good” to live – and there learned to fight. As he looked to God for blessing, God taught Jephthah … and others who were considered rêq or useless, empty, and without worth GATHERED to Jephthah. Adam Clark in his commentary notes, “The word {translated vain} may, however, mean in this place poor persons, without property, and

without employment”. These were broken and discounted people who gathered with Jephthah. Adrian Rogers wrote:

“People throw broken things away, but God rarely uses anything until He first breaks it. David said in the Psalms: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart—these, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm 51:17). Some of us are not being used by God because we’ve never been broken. If God breaks you and you become broken bread and poured out wine, He will use you. God took a little boy’s lunch and broke it and fed the multitudes. Mary took an alabaster box of ointment and broke it and lavished her love upon the Lord Jesus Christ. The prophet Jeremiah said: “Break up your fallow ground, and do not sow among thorns” (Jeremiah 4:3). You’ll never have the crop you ought to until you put the plow in, until the old clods are broken. Even the Lord Jesus Christ took the bread at the last supper and said: “This is My body which is broken for you.”

Trusting and following God, in time the tables turn. We read:

Judges 11:4-6 And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel. 5 And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob: 6 And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.

The Ammonites were descended from Abraham’s nephew Lot, when Lot had an incestuous relationship with his youngest daughter (Genesis 19:38). God told Moses that the land of the Ammonites was not to be taken, though God often used the Ammonites to punish His wayward people. When the Ammonites attacked Israel, the “elders of Gilead” – among whom were step brothers of Jephthah – came and asked Jephthah to lead them into battle. Jephthah replies:

Judges 11:7 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father’s house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?

The “elders of Gilead”, the half tribe of Manasseh of the House of Joseph came to Jephthah with hat in hand – and Jephthah challenges them! He could have taken vengeance on them, and refused to come to their aid. The Scripture tells us:

Romans 12:19-21 (ESV) Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

There is a temptation to give back as good as you got, but this is of the flesh, not of the Lord. Jephthah followed the same path that his forefather Joseph did. When Joseph’s brothers discovered that he was second only to the King of Egypt, the Bible says:

Genesis 50:18-21 (ESV) His brothers also came and fell down before him and said, “Behold, we are your servants.” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? 20 As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. 21 So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

Joseph took the long view, believing that God allowed his suffering for an ultimate good. Jephthah could easily have killed the delegation of elders who came to him – or could have ignored them and stayed where he was. Instead, Jephthah forgave.

But Jephthah was not a stupid man. Not only was he a “mighty man of valor”, but he was a diplomat and a tactician. We read:

Judges 11:8-10 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead. 9 And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the Lord deliver them before me, shall I be your head? 10 And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The Lord be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.

Jephthah had been tossed out of his home before as a “worthless son of a whore”. He wanted assurance that – if he led them into battle and helped them avert this crisis – that when the crisis was passed he would remain as their judge. The Lord Jesus told us:

Romans 12:18 (ESV) If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

We should practice restraint. We should give others the benefit of the doubt. But no where does God tell us to be a door mat or a punching bag. We should not let others defile us, nor should we “cast our pearls before swine” (Matthew 7:6). Jephthah was not going to be abused again. If they wanted his expertise during the crisis, they would have to agree to keep him as judge afterward. The elders of Gilead vowed, “The LORD (Yᵊhōvâ) be witness between us”, invoking the most holy name of God. With this, Jephthah made his vow and took his oath of office:

Judges 11:11 Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the Lord in Mizpeh.

“Mizpeh” or Mizpah is the same place where Jacob and his uncle Laban set up a memorial unto God, and made a covenant with one another. At that memorial Laban called it “Mizpah; for he said, The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.” Mizpeh was a place that was supposedly watched by God. So as Jephthah took his oath of office at Mizpeh, he “uttered all his words before the Lord”. God was his Witness.

Jephthah Is A Skilled Diplomat

Judges 11:12-13 And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land? 13 And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably.

“And Jephthah sent messengers”. Unlike the judges up to this point, Jephthah does not start out by drawing the sword and attacking the enemy. Instead, Jephthah starts with diplomacy. Again, the Scripture says “follow peace with all” (Hebrews 12:14) and “if it be possible on your part, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18). Our initial response to an attack should not be all out war, but diplomacy. Jephthah’s demeanor shows that he is both skilled, as well as a humble leader. Jephthah used three arguments against war. The King of the Ammonites said that the reason he wanted to fight was that “Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt”. Jephthah replied:

Judges 11:14-23 And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon: 15 And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon: 16 But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh; 17 Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel abode in Kadesh. 18 Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab. 19 And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land into my place. 20 But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel. 21 And the Lord God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country. 22 And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan. 23 So now the Lord God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it?

Jephthah explained that Israel did not take the land from the Ammonites, but from the Amorites who inhabited that country. The Amorites had previously conquered the Ammonites and took the land from them.

Judges 11:24 Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the Lord our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess.

The god of the Ammonites Chemosh allowed the Amorites to take their land. When Israel took the same land from the Amorites (not the Ammonites), then it was because Jehovah decreed it.

Judges 11:25-26 And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them, 26 While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them within that time?

Jehovah allowed Israel to hold that land as their own for THREE HUNDRED YEARS without dispute from the Ammonites. Jephthah told the King of Ammon, that if it were really their land, why had Israel held it for so long and without dispute? When Israel came into the land, God decreed that Israel not attack the Ammonites, the Moabites (both of whom were kin to one another through Lot), nor the Edomites (the children of Esau. See Deuteronomy 2:5, 9, 19). Israel was obedient, and did not attack those nations, nor try to get their lands. Jephthah then suggested that either …

– The Ammonites did not try to get the land back for 300 years because they knew it belonged to the Amorites, which lost it to Israel, or

– The God of Israel Jehovah was much greater in power than the false god of Chemosh, which is why Israel now has the land.

Judges 11:27-29 Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: the Lord the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon. 28 Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him. 29 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon.

Jephthah has done all that he can to avert war. He now tells the King of Ammon that if he pursues war, then it is on HIS head, not on Jephthah. Having followed the Lord’s leading, the “Spirit of the Lord” came over Jephthah. With this, Jephthah begins to lead his armies toward the children of Ammon. The Bible tells us:

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

The Holy Spirit has given Jephthah courage. He travels through Gilead, through the tribal territories of Gad and Manasseh, and calls soldiers to follow him. Gathering the armies of Israel Jephthah moves toward Ammon. But then he makes a terrible mistake.

Jephthah Makes A Foolish And Unnecessary
Vow Unto God

Judges 11:30-31 And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, 31 Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.

God did not ask Jephthah to make a vow. The Spirit had already moved on him, and led him in building an army to destroy the enemy. But Jephthah allowed doubt to creep in, so he made a bargain with God. “Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Lord”. He promised that, if the battle went well, and Israel won, then when Jephthah returned from battle “whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me” would belong to God, and would be offered as a burnt offering. What was in Jephthah’s mind when he did this? In her book Texts of Terror (page 97) Phyllis Trible notes:

“The making of the vow is an act of unfaithfulness. Jephthah desires to bind God rather than embrace the gift of the Spirit. What comes to him freely, he seeks to earn and manipulate. The meaning of his words is doubt, not faith; it is control, not courage. To such a vow the Deity makes no reply.”

Jephthah was probably thinking of an animal when he made the vow, but the foolishness of the vow is that he cannot control what or who will greet him on his return. With this vow in place, Jephthah leads his troops to battle. We read:

Judges 11:32-33 So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the Lord delivered them into his hands. 33 And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

The Lord blessed Jephthah in battle, destroying around 20 cities of Ammon. The Ammonites were utterly destroyed!

Judges 11:34-40 And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter. 35 And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and I cannot go back. 36 And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the Lord, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the Lord hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon. 37 And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows. 38 And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains. 39 And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel, 40 That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.

When Jephthah came home, the “whatsoever” that greeted him was his daughter. As she was his only child, Jephthah had dedicated her to the Lord. She would never be able to bear children, nor to carry on her family line. Some commentaries suggested that Jephthah offered up his daughter as a burnt offering, but the Bible doesn’t say this. God specifically forbade human sacrifice! “You shall not give any of your children to offer them to Molech, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord” (Leviticus 18:21). “ Take care that you be not ensnared to follow them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How did these nations serve their gods?—that I also may do the same.’ You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods.” (Deuteronomy 12:30-31). God did not want nor expect Jephthah to offer his daughter up as a sacrifice. But she was dedicated to God, to His service – and was unable to marry (Exodus 38:8; 1 Samuel 2:22). This would cause the line of Jephthah to cease. Yet the Book of Hebrews lists Jephthah as a hero of our faith:

Hebrews 11:32 … Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets

The Keil & Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary notes:

“The father fulfilled his vow upon her, and she knew no man; i.e., he fulfilled the vow through the fact that she knew no man, but dedicated her life to the Lord, as a spiritual burnt-offering, in a lifelong chastity. It was this willingness of the daughter to sacrifice herself which the daughters of Israel went every year to celebrate-namely, upon the mountains whither her friends had gone with her to lament her virginity, and which they commemorated there four days in the year.”

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From Death To Life

Posted on May 4, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA: https://www.pexels.com/photo/brown-and-gold-gavel-on-brown-wooden-table-6077189/

John 5:19-24 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. {20} For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth: and he will show him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. {21} For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. {22} For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: {23} That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which hath sent him. {24} Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

I have heard atheists make the remark that they cannot believe in something they cannot see. This is a foolish statement. Most people have never actually see the atom, but we know it exists. We have not seen gravity, but I for one am thankful it exists. You do not actually see the wind, nor can you see the air provide lift for an aircraft because of the laws of aerodynamics. We have never seen living dinosaurs though we know they existed, and have trusted paleontologists to tell us what they were like. I can go on and on. Though we have not seen God, and have not seen Heaven nor Hell, we believe in these things. Why? Because of Creation. The world around us is clearly not an accident, but something with architecture and design. This is why the Bible says:

Romans 1:19-20 (ESV) For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

Creation itself proves the existence of a Creator. The Psalmist said:

Psalm 19:1 (ESV) The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork.

There is clear evidence of God in the stars, the planets, the grass, the trees. The idea that something like our creation could just “happen” is ridiculous, and the thought itself a sign of mental illness.

But there is another reason we have faith in God. We believe because of the Scripture. We believe because of Jesus. The Bible tells us that

Colossians 2:9 (CSB) For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ ..

Colossians 1:9 For it pleased the Father that in {Christ} should all fullness {of God} dwell;

Jesus said of Himself, “I am in the Father, and the Father in me” (John 14:10), and “he that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9). He also said “I and My Father are One” (John 10:30). Jesus prayed for the Church in John 17:21, “That {the Church} may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” The Scripture says in 2 Corinthians 5:19, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself”. And in John 1:18 (ESV), “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known”. Jesus Christ is the Manifest Member of the Godhead.

Jesus is not a lesser god than God the Father and God the Spirit. Jesus Christ is God’s Son, co-eternal and co-equal to both Father and Spirit.

Jesus Is The Sent Member Of The Trinity:
Modalism Does Not Compute!

The Bible teaches that there is only One God, but this One God is in Three Distinct and Separate Persons. Within the Godhead there is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Father sent the Son to procure for us the Plan of Salvation. The Son came to this earth, incarnated through the power of the Holy Spirit, and partnered with both Father and Spirit. We see the Trinity clearly represented at the baptism of Christ:

Mark 1:9-11 (ESV) In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Luke 3:21-22 (ESV) Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with You I am well pleased.”

The Oneness Pentecostal teach that there is no Trinity, but that there is only Jesus Who presents Himself in three “modes” or characters: Father, Son, and Spirit. However you can clearly see while God the Son is being baptized, God the Holy Spirit descends to Jesus to rest on Him, while God the Father

commends Jesus to the multitudes. Modalism cannot stand up to the plain reading of the text. Jesus – God the Son – is being baptized. Then God the Father speaks from Heaven, declaring Jesus to be His Only Begotten Son. Finally God the Holy Spirit descends onto Jesus.

These three are One. They are equal in substance and in power as well as purpose. This is the Godhead.

Though the Trinity is not named in the Old Testament, we can see evidence of the Trinity at the Creation of humanity. We read:

Genesis 1:25-27 KJV And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good. {26} And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. {27} So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

You don’t have to be a Hebrew scholar to see that God (singular) said, let us (plural) make man in our (plural) image, after our (plural) likeness (singular) shows that there is a plurality of Person in the Godhead. To Whom was God speaking to if He was not speaking within the Godhead? To the Angels? The Angels have no creative power. In fact, our Lord Jesus said:

Mark 12:25 (ESV) {in the resurrection} … they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.

The Angels do not procreate, so they certainly don’t create. Yet God said, “Let US”. In order for there to be an us or an our in the Godhead, there must be at least two Persons else the statement makes no sense at all. Though not called “The Trinity”, the concept of the Trinity of God is introduced in the Book of Creation without any explanation. But Beloved, God is like that. If we could explain God, God would be like us.

As humans, we have an inbuilt PRIDE and ARROGANCE that makes us seek for POWER. This is at the heart of the LGBTQ2S+ movement. This is at the heart of the Transgender movement. This is at the heart of the Klu Klux Klan and the Black Lives Matter movements. We want to be the BOSS. As that old song (the group “Tears For Fears”) said years ago,

Everybody wants to rule the world
All for freedom and for pleasure
Nothing ever lasts forever
Everybody wants to rule the world

That is a malady of humanity – but it’s not true of God. Nor is it normal. It is abnormal to have everyone in charge of a group when all are equal in power. That’s what we believe. We want to be the boss. We want to rule. This is no more than the manifestation of the Old Sin Nature of Adam. Adam was given rulership of the world by God, but commanded to not eat of one thing. But Adam decided what God gave him was not enough – he wanted the forbidden, too.

But not God.

Though Equal To Father and Spirit,
Jesus’ Ministry Submits To The Father

John 5:19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

“Then answered Jesus and said unto them”. What caused Jesus to speak and teach here? He has healed a crippled man at Bethesda, and told him to “rise, take up your bed, and walk”. The Pharisees want to kill Jesus for telling the man to “take up your bed”. But taking up the bed is necessary to salvation. Submission to Christ is necessary – not optional – to salvation. Jesus said:

Matthew 16:24 … If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

This what Jesus told the man at Bethesda. “Deny yourself”. Quit trying to do it your way. Quit trying to follow the crowd. Rise! “Reach up to Me”, said Jesus. “Take up your Cross – your Bed”. Whereas it carried YOU, now YOU carry IT. And “Follow Me” – walk with Jesus. Do not stay bound to bed or burden. Follow Him Who loves you and commands you.

The Pharisees are upset with Jesus because He told the man to carry his bed on the Sabbath. They claim that Jesus is a law breaker.

Jesus says, “The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do”. Jesus can only do what God can do. Why? Because God is bound to righteousness. God cannot sin, nor can He tempt to sin. We are told in Scripture:

James 1:13 (ESV) Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.

It is not in God’s nature to tempt to sin. Jesus Christ is God among us, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). Jesus can only do what He sees the Father do. The Father heals on the Sabbath, else the hospitals would all shut down. While Jesus was on this earth He willingly lowered Himself so that He could fulfill the Plan of God for our salvation. Jesus told His disciples:

John 14:28 (ESV) You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.

Jesus submitted Himself so that we could be saved. But is Jesus a lesser god, lesser in quality or quantity to God the Father? No! For just before this statement our Lord told the Apostle Philip:

John 14:9-11 (ESV) “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

Jesus Christ came as the Father’s Representative from Heaven for us. You see, the Godhead TOGETHER made a decision from eternity past to save mankind. Within the Godhead the Son of God agreed to come to earth, to take on humanity, and to die for our sins. There is no dominance within the Godhead, no bucking for power, no “Me Ahead of You” mentality such as is common in our world today. There is a unity in the Godhead. Unity of Power. Unity of Plan. Unity of Purpose. The Son agreed to come and walk among us, then to die for us. Everything that Jesus did, He did in perfect agreement with the Father. Praise God for this!

John 5:20 For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that Himself doeth: and He will shew Him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.

God the Father is Creator. The Prophet said:

Isaiah 64:8 But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.

God the Holy Spirit is Creator: Job 33:4 (ESV) The SPIRIT OF GOD has made me, and the BREATH of the Almighty gives me life.

But JESUS is Creator God also! The Scripture declares of Jesus:

John 1:3 (ESV) All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Colossians 1:15-17 (ESV) {Jesus} is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

If Jesus were mere mortal man, then the Pharisees might have reason to attack Him as blasphemer. But Jesus is more than mortal man. He is IMMORTAL GOD in Human perfection.

John 5:21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom He will.

It is God the Father Who resurrects the dead (1 Thessalonians 1:10; Romans 8:11), for God is the Source of life. But now Jesus tells us that “the Son quickeneth whom He will”. God the Father is the Source of life, and can give life – but so can God the Son. But here’s something very interesting:

John 5:22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son

The Pharisees are sitting here, judging Jesus and this not uncrippled man for carrying a bed on the Sabbath. But Jesus tells the Pharisees that it is them that are mistaken. God gave them no license to judge. But the Father has “committed all judgment unto the Son”. Why?

Because Jesus is the “Lamb Of God that takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Because Jesus is willingly “laying down His life for His Sheep” (John 10:15, 17-18). The Father sent the Son, but it is the Son Who is making the payment, Who is suffering the cost. We are told in:

John 5:26-27 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; 27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.

Because Jesus took upon Himself humanity – becoming the Son of Man, the Messiah, Jesus has the only authority to execute Judgment. In the Book of Revelation we read of a Great White Throne:

Revelation 20:11-12 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.

The works of the lost will be placed before the Judgment Seat. Who is this Judge Who sits at the Great White Throne, such a terrifying place that “From his presence earth and sky fled away”? It is not Buddha, nor Confucius. It is not Gandhi, nor the Dalai Lama. It is not Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormons, nor is it Charles Taze Russell the founder of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. It will not be Mary Baker Eddy the founder of the Christian Scientists, nor will it be L. Ron Hubbard the founder of Scientology. It will not be the Pope, nor some decked out Cardinal or “Father” of Catholicism. It will not be the Apostle Peter holding the key of Heaven. Nor will it be Billy Graham, or Joel Osteen, nor even that nobody called David Buffaloe (thank God).

The One sitting on the Throne of God is Jesus Christ.
It is Jesus Christ.

Why is this? Jesus said:

John 5:23 That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which hath sent him.

Jesus Christ is the Manifest Member of the Godhead. Jesus Christ is the ONLY MEANS by which a person can be saved. The Scripture says:

1 Timothy 2:3-6 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; (4) Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. (5) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; (6) Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

God will save whosoever will. God wants all to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth. But the truth is “there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”.

What a horrible thing it will be for many, who leave this life, and stand before Jesus. How horrible if He says,

“I NEVER KNEW YOU – DEPART FROM ME, YOU WORKER OF INIQUITY INTO EVERLASTING FIRE, PREPARED FOR THE DEVIL AND HIS ANGELS.”

The Pharisees knew the Law of God, and added to the Law with their human traditions. Yet they would not know Jesus. They rejected Jesus outright because they thought themselves worthy to stand before God based on their own works. Jesus told them:

John 5:44-47 How can ye believe, which receive honor one of another, and seek not the honor that cometh from God only? (45) Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. (46) For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. (47) But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?

The Pharisees were busy congratulating one another for being so holy. Yet the One and Only Person Who could save them, they had no time for Him. Jesus told them that Moses himself spoke of the coming Messiah. As Moses prepared to die he told Israel:

Acts 3:22-23 … A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. (23) And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.

To reject Christ as Savior is a damning prospect! Oh Beloved, do not be like the Pharisee. Hear the Word of Christ.

If I Rise Up To Jesus, Take Up My Bed, My Cross, And Follow Him, I Will Follow Him Into Glory!

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

Salvation comes when we HEAR JESUS’ WORD, and BELIEVE ON THE GOD WHO SENT HIM. Those of you who have done this HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE. It is not something you are moving toward, but something you have right now. Under the Old Covenant God asked Israel:

Deuteronomy 10:12 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, and then answered that question when He said: but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

What does God expect of the Christian? Nothing less. We are told walk with Jesus. You are to “fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul”. You are not to do this to BE saved, but are to do this BECAUSE you are saved. You belong to Christian, if you are a Christian.

Follow Him. Honor Jesus with your life. For YOUR sake. Amen and Amen!

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The Thief Comes …

Posted on May 1, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Marlon Alves: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-people-art-dark-16521710/

When we left Judges chapter 9 we saw the false judge Abimelech (the concubine son of Gideon or Jerubbaal) ruled (not judged, but ruled) over Israel for three years. God allowed Abimelech to slaughter all but one of the other sons of Gideon (Jotham) to set up his kingdom. After three years, everything fell apart. The men of Shechem who conspired with Abimelech to do evil were utterly destroyed, and Abimelech himself died when a woman dropped a millstone on his head (Judges 9:53; 2 Samuel 11:21). This reminded me of what Jesus said:

Mark 9:42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.

Something interesting happens between chapters 9 and 10. The general pattern of the Book of Judges that we have seen so far is…

Israel rebels against God
God disciplines Israel with an unbelieving nation
Israel repents
God raises up a Judge to restore Israel

Failure To Repent And Pursuit Of Sin
Brings Hardening Of The Conscience

This pattern is disrupted in chapter 10. As we enter this chapter 10, we see two judges in the first FIVE verses of chapter 10:

Judges 10:1-2 And after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim. 2 And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.

This is already different. Up to this point only Shamgar was so little spoken of (Judges 3:31) – and Shamgar is shown to have killed 600 Philistines with an ox goad (a pointy stick). Every judge that God raised up, the Lord did so when Israel repented of their sin.

Judges 2:16 … “the Lord raised UP Judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them”

What is missing with the next two judges – Tola and Jair – is that Israel never repents.
Israel is suffering hardness of the heart.

The Bible repeatedly warns us of the dangers of sin. The Bible tells us that …

1 John 1:9 (ESV) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.God is always faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9). He will forgive. The problem with sin is that – every time we sin – we scar our souls. The Bible calls this a “seared conscience” (1 Timothy 4:2). The conscience of a person can become desensitized to sin, and to the call and reality of God. Israel did not repent after Abimelech, yet God in His Grace allowed Tola to become a partial judge of Israel. The Keil & Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary notes:

“Tola arose after Abimelech’s death to deliver Israel, and judged Israel twenty-three years until his death, though certainly not all the Israelites of the twelve tribes, but only the northern and possibly also the eastern tribes, to the exclusion of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, as these southern tribes neither took part in Gideon’s war of freedom nor stood under Abimelech’s rule.”

Tola’s reign was provisional, and did not effect all of Israel, only part of the nation. Tola was from the Tribe of Issachar (see Genesis 46:13; Numbers 26:23). We do not know much about Tola, other than his name means “scarlet worm” (tola’ath). The crimson or scarlet worm (scientific name: coccus ilicis or kermes ilicis) was used in Biblical times when the red dye the worm excretes is extracted, and used to stain the High Priest’s robe and the covering of the tabernacle. The Crimson Worm is seen in Psalms 22:6 as a Prophecy of the first coming of Jesus Christ. Like the Crimson Worm, Jesus was crushed to dye our robes crimson and white before God. “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18). While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us(Romans 5:8). Though Israel did not repent, God sent a Savior for His people. Because they were so hardened by sin, God could do little for them. So this judge did little – but it was not his fault. Under Tola, Israel had peace “twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir”. Normally after the death of a judge, we would see Israel returning to sin. But we do not see this because Israel never left sin. For 23 years they lived in their sins apart from God.

How horrible when we drift from God! Jesus said:

John 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

I have heard various preachers talk about the “thief” as Satan. I don’t think Satan is the thief. Satan steals nothing without our permission. The “THIEF” Jesus spoke of and personalized is unconquered SIN.

Tola is symbolic of the undeserved Grace of God. Tola lived in and died in Shamir, which means “a thornbush”. Jesus came to this sinful world – lived and died here – to save us from our sins.

Because Israel would not repent, only portions of Israel were saved. Because Israel loved her sin more than her Savior, confusion abounded. I believe this is the state of America today. God in Grace is offering this nation salvation, but we love our sin and have hardened our hearts. We need to turn to our Tola, our Jesus in repentance.

The Hardened Hearts Of Israel Lead To Jair,
The Compromising Judge

Judges 10:3-5 And after him arose Jair, a Gileadite, and judged Israel twenty and two years. 4 And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havothjair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead. 5 And Jair died, and was buried in Camon.

The name “Jair” (yā’îr) means “He Enlightens”. Jair was the “Progressive Judge”. Again we don’t see much mentioned about him, but we know “he had thirty sons”. Jair or “He Who Enlightens” was probably polygamous, a man who had many wives. He compromised with the fallen world around him. God tells His people:

2 Corinthians 6:16-18 … And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

God’s people are to live for God, not for themselves. Jair succumbed to the spirit of his age, the characteristic sexual sinfulness of his people. We also read that “he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts”. The words “ass colts” is the Hebrew ʿayir, which means “a male donkey”. At this time in history the average Israelite had no horses or donkeys. The Keil and Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary notes that “Only the wealthy and prominent in Israel rode on donkeys at that time”. Jair and his family were very wealthy. They literally owned cities. We are told:

they had thirty cities, which are called Havothjair

Their cities were called “Havothjair”, literally “cities of enlightenment”. The Soniclight Commentary notes:

“We see, in this brief record of Jair’s life, continuing tendencies in Israel toward the lifestyle of the surrounding pagan nations, and away from fidelity to Yahweh and His Law. “In Jair’s story I can see three things: (1) prosperity without purpose; (2) affluence without influence; (3) prestige without power” (J. Vernon McGee).”

Neither Tola nor Jair corrected any of the problems that Israel was having. Only one Judge can fix the human heart, and this Judge is God. God blessed Israel for a total of 45 years while He waited on His people to genuinely repent. What did Jair’s leadership do for Israel?

Judges 10:6 And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the Lord, and served not him.

Israel entered into a seven-fold apostasy. They served seven types of false gods and goddesses.

Why did Israel turn from the Living God to serve these false gods? Because of compromise. The compromise of faith is a very subtle thing. If the devil cannot keep you from Jesus, he will do what he can to blend your faith in Jesus with the world. I’ve seen young people wearing t-shirts that say:

Jesus is Dope, and
God is Dope

“Dope” is an illicit, habit forming or narcotic drug. The young people say that the slang “Dope” means “cool, awesome, or great”. So they are saying “Jesus is great”. But “Dope” is not great. “Dope” destroys lives. “Dope” addicts and drags downward. Opium addicts were first called “Dopes” because they ingested the syrupy drug. Race horses that are “doped” win or lose races based on the type of drug given them. When you call someone a “Dope”, it means they are “foolish or stupid”. Jesus is NOT Dope. Jesus is Lord. God is NOT Dope. God is the King of Kings. God is our Creator, and calls us to salvation so that He might be our Father.

When the faith of God is blended with the world, what comes out is not Christianity but some evil counterfeit.

God tells us to make a choice. We can follow Him, or follow the world. The Scripture says:

1 Corinthians 10:21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils.

God was not please with Israel’s sevenfold apostasy. We read:

Judges 10:7-9 And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and {God} sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon. 8 And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead. 9 Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.

“anger of the Lord was hot”. The word translated “hot” is the Hebrew chârâh, which means “to flame up, to be incensed, to be kindled”. Israel threw seven logs on the fire of God’s glory – and God consumed them! We are told that “{God} sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon”. That phrase “{God} sold them” emphasizes to us that – if God has saved you, God owns you. Let me say that again:

If God Has SAVED You, God OWNS You,
And You’d Better Follow Him!

The Scripture declares:

Psalm 24:1–2 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.

The Bible tells us “in GOD’S HAND IS THE SOUL OF EVERY LIVING THING, and the breath of all mankind” (Job 12:10). It tells us that “our BODIES are the TEMPLE OF GOD’S SPIRIT Who is in us … and WE DO NOT BELONG TO OURSELVES” (1 Corinthians 6:19). The wonder author C.S. Lewis wrote:

“Every faculty you have, your power of thinking or of moving your limbs from moment to moment, is given you by God.”

Because Israel rejected God, God “sold them” (for they belong to Him) into the hands of the Ammonites and the Philistines. This is what has happened in America today. The devil has taught us to “you do you”, and so God has stepped back and allowed us to be “sold” into misery and foolishness. We as a nation are like Israel was – we are “sore distressed”, that is “greatly distressed and suffering”.

Judges 10:10-13 And the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim. 11 And the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? 12 The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand. 13 Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.

After the 7th Judge (Jair) Israel entered 7 forms of apostasy against God. As they are suffering under Philistia and Ammon they cry out to God for relief. But here’s the thing. God sees our hearts. Israel has not genuinely repented of their sin, but are asking God to take away the suffering. In all the other instances when Israel repented, God was not angry with them … but now He is. They are playing God like He’s a patsy – a Divine Patsy – and He is not pleased. We can see Israel’s false confession and repentance in what they say:

Judges 10:10 We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.

Israel confessed that they “served the Baals” (see verse 6. BAALIM is the plural of Baal). They served MORE than the BAALIM. They served ASHTEROTH, as well as the gods of Syria (Astarte or Athtart) the gods of Sidon (Melquat), the gods of Moab (Chemosh and Milcom), the gods of the sons of Ammon (Molech), the gods of the Philistines (Dagon the fish god). Israel confessed ONE god, but were following seven abominations.

God delivered Israel out of the hands of the seven nations that created these false gods – and Israel was worshiping them and would not repent!

This is why God told Israel “ye have forsaken Me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.” They were not serving just Baalim – and they had not repented. God will not forgive an excuse nor a lie. God told His people:

Judges 10:14 Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.

God allowed Israel to experience the sickness of their sin. He told them, “go and cry out to the gods that you have chosen over Me – call on them to save you”. The Enduring Word Commentary notes:

“One technique used to help people stop smoking is to put them in a small, unventilated room and make them smoke for hours on end, until they can hardly bear it. It makes them sick of smoking and makes them truly want to stop. In the same way, sometimes God will allow the natural consequences of our sin to crash upon us in concentrated form, so we can become sick of our sin.”

God did not hate Israel, no more than a moral parent who punishes their child hates the child. God hated punishing Israel, but knew that failure to punish would cause them to follow ever darker paths. Israel suffered under the hands of the Ammonites and Philistines until they sincerely repented.

Judges 10:15-16 And the children of Israel said unto the Lord, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day. 16 And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the Lord: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.

What does genuine repentance look like? First, there is confession of sin. Israel said, “We have sinned”. The Bible says:

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

The word “confess” is a Greek compound metanoeo, which means “to say the same thing about”. When we come to God and say, “Yes Lord, what I did WAS A SIN”, then God is free to forgive us our sin. Israel did not qualify their remark, nor did they maker an excuse. They just said, “Lord, We’ve SINNED”.

Secondly, Israel submitted to the goodness of God. They said, “do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee”. Lord, I deserve a whipping. I’ll take whatever punishment You want me to have. I just want to be back in fellowship with You! The Bible promises:

Isaiah 55:6-7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Repentance is to stop walking YOUR way, and walking WITH God in HIS way. Ty Gooch, the Senior Pastor of Fellowship Life Bible Church (Greater Chicago) notes:

“Christians who have genuinely repented seek to live in the light (1 John 1:5–7) and to avoid ungodliness because repentance requires not only forsaking sin but also putting on Christ (Romans 13:14). It demands that we turn away from debauchery and turning toward God by putting on Christ (Colossians 3:1–17). Practically, putting on Christ involves serving the Lord and others, and studying God’s Word. Putting in Christ means increasing fellowship, singing, praying, and setting our mind on the things above—primarily through fellowship in our local church. This process will take time, and we’ll continue to make missteps. But when God brings someone to repentance, the fruit will be evident over time (Luke 6:43–45).”

When Israel falsely repented God said “I will deliver you no more” (Judges 10:13). But once Israel “put away the strange gods from among them, and served the Lord”, what did God do? The Bible says:

Judges 10:16 his soul was grieved for
the misery of Israel

The Keil & Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary notes:

“Jehovah could no longer look down upon the misery of Israel; He was obliged to help. The change in the purpose of God does not imply any changeableness in the divine nature; it simply concerns the attitude of God towards His people, or the manifestation of the divine love to man. In order to bend the sinner at all, the love of God must withdraw its helping hand and make men feel the consequences of their sin and rebelliousness, that they may forsake their evil ways and turn to the Lord their God. When this end has been attained, the same divine love manifests itself as pitying and helping grace. Punishments and benefits flow from the love of God, and have for their object the happiness and well-being of men.”

Israel turned away from the thief of their sin nature, and put away their false gods to serve the Living God. The love of God will NEVER bless sin – EVER. What He has said is evil, will always be evil. What God has declared is GOOD will always be GOOD. You cannot blend evil into Christianity and still call it Christianity. What does the Scripture say?

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

God did not save us so we can walk with the thief of sin. He saved us from our sins so that we can walk in the Light with Him, both now and forever more. As Israel has repented and begun to serve God, they come together to do battle with the Ammonites.

Judges 10:17-18 Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpeh. 18 And the people and princes of Gilead said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.

Upon their repentance (Then) God acted, and “gathered together”. The Enduring Word Commentary notes:

“God’s pattern for doing great works among His people is to raise up a man. He could do the work all by Himself; He could send angels to do the work for Him; He could use a leaderless mob or a committee. Yet God’s normal means of operating is to raise up a man, and through that man to do a great work. God uses leaders.”

God will raise up a judge called Jephthah to deliver Israel from their enemies. We’ll study him next week. May God bless you all as you grow in Him. Amen and Amen.

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Knowing You Have Eternal Life

Posted on May 1, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Anugrah Lohiya: https://www.pexels.com/photo/candle-with-light-667500/

1 John 5:13-15 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. 14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

The power that a Christian has in this life is the certain knowledge that you have eternal life. Of all the Apostles, at 88 years old John was the longest lived. The other Apostles were stoned to death, beheaded, fed to wild beasts in the coliseum, set on fire, crucified, pierced through with spears, or stabbed to death. The world and its fallen leaders tried their best to kill John. They boiled him in oil. When that didn’t kill him, they exiled him to the desert Isle of Patmos, expecting him to starve to death. In Patmos Jesus met him, and took John to Heaven to see the glories of the coming ages.

John and the other Apostles had something that every Christian should have. They had a certain knowledge of eternal life. John said:

vs 13 These things have I written unto you that
believe on the name of the Son of God

If you have BELIEVED on the NAME (the Authority of) the SON OF GOD (Jesus) John is addressing you. What does this mean? It means to believe, as John MacArthur notes:

There is only One God (1 Corinthians 8:6)
There is only One Savior (Acts 4:12)
There is only One True Religion (Ephesians 4:4-6)
There is only One Holy Book (John 17:17)
There is only One Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)
There is only One Way of Salvation (John 14:6)

The first century Christian who “believed on the Name – the singular Authority of Jesus” were persecuted, just as Christians in America today are coming under increasing persecution. Just a few weeks ago a sin sick woman posing as a man murdered several in a school in Nashville. In response to this, the mainstream media outlets and social networks branded the killer the victim, and the victims the cause. An NBC News headline “Fear pervades Tennessee’s trans community amid focus on Nashville shooter’s gender identity”. The New York Post notes, “One day after the massacre of three little kids in Nashville, Amazon sent a message to “LGBTQIA+ employees and allies” expressing “support and solidarity during this period of apprehension and uncertainty.”

That should be no surprise to any who are Christ’s. Our Lord Jesus said:

John 3:20 (NLT) All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed.

Those who are God’s Children by faith in Christ have eternal life. We do not walk in darkness, but “walk in the light as Jesus is in the light” (1 John 1:7). John wrote what he wrote – under God’s direction – for two reasons:

1 John 5:13 that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.

Word Study: The word translated “know” is the Greek eidō, which means “to visibly SEE, to PERCEIVE, to EXPERIENCE a state or condition”.

John does not want you to have a hope so salvation,
but a know so salvation.

If you are a Christian, you should have some visible evidence of this. When the wise men came to see the baby Jesus, they told those in Jerusalem:

Matthew 2:2 … Where is He that is born King of the Jews? We have SEEN (eidō)His star in the East, and are come to worship Him.

There was evidence before these wise men that they followed to Jesus. If you are a Child of God, the Scripture tells you that you will SEE or PERCEIVE a change in your life, evidence that you are indeed a Christian. This evidence will support the reality that “you may BELIEVE ON THE NAME of the Son of God”.

Christianity is not a hope so religion, nor is it fire insurance. Christianity is a KNOW SO religion that proves itself by the PRESENCE OF GOD in your life.

The Christian Knows That God Is WITH Us Always

1 John 5:14-15 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

Word Study: What is the proof – the visible evidence that I can experience, see, and touch – that I am a Christian? It is that God hears my prayers. The word translated “ask” is the Greek aiteō. The word translated “petitions” is NOUN of the verb aiteō, the Greek aitēma. And then the word translated “desired” is once more the Greek aiteō. This word is frequently used throughout the Scriptures in describing prayer. Do you know what it means? It means just as it says – to ASK, to REQUEST, to VERBALLY SEEK SOMETHING from the Father Who loves you. To ask in NOT TO PESTER, as a spoiled child would pester a parent. “Mommy can I have that? Mommy can I have that? Mommy! Waa. Waa. WAAAAAAA!” That’s not ASKING, that’s DEMANDING. You cannot demand from God. God is your FATHER, and He knows what is best (see Matthew 6:8). So you ASK, not DEMAND.

If you are a child of God, the proof that you are a child of God is that you LOVE TO ASK God for things. If you rarely speak to God, you’re probably not saved!

The Christian is commanded to pray. Jesus said:

Matthew 7:7-8 Ask, (aiteō) and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh, (aiteō) receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

We are not told “every one who DEMANDETH, RECEIVETH”. It is not prayer to demand things from God. Yet as believers in God through Christ we can have this CONFIDENCE – our Heavenly Father hears our prayers. But there is a condition to His hearing:

1 John 5:14 … if we ask any thing
according to his will, He heareth us

How do we know God’s will? We can only know His Will through His Only Holy Book, the Bible. Juan Sanchez wrote:

“To understand God’s will, we must first have a biblical view of God. To truly help our people, then, remind them God has an eternal plan for His glory and our joy. And because God is sovereign, He’ll accomplish all His holy will (Isaiah 48:8-11).

But God isn’t only sovereign; God is also good. For this reason, we don’t have to fear what God wills for us. And thankfully, God has revealed His plan and purposes—His will—by His Word (Deuteronomy 29:29). We’re not in the dark about what God desires.”

The million dollar question is :
“What does the Bible say about what I want?”

This cuts out a lot of foolishness in prayer. For instance, if your lifestyle is walking in darkness rather than light, do not expect God to bless that. He will not violate His will. You have eternal life. You are to walk in the Spirit of God. What does the Scripture say?

Galatians 5:24-26 And they that are Christ’s have crucified {not AMPLIFIED but CRUCIFIED} the flesh with the affections and lusts {we put the bad desires on the Cross with Jesus}. 25 If {do we? If?} we live in the Spirit, let us also {in addition to} walk in the Spirit. 26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. {let us live to glorify God}

We pray according to the Word of God. But we also pray, asking ourselves first “Is what I am praying for to the glory of the God I love?”. God does not hear prayers outside of His good and perfect will. But you as a Christian should NOT be praying anything outside of God’s will. Listen to me, Beloved.

If you are Biblically illiterate, you cannot pray!

The Christian Knows That God Watches Us Always

This is one of the hardest, harshest, and most misunderstood Scriptures in all of the Bible. It speaks to both DEATH and LOVE. Read with me.

1 John 5:16-17 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ASK, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it. {17} All unrighteousness is sin: and there is a sin not unto death.

God answers prayers that are within His will. What is one of the prayers that God will answer? It is that a fellow Christian NOT remain in sin, until that sin becomes a “sin unto death”. Before we saw the Greek word aiteō (ASK) used to describe prayer. John tells us that one of the prayers we should be praying for our fellow Christians is that they not commit sin unto death. In the above text we are told that there is (vs 16) “sin not unto death” but in the very next breath we are told “There is a sin unto death”. Then the Apostle says, “I do not say that he shall pray for it”. What is the Apostle telling us?

If sin does not bother you, you’re not saved!

The Bible tells us that “All unrighteousness is sin”. Unrighteousness is anything that is against God’s standard, as reflected in the Scripture. Unrighteousness or acting unrighteously, or sinfulness, brings sickness and death. The Nashville shooter was a mentally and spiritually unstable young woman who should have been told the truth instead of catered to. The homosexual is a mentally and spiritually unstable person that needs to be told the truth rather than celebrated (see Romans 1:24-32). The transsexual is a mentally and spiritually unstable person that needs to be told the truth rather than being catered to. Did you know that there are people today that that are asking doctors to surgically mutilate themselves because they want to be crippled? This is spiritually and mentally unstable! The Scripture says:

James 1:14-16 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. {15} Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. {16} Do not err, my beloved brethren.

The desires of the old sin nature will whisper, “Just try it. What’s the harm?” So lust CONCEIVES and “BRINGS FORTH SIN, which BRINGS FORTH DEATH”. The Scripture says:

1 Corinthians 15:56 … the STING OF DEATH is SIN …

What is SIN and NOT SIN is defined by God’s Word, the Bible. It is not defined by our opinion, but by God’s opinion. “Sin worketh death in me” (Romans 7:13). Sin is an awful employer. The Scripture says:

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death …

There is a sin unto death – though not all sin leads to death. What sin leads to death? Repeated, unrepented of sin. We who are Christians are to care for one another, and to pray for one another that we stay away from the darkness, and continue to walk with Jesus.

The Churches that have compromised the Word of God in order to satisfy the dictates of the world are not proper Churches, but imitations of God’s kingdom.

1 John 5:16 If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ASK (aiteo)

If you see a fellow Christian moving into sin (a sin NOT unto death), then you are to ASK (aiteo) God to convict them. You are to pray for them. But you are also to ASK that believer. You are to encourage one another to come together in the unity of THE Faith, as the Scripture says:

Ephesians 4:13-15 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

It is not love to allow someone to wander into sin. Thomas Constable notes:

“Many Christians have failed to realize that sinning always leads to dying, even among Christians (Romans 6:23). While it is true that no Christian will ever experience spiritual death (eternal separation from God), we do normally experience the physical consequences of our sinning. The fact that we all die physically is the proof of this.”

When a believer commits sin, he puts his foot on a road that will eventually lead to death if not corrected. But if the believer confesses his or her sin, then the curse is turned to blessing. We turn away from the sin unto death by turning back to Christ. How do we turn back to Christ? We confess our sin unto God BEFORE it becomes a “sin unto death”. The Bible says:

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

To “CONFESS” our sins is the Greek metanoeo, which means “to say the same thing about”. To sin before God without care is to bring death into our midst. The Apostle chastised the Church at Corinth because they condoned sin in their midst. The Scripture says:

1 Corinthians 11:30-32 {because of your sins} many [are] weak and sickly among you, and many sleep {a Christian euphemism for physical death}. {31} For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. {32} But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

God punishes His children when they move into sin. Though He is gracious and merciful, God owns us and can take us where ever He wants.

Sin which is NOT discontinued will
eventually snowball into death!

The Christian way of life is incompatible with what God defines as sin. We are exhorted:

Hebrews 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset [us], and let us run with patience the race that is set before us

God our Father is very clear when He says:

Ezekiel 18:21-32 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. {22} All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. {23} Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? saith the Lord GOD: [and] not that he should return from his ways, and live? {24} But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, [and] doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked [man] doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.

God will never justify sin – nor should we. It is unloving to do so. God says,

Ezekiel 18:31-32 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? {32} For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord GOD: wherefore turn [yourselves], and live ye.

Pray! If you are a Christian, seek God’s face. Read His Word, and pray with understanding. Pray the will of God. And if there are those of whom you know who are in clear Biblical sin, pray that God will draw them away from it. Lovingly approach them in private, and share the Word of God with them.

Christians WALK With God In The LIGHT,
Not With The Devil In The DARKNESS.

1 John 5:18-19 We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. 19 And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.

Those who are “born again” keep themselves under control. The King James says, “whosoever is born of God sinneth not”. The word translated “SINNETH” is a Perfect Passive Participle in the Greek. The Enduring Word Commentary notes that:

“The grammar in the original language makes it plain John is speaking of a settled, continued lifestyle of sin. John is not teaching here the possibility of sinless perfection. As Stott says, ‘The present tense in the Greek verb implied habit, continuity, unbroken sequence.’”

John previously said this in:

1 John 3:5-8 And ye know that {Jesus} was manifested to TAKE AWAY OUR SINS; and in Him is no sin. 6 Whosoever abideth in Him SINNETH NOT: whoso SINNETH {habitually, in CONTINUITY, without BREAKING SEQUENCE} HATH NOT SEEN HIM; neither knoweth Him. 7 Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as {Jesus} is righteous. 8 He that COMMITTETH SIN IS OF THE DEVIL …

If you belong to Jesus, you cannot willingly and knowingly sin and stay in it. The Soniclight Commentary notes, “As in {John} 3:9, John affirmed that the basic nature of one who has God for his spiritual Parent is not to sin.” Pastor Voddie Baucham in quoting Romans 1:24-26 stated,

“For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions … DISHONORABLE PASSIONS. The DESIRES THEMSELVES are DISHONORABLE. Enough already with this Gay Christian stuff. And I don’t just say “enough already”, I don’t mean this in a sense of, you know, they’re over there and I’m over here. I mean this in the pastoral sense. How cruel is that? If a man comes to me talking about a desire for a woman who is not his wife, I’m not going to tell him to just go ahead and embrace the desire, because the desire in and of itself is okay. It’s not!

Sin is sin, and sin kills. Jesus died on the Cross for your sins. He rose again to conquer your sins. You, dear Christian, may sin – but sin will NOT be your practice, your common mode of existence. No Christian indwelt of the Spirit, born again of the Blood of the Lamb, the purchased and adopted Child of God will long remain in sin. If you do, God can and will take your life. God will purify His Church by removing those who shame Him and taint His will on earth. There is a sin that leads unto death, and a sin that leads not unto death. The difference is found in repentance, and returning to the will of God.

As I conclude, let me say this. In the early Church Ananias and Sapphira met an early death for lying to God (Acts 5:1-10). The Corinthian Christians were meeting premature deaths for mishandling the Lord’s Table (1 Corinthians 11:30,31). In the Old Testament King Saul died the sin unto death for disobeying God (1 Chronicles 10:13-14; 1 Samuel 13:9-14). The Apostle Paul delivered Hymenaeus and Alexander to Satan (1 Timothy 1:19-20) for destruction because they were guilty of blasphemy. He also surrendered the unnamed young man of 1 Corinthians 5 to Satan for the destruction of the flesh. These are ample testimonies to the fact that there is a sin unto death. Do not believe that you, as God’s Children, can get away from the Lord and sin without consequence. Our God is a Faithful Father to His Children.

Do you know Him? It may be possible that you think you are a Christian, that you hope you are a Christian, but you are not a Christian. These things are written THAT YOU MIGHT KNOW YOU HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. Do you know? If you do not, today would be a good day to call upon the Name of the Lord. The Gospel has never changed.

Romans 10:9-11, 13 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

If Jesus is your Lord, sin will not rule over you. Give yourselves to Him this very day. Amen and Amen!

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Being Equal To God

Posted on April 29, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by JJ Jordan: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-holding-balance-scale-3145477/

John 5:1-4 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had.

We start with the words “After this”. In John chapter four Jesus presented Himself as Messiah to a Samaritan woman of Sychar. The woman went to Sychar and told others that she met the Messiah. This in turn led the populace of Sychar to invite Jesus to come and stay with them. Revival broke out. Jesus left Sychar, and entering Cana of Galilee our Lord met a nobleman whose son was sick unto death.

Faith follows God. True faith does what God says do. Faith does not add to or take away from God’s Word, but glorifies God by obediently following Him.

We have seen what faith looks like. Now we see the faith of Jesus. We read:

John 5:1 After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

Though Jesus Christ is “God with us, Emmanuel” (Matthew 1:22-23; Isaiah 7:14), when He entered humanity He became subject to the same God that we are subject to. God told Moses to tell Israel,

Leviticus 23:1-2 … speak to the Israelites and say to them, “these are My appointed feasts, the appointed feasts of Yahweh, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies …

Though Israel had a weekly Sabbaths (on Saturday), there were seven Feasts also called High or Special Sabbaths. These were:

Passover (Exodus 12:1-4; Leviticus 23:5)
Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12:15-20, 39; Leviticus 23:6-8)
Firstfruits (Exodus 23:19; 34:26; Leviticus 23:9-14)
Weeks or Pentecost (Exodus 23:16; Leviticus 23:15-21)
Trumpets (Leviticus 23:23-25)
Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:1-34; 23:26-32)
Tabernacles or Booths (Exodus 23:16; Leviticus 23:33-38; 39-43)

The Feasts Reminded Israel Of God’s Grace

Jesus went to Jerusalem to celebrate one of these Feasts. As the Son of God, He honored the Father by obediently going to Jerusalem for the Feast. As Jesus Christ, the “Lamb of God” (John 1:29, 36) enters Jerusalem heading toward the Temple, He goes by the sheep market to the pool of “Bethesda”. The name bēthesda means “house of mercy or house of kindness”. During the Biblical Feasts the children of Israel are supposed to be celebrating the goodness of God. The Feasts normally start with special Sabbaths so that people do not need to work, but instead take that time to remember the goodness of God. This should be a happy time.

Word Study: As Jesus comes to Bethesda we read that there are “five porches”. This is significant. In the Scripture, FIVE is the number of Grace. There are FIVE PORCHES or flat areas around this pool that people are laying on. These people are called “a great multitude of impotent folk”. The word “impotent” is the Greek astheneō, which means “weak, diseased, without strength, powerless”. This great multitude of people were absolutely helpless. They could do nothing to change the situation they were in. These people were not looking upward to God. They Bible says that they were:

John 5:3-4 … waiting for the MOVING OF THE WATER, 4 for an ANGEL went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was MADE WHOLE OF WHATSOEVER DISEASE he had …

These people were looking for the stirring of the waters to heal themselves. The Bible says that it was an Angel that stirred the water. I just want you to remember that not all angels are from God, and one of the greatest angels ever created is the most evil being there ever was. Lucifer, the angel we call Satan, caused an uprising in Heaven, and led a third of the angels there to rebel against God. I don’t have a problem believing that an angel stirred that water, because I believe it was one of Satan’s fallen who enticed people to stare at that pool. I don’t have a problem believing that the devil or one of his demons was the agent who stirred this water.

The devil’s desire is to kill, steal, and destroy anything that brings God glory. The devil did this in the Garden of Eden with a fruit, and is distracting God’s people into looking at the water in Bethesda.

God tells us in Isaiah 45:22-24 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. 23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. 24 Surely, shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed.

As humans we want to look unto other things to be saved, to be cured of what ails us. There is nothing else! When these people were without strength, they should have been looking upward to God. The Grace of God says:

Romans 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

John 5:5-6 And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?

Though there was a “MULTITUDE” of people laying on these five porches of Bethesda, Jesus singles out one person to approach. Why did Jesus come to this man, and not the others? The Bible malkes it a point to tell us that this man had been without strength “thirty and eight years”. Thirty eight is a significant number in the Bible. Two years after leaving Egypt, following God by Pillar of Fire and Pillar of Cloud, Israel sent ten spies into the Promised Land . Their task was to bring back an encouraging word to Israel that our God is True to His Promises (Numbers 13:17-20). What did the spies do? They searched the land for 40 days (Numbers 13:25), and though they returned with a report that the land was indeed bountiful, they said:

Numbers 13:31-32 We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. … And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel …

Their evil report robbed God of His glory! The people of Israel, instead of trusting God and entering the Promised Land, murmured against God and mocked Him, saying,

Numbers 14:3 … wherefore hath the LORD brought us unto this land, to fall by the sword, that our wives and our children should be a prey? were it not better for us to return into Egypt?

Because of Israel’s faithlessness and failure to honor God, the Lord causes Israel to wander in the wilderness an additional 38 years (Deuteronomy 2:14).

All of the men of war died out. The second generation of Israel that went into the Promised Land were in effect without strength, and totally dependent on God. This man that Jesus went to is a mini parable of Israel. Israel kept their eyes on THINGS instead of GOD, and lost the blessing of God. This man is absolutely and totally without hope, without strength. There is no way he is going to get in that water! Jesus asks:

John 5:6 Wilt thou be made whole?

Do you really want to be made whole? Do you really want to enter the Promised Land? The man replies:

John 5:7 The impotent (astheneō, without strength) man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me.

The man is without hope. No one will help him get into the water. The water cannot save him. How can he be saved? He must choose to listen to Jesus and Jesus only. He cannot listen to the world, for the world tells him that his hope is in the water. He cannot listen to his neighbor, for his neighbor is focused on his own needs. Jesus speaks:

John 5:8 Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.

What is interesting in this command is that Jesus tells the man to do three things that he cannot possibly do. He says,

Rise
Take up your bed
Walk

This is not the only time Jesus will do this. When Jesus goes to Nazareth to minister the Bible tells us:

Matthew 9:2-7 … behold, they brought to {Jesus} a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee. 3 And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. 4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? 5 For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? 6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. 7 And he arose, and departed to his house.

The man who was paralyzed was in that state because he had sinned against God. When Jesus told the man “YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN YOU”, He put Himself in the place of God. The only One Who can forgive sin is God. When the Pharisees accused Jesus of blasphemy (dishonoring God), Jesus told the man, “Arise, take up thy bed, AND WALK”. The same thing is happening at Bethesda. This man is sick, totally unable to walk or get about for 38 years. Why? Because he failed to walk with God. Now God the Son comes to Him and says:

John 5:8 Rise, take up thy bed, and walk.

Your sins have been forgiven you. That which crippled you is gone. Get up, and cross the Jordan. Walk with God. As Jesus said these words, the man is immediately healed. We read:

John 5:9 And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath.

Those Who Are Saved Follow
And Heed The Lord Jesus

This man has been made whole by God the Son. The Pharisees should have rejoiced that he was healed. Were they? No! We read:

John 5:10-13 The Jews therefore said unto him that was cured, It is the sabbath day: it is not lawful for thee to carry thy bed. 11 He answered them, He that made me whole, the same said unto me, Take up thy bed, and walk. 12 Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk? 13 And he that was healed wist not who it was: for Jesus had conveyed himself away, a multitude being in that place.

Anytime you see the phrase “The Jews” in John’s writings, it is always a reference to the Pharisees. The Pharisees took the clearly written Law of God and added their own traditions to it. There is nothing in Scripture that says that bedding cannot be carried on the Sabbath day (and this was a special Sabbath). The intent of the Sabbath was to restrict labor, so that people would take time to remember the goodness and Grace of God. Jesus told us:

Matthew 5:17 (ESV) Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Jesus would not have told this man to “Take up thy bed” if it was a violation of the Sabbath. It was only human customs and add-ons that were being broken. When the man related that it was “a Man” who told him to pick up his bed and walk, the Pharisees wanted to know which “man” told him to do this. He couldn’t tell them, because,

for Jesus had conveyed himself away

Had the people around Bethesda seen and processed that Jesus healed this man, our Lord would have been overwhelmed by people demanding healing. In this particular instance during this particular miracle Jesus is illustrating the nature of sin.

Sin leads us into misery, then cripples us.
Jesus can fix sin’s destruction – but you must hear Jesus.
Sin even invades and twists the Law of God.

God calls us out of sin not by our own hand, but by the hand of Christ. Jesus will save whosoever will hear Him. But you must look to Jesus, not to the water or the Pharisees. You must call upon the Name of the Lord.

John 5:14-15 Afterward Jesus findeth him in the temple, and said unto him, Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. 15 The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole.

Jesus Christ is the “Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). But Jesus is also the “the Savior, Christ THE LORD” (Luke 2:11). Jesus was called “JESUS” because “He SHALL SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS”. Saving this man from whatever sin had debilitated him, Jesus told the man,

sin no more, lest a worse thing
come unto thee

What can be worst than 38 years of paralysis? I don’t know. But whatever it is, I don’t want it. The Bible tells us that

John 5:16-18 And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. 17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. 18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

The Pharisees added to the Law of God their own traditions – then threatened to kill anyone who did not measure up to their standards. Those who are lost often use the “Law” to justify their actions. God calls the Christian to follow Him, to be like Christ in all that we say and do. Jesus told the Pharisees:

My Father worketh hitherto, and I work

We are called to glorify God daily in all that we say and do. The Child of God works for God. Are you working for God? Are you living your life to bring glory to Him Who saved you? May God the Holy Spirit draw you close to Jesus today. Live for the smile of God. Amen and Amen.

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The Golden Calf.

Posted on April 25, 2023 by bibleteacherorg

Excellent study!

Ticha Masai's avatarfreedomlive832

EXODUS 32:4

There’s always a loneliness, an emptiness in the heart of man that can only be filled by a divine power. A higher power. Every religion, cult and spiritual organisation seeks to fill this void by introducing something supernatural.

In the bible, when Moses went for forty days and forty nights on the mountain, the emptiness descended upon the people and they lost faith in an ‘Invisible God’, the “UNKNOWN POWER” . They had waited upon this same God for more than four centuries yet this emptiness wont allow them to wait for forty days!!!! They desired a visible power and a familiar expression of faith. This might have been as a result of their stay in Egypt. Slavery had subconsciously taught them a “way” .

SLAVERY AND MONUMENTS

Slavery has a way of rubbing on us its filth. Man has been a slave…

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Your Sin Will Find You Out, Abimelech

Posted on April 24, 2023 by bibleteacherorg
Photo by Adonyi Gábor: https://www.pexels.com/photo/red-and-orange-fire-1558916/

Judges 9:1-3 And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother’s brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying, 2 Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh. 3 And his mother’s brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother.

The great Prophet Moses warned us all a long time ago:

Numbers 32:23 … be sure your sin will find you out.

Sin is nothing to wink at. When Cain sinned against God by offering the wrong sacrifice, God told Cain:

Genesis 4:7 (ESV) … sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it

Because Cain would not rule over his sin by repenting, and doing as God said, he ended up murdering his brother Abel. The stepbrother of Jesus said:

James 1:14-15 (ESV) … each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.

The Bible describes sin as if it is a living thing. And it is. The Apostle Paul spoke of sin inside his own life, saying “it is no longer I who do it, but IT IS SIN LIVING IN ME THAT DOES IT”.

Sin unaddressed and unconfessed
Leads to terrible distress

Word Study: In Judges Chapter 9 we come to the story of a false judge named Abimelech. The title Abimelech (Hebrew ăḇîmeleḵ) is found 67 times in the Bible. The name means “Moloch is my father”, Moloch being a false god of the Canaanites. The name is NOT one you would expect to find among the children of God. The first time Abimelech is found in the Scripture is when Abraham told Abimelech the King of Gerar that Sarah was his sister (Genesis 20:2) because he feared for his life. When there was famine in the land, Isaac went to Abimelech King of the Philistines (Genesis 26:1) for aid, also claiming his wife Rebekah was his sister in fear for his life. When David ran from Saul, he changed his behavior before Abimelech (Psalm 34:1) and acted as a madman out of fear.

Abimelech is Gideon’s unconfessed sin come to life!

Gideon did a wonderful job in leading Israel to victory over the Midianite forces. At the end of the battles, the people came to Gideon and said:

Judges 8:22 … Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian.

They wanted Gideon to be their King, claiming he was the source of the victory over the Midianites. But Gideon refused, and rightly so. It was God Who gave the victory. In refusing to share glory with God, Gideon honored the Lord. But then Gideon let sin come into his life. He asked for all the earrings collected from the dead Midianites, and had them made into an Ephod, a Trophy that the people began to worship.

Judges 8:27 … all Israel went thither a whoring after {the Ephod}: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house.

If you worship ANYTHING above God, this horrible sin will become a SNARE that will entrap you. Gideon – also known as Jerubbaal {killer of Baal} – set and baited his own trap. The people began to worship and serve the Ephod instead of God. Gideon then began to sexually wander from God. God designed marriage to be a covenant between man and woman. We read:

Judges 8:30-31 And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives. 31 And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.

Gideon not only had “many wives” (which gave him 70 children), Gideon had a girlfriend on the side, a “concubine that was in Shechem”. This is where “Abimelech” came from. In other places in the Scripture, Abimelech is a TITLE. But here we see Gideon NAMING this illegitimate child “Abimelech”. When Abimelech came of age he started a conspiracy. Again,

Judges 9:1-3 And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal {Gideon’s child by a concubine} went to SHECHEM unto his mother’s brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying, 2 Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh. 3 And his mother’s brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother.

When Gideon sinned sexually, he did so in SHECHEM. Shechem is a very important place in the Scripture. It was at Shechem that God promised Abraham the land of Canaan. Shechem is where a Levitical city of refuge was given to the Kohathites (Joshua 21:20-21). It was in Shechem that Joseph’s bones were buried (Joshua 24:32). It was at Shechem that Abraham and his grandson Jacob built an altar to God (Genesis 12:7; 33:18-20). Gideon’s son Abimelech was from Shechem. Abimelech goes to his uncles, his mother’s brothers, and asks them to start a campaign to make him king of Israel. He did not do this because God raised him up. God raised up JUDGES once Israel repented, and the JUDGES led Israel to victory over those who had afflicted them.

Abimelech wanted what his father Gideon himself had turned down. He wanted to be king.

Abimelech did not believe in God, but in himself. His platform in gaining office was:

Judges 9:2 … Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you?

What he suggested was that – if he were NOT made king – then the 70 sons of Gideon {Jerubbaal} would become kings. Abimelech hated his half brothers because he was the “non-inheritance” son of a concubine. One commentary notes:

“Among the early Arabians, a concubine or secondary ‘wife’ stayed with her own clan and was visited by her ‘husband’ from time to time. The children of the union belonged to the wife’s clan. Abimelech, the son of a concubine, had close relations with the family of his mother. He sought their help in supporting his claims to the throne.”

Judges 9:4 And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baalberith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed him.

Word Study: Abimelech had “threescore and ten” half brothers. He rejected them, and was given “threescore and ten” pieces of silver to “hire vain and light persons” that would follow him around and support him. The words “vain and light” is the Hebrew rêq pāḥaz, which means “worthless and wanton, absolutely useless”. The only purpose these people had was to follow Abimelech around like “yes” men and make him look good. This is the absolute opposite of what God ordered of those He chose for leadership. When Moses was overwhelmed with the leadership he had to give to the people, God told him:

Numbers 11:16-17 (ESV) … the LORD said to Moses, Gather for Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them, and bring them to the tent of meeting, and let them take their stand there with you. 17 And I will come down and talk with you there. And I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put it on them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you, so that you may not bear it yourself alone.

The Council of 70 that God had Moses gather would later be known as the “Sanhedrin”. The Great Sanhedrin was a type of Supreme Court in Israel, led by the High Priest. The Got Questions site notes,

“The Sanhedrin as a body claimed powers that lesser Jewish courts did not have. As such, they were the only ones who could try the king or extend the boundaries of the Temple and Jerusalem, and were the ones to whom all questions of law were finally put.”

The 70 assistants were not there to prop up a false king, but to guide God’s leadership in doing God’s work. Abimelech was not interested in God. This is shown in his murderous acts.

Judges 9:5-6 And he went unto his father’s house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: notwithstanding yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself. 6 And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem.

All but “Jotham the youngest son” of Gideon was murdered by Abimelech. Before Jotham went into hiding, under the inspiration of God he prophesied the eventual disaster that would come about because those of Shechem chose to make Abimelech King. This is known as …

The First Parable In The Bible:
Leadership Matters!

Word Study: The name “Jotham” (Hebrew yôṯām) means “Jehovah is perfect”. Jehovah – our God – is perfect. When we choose Him to be our King, we can only expect blessing. But when we choose people divorced from God to be our leaders, we get the leadership we deserve. As “Jehovah is perfect” recites what is called the first parable in the Bible, he stands “in the top of mount Gerizim”:

Judges 9:7 And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you.

“mount Gerizim” sits directly opposite Mount Ebal, with Shechem in their valleys. Mount Gerizim is about 30 miles from Jerusalem. When Israel entered the Promised Land, God had the Israelis build an altar to God on Mount Ebal. God had the tribes divide up:

Deuteronomy 27:12 (ESV) … these shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin.

Deuteronomy 27:13 (ESV) … these shall stand on Mount Ebal for the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.

Gideon’s tribe was of Manasseh. It was Manasseh and Ephraim together which formed the Tribe of Joseph. So Jotham stood on Mount Gerizim where his ancestors stood, pronouncing the blessings of God on the obedience of His people.

As Jotham stood on Mount Gerizim, he cried out:

Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you

He is calling for the REPENTANCE of the men of Shechem. They have made a bad decision in calling for Abimelech, and their bad decision will end up hurting them badly. In the parable, the olives, fig trees, and grape vines represent GOOD leadership, the leaders that they should have chosen. The brambles represent Abimelech.

Judges 9:8-9 The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. 9 But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honor God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?

The “trees” decided that they wanted a King. So they went to the “olive tree”, and asked him to leave his God given assignment to become their King. But the “olive tree” was too wise. He said, “Should I leave my fatness” – for the tree was richly blessed. Why? Because when you do what God calls you to do with ALL your strength, God will bless you with FATNESS. You honor God when you live for Him.

Proverbs 3:9-10 (NLT) Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. 10 Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.

Romans 14:8 (ESV) if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s.

Psalm 37:4 (ESV) Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

The Olive Tree had better sense than to leave his God given calling to be elevated above the other trees. Then the trees went to the Fig Tree:

Judges 9:10-11 And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us. 11 But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?

The TREES were emphatic. They wanted a King but did not want that King to be God. But the “fig tree” was equally smart. Why leave his God given calling to be “promoted over the trees”? The missionary Elisabeth Elliot said:

“I have one desire now – to live a life of reckless abandon for the Lord, putting all my energy and strength into it.”

Abimelech passionately hated his brothers, a hate they did not deserve. The fig tree loved its sweetness and its good fruit. No good leader ever hates God, nor is indifferent about God’s love. Solomon was such a great King because he said:

Song of Solomon 3:4 (ESV) … I found Him whom my soul loves. I held Him, and would not let Him go …

Oh, the joy of finding and serving the Lord! The Fig Tree would not give up one moment of that bliss for the fame of fallen man!

Judges 9:12-13 Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us. 13 And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?

Again the trees sought a King outside of God. Though rebuffed by two great leaders, they turned to the “vine”. The fruit of the vine blesses both God and man. Why would the vine leave its calling to puff up itself with pride?

Proverbs 16:18 (CSB) Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall.

None of the productive leaders would take the place of God as King. So finally the trees go to the “bramble”.

Judges 9:14-18 Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us. 15 And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon. 16 Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands; 17 (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian: 18 And ye are risen up against my father’s house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother;)

My commentary notes:

“Brambles bore no fruit and offered no shelter or protection. They only injured those who got too close to them. Moreover, brambles sometimes spontaneously burst into flames in hot weather, and consequently caused much damage (v. 15). …

Even today when a good ruler comes into office, many folk say, ‘God raised him up.’ What about the wicked ruler? God permits him to come to the throne also [cf. Daniel 4:17]. Do you know why? Because the principle is ‘like priest, like people.’ That is, people get the ruler they deserve. The people of Israel wanted this boy Abimelech to rule over them; and they got the caliber of man they deserved. Friend, when we look around our world today, we find this principle is still true.”

God allows the wicked rulers to rise up to punish us when we reject Him as King. That “BRAMBLE” Abimelech would not only murder 69 of his brothers and shame the legacy of his father Gideon, but he would end up destroying those who so faithfully supported him. Jotham now pronounces:

Judges 9:19-21 If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you: 20 But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech. 21 And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.

Though Jotham went into hiding, it wasn’t long before the Parable came to pass. God allowed Abimelech to come to power and reign three years before problems came.

Vengeance Is Mine Saith The Lord

Judges 9:22-25 When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel, 23 Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: 24 That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren. 25 And the men of Shechem set liers {sat in wait – ambushed} in wait for him in the top of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and it was told Abimelech.

We are told that after three years “God sent an evil spirit” between Abimelech and his family. God is the ultimate Source of all things. Just as God would later send a harmful spirit to afflict King Saul (1 Samuel 16:14; 18:10; 19:9) and to entice King Ahab that he would be defeated at Ramoth Gilead (1 Kings 22:19-23), God sends an evil spirit on Abimelech and his family. His family begins to rob travelers, humiliating the King. It is on thing when strangers are lawless, and quite another when your family is lawless.

Judges 9:26-29 And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him. 27 And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech. 28 And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him? 29 And would to God this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out.

“Gaal” was a Canaanite who hated Abimelech because he was Gideon’s son. So he conspires with the men of Shechem to go to war against Abimelech and his army. What happens next is a bloodbath! In Judges 9:30-45 Zebul the ruler of the city of Shechem tells Abimelech about the insurrection in the city, so Abimelech surrounds the city with four companies of soldiers. As Gaal and his men were defeated, we are told:

Judges 9:41 … Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem.

As Gaal and his men were thrust out, Abimelech led three companies of men against them (Judges 9:43), and utterly destroyed the opposition. Abimelech then led his men to cruelly burn to death (Judges 9:48-52) a thousand men and women. Yet, as Abimelech ordered the burning of these people, a woman who was high up in the tower …

Judges 9:53-57 And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and all to brake his skull. 54 Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A women slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died. 55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place. 56 Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren: 57 And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.

Be sure your sin will find you out! You can no more tame sin than you can a rabid dog. Turn away from evil, and follow God. REPENT! Choose Godly leadership while you can. May God touch your hearts with his Word! Amen and Amen.

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