Thursday
Evening Bible Study
October
6, 2011
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel
preached? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk
– Meat – Manna Preach for a decision
We are watching Israel go through its cycles of trusting God and rebelling.
The time of the judges was a period of 400 years between the time of Moses and
the Kings of Israel. These “judges” were men and women that God used at various
times to get the nation back on track, and then to deliver them from their
enemies.
Last week we looked at how God used Gideon to deliver Israel from the
oppression of the Midianites.
We learned that it doesn’t take a lot for God to work.
God used 300 men to defeat an army of 135,000.
(1 Co 1:26–27 NKJV) —26 For you
see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many
mighty, not many noble, are called. 27 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to
shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame
the things which are mighty;
Locations:
Chapter 9
Shechem (9:1)
Ophrah (9:5)
Beth Millo (9:6)
Mount Gerizim (9:7)
Lebanon (9:15)
Beer (9:21) ???
Arumah (9:41)
Mount Zalmon (9:48)
Thebez (9:50)
Chapter 10
Issachar (10:1)
Shamir (10:1)
Gilead (10:4)
Havoth Jair (10:4)
Camon (10:5)
Syria, Sidon, Moab, Ammon,
Philistines (10:6)
Sidon, Amalek, Maon (10:12)
Mizpah (10:17)
9:1-6 Abimelech’s
conspiracy
:1 Then Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem, to his mother’s
brothers, and spoke with them and with all the family of the house of his
mother’s father, saying,
:1 Jerubbaal
– “contends with Baal”
Who is this? This was the nickname of Gideon that his father gave him after Gideon had
torn down the altar to Baal.
Gideon was the man God used to deliver Israel from the oppression of the
Midianites.
After Gideon’s victory, he refused to allow the people to make him their
“king”, but it seems that there is still somehow a sense among some that Gideon
was in charge.
:1 Abimelech
– “my father is king”
This is one of the sons of Gideon. What’s odd about his name was that
Gideon refused to be called “king”.
Gideon
apparently had quite a few wives and even some concubines.
A concubine is sort of a lower class wife.
Don’t take Gideon’s life as an example to follow – God’s original plan for marriage is always
best – Adam and Eve – one man, one woman.
One of the concubines lived in Shechem, and she was the mother of
Abimelech.
Overall, Gideon
fathered seventy sons by his wives.
:1 Shechem
This was an ancient city even in the time of Judges. Today the Palestinian
city of Nablus occupies the site.
Jacob lived
near the city Shechem for awhile with his family. The city was built by a man
named Hamor, and he
named the city after his son, Shechem.
This son, Shechem, was the one who raped Jacob’s daughter Dinah, and then two of Jacob’s
sons retaliated by killing all the men of the city.
Play “Shechem
map” video
Thirty miles south of Gideon’s city of Ophrah is the city of Shechem.
Shechem is up in the hills of Ephraim, and has two taller hills on either
side, Mount Gerazim and Mount Ebal.
This was the city where Joshua had the people up on the two hills and where they remembered the Law of Moses and they
rehearsed the blessings of obedience and the curses of disobedience.
:1 his mother’s
brothers
Abimelech has two sides to his family – Gideon’s side, and his mom’s side.
Illustration
A little girl asked her father, “How did the human race come about?” The father
answered, “God made
Adam and Eve and they had children and so all mankind was made.” Two days later
she asks her mother the same question. The mother answered, “Many years ago there were
monkeys, and we developed from them.” The confused girl returns to her father
and says: “Dad, how is it possible that you told me that the human race was
created by God and Mom says we developed from monkeys?” The Father answers,
“That’s simple, honey. I told you about the origin of my side of the family,
and your mother told you about her side.”
Abimelech is going to make an appeal to his mother’s side of the family,
the people of Shechem.
:2 “Please speak
in the hearing of all the men of Shechem: ‘Which is better for you, that all
seventy of the sons of Jerubbaal reign over you, or that one reign over you?’
Remember that I am your own flesh and bone.”
:3 And his mother’s brothers spoke all these words concerning him in the
hearing of all the men of Shechem; and their heart was inclined to follow
Abimelech, for they said, “He is our brother.”
:3 all the men of
Shechem
Even though Gideon had refused to
be called a “king”, these people are looking at Gideon’s death as a leadership
vacuum, and they figure that Gideon’s sons will now “rule”.
Abimelech has made his campaign speech to the Shechem side of his family,
and they in turn hold
a rally with the rest of the men of Shechem and they all agree that it would be
good for them if Abimelech was the son to take over the leadership of the
nation.
:4 So they gave
him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith, with which
Abimelech hired worthless and reckless men; and they followed him.
:4 the temple of
Baal-Berith
Baal-Berith – “Lord of the Covenant”. The worship of “Baal” took
many forms of the land depending on the city. There were many different
“Baals”.
It’s kind of ironic that Gideon was known as “Jerubbaal”, the one who
contends with Baal, and yet here one of his sons is getting money from a temple
of Baal.
This money is
used to hire a goon squad. They are going to be paid one shekel for each of
Gideon’s sons that they will kill.
:5 Then he went
to his father’s house at Ophrah and killed his brothers, the seventy sons of
Jerubbaal, on one stone. But Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left,
because he hid himself.
:5 killed his
brothers
Abimelech eliminates all his competition. Not exactly a “fair election”. Only
one of Gideon’s sons survives.
Lesson
Becoming a leader
There were others in history got their position in this manner.
Athaliah, one
of the queens of the nation of Judah, killed all her children so she could rule
the nation.
The saying about Herod
the Great was that it was safer to be a pig in Herod’s household than it was to
be his wife or son – because he had them killed out of fear of betrayal.
One of David’s
sons, Absalom, tried to gain power through a different kind of manipulation (2Sam. 15:1-6)
(2 Sa 15:5–6 NKJV) – 5 And so it was, whenever anyone came near to bow down to him,
that he would put out his hand and take him and kiss him. 6 In this manner Absalom
acted toward all Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the
hearts of the men of Israel.
Absalom ended up trying to overthrow his father’s
government and even have his father killed, but he was unsuccessful.
Godly leaders are to be different:
(1 Pe 5:1–4 NKJV) —1 The elders who are
among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of
Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: 2 Shepherd the flock of God which is
among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for
dishonest gain but eagerly; 3 nor as being lords
over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; 4 and when the Chief Shepherd appears,
you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
Jesus said a
leader ought to be a servant.
(Mk
10:42–45 NKJV) —42 But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know
that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and
their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 Yet it shall not be so among you; but
whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. 44 And whoever of you
desires to be first shall be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come
to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Jesus said a
key component to promotion is faithfulness
(Lk
16:10–12 NKJV) —10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also
in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much. 11 Therefore if you
have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust
the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in
what is another man’s, who will give you what is your own?
A faithful servant is the best leader.
:6 And all the
men of Shechem gathered together, all of Beth Millo, and they went and made
Abimelech king beside the terebinth tree at the pillar that was in
Shechem.
:6 Beth Millo
– “house of the fortress”
This was apparently a name for a section of the city of Shechem.
I wonder if it
isn’t going to be related to a tower we’ll see mentioned in Shechem.
:6 made Abimelech
king
In a way, Abimelech becomes the first “king” in Israel. But we don’t
consider him the “first king” because this was Abimelech’s doing, not God’s.
Saul will be the first king that God will choose.
This is a king financed by Baal worship.
9:7-21 Jotham’s Tree
Parable
:7 Now when they told Jotham, he went and stood on top of Mount Gerizim,
and lifted his voice and cried out. And he said to them: “Listen to me, you men
of Shechem, That God may listen to you!
:7 Mount Gerizim
Play “Gerizim”
clip. This is one of the hills overlooking the city. The city is in a natural
shaped amphitheater.
Jotham is going to tell a story about trees. He’s going to use the
trees that the people are familiar with in the land of Israel.
:8 “The trees
once went forth to anoint a king over them. And they said to the olive tree,
‘Reign over us!’
:9 But the olive tree said to them, ‘Should I cease giving my oil, With
which they honor God and men, And go to sway over trees?’
:8 olive tree
We think of olive trees for producing olives. Ancient cultures looked at
olive trees as a source for oil to burn in their lamps and make perfume with.
:10 “Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us!’
:11 But the fig tree said to them, ‘Should I cease my sweetness and my good
fruit, And go to sway over trees?’
:12 “Then the trees said to
the vine, ‘You come and reign over us!’
:13 But the vine said to them, ‘Should I cease my new wine, Which cheers both
God and men, And go to sway over trees?’
:14 “Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come and reign over us!’
:14 bramble – bramble, thorn, buckthorn
Some types of brambles produce
berries, though not all edible, and some are “purgatives” (produce diarrhea). Mostly,
they’ve got thorns.
The idea of the parable is that the trees start with the best tree and
offer to make it a king. When the olive tree refuses, they go down a notch to
the next tree. This continues until the only one who will accept being king is
the most worthless of plants, the bramble. All a bramble is good for is for
starting a fire.
The lesson is that the “worthy” individuals are too busy to seek places of
authority, while it is worthless people who seek to control others.
Jotham is saying that the people of Shechem have chosen the most worthless
person imaginable to be their king.
:15 And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If in truth you anoint me as king
over you, Then come and take shelter in my shade; But if not, let
fire come out of the bramble And devour the cedars of Lebanon!’
:15 take shelter in my shade
The irony is that the other trees
and plants are all taller than a bramble.
:15 let fire come out
The bramble is
threatening the other “trees” to either follow him or he will burn them to the
ground.
This is going to be prophetic. Jotham then goes on …
:16 “Now therefore,
if you have acted in truth and sincerity in making Abimelech king, and if you
have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done to him as he
deserves—
:17 for my father fought for you, risked his life, and delivered you out of
the hand of Midian;
:18 but you have risen up against my father’s house this day, and killed
his seventy sons on one stone, and made Abimelech, the son of his female
servant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother—
:19 if then you have acted in truth and sincerity with Jerubbaal and with
his house this day, then rejoice in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice
in you.
:20 But if not, let fire come from Abimelech and devour the men of Shechem and
Beth Millo; and let fire come from the men of Shechem and from Beth Millo and
devour Abimelech!”
:20 let fire come
from Abimelech
There’s a bit of sarcasm on
Jotham’s part here.
The people of Shechem had benefitted from Gideon – he fought the Midianites.
Yet they are not repaying Gideon very well – by having all Gideon’s sons
killed.
Jotham is saying that Abimelech and the people of Shechem will end up doing
each other in.
:21 And Jotham
ran away and fled; and he went to Beer and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech
his brother.
:21 Beer – “well”. Not sure where this was.
9:22-49 Abimelech
vs. Shechem
:22 After Abimelech had reigned over Israel three years,
:23 God sent a spirit of ill will between Abimelech and the men of Shechem;
and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech,
:24 that the crime done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might be
settled and their blood be laid on Abimelech their brother, who killed them,
and on the men of Shechem, who aided him in the killing of his brothers.
:23 spirit of ill
will
It might have been an “evil spirit” that God sent. God is sovereign. Even
Satan couldn’t attack Job without God’s permission.
But it doesn’t have to have been an “evil spirit” as much as a stirring of
the pot.
Abimelech and the men of Shechem have plenty of “ill will” already. All
that needs to happen is a little stirring up.
:24 might be
settled
God lets things go for three years. It’s now time to fix the mess of
Abimelech.
:25 And the men
of Shechem set men in ambush against him on the tops of the mountains, and they
robbed all who passed by them along that way; and it was told Abimelech.
The men of Shechem were disrupting the trade routes in Israel.
:26 Now Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brothers and went over to Shechem;
and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.
:26 Gaal
– “loathing”
He is a Canaanite.
He’s more “home” boy, than Abimelech. He has a lot of “gall”
:27 So they went
out into the fields, and gathered grapes from their vineyards and trod them,
and made merry. And they went into the house of their god, and ate and drank,
and cursed Abimelech.
:27 gathered grapes
The grape harvest takes place in the summer (June-July).
The Shechemites were holding a
pagan festival to their god.
A conspiracy is forming. A drunken conspiracy.
:28 Then Gaal
the son of Ebed said, “Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that
we should serve him? Is he not the son of Jerubbaal, and is not
Zebul his officer? Serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem; but why should
we serve him?
:28 Zebul
– This is the current “mayor” of Shechem, a guy who was loyal to Abimelech.
:28 Hamor
Remember “Hamor”? This was the original founder of Shechem, who named the city after his son,
back in the days of Jacob. (Gen.
33:19)
Gaal is trying to rally the people into rebelling against Abimelech, who he
considers a “foreigner”. He’s encouraging the people to get back to their
Canaanite roots.
:29 If only this
people were under my authority! Then I would remove Abimelech.” So he said to
Abimelech, “Increase your army and come out!”
Gaal is challenging Abimelech, even though Abimelech isn’t there. It’s an
empty, drunken threat.
:30 When Zebul, the ruler of the city, heard the words of Gaal the son of
Ebed, his anger was aroused.
:31 And he sent messengers to Abimelech secretly, saying, “Take note! Gaal
the son of Ebed and his brothers have come to Shechem; and here they are,
fortifying the city against you.
:32 Now therefore, get up by night, you and the people who are with
you, and lie in wait in the field.
:33 And it shall be, as soon as the sun is up in the morning, that
you shall rise early and rush upon the city; and when he and the people
who are with him come out against you, you may then do to them as you find
opportunity.”
:31 he sent
messengers
Zebul informs Abimelech about the plot by Gaal and even tells Abimelech
what to do about it. He is supposed to surround the city and attack in the
morning.
:34 So Abimelech
and all the people who were with him rose by night, and lay in wait
against Shechem in four companies.
:35 When Gaal the son of Ebed went out and stood in the entrance to the
city gate, Abimelech and the people who were with him rose from lying in
wait.
:36 And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, “Look, people are
coming down from the tops of the mountains!” But Zebul said to him, “You see
the shadows of the mountains as if they were men.”
:36 You see the shadows
Zebul is trying to just delay Gaal and give Abimelech time to attack.
:37 So Gaal spoke again and said, “See, people are coming down from the
center of the land, and another company is coming from the Diviners’ Terebinth
Tree.”
:37 the Diviners’ Terebinth Tree
This may have been the same tree
that Abraham had been at when visiting Shechem.
(Ge 12:6 NKJV) —6 Abram
passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree
of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land.
“Moreh” = “teacher”
:38 Then Zebul said to him, “Where indeed is your mouth now, with
which you said, ‘Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him?’ Are not
these the people whom you despised? Go out, if you will, and fight with them
now.”
:38 Where indeed is
your mouth now
Talk is cheap. It was easy for Gaal to boast against Abimelech, but now
he’s face to face with Abimelech’s army.
:39 So Gaal went
out, leading the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.
:40 And Abimelech chased him, and he fled from him; and many fell wounded,
to the very entrance of the gate.
:41 Then Abimelech dwelt at Arumah, and Zebul drove out Gaal and his
brothers, so that they would not dwell in Shechem.
:41 Arumah
–
A town in four miles south of Shechem, halfway between Shechem and Shiloh.
:41 Zebul drove out
Gaal
Zebul was able to gather those faithful to Abimelech and keep Gaal from
entering back into the city.
:42 And it came
about on the next day that the people went out into the field, and they told
Abimelech.
The people are
going out to harvest their vineyards again.
:43 So he took his people, divided them into three companies, and lay in
wait in the field. And he looked, and there were the people, coming out of the
city; and he rose against them and attacked them.
Abimelech is waiting
for them the grape pickers. He wants revenge.
:44 Then Abimelech and the company that was with him rushed forward
and stood at the entrance of the gate of the city; and the other two
companies rushed upon all who were in the fields and killed them.
:45 So Abimelech fought against the city all that day; he took the city and
killed the people who were in it; and he demolished the city and sowed
it with salt.
:45 sowed it with
salt
This makes the land worthless, you won’t be able to grow anything again.
Archeology has confirmed this 12th-century destruction of Shechem.
It remained a ruin till rebuilt by Jeroboam I as his capital (1 Kings 12:25).
We now get a little more detail about the destruction of the city …
:46 Now when
all the men of the tower of Shechem had heard that, they entered the
stronghold of the temple of the god Berith.
:47 And it was told Abimelech that all the men of the tower of Shechem were
gathered together.
:47 the tower of
Shechem
This tower may be “Beth Millo” of vs. 6.
:48 Then Abimelech went up to Mount Zalmon, he and all the people who were
with him. And Abimelech took an ax in his hand and cut down a bough from the
trees, and took it and laid it on his shoulder; then he said to the
people who were with him, “What you have seen me do, make haste and do
as I have done.”
:48 Zalmon – Tsalmown –
shady
Might be either Mount Gerizim or Mount Ebal.
Abimelech goes up the hill, cuts down a branch and has his army all do the
same.
:49 So each of the people likewise cut down his own bough and followed
Abimelech, put them against the stronghold, and set the stronghold on
fire above them, so that all the people of the tower of Shechem died, about a
thousand men and women.
:49 set the stronghold on fire
Remember Jotham’s prophecy?
(Jdg 9:20
NKJV) But if
not, let fire come from Abimelech and devour the men of Shechem and Beth Millo;
and let fire come from the men of Shechem and from Beth Millo and devour
Abimelech!”
1,000 people die in the fire.
Lesson
Deserving leaders
Someone once said, “We get the leaders we deserve”.
The people of Shechem were bad people. Abimelech was a bad guy. They were
right for each other.
(Pr 14:34
NKJV) Righteousness
exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people.
We can blame the political parties for our nation’s woes, but there’s a
sense in which we have elected the leaders we “deserve”.
I wonder if a key to our nation turning around is more in the kind of
people we become.
We need to once again be a nation that follows the Lord.
9:50-57 Abimelech’s Death
:50 Then Abimelech went to Thebez, and he encamped against Thebez and took
it.
:50 Thebez
– “conspicuous” (see map)
Abimelech tries to expand his “kingdom” by taking another city.
:51 But there was
a strong tower in the city, and all the men and women—all the people of the
city—fled there and shut themselves in; then they went up to the top of the
tower.
:52 So Abimelech came as far as the tower and fought against it; and he
drew near the door of the tower to burn it with fire.
:51 burn it with fire
Abimelech
already knows how to attack a tower. Burn it to the ground.
:53 But a certain woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and crushed his
skull.
:53 upper millstone
– the top stone of a hand mill. Would weigh a few pounds.
:54 Then he called
quickly to the young man, his armorbearer, and said to him, “Draw your
sword and kill me, lest men say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’ ” So his young man
thrust him through, and he died.
:54 A woman killed
him
He couldn’t stand the thought of his official biography ending with being
killed by a woman.
Yet this is how we know he died – by a woman.
Lesson
Live in the truth
Abimelech was a guy who lived for appearances. He wanted to “look good”
even in death.
Jesus said,
(Lk 12:2
NKJV) For there
is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be
known.
We try to keep things secret, but secret things seem to always find a way
of leaking out.
Illustration
An
elderly couple were attending church services. About halfway through,
the wife wrote a note
and handed it to her husband. The note said, “I just let out a silent fart.
What do you think I should do?” He scribbles back, “Put a new battery in your hearing aid.”
Real growth comes
in our lives when we learn to embrace “truth”
(Eph 4:15 NKJV) but,
speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the
head—Christ—
The truth is sometimes embarrassing. The truth sometimes hurt.
But you can’t grow until you learn to face the truth.
:55 And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed,
every man to his place.
:56 Thus God repaid the wickedness of Abimelech, which he had done to his
father by killing his seventy brothers.
:57 And all the evil of the men of Shechem God returned on their own heads,
and on them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.
:57 God returned on their own
heads
You reap what you sow. (Gal. 6:7-8)
(Ga 6:7–8 NKJV) —7 Do not be deceived,
God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of
the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit
reap everlasting life.
10:1-2 Tola
:1 After Abimelech there arose to save Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son
of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in the mountains of Ephraim.
:2 He judged Israel twenty-three years; and he died and was buried in
Shamir.
:1 Tola
– “worm”
:2 Puah – Puw’ah
– “splendid”
:3 Dodo – Dowdow
– “his beloved”
:3 Shamir – ten miles north of Shechem.
Lesson
Contrast in leaders
Illustration
One guy is named “King-boy”, the other “worm”. Things aren’t
what they seem.
Abimelech is not a person you want to model
yourself after.
Abimelech was the man who had appointed
himself to be king. He then worked to seize control, killing 68 of his own
brothers. After he became king, the things he became known for was how he
attacked the people of Shechem and the city of Thebes.
He became known for how he attacked his own
people, Israel.
Tola, as well as the other judges, were raised up by God to defend Israel,
not attack it.
The judges of God were men whom God used to defend Israel from its real
enemies on the outside.
10:3-5 Jair
:3 After him arose Jair, a Gileadite; and he judged Israel twenty-two
years.
:4 Now he had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkeys; they also had thirty
towns, which are called “Havoth Jair” to this day, which are in the land
of Gilead.
:5 And Jair died and was buried in Camon.
:3 Jair
– “he enlightens”
:4 Havoth Jair – “Villages of Jair”
:5 Camon - Nine miles southeast of Galilee. This is the area of
“Havoth Jair”
:4 thirty sons
I find it interesting that his thirty sons didn’t try to kill each other
like Abimelech did his seventy brothers.
10:6-18 Backsliding
:6 Then the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served the Baals and the
Ashtoreths, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of
the people of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; and they forsook the Lord and did not serve Him.
:6 the Baals
and the Ashtoreths
These were the male and female little “gods” of these surrounding peoples.
Syria and Sidon were to the north.
Moab and Ammon on the east.
The Philistines on the south.
:7 So the anger of the Lord
was hot against Israel; and He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and
into the hands of the people of Ammon.
:8 From that year they harassed and oppressed the children of Israel for
eighteen years—all the children of Israel who were on the other side of
the Jordan in the land of the Amorites, in Gilead.
:8 Gilead
The area north east was known as Gilead. These were the ones who were
oppressed during these eighteen years.
:9 Moreover the
people of Ammon crossed over the Jordan to fight against Judah also, against
Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim, so that Israel was severely
distressed.
The Ammonites didn’t stay on their side of the Jordan. They also crossed
into the land of Judah, Benjamin, and Ephraim.
:6 they forsook the Lord and did not serve Him
Lesson
Who do you serve?
Jesus said,
(Mt 6:24 NKJV) “No one can serve
two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he
will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and
mammon.
Bob Dylan had an old song, “You
gotta serve somebody”
The people had begun to serve the
gods of the Philistines and the Ammonites, and then God allowed them to become
enslaved to them.
(Ro 6:16–17 NKJV) —16 Do you
not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s
slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading
to righteousness? 17 But God
be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the
heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered.
Freedom from sin doesn’t just come
by saying certain words or necessarily praying certain prayers.
Freedom doesn’t come with words,
but with action. It’s not who you talk about, it’s who you actually serve.
:10 And the children of Israel cried out to the Lord, saying, “We have sinned against You, because we have
both forsaken our God and served the Baals!”
:10 We have sinned
This sounds like the right words. We call this “confession”. But it’s not
enough to just say the words. The truth is found in the actions you take.
:11 So the Lord said to the children of
Israel, “Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians and from the
Amorites and from the people of Ammon and from the Philistines?
:12 Also the Sidonians and Amalekites and Maonites oppressed you; and you
cried out to Me, and I delivered you from their hand.
:13 Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods. Therefore I will
deliver you no more.
:14 Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you
in your time of distress.”
:13 I will deliver
you no more
Lesson
When God gives up
Perhaps one of the greatest judgments God can make on a person is simply to
let them go and let them suffer the consequences of their own actions.
(Ro
1:24–26 NKJV) —24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of
their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth
of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the
Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to vile
passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against
nature.
It’s a sad day when God no longer answers your prayers and He lets you do
all the things you want to do.
:15 And the children
of Israel said to the Lord, “We
have sinned! Do to us whatever seems best to You; only deliver us this day, we
pray.”
:16 So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the Lord. And His soul could no longer
endure the misery of Israel.
:16 put away the
foreign gods
Lesson
Looking for repentance
God isn’t just listening to hear us say “I’m sorry”.
Some of us have gotten by with too much in life by simply saying the words
“I’m sorry”.
God wants to SEE that we’re sorry. He wants to see actions, not just words.
(2 Co 7:11
NLT) —11 Just see
what this godly sorrow produced in you! Such earnestness, such concern to clear
yourselves, such indignation, such alarm, such longing to see me, such zeal,
and such a readiness to punish wrong. You showed that you have done everything
necessary to make things right.
The Corinthians didn’t just say they were “sorry”, they
made a change.
James says
(Jas 2:26
NKJV) For as the
body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
It’s not enough to just “say” you believe. You have to
live it as well.
The problem is that we pay too much attention to peoples’ “words” and not
enough to their “works.
Play
Taxidermy commercial
The animals “look” alive, but they’re not.
:17 Then the people
of Ammon gathered together and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel
assembled together and encamped in Mizpah.
:18 And the people, the leaders of Gilead, said to one another, “Who is
the man who will begin the fight against the people of Ammon? He shall be head
over all the inhabitants of Gilead.”
:17 Mizpah – also known as Ramoth-Gilead, one of the major cities in
the Gilead area.
:18 Who is
the man
They’re looking for God to raise up a leader, a “judge”.
Next week we meet Jephthah, the answer to their prayers.