The Book of Judges #14

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.240 --> 00:00:04.280 Things that took place. Yet, God, we see your hand in it 2 00:00:04.799 --> 00:00:08.320 and we pray, Lord, that your word would minister to your people and 3 00:00:08.439 --> 00:00:13.039 speak to us, that we may understand it and Lord, that tonight as 4 00:00:13.080 --> 00:00:16.280 well, you may apply it and help me to apply it, that your 5 00:00:16.320 --> 00:00:20.839 people may be blessed and encourage, Lord, through your word. And so 6 00:00:20.879 --> 00:00:24.640 we lifted to you and pray for your illumination, for we ask it in 7 00:00:24.760 --> 00:00:29.920 Christ name. Amen, if you turn with me in your bibles, it's 8 00:00:29.920 --> 00:00:37.280 a little longer passage this evening to the book of judges, and we will 9 00:00:37.320 --> 00:00:42.240 begin with Chapter Eight and Verse Twenty Nine, and then we will go through 10 00:00:42.280 --> 00:00:46.719 the end of the chapter and then moved to Chapter Nine for the first twenty 11 00:00:46.799 --> 00:00:52.799 one versus. Here now the word of the Lord de Robabo, the son 12 00:00:52.840 --> 00:00:56.920 of Joash, went and lived in his own house. Now Gideon had seventies 13 00:00:57.000 --> 00:01:00.119 sons, his own offspring, for he had many wives, and his concubine, 14 00:01:00.119 --> 00:01:03.960 who was in Shekhm, also pore him a son, and he called 15 00:01:03.000 --> 00:01:07.640 his name Abimelech. And Gideon, a son of Joash, died in a 16 00:01:07.680 --> 00:01:11.000 good old age and was buried in the tomb of Joash, his father, 17 00:01:11.680 --> 00:01:15.439 at Ophrah of the abesriits. As soon as Gideon died, the people of 18 00:01:15.480 --> 00:01:19.480 Israel turned again and hoard after the balls and made Bab beareth their God. 19 00:01:21.159 --> 00:01:23.760 And the people of Israel did not remember the Lord, their God, who 20 00:01:23.760 --> 00:01:26.560 had delivered them from the hand of all their enemies on every side, and 21 00:01:26.599 --> 00:01:30.519 they did not show steadfast love to the family of Jerobobo, that is Gideon, 22 00:01:32.079 --> 00:01:34.359 and returned for all the good that he had done to Israel. Now 23 00:01:34.359 --> 00:01:38.959 a Bimelech, the son of Drobobow, went to Shekem, to his mother's 24 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:42.239 relatives and said to them and to the whole clan of his mother's family, 25 00:01:42.959 --> 00:01:46.040 say in the ears of all the leaders of Shekum, which is better for 26 00:01:46.120 --> 00:01:49.640 you, that all seventy of the sons of Drabobo rule over you or that 27 00:01:49.719 --> 00:01:53.200 one rule over you? Remember also, I'm your bone in your flesh. 28 00:01:53.319 --> 00:01:57.920 And his mother's relatives spoke all these words in his behalf and the ears of 29 00:01:57.920 --> 00:02:00.840 all the leaders of Shekm in her heart. Arn't inclined to follow a Bimelech, 30 00:02:00.959 --> 00:02:06.000 for they said he is our brother, and they gave him seventy pieces 31 00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:10.439 of silver out of the House of Beilbarith, with which abimelech hired worthless and 32 00:02:10.520 --> 00:02:15.000 reckless fellows who followed him and he went to his father's house at Oprah and 33 00:02:15.080 --> 00:02:19.960 killed his brothers, the sons of Drobabo, seventy men on one stone, 34 00:02:20.560 --> 00:02:23.680 but Jotham, the youngest son of Jerbrabo, was left for he himself and 35 00:02:23.759 --> 00:02:28.639 all the leaders of Skum came together and all Bet Milo and they went and 36 00:02:28.680 --> 00:02:31.439 made a Bimelech King by the oak of the pillar at Sek Um. When 37 00:02:31.439 --> 00:02:35.479 it was told to Jotham, he went and stood on top of Mount Garrison 38 00:02:35.560 --> 00:02:38.039 and cried aloud and said to them, listen to me, you leaders of 39 00:02:38.039 --> 00:02:42.879 Shekum, that God may listen to you. The trees once went out to 40 00:02:42.919 --> 00:02:46.199 annoint a king over them and they said to the Olive Tree, reign over 41 00:02:46.319 --> 00:02:49.919 us, but the Olive Tree said to them, shall I leave my abundance, 42 00:02:49.919 --> 00:02:53.120 by which Gods and men are honored, and go hold sway over the 43 00:02:53.120 --> 00:02:55.599 trees. And the tree said to the fig tree, you come and rain 44 00:02:55.719 --> 00:02:59.520 over us, but the fig tree said to them, shall I leave my 45 00:02:59.520 --> 00:03:02.400 sweeten us and my good fruit and goes hold sway over the trees. And 46 00:03:02.479 --> 00:03:06.159 the tree said to the vine, will you come and rain over us. 47 00:03:06.199 --> 00:03:08.439 But the vine said to them. Shall I leave my wine that cheers God 48 00:03:08.479 --> 00:03:13.120 and man and go hold sway over the trees. Then all the trees said 49 00:03:13.159 --> 00:03:16.159 to the Bramble, you come and rain over us, and the bramble said 50 00:03:16.159 --> 00:03:21.120 to the trees. If in good faith you are anointing me king over you, 51 00:03:21.479 --> 00:03:23.680 then come and take refuge in my shade. But if not, let 52 00:03:23.719 --> 00:03:28.719 fire come out of the Bramble and devour the Cedars of Lebanon. Now, 53 00:03:28.800 --> 00:03:31.199 therefore, if you acted in good faith and integrity when you made a Bimelech 54 00:03:31.319 --> 00:03:36.360 King, and if you've dealt well with drobable and his house and have done 55 00:03:36.360 --> 00:03:39.280 to him as his deeds deserved from my father fought for you and risked his 56 00:03:39.360 --> 00:03:43.879 life and delivered you from the hand of Midian. And you have risen up 57 00:03:43.919 --> 00:03:46.560 against my father's house this day and have killed his son's it's heavenly men on 58 00:03:46.560 --> 00:03:51.360 one stone and have made a Bimelech, the son of his female servant, 59 00:03:51.479 --> 00:03:54.840 King over the leaders of Seke Um, because here's your relative. If you, 60 00:03:54.919 --> 00:03:59.759 then, have acted in good faith and integrity withdrabable and with this House 61 00:03:59.800 --> 00:04:02.919 the day, then rejoice in a Bimelech and let him also rejoice in you. 62 00:04:03.840 --> 00:04:08.680 But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and devour the leaders 63 00:04:08.680 --> 00:04:12.439 of Shek Um and Beth Milo. And let fire come out from the leaders 64 00:04:12.439 --> 00:04:16.000 of Shek Um and from Beth Milo and devour abimelech. And Jontham ran away 65 00:04:16.000 --> 00:04:20.399 and fled and went to beer and lived there because of a Bimelech, his 66 00:04:20.480 --> 00:04:24.800 brother. Thus will end the reading of God's word. Please be seated. 67 00:04:28.319 --> 00:04:30.639 So we are picking up the story of Gideon where we have left it off 68 00:04:30.680 --> 00:04:34.199 in the book of judges, and the last week we looked at the Gideon's 69 00:04:34.279 --> 00:04:39.360 army finishing up, the Um pursuing of the Army of the Median Knights and 70 00:04:39.399 --> 00:04:42.800 the punishment of the men of sarcoth and Peneuel because they did not want to 71 00:04:42.839 --> 00:04:46.399 provide bread for the army of Gideon when Gideon asked for it. So he 72 00:04:46.439 --> 00:04:50.199 comes back and teaches both of them a lesson. And then we saw the 73 00:04:50.279 --> 00:04:55.600 sad end of Gideon and setting up a idol, actually in the form of 74 00:04:55.600 --> 00:05:00.199 a golden efod that he sets up in his own hometown, which God ever 75 00:05:00.240 --> 00:05:04.079 gave command that they should worship in that place and so tonight we're going to 76 00:05:04.160 --> 00:05:09.399 move on to the death of Gideon and to the child of Gideon, and 77 00:05:09.720 --> 00:05:13.120 I am going to warn you ahead of time it's not going to be a 78 00:05:13.199 --> 00:05:17.360 good story. So earlier Gideon had turned down the offer of being a king, 79 00:05:18.279 --> 00:05:21.360 but there are two things that we're going to notice here at the end 80 00:05:21.360 --> 00:05:26.439 of chapter eight that seemed to indicate even though he's turned down the offer, 81 00:05:27.360 --> 00:05:30.879 a couple of things still look suspicious to us, and we'll look at those. 82 00:05:30.519 --> 00:05:33.360 The first thing we see in versus twenty nine and thirty is that he 83 00:05:33.399 --> 00:05:36.480 has many wives, like many of the Kings, that was one of the 84 00:05:36.600 --> 00:05:43.519 sad sins that kind of affected the king's through the years and Um, of 85 00:05:43.560 --> 00:05:46.759 course he doesn't come near to Solomon's record in this regard, but we are 86 00:05:46.800 --> 00:05:51.040 totally had many wives, and this is all in disobedience to God, who 87 00:05:51.040 --> 00:05:56.600 had already commanded in the law that Gideon would have known in deuteronomy seventeen, 88 00:05:56.639 --> 00:06:00.759 seventeen, and he shall not acquire many why life for himself, lest his 89 00:06:00.839 --> 00:06:06.879 heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold. 90 00:06:06.959 --> 00:06:11.879 Well, Gideon, unfortunately, has done all of that. Right now, 91 00:06:12.519 --> 00:06:16.519 though, technically. Again, he would say he's not a king. As 92 00:06:16.600 --> 00:06:20.480 much as we find polygamy in the Old Testament, we find a lot of 93 00:06:20.480 --> 00:06:24.879 it. We know from the beginning, as Jesus would teach us, it 94 00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:30.959 was never God's will for man to have more than one wife. Dr J 95 00:06:30.240 --> 00:06:35.759 Vernon mcghee says God did not create several eves for Adam. He created only 96 00:06:35.879 --> 00:06:41.800 one. God did not remove all of Adam's ribs. God took out only 97 00:06:41.959 --> 00:06:45.160 one rib. No, I realized it doesn't have to be rib in the 98 00:06:45.160 --> 00:06:48.560 Hebrew Genesis, but I thought that was kind of a good little comment there. 99 00:06:49.079 --> 00:06:54.519 But again we have the integrity of the scriptures here and we know that 100 00:06:54.560 --> 00:06:57.959 the scriptures are of God and we can tell they're different than other holy books 101 00:06:58.040 --> 00:07:00.800 because in other books that the end, that our champions and men, that 102 00:07:00.839 --> 00:07:04.839 our warriors we just read good, they're all good, everything's going well and 103 00:07:04.879 --> 00:07:10.319 that all of those things. But the Bible does not hide. You know, 104 00:07:10.439 --> 00:07:15.160 if if it been a normal biographer, perhaps of Gideon, uh the 105 00:07:15.279 --> 00:07:17.800 end of Gideon would have would have stopped before this and these last things that 106 00:07:17.839 --> 00:07:21.920 we're seen. We would have ended with perhaps Gideon just finishing off the media 107 00:07:23.040 --> 00:07:25.720 nights and that would be the end. And the biographer, which are where 108 00:07:25.959 --> 00:07:29.399 say well, there's there's no reason for us to go on. People don't 109 00:07:29.399 --> 00:07:31.920 need to know about that. But the scriptures tell us the truth. They 110 00:07:31.920 --> 00:07:36.480 don't hide it from us. They tell us what happens, the puritan reformer 111 00:07:36.600 --> 00:07:42.279 Richard Rogers says, and it teaches us that the faults and blemishes of God's 112 00:07:42.319 --> 00:07:46.000 servants are set before us in the scriptures, as well as their virtues, 113 00:07:46.639 --> 00:07:51.040 in which respect the scriptures are unlike other human stories or writings which, through 114 00:07:51.199 --> 00:07:58.319 hatred or flattery, obscure the truth. Scriptures don't do that. In Verse 115 00:07:58.360 --> 00:08:01.439 Thirty One, we're told the Gideon at least one concubine, which also is 116 00:08:01.480 --> 00:08:05.639 wrong, and the wording there in the Hebrew seems to indicate that he may 117 00:08:05.680 --> 00:08:11.279 even have had more than one concubine. But here is the second thing that 118 00:08:11.360 --> 00:08:16.560 seems to indicate something bad. Gideon says, I don't want to be king. 119 00:08:16.480 --> 00:08:20.319 So they have a child with his concubine. And what does he name 120 00:08:20.399 --> 00:08:26.720 the Child? My father is king, a Bi Malech that's a little interesting, 121 00:08:26.839 --> 00:08:30.279 isn't it? That's how he names the child. It's kind of like 122 00:08:30.319 --> 00:08:33.399 if I had a son and I named my son my father is a really 123 00:08:33.440 --> 00:08:37.120 great guy. Uh, you know, I didn't. I didn't name them 124 00:08:37.159 --> 00:08:41.639 that. But Um, I did have a name that I didn't think of 125 00:08:41.679 --> 00:08:45.240 it. I was always kind of sad I missed this with my boys because 126 00:08:45.279 --> 00:08:48.320 I thought of it years after they were born and I thought it would be 127 00:08:48.639 --> 00:08:54.519 good to name one of my children after two good biblical characters, and I 128 00:08:54.559 --> 00:08:58.159 thought I would name them after Noah and lot, so their name would be 129 00:08:58.200 --> 00:09:01.639 no AH lot coufus. I thought that would be a good name for them. 130 00:09:01.639 --> 00:09:03.600 But if I wasn't able to do that, I tried to convince many 131 00:09:03.600 --> 00:09:07.240 people to do that. Nobody's taken me up on it yet. So well, 132 00:09:07.279 --> 00:09:09.840 that is bad. That would be bad, but so is my father, 133 00:09:11.039 --> 00:09:15.600 is king. That's a bad name as well. And the second problem 134 00:09:15.639 --> 00:09:18.559 here is the son that's named that is the son of the concubine, not 135 00:09:18.679 --> 00:09:22.360 the son of his seventy wives, and I admit it's sometimes hard to tell 136 00:09:22.399 --> 00:09:26.480 a difference in scripture between one called a wife and one called a concubine. 137 00:09:28.039 --> 00:09:33.200 But he is illegitimate, so technically he has to wait for seventy of his 138 00:09:33.360 --> 00:09:39.360 brothers to die before he could become king. Well, he comes up with 139 00:09:39.399 --> 00:09:43.240 a plan to deal with that, as we see in the scriptures, and 140 00:09:43.320 --> 00:09:48.159 so we're told to concubine herself lives and Scheck them, which is going to 141 00:09:48.200 --> 00:09:50.919 play a part in the rest of the story that begins in chapter nine. 142 00:09:52.480 --> 00:09:56.240 So as we come to chapter nine, Barry Web in his commentary, says 143 00:09:56.559 --> 00:10:01.440 that Gideon's mixed legacy is about to turn into a nightmare, and it does 144 00:10:03.399 --> 00:10:05.960 up until this point in the book of judges. You might know that the 145 00:10:05.960 --> 00:10:09.440 book of judges follows a series of seven cycles, and the cycles are exactly 146 00:10:09.480 --> 00:10:13.960 the same. What are the cycles? Well, the cycle is after God 147 00:10:13.039 --> 00:10:18.559 delivers Israel, then soon Israel turns through idolatry, and so the cycle begins 148 00:10:20.080 --> 00:10:24.799 that an oppressor comes in and Israel becomes under the domination of an oppressor for 149 00:10:24.159 --> 00:10:28.279 a certain amount of years. It varies from time to time, and after 150 00:10:28.320 --> 00:10:33.240 a time the oppression becomes so great that the Israel will cry out for an 151 00:10:33.240 --> 00:10:37.279 oppressor. When they do, God will hear them and raise up a deliverer. 152 00:10:37.919 --> 00:10:43.159 This deliverer will then come and deliver Israel from their oppressor, and then 153 00:10:43.320 --> 00:10:48.039 Israel will have rest and go back into idolatry, and then it's Lather, 154 00:10:48.279 --> 00:10:52.679 rents, repeat, in the same cycle repeats itself. But in the story 155 00:10:52.720 --> 00:10:56.159 we've come to tonight it's kind of a break. It's not a good break, 156 00:10:56.159 --> 00:11:01.080 but it's a break in that cycle that we have up to this point 157 00:11:01.639 --> 00:11:05.080 and it's not a good change, as I said. And in verse nine 158 00:11:05.120 --> 00:11:09.559 we're going to have one of the worst judgments that God can ever put or, 159 00:11:09.799 --> 00:11:11.240 excuse me, not verse nine, Chapter Nine, one of the worst 160 00:11:11.320 --> 00:11:16.639 judgments that God could ever put upon a nation, and that is a civil 161 00:11:16.799 --> 00:11:20.279 war, which is a terrible thing for a nation to endure. The English 162 00:11:20.279 --> 00:11:24.200 annotations on the book of judges has this note. Now, after the death 163 00:11:24.240 --> 00:11:28.840 of Gideon, as they returned to their former wickedness, God punishes them with 164 00:11:28.879 --> 00:11:35.159 the civil war wherein they murder and massacre one another, staining their hands in 165 00:11:35.200 --> 00:11:41.399 the blood of their brethren and sheathing their swords in their balls. And so 166 00:11:41.600 --> 00:11:46.200 we can think of the terrible civil war in our own nation that took place, 167 00:11:46.240 --> 00:11:50.919 where families were killing each other, and perhaps many of you, like 168 00:11:52.039 --> 00:11:56.080 myself, have watched that Ken Burns documentary on the civil war and in many 169 00:11:56.159 --> 00:12:01.919 places. It was very difficult to watch and we're reminded about what a terrible 170 00:12:01.039 --> 00:12:07.519 time it was in our country. So in nine one bimelech becomes the first 171 00:12:07.600 --> 00:12:13.639 person, and judges, to actually seek the Office of ruler. All of 172 00:12:13.679 --> 00:12:18.399 the others, UH, did not seek it. You're probably familiar with the 173 00:12:18.480 --> 00:12:22.200 quote of Shakespeare from Twelfth night where he says be not afraid of greatness. 174 00:12:22.240 --> 00:12:28.679 Some are born great, some achieve greatness and others have greatness thrust upon them 175 00:12:28.679 --> 00:12:33.399 and off quoted, uh, quotation from Shakespeare. Well, you can try 176 00:12:33.399 --> 00:12:37.519 to decide for yourself which one of those categories of bimelech falls into. But 177 00:12:39.120 --> 00:12:43.960 with good reason. BIMELEX says he's going to go to check them because he's 178 00:12:43.000 --> 00:12:48.039 not getting much support from his brothers, and nor should he and nor should 179 00:12:48.080 --> 00:12:52.799 he expect it, but he goes to where his mother's relatives are. Now 180 00:12:52.080 --> 00:12:56.320 something I have done for years and I would encourage you as well to do 181 00:12:56.360 --> 00:12:58.759 this sometime. There's many ways to study our bibles, but one of the 182 00:12:58.759 --> 00:13:03.679 way I found interesting through the years is a geographic study. It's always interesting 183 00:13:03.720 --> 00:13:09.919 to note what took place at a particular location in the Bible. I think 184 00:13:09.919 --> 00:13:13.159 one of the most interesting studies you can do in that regard as Bethel. 185 00:13:13.279 --> 00:13:16.240 That's that's a very fascinating study to see all of the things that happened in 186 00:13:16.360 --> 00:13:22.320 Bethel and how the ups and downs go on that Um. But another good 187 00:13:22.320 --> 00:13:26.120 one would be Scheckum. And a check Um, you might remember, it 188 00:13:26.159 --> 00:13:31.759 was where God first appeared to Abraham in the promised land. That was in 189 00:13:31.799 --> 00:13:37.240 genesis twelve versus six and seven, and we also see in that text that 190 00:13:37.279 --> 00:13:41.200 it was the first place in the promised land where an altar to the Lord 191 00:13:41.360 --> 00:13:45.480 was built. But it's also at check um where it seems that people under 192 00:13:45.559 --> 00:13:50.039 Joshua first worshiped in the promised land. We find that in Joshua eight at 193 00:13:50.039 --> 00:13:54.799 the end of the chapter, and so there's a lot of good stuff that 194 00:13:54.879 --> 00:13:58.480 happens at check them, but this stuff tonight is not going to be good 195 00:13:58.559 --> 00:14:01.799 at all. So in verse two, able makes his argument to be a 196 00:14:01.879 --> 00:14:09.200 ruler on two particular grounds. Number one, he says wouldn't it be better 197 00:14:09.919 --> 00:14:15.919 to be ruled by one instead of being ruled by seventy? Now that's actually 198 00:14:15.919 --> 00:14:18.840 a pretty interesting argument. In fact, we kind of debated that at a 199 00:14:18.840 --> 00:14:24.240 fellowship group last week about what which is better? What is it? Is 200 00:14:24.240 --> 00:14:28.399 it better to be ruled by one, like in a monarchy or a dictatorship, 201 00:14:28.480 --> 00:14:31.960 or is it better to be ruled by many has, as in our 202 00:14:31.039 --> 00:14:37.360 country, for example? Well, what Abimelech is lobbying for is a rule 203 00:14:37.480 --> 00:14:41.159 by one, and we'll see how that goes. The second point is number 204 00:14:41.200 --> 00:14:43.759 one. Would you rather have one to rule you instead of seventy? The 205 00:14:43.799 --> 00:14:48.360 second point is, would you rather have one of your own to rule over 206 00:14:48.600 --> 00:14:52.759 instead of others? And, of course, again the men of Sheckum are 207 00:14:52.799 --> 00:15:00.240 ready to put their support for they say he is our brother standing a loan. 208 00:15:00.360 --> 00:15:03.440 That's never a good argument to somebody as a leader because of who they 209 00:15:03.480 --> 00:15:07.840 are related to. And Uh, to prove that they're going to support a 210 00:15:07.879 --> 00:15:11.519 BIMELEK anyway. In verse four, to quote the old saying, I don't 211 00:15:11.559 --> 00:15:15.039 think it goes back to the book of judges, but to say it is 212 00:15:15.279 --> 00:15:18.159 where you put your money where your mouth is. Well, the men of 213 00:15:18.240 --> 00:15:22.279 check I'm are going to do exactly that. They're going to get a BIMELEK 214 00:15:22.399 --> 00:15:26.480 seventy pieces of silver, which they get out of a tempo uh to an 215 00:15:26.519 --> 00:15:30.759 idol, and this is obviously blood money. If you missed the connection, 216 00:15:31.200 --> 00:15:35.799 let me connect the dot for you. Gideon has seventy sons. They give 217 00:15:35.879 --> 00:15:43.840 him seventy pieces of silver, obviously blood money, and then Bimelech uses that 218 00:15:43.960 --> 00:15:48.799 money to hire those e s V calls worthless and reckless fellows. That sounds 219 00:15:48.799 --> 00:15:52.200 like a great start to a rule, doesn't it? To take money from 220 00:15:52.200 --> 00:15:58.000 an idolatrous tempo go and hire mandicule others, and those men are reckless and 221 00:15:58.120 --> 00:16:00.039 worthless. Um, Yep. I was like, things are going to go 222 00:16:00.159 --> 00:16:04.960 very, very well here for a Bimelech, but he begins his power grab 223 00:16:06.080 --> 00:16:10.080 with that money and nothing good happens here. In Verse Five, they go 224 00:16:10.159 --> 00:16:14.639 back to the town with the seventies sons of Gideon are and kill all of 225 00:16:14.679 --> 00:16:18.519 them on one stone. But somehow, in some way, God has it 226 00:16:18.639 --> 00:16:23.519 so fit that the youngest of the brothers, Jotham, escapes and goes into 227 00:16:23.639 --> 00:16:29.559 hiding. And the name Jotham Means Yahweh, is blameless, which is a 228 00:16:29.639 --> 00:16:33.080 much better name than Abimelech. And so we have this. So we move 229 00:16:33.159 --> 00:16:40.399 forward to verses six through one, and in verse six because Gideon, or 230 00:16:40.399 --> 00:16:45.080 excuse me, Um Bimelech has done away with all the heirs to Gideon. 231 00:16:45.720 --> 00:16:51.240 The men of Sheke them come together and they now make a bimelech their king. 232 00:16:52.200 --> 00:16:56.480 And remember that Gideon had said my son will not rule over you, 233 00:16:57.240 --> 00:17:02.279 but here a Bimelech is trying to do that. And so he's being crowned 234 00:17:02.440 --> 00:17:07.160 King. But his very web said it's one thing to be crowned and quite 235 00:17:07.160 --> 00:17:11.039 another thing to rule. And so in verse seven, The Sun that escaped 236 00:17:11.160 --> 00:17:18.559 Jotham does a very heroic act. He goes to Mount Garrison, which is 237 00:17:18.680 --> 00:17:22.640 either in check um or on the border of check Um at this time. 238 00:17:22.680 --> 00:17:26.160 So he's going right in to the belly of the beast and he's going to 239 00:17:26.240 --> 00:17:32.079 go there and he makes a proclamation to the men of Seke Um concerning what 240 00:17:32.119 --> 00:17:34.839 they have done. And those of you who are part have been part of 241 00:17:34.839 --> 00:17:40.160 the parable study we've been doing might know that this is he does this by 242 00:17:40.240 --> 00:17:44.680 means of a parable that he gives. The parable is found in verses eight 243 00:17:44.680 --> 00:17:45.799 through fifteen. I'm not going to go through all of that. I'm going 244 00:17:45.839 --> 00:17:51.880 to summarize it. And though it is a parable, it also has elements 245 00:17:51.920 --> 00:17:56.880 of a fable in it. Because in this story the trees are actually able 246 00:17:56.920 --> 00:18:00.799 to talk, which again puts it into the rail of a fable. And 247 00:18:00.880 --> 00:18:07.039 so the trees are looking for a king to rule over them, and so 248 00:18:07.119 --> 00:18:12.359 they go to three very noble trees that all have good functions and important functions, 249 00:18:12.720 --> 00:18:18.880 and so they are very good uh candidates to be the king, and 250 00:18:18.920 --> 00:18:22.920 so they go to them for what they produce. But all of the three 251 00:18:22.359 --> 00:18:27.839 that they go to reject the author of kingship because their place is to produce 252 00:18:27.920 --> 00:18:33.720 what they have, whether it's oil or grapes or whatever they're producing. They 253 00:18:33.759 --> 00:18:38.319 do not want to leave that. And so instead the trees go to the 254 00:18:38.359 --> 00:18:45.279 Brambo, which is also known by the Buckthorn. Now I don't really know 255 00:18:45.680 --> 00:18:49.160 for sure. There's different ideas, but I'm not sure what Buckthorne is in 256 00:18:49.240 --> 00:18:55.720 the Bible. But I do know what Buck Thorne is in Minnesota and it 257 00:18:55.839 --> 00:19:00.240 is considered a past and something you have to get rid of. If they 258 00:19:00.279 --> 00:19:03.559 come to your yard, like our city did at one point, and they 259 00:19:03.599 --> 00:19:07.799 see you at buckthorn growing in your lilacs, they will say they're going to 260 00:19:07.960 --> 00:19:11.680 come back and they're gonna take that buckthorn out because it's worthless, it crowds 261 00:19:11.680 --> 00:19:15.680 out other species, it's not a good thing at all and you'd want to 262 00:19:15.720 --> 00:19:18.400 get rid of it. And they get rid of it for free. That's 263 00:19:18.440 --> 00:19:22.759 how bad they thought the Buckthorn was. So that goes along with the parable, 264 00:19:22.880 --> 00:19:26.759 that the buck thorn of the Brambo is the worst of the trees that 265 00:19:26.880 --> 00:19:32.079 they now decide to anoint to be their king, when, of course, 266 00:19:32.160 --> 00:19:36.400 in the story the Buck Doorn, in case you missed it, represents a 267 00:19:36.480 --> 00:19:40.640 BIMELEC. And so in Verse Fifteen, the Buckthorn says, if in good 268 00:19:40.680 --> 00:19:45.039 faith you're anointing me king over you, then come and take refuge in my 269 00:19:45.160 --> 00:19:48.079 shade, but if not, let fire come out of the Bramble and devour 270 00:19:48.160 --> 00:19:53.480 the Cedars of Lebanon. The Cedars of Lebanon and the parable represent the men 271 00:19:53.519 --> 00:19:59.799 of check them and Jonathan. By this parable is prophesied that because of what 272 00:19:59.839 --> 00:20:03.440 they have done, there is going to be great trouble that is going to 273 00:20:03.640 --> 00:20:08.599 rise up between the men of Sheke Um and the people of Abimelech. Well, 274 00:20:08.640 --> 00:20:15.240 if the parable isn't biting enough and sarcastic enough, the explanation of the 275 00:20:15.279 --> 00:20:21.000 parable will do that in verses sixteen through twenty, and it's dripping with sarcasm. 276 00:20:21.160 --> 00:20:23.680 I Love Sarcasm, so so I love these kind of parts of the 277 00:20:23.720 --> 00:20:30.640 Bible. He says, if you have acted in good faith and integrity when 278 00:20:30.680 --> 00:20:36.559 you made Abimelech your king, well, no, no, they have it. 279 00:20:36.720 --> 00:20:41.279 That that sarcasm right there. If you have dealt well with Derobabo in 280 00:20:41.359 --> 00:20:45.480 his house and have done to him as his deeds deserved. Uh No, 281 00:20:45.480 --> 00:20:51.519 no, not true. Then he explains what his father had done to deliver 282 00:20:51.640 --> 00:20:56.559 them and what they have done in response, killing his seventies sons. In 283 00:20:56.680 --> 00:21:00.880 Verse Nineteen, if you then have acted in good faith and integrity with Jobba 284 00:21:00.920 --> 00:21:06.599 Bell and with his house, then rejoice in the BIMELEC. Well, they 285 00:21:06.640 --> 00:21:11.160 haven't, they haven't, so they shouldn't rejoice, of course. But in 286 00:21:11.279 --> 00:21:15.799 Verse Twenty says that if they haven't done that, which they haven't, then 287 00:21:15.799 --> 00:21:19.480 a Bimelech and the leaders of Shek Um should basically destroy each other, which 288 00:21:19.559 --> 00:21:25.000 is exactly what's going to happen. And so, after giving that prophecy, 289 00:21:25.119 --> 00:21:30.119 Jotham flees away to get away from the men of Skum, and that gives 290 00:21:30.160 --> 00:21:33.960 us an idea to in the scriptures which we find that it's not always wrong 291 00:21:33.000 --> 00:21:37.359 to flee danger. You know, sometimes people feel like well, you know, 292 00:21:37.400 --> 00:21:38.759 if they're get in great danger and they feel like, well, maybe 293 00:21:38.759 --> 00:21:41.599 I should have stayed and faced whatever that was, even if I met my 294 00:21:41.680 --> 00:21:45.640 death. But no, oftentimes in the scripture, godly men, even our 295 00:21:45.680 --> 00:21:51.160 Lord Jesus, fled when his life was in danger before the time, and 296 00:21:51.319 --> 00:21:55.480 we see that in the gospel of Luke that I'm sharing with you on Sunday 297 00:21:55.519 --> 00:21:59.359 mornings. Well, that's the story that I've just retold. I've told it 298 00:21:59.359 --> 00:22:02.279 to you and script here and then I've kind of retold it, but more 299 00:22:02.759 --> 00:22:07.920 to the point tonight I'd like to make some applications from this story that perhaps 300 00:22:07.000 --> 00:22:11.359 can help us in our life. The first thing I would mentioned to you 301 00:22:11.799 --> 00:22:18.880 is that it is a biblical principle that people usually get the ruler they deserve 302 00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:26.319 to have. Israel at this time deserved a Bimelech and that's who they got. 303 00:22:26.119 --> 00:22:30.599 And no matter how Abimelech becomes, the ruler doesn't matter because in the 304 00:22:30.720 --> 00:22:37.359 end, Paul tells the Romans, the powers that be are ordained of God. 305 00:22:38.319 --> 00:22:44.559 Now this is important to us because perhaps you, like me can sometimes 306 00:22:44.599 --> 00:22:52.559 slip into basically sin in dealing in this area, because they're all ordained of 307 00:22:52.680 --> 00:22:56.079 God, as Paul tells the Romans in chapter thirteen, he says, pay 308 00:22:56.200 --> 00:23:00.720 to all what is owed to them. Tag As to whom taxes are owed, 309 00:23:02.400 --> 00:23:07.000 revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, 310 00:23:07.559 --> 00:23:11.799 and honor to whom honor is owed. I wonder if you, like me, 311 00:23:11.839 --> 00:23:17.240 ever have problems with that, but I'm sure most of you, as 312 00:23:17.279 --> 00:23:22.200 opposed to me, cheerfully send off your check to the government and when it 313 00:23:22.240 --> 00:23:26.839 comes to April fifteen or eighteenth or whatever particular date it's falling on, and 314 00:23:26.920 --> 00:23:32.400 I wonder if you ever have trouble, when a particular leader might be on 315 00:23:32.440 --> 00:23:37.440 the opposite side of everything that you hold dear, to give that leader the 316 00:23:37.519 --> 00:23:41.519 respect that the position deserves. And again, I confess that I have to 317 00:23:41.559 --> 00:23:47.480 be very careful in that area. It's certainly fine to disagree with someone's politics 318 00:23:47.559 --> 00:23:51.559 and their policies. There's nothing wrong with that, but we do have to 319 00:23:51.599 --> 00:23:56.079 be careful to still give our leaders the respect in the honor of the Scripture 320 00:23:56.160 --> 00:24:02.839 says they deserve. And as bad as we think, our leaders maybe we 321 00:24:02.920 --> 00:24:07.680 have to remember they're not as bad as the leaders that were in existence in 322 00:24:07.720 --> 00:24:14.000 our Lord's Day and the Apostles Day. Who are the leaders that were enforced 323 00:24:14.079 --> 00:24:18.799 during these days when Paul's writing telling us and the Lord's telling us and Peters 324 00:24:18.839 --> 00:24:21.640 telling us were to honor the king and to do all this? Who are 325 00:24:21.680 --> 00:24:27.359 the leaders? Well, you've got Herod Got Pilot, you got Caesar. 326 00:24:29.559 --> 00:24:33.920 Remember when Paul says I appeal on the Caesar, who was Caesar? That 327 00:24:33.039 --> 00:24:40.160 he was appealing to Nero. There's a great Caesar to appeal to. Write. 328 00:24:40.160 --> 00:24:42.680 Good move, Paul Uh that that's a guy that's going to be always 329 00:24:42.680 --> 00:24:47.960 fair to Christians. It would actually be hard to find a worse ruler, 330 00:24:48.519 --> 00:24:52.039 and certainly in our history of a nation we cannot identify a ruler as bad 331 00:24:52.079 --> 00:24:57.480 as Nero. But yet Peter wrights honor everyone, loved, the Brotherhood, 332 00:24:57.640 --> 00:25:03.200 fear God, honor the emperor. WHO's the emperor? When Peter Writes Nerol, 333 00:25:04.240 --> 00:25:08.799 honor the emperor. And let me just say as well, and I 334 00:25:08.839 --> 00:25:12.279 don't know if this applies to you, but I've seen it apply to others, 335 00:25:12.319 --> 00:25:17.039 that also applies, by the way, to social media and what you 336 00:25:17.119 --> 00:25:21.839 might write out there. So be careful. Just a warning there. But 337 00:25:21.880 --> 00:25:25.599 I want to go back to the main point of application tonight, which is 338 00:25:25.640 --> 00:25:30.559 the scripture, as I mentioned, plainly tells us the failings of Gideon at 339 00:25:30.559 --> 00:25:36.599 the end of his life. Now, why does scripture do that? Why 340 00:25:36.599 --> 00:25:41.640 does scripture tell us these failings of these men that we would want to look 341 00:25:41.759 --> 00:25:45.880 up to? Now there may be several reasons, but let me give you 342 00:25:45.960 --> 00:25:51.559 three reasons tonight that I think are very important. The first reason I think 343 00:25:51.599 --> 00:25:56.359 scripture does is to be a warning to us, a warning to tell us 344 00:25:56.359 --> 00:26:00.359 that, no matter how great God has used us, we have to be 345 00:26:00.440 --> 00:26:08.519 careful to recognize we can still fall. Now, all scriptures are full of 346 00:26:08.559 --> 00:26:14.680 warnings, not only by examples but by exhortations as well. Paul says to 347 00:26:14.720 --> 00:26:18.519 the Corinthians and First Corinthians ten twelve, a very apropos scripture to our text 348 00:26:18.559 --> 00:26:23.319 this evening. He says, therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands 349 00:26:25.160 --> 00:26:30.319 take heed lest he fall. And God uses these warnings. People sometimes say, 350 00:26:30.319 --> 00:26:33.440 well, you know, if we can't fall away, why do we 351 00:26:33.480 --> 00:26:36.759 have warnings in Scriptures? Because part of the reason we don't fall away us 352 00:26:36.759 --> 00:26:42.000 because God has given us warnings and God uses those so that we don't and 353 00:26:42.000 --> 00:26:48.319 and and so we must always, as Peter Rights, that we must do 354 00:26:48.079 --> 00:26:53.559 all diligence to make our calling and election sure. And who would know better 355 00:26:53.640 --> 00:26:57.680 than that than Peter to write that? Who says, though everyone else would 356 00:26:57.720 --> 00:27:03.039 forsake you and deny you tonight? I will never do it, I will 357 00:27:03.119 --> 00:27:07.759 never fall away, he said. But some of the greatest heroes in the 358 00:27:07.799 --> 00:27:17.000 Bible had the greatest failings, Peter, Gideon, David Samson. And so 359 00:27:17.240 --> 00:27:21.200 we are warned here to be careful, no matter how much we think we've 360 00:27:21.319 --> 00:27:26.599 achieved her how far we've come in the faith. We're warned that even those 361 00:27:26.640 --> 00:27:30.119 who have been greatly used by God may fall, and of course we've seen 362 00:27:30.240 --> 00:27:37.599 several examples of that in our recent history in the church as well. A 363 00:27:37.759 --> 00:27:41.039 second reason, I think, why scripture records the failings of its leaders and 364 00:27:41.119 --> 00:27:48.279 heroes is that we might always work towards restoration of the fallen. I've quoted 365 00:27:48.319 --> 00:27:51.480 this, I think, in Sunday school, but I'll quote it again for 366 00:27:51.519 --> 00:27:56.440 all of you. The saying. It says Christians are the only people who 367 00:27:56.519 --> 00:28:03.480 shoot their wounded in Galatians chapter five, Paul gives us one of those catalogs 368 00:28:03.480 --> 00:28:07.359 of sin that he's famous for, where he just writes a series of sins 369 00:28:07.359 --> 00:28:14.240 and a list he identifies these particular sins and Galatians five is the works of 370 00:28:14.240 --> 00:28:21.359 the flesh and there's some pretty bad sins listed there. Sexual immorality, orgies, 371 00:28:22.079 --> 00:28:29.960 drunkenness, divisions are all things that he represents to them and he goes 372 00:28:30.039 --> 00:28:34.000 on to say at the end of that catalog that those who do such things 373 00:28:34.400 --> 00:28:41.559 will not inherit the Kingdom of God. I I think I you know, 374 00:28:41.640 --> 00:28:48.119 we have chapter divisions in the Bible and they do serve a purpose, but 375 00:28:48.319 --> 00:28:52.440 I think one of the ones that I hate the worst is Galatians six, 376 00:28:52.279 --> 00:28:57.279 the Chapter Division there, because I think it divorces something very important, that 377 00:28:57.319 --> 00:29:03.119 what God has joined together should not be put asunder. Because after Paul has 378 00:29:03.160 --> 00:29:04.839 said all that, and oftentimes we just end our Bible reading. Okay, 379 00:29:04.839 --> 00:29:11.359 I read my Chapter Chapter Five, but chapter six, verse one is integral 380 00:29:11.400 --> 00:29:17.079 to what Paul is saying in chapter five and we miss it sometimes because after 381 00:29:17.119 --> 00:29:22.519 he's cataloged all of those sins, he says to the Galatians, brothers, 382 00:29:23.640 --> 00:29:32.480 if anyone is caught basically in any of these transgressions, you that are spiritual 383 00:29:33.119 --> 00:29:38.680 should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep Watch on yourself, lest 384 00:29:38.759 --> 00:29:45.400 you two be tempted restore the fallen. We are commanded to do that. 385 00:29:45.480 --> 00:29:49.400 Our Lord took the sheep that had lost and gone away from the fold, 386 00:29:49.519 --> 00:29:56.039 left the nine and nine and brought that sheep back with him. And so 387 00:29:56.119 --> 00:30:00.599 a second reason. Number one is as an example to U. Number two 388 00:30:00.640 --> 00:30:04.880 is a reminder to us that failure should lead to restoration if at all possible. 389 00:30:07.200 --> 00:30:15.519 But the third reason I want to close with tonight is that God records 390 00:30:15.599 --> 00:30:21.799 this, I think, to give us hope in our own hour of failing. 391 00:30:22.920 --> 00:30:26.480 I want to do an experiment tonight. I want to give you a 392 00:30:26.559 --> 00:30:33.799 name from scripture and I want you honestly just thinking right away when you think 393 00:30:33.799 --> 00:30:37.319 about this name. I want you to honestly think in your mind. What 394 00:30:37.480 --> 00:30:40.640 is the first thing you think of when I say this name? What would 395 00:30:40.640 --> 00:30:47.160 be the first thing that pops into your mind, if you're ready the name? 396 00:30:47.359 --> 00:30:52.359 I mentioned it earlier in the message. Actually is a lot. So 397 00:30:52.400 --> 00:30:57.759 what came to your mind first? I wonder, did you remember how Abraham 398 00:30:57.920 --> 00:31:03.279 allowed a lot when he took him and brought him into the land with him, 399 00:31:03.319 --> 00:31:07.039 and he told lot that he could choose whichever land he wanted to choose 400 00:31:07.079 --> 00:31:12.720 first, and lot chose all of the best land and gave the worst Abraham. 401 00:31:12.839 --> 00:31:17.759 Or did you remember in the Bible how lot first pitched his tent towards 402 00:31:17.759 --> 00:31:22.759 Sodom and then lived in Sodom and finally became one of the men, one 403 00:31:22.799 --> 00:31:26.279 of the rulers in the city who sat in the gate in that wicked city? 404 00:31:27.720 --> 00:31:33.200 Or did you remember him sitting in Sodom and being taken captive by the 405 00:31:33.319 --> 00:31:37.519 king so that Abraham had to go and rescue him? Or did you think 406 00:31:37.559 --> 00:31:42.000 about him dwelling in Sodom in the midst of great wickedness and when the word 407 00:31:42.039 --> 00:31:47.200 of God came at that city was going to be destroyed, he couldn't convince 408 00:31:47.319 --> 00:31:52.960 one person outside of his own family and he couldn't even bring his own family 409 00:31:52.000 --> 00:31:57.480 out safely out of Sodom? Or did you think about him, at the 410 00:31:57.559 --> 00:32:04.720 end of his life, living in a cave with his two daughters, getting 411 00:32:04.799 --> 00:32:10.079 drunk and having incest with them and giving birth to two of the men who 412 00:32:10.079 --> 00:32:15.599 would be the heads of two of the great enemies that Israel would face, 413 00:32:15.640 --> 00:32:23.119 ammon and MOAB. Lots of bad things to think about from this guy. 414 00:32:23.759 --> 00:32:30.079 Much to choose from. But I wonder when God goes to speak about lot 415 00:32:31.480 --> 00:32:37.440 and when God decides to write an obituary about lot, I wonder what God 416 00:32:37.559 --> 00:32:45.920 says about him. We can if I were to ask you, could you 417 00:32:45.960 --> 00:32:50.119 come up with some adjectives to describe lot? I think you could come up 418 00:32:50.119 --> 00:32:53.720 with quite a few, but let me give you the reference in the scripture. 419 00:32:53.960 --> 00:33:04.359 God's final word on lot. Listen very carefully, and he rescued righteous 420 00:33:04.759 --> 00:33:10.640 lot, greatly despread, distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked. For 421 00:33:10.799 --> 00:33:17.960 has that righteous man lived among them day by day, he was tormenting his 422 00:33:19.519 --> 00:33:27.839 righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard. Did you hear 423 00:33:27.920 --> 00:33:36.079 God's three adjectives righteous, righteous, righteous, and, if you want to 424 00:33:36.119 --> 00:33:44.960 add the next verse, Godly? Can you see how much more gracious God 425 00:33:45.119 --> 00:33:51.759 is than us? In fact, when you read the New Testament and you 426 00:33:51.799 --> 00:33:57.319 read about Old Testament characters like Gideon, what God says about him is all 427 00:33:57.359 --> 00:34:01.519 positive. God doesn't say bad things about Gideon, and the New Testament, 428 00:34:02.240 --> 00:34:07.559 the writer to the Hebrews. This time fails me to tell about others like 429 00:34:07.599 --> 00:34:10.880 Gideon and barrack and Samson and Samuel. Think about those. You can come 430 00:34:10.960 --> 00:34:15.239 up with a lot of bad stuff out of that group, but God has 431 00:34:15.280 --> 00:34:24.199 nothing bad to say, and in all these references God lifts them up and 432 00:34:24.280 --> 00:34:30.880 speaks of their great faith. I close with this this evening because there may 433 00:34:30.880 --> 00:34:35.639 be some of you who are struggling with hope. Look at Your Life and 434 00:34:35.639 --> 00:34:37.760 say, Oh, to failure and I'm not doing well and things are bad 435 00:34:37.800 --> 00:34:43.199 and all of those things. But See, God doesn't see us as we 436 00:34:43.280 --> 00:34:47.920 see ourselves, does he? God and grace sees our failings. He knows 437 00:34:49.000 --> 00:34:53.519 we failed, he knows the things we've done wrong. But in grace God 438 00:34:53.639 --> 00:35:01.239 sees us in Faith and righteousness, in Christ, as his elect as believers. 439 00:35:02.360 --> 00:35:06.519 So, brothers and sisters, I want to close by saying don't despair, 440 00:35:07.239 --> 00:35:12.400 don't fear that God has rejected or in some way God is looking at 441 00:35:12.400 --> 00:35:17.440 you in a very negative way, but instead trust in the all gracious God 442 00:35:17.480 --> 00:35:27.400 who said a lot righteous, righteous, righteous. Let's pray our God and 443 00:35:27.480 --> 00:35:30.119 father of our Lord, Jesus Christ. We do. Thank you we are 444 00:35:30.159 --> 00:35:36.599 often tempted to see the worst in people and, Lord, people we disagree 445 00:35:36.639 --> 00:35:39.639 with, people that are leaders that we might disagree with, we always see 446 00:35:39.639 --> 00:35:45.880 the worst. But Lord, help us, like you, to be people 447 00:35:45.920 --> 00:35:51.920 of grace and to understand that, Lord, and that, even though we 448 00:35:52.039 --> 00:35:55.639 disagree with many, would it be could we? Can we say, like 449 00:35:55.679 --> 00:36:00.159 the Apostle Paul, Lord, brother in my heartsts ire and prayer to God 450 00:36:00.199 --> 00:36:04.480 for Israel as that they might be saved. Can we say, for I 451 00:36:04.519 --> 00:36:10.079 could wish myself accursed from Christ, for my brethren, my kinsman? Can 452 00:36:10.159 --> 00:36:14.639 we say that about those, Lord, who we might even look at his 453 00:36:14.840 --> 00:36:22.000 enemies? But we marvel at your grace and we marvel, Lord, at 454 00:36:22.000 --> 00:36:28.000 how you may see us and help us not even to see ourselves. Yes, 455 00:36:28.440 --> 00:36:31.360 humility to bring us to you, but Lord, help us to know 456 00:36:32.639 --> 00:36:37.960 that you can see in US righteousness and faith where we might not see any, 457 00:36:39.559 --> 00:36:44.559 and give us the grace to not only see it in ourselves but to 458 00:36:44.599 --> 00:36:51.039 see it in others. Pray this in Christ name. Amen. CAN WE STAND