FREEDOM ISN'T ALWAYS FREE

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

When the Ammonites were called to arms and camped in Gilead, the Israelites assembled and camped at Mizpah. The leaders of the people of Gilead said to each other, "Whoever will launch the attack against the Ammonites will be the head of all those living in Gilead."

Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty warrior. His father was Gilead; his mother was a prostitute. Gilead's wife also bore him sons, and when they were grown up, they drove Jephthah away. "You are not going to get any inheritance in our family," they said, "because you are the son of another woman." So Jephthah fled from his brothers and settled in the land of Tob, where a group of adventurers gathered around him and followed him.

Sometime later, when the Ammonites made war on Israel, the elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah from the land of Tob. "Come," they said, "be our commander, so we can fight the Ammonites."

Jephthah said to them, "Didn't you hate me and drive me from my father's house? Why do you come to me now, when you're in trouble?"

The elders of Gilead said to him, "Nevertheless, we are turning to you now; come with us to fight the Ammonites, and you will be our head over all who live in Gilead."

Jephthah answered, "Suppose you take me back to fight the Ammonites and the Lord gives them to me - will I really be your head?"

The elders of Gilead replied, "The Lord is our witness; we will certainly do as you say." So Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and commander over them. And he repeated all his words before the Lord in Mizpah.

Then Jephthah sent messengers to the Ammonite king with the question: "What do you have against us that you have attacked our country?"

The king of the Ammonites answered Jephthah's messengers, "When Israel came up out of Egypt, they took away my land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, all the way to the Jordan. Now give it back peaceably."

Jephthah sent back messengers to the Ammonite king, saying:

"This is what Jephthah says: ‘Israel did not take the land of Moab or the land of the Ammonites. But when they came up out of Egypt, Israel went through the desert to the Red Sea and on to Kadesh. Then Israel sent messengers to the king of Edom, saying, “Give us permission to go through your country”, but the king of Edom would not listen. They sent also to the king of Moab, and he refused. So Israel stayed at Kadesh’.

‘Next they traveled through the desert, skirted the lands of Edom and Moab, passed along the eastern side of the country of Moab, and camped on the other side of the Arnon. They did not enter the territory of Moab, for the Arnon was its border.’

‘Then Israel sent messengers to Sihon, king of the Amorites, who ruled in Heshbon, and said to him, “Let us pass through your country to our own place.” Sihon, however, did not trust Israel to pass through his territory. He mustered all his men and encamped at Jahaz and fought with Israel.’

‘Then the Lord, the God of Israel, gave Sihon and all his men into Israel's hands, and they defeated them. Israel took over all the land of the Amorites who lived in that country, capturing all of it from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the desert to the Jordan.’

‘Now since the Lord, the God of Israel, has driven the Amorites out before His people Israel, what right have you to take it over? Will you not take what your god Chemosh gives you? Likewise, whatever the Lord our God has given us, we will possess. Are you better than Balak, son of Zippor, king of Moab? Did he ever quarrel with Israel or fight with them? For three hundred years Israel occupied Heshbon, Aroer, the surrounding settlements and all the towns along the Arnon. Why didn't you retake them during that time? I have not wronged you, but you are doing me wrong by waging war against me. Let the Lord, the Judge, decide the dispute this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites.’"

The king of Ammon, however, paid no attention to the message Jephthah sent him.

Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah. He crossed Gilead and Manasseh, passed through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there he advanced against the Ammonites. And Jephthah made a vow to the Lord : "If you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord's, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering."

Then Jephthah went over to fight the Ammonites, and the Lord gave them into his hands. He devastated twenty towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel Keramim. Thus Israel subdued Ammon.

When Jephthah returned to his home in Mizpah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of tambourines! She was an only child. Except for her he had neither son nor daughter. When he saw her, he tore his clothes and cried, "Oh! My daughter! You have made me miserable and wretched, because I have made a vow to the Lord that I cannot break."

"My father," she replied, "you have given your word to the Lord. Do to me just as you promised, now that the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites. But grant me this one request," she said. "Give me two months to roam the hills and weep with my friends, because I will never marry."

"You may go," he said. And he let her go for two months. She and the girls went into the hills and wept because she would never marry. After the two months, she returned to her father and he did to her as he had vowed. And she was a virgin.

From this comes the Israelite custom that each year the young women of Israel go out for four days to commemorate the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.

Judges 10:17-18, 11

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

…the Israelites said to the Lord, "We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now." Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the Lord. And He could bear Israel's misery no longer. Judges 10:15-16

These were the verses we ended up in yesterday’s message. You’ll recall that the people of Israel had done evil before God once again and as a result, found themselves in big trouble. They cried out to the Lord as they had done many times before but found that He was unwilling to save them this time. Instead, He told them to go to the false gods they had been worshiping and seek help from them, something that was never going to happen.

And so the Israelites sought to make amends with God through three key steps to seek reconciliation. You’ll remember that they first repented, then they submitted themselves to Him and His will, and finally they took action where action was needed to show the Lord that they were genuine in their commitment to Him.

Their return to giving God their devotion was effective for the scriptures told us that the Lord was unable to bear their misery any longer, willing to once again deliver them from their oppressors as we see in the remaining verses of chapter 10 and through chapter 11.

There, we read that those oppressors, the Ammonites, were “called to arms and camped in Gilead” while the Israelites “assembled and camped at Mizpah: and with a battle nearing, the “leaders of the people of Gilead” said this:

“Whoever will launch the attack against the Ammonites will be the head of all those living in Gilead."

Well, there obviously weren’t many volunteers because the scriptures tell us the “elders of Gilead went to get Jephthah”, asking him to be their commander when the “Ammonites made war”.

Jephthah was definitely qualified as we read how he was a “mighty warrior” but there was only one problem. For the very men who were now asking him (Jephthah) to lead them were the same ones who mistreated him and threatened to remove any right to his family’s inheritance. This was because Jephthah’s mother had been a prostitute, making him an illegitimate son in the eyes of his other brothers. They caused him to flee and settle “in the land of Tob” where “a group of adventurers gathered around” and “followed him”.

The people of Gilead were bitter with their elders for the way they had mistreated Jephthah and so they asked them to affirm that they would do what they said they would do…make Jephthah the head of Gilead if the Lord would deliver the Ammonites into their hands. In response to this demand, the elders replied:

“The Lord is our witness; we will certainly do as you say.”

And so Jephthah went with the “elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and commander over them”. Jephthah then “repeated all his words before the Lord in Mizpah” resulting in the Israelites once again having a judge to deliver them and as we see in our passage, Jephthah didn’t waste any time to address the problem at hand…the mighty, enemy Ammonites.

Things got started with Jephthah and the Ammonite king exchanging dialogue regarding the land under dispute, specifically over who had rights to it. And after Jephthah asked the Ammonite king why they had attacked Israel, we read where the king accused Israel of taking the land from the Ammonites after they had departed Egypt. A charge that brought an immediate rebuttal from the Israelite leader who set the record straight.

For the truth of the matter was that after the Israelites left Egypt, they had actually been rejected in their attempt to enter Moab and Edom by the kings of those lands. Eventually, this led to them battling King Sihon who had “mustered all his men and encamped at Jahaz” to fight Israel. During that battle, “the Lord…gave Sihon and all his men into Israel's hands” and “they defeated them”, taking over “all the land of the Amorites who lived in that country”. They land they took possession of ranged “from the Arnon to the Jabbok and from the desert to the Jordan”.

In other words, the land they were on had been already given to the Israelites and the Ammonites were trespassing on it.

Jephthah goes on to mock the paganism of the Ammonite king saying this:

“Now since the Lord, the God of Israel, has driven the Amorites out before His people Israel, what right have you to take it over? Will you not take what your god Chemosh gives you?”

Further, Jephthah questioned the Ammonite king as to why he would just decide to challenge the Israelites now when Israel had occupied the land for the last “three hundred years. Finally, Israel’s leader seals his sharp rebuke toward the king of Ammon with this:

“I have not wronged you, but you are doing me wrong by waging war against me. Let the Lord, the Judge, decide the dispute this day between the Israelites and the Ammonites.”

Indeed the Lord would decide the matter, even if the “king of Ammon…paid no attention to the message Jephthah sent him”.

So what happened next?

The scriptures tell us that a “Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah” as he “crossed Gilead and Manasseh”, before passing “through Mizpah of Gilead” and advancing “against the Ammonites”.

This is where this story of Jephthah takes a weird turn because for whatever reason, he decided to make an unnecessary vow to God, even though he already had the assurance the Lord would be with him in battle. And as we see, the vow had tragic consequences.

Here’s what Jephthah promised:

“If you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the Lord's, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering."

And with that, he led the fight against the Ammonites with God giving them “into his hands”. Under his leadership, the Israelites devastated “twenty towns from Aroer to the vicinity of Minnith, as far as Abel Keramim” before subduing Ammon. Victory was sweet for Jephthah and the people of Israel and after the war, he “returned to his home in Mizpah”.

We read that as he approached his home, out came his daughter…”his only child”…who was dancing to the sound of tambourines”, completely unaware of the promise that her father had made with the Lord. Well, we see where Jephthah was fully aware of what was happening as he immediately fell distraught, tearing his clothes and crying out:

“Oh! My daughter! You have made me miserable and wretched, because I have made a vow to the Lord that I cannot break."

Jephthah knew that he would now have to offer up his only daughter up as a burnt offering...something that never had to happen...something that actually was in disobedience to God's command against human sacrifice (Leviticus 20:1-5).

In the moment, we find Jephthah’s daughter showing exceptional grace and poise despite her fate being sealed, telling her father:

“…you have given your word to the Lord. Do to me just as you promised, now that the Lord has avenged you of your enemies, the Ammonites. But grant me this one request…Give me two months to roam the hills and weep with my friends, because I will never marry."

And so we find Jephthah honoring her request, letting her go for two months while “she and the girls went into the hills and wept because she would never marry” and “after the two months” concluded, “she returned to her father and he did to her as he had vowed”. His daughter died a virgin.

This story of the judge Jephthah is a bittersweet one, for sure.

For while he had great success in his life, he also had great tragedy as well due to his poor judgment which culminated in the sacrifice of his own daughter to fulfill a promise that never needed to be given.

As for the nation of Israel, we will see how they will continue their cycle of doing evil in the eyes of the Lord and finding themselves disciplined for it before crying out for God's deliverance and gaining it along with the associated restoration.

And then…they would do it all over again, leading to the Lord sending them into exile for seventy years.

This perpetual falling in and out of sin would have eventually led to the complete destruction of all mankind unless something was done to stop it, something of divine power to do what man couldn’t...save themselves.

And so God, unwilling to see anyone perish out of His deep love for them, sent His only Son Jesus from Heaven to earth to live and walk amongst His people to first show them how to live the holy, righteous life He expected before offering Him up as a living sacrifice to atone for the sins of all who would believe in Him, once and for all. Through the horrific suffering Jesus experienced on the cross of Calvary, we’re reminded that freedom, being delivered from the damnation of Hell to the glory of Heaven, wasn’t free. 

And since Jesus surrendered everything for us, willingly laying down His life, we should feel inclined to lay it all down for Him as well. Indeed, He gave up His freedom for ours…He sacrificed everything so we might not have to…and then He gave us the instruction we need to follow His lead.

What did He tell us?

We find the answer through His words in Matthew, chapter 28:

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Vv. 19-20

Through Jesus’ death and victory over the grave, we too have received the assurance through Him that we would not perish but have eternal life. In other words, through our belief and trust in Jesus as Savior, our future is already set. This sets us free to focus on those who may not have their eternal future in Heaven secured, those who are lost and have not yet placed their belief, faith, and hope in Christ Jesus.

Will doing that require sacrifice?

Yes.

Will doing that mean that we need to lay aside our desires for the desires of Jesus?

Absolutely.

Should we ever complain or feel belabored by what we’re called to do for the cause of Christ?

We had better not.

For as Christians, we have avowed ourselves to Jesus Christ…to live as He lived…to think as He thought…and to act as He acted which included Him totally sacrificing Himself out of love and compassion for others. Settling for anything else than our total sacrifice and dedication toward loving and seeking to help others know and trust in Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior is falling short of the mark.

For Christ died to set us free to live as a people with the sure hope of Heaven, showing us that freedom isn’t free but comes with a cost. And so as we enjoy the freedom Jesus died to provide us, the least we can do is sacrifice our freedom to help others find theirs. As believers, we should want to do nothing less for our blessed Savior and the Father who gave Him up for us.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

THE THREE STEPS TO RESTORATION

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

After the time of Abimelech, a man of Issachar, Tola, son of Puah, the son of Dodo, rose to save Israel. He lived in Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim. He led Israel twenty-three years; then he died, and was buried in Shamir.

He was followed by Jair of Gilead, who led Israel twenty-two years. He had thirty sons, who rode thirty donkeys. They controlled thirty towns in Gilead, which to this day are called Havvoth Jair. When Jair died, he was buried in Kamon.

Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord. They served the Baals and the Ashtoreths, and the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines. And because the Israelites forsook the Lord and no longer served Him, He became angry with them. He sold them into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites, who that year shattered and crushed them. For eighteen years they oppressed all the Israelites on the east side of the Jordan in Gilead, the land of the Amorites. The Ammonites also crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim; and Israel was in great distress. Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord, "We have sinned against you, forsaking our God and serving the Baals."

The Lord replied, "When the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites oppressed you and you cried to Me for help, did I not save you from their hands? But you have forsaken Me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!"

But the Israelites said to the Lord, "We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now."

Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the Lord. And He could bear Israel's misery no longer.

Judges 10:1-16

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Judges, chapter 9 was dominated by a truly ruthless and evil leader, Abimelech, who was the first king in Israel. You’ll remember that he murdered all but one of his siblings and most of the people who crowned him king before being struck in the head by a millstone dropped from a tower by a woman in Thebez. Seriously injured, Abimelech asked his armor bearer to kill him so it wouldn’t be said that he had lost his life at the hand of a female.

As we turn to chapter 10, we are briefly introduced to two more judges appointed by God: Tola who ruled for 23 years and Jair who ruled for 22. We don’t gain much detail about what happened over those 45 years so we can assume I guess that the nation of Israel was at peace. Unfortunately, this didn’t stay that way after both these judges died.

For the scriptures tell us that after Tola and Jair passed away, Israel reverted to their past evil ways, serving “the Baals and the Ashtoreths” as well as "the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, and the gods of the Philistines”. They willingly chose to forsake “the Lord and no longer served him” and so as you might expect, God “became angry with them” and “sold them into the hands of the Philistines and the Ammonites who…shattered and crushed them”. This oppression lasted “eighteen years” and impacted “all the Israelites on the east side of the Jordan in Gilead, the land of the Amorites” before the “Ammonites…crossed the Jordan to fight against Judah, Benjamin, and the house of Ephraim”.

All this left the Israelites “in great distress” and as we have seen before, they “cried out to the Lord” saying:

"We have sinned against you, forsaking our God and serving the Baals."

Now, given the number of times that Israel had relapsed into doing evil in the sight of God, you might expect that He would start losing patience with His people and as we see, indeed He does. For we find Him giving this response to Israel saying:

“When the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonites oppressed you and you cried to Me for help, did I not save you from their hands? But you have forsaken Me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!"

Turning away from the Lord one time would have been too many but as we know, the Israelites seemed to make a habit out of it. Over and over and over again, they abandoned the one true living God who had done so much for them in favor of following false, lifeless gods and idols. So now, they would get a taste of their own proverbial medicine as the Lord would now reject them, making it clear to His people that if they wanted to follow other gods so much then they could take their problems to them. They could try and see if those idols could save them, something that would never happen.

In the end translation, God would teach the Israelites an important lesson. For if they chose to love life without Him, they would be destined for a place of perpetual suffering and hardship…a place we will find ourselves in today if we try to exist without Him.

For too often, we are just like the ancient nation of Israel. We shun God in our lives because we want to chase after our own desires in life and when things don’t work out like we want, then we cry out Him wanting deliverance and rescue from our difficult circumstances. We treat the Lord like He’s a “fast food kind of God”, ready to give us what we want as soon as we order it.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that. No mere human dictates terms to God. Rather, all people are utterly subordinate to Him. It’s high time we get a grip on who we He is and who we are before Him. He is in total authority, power, and control over us. It’s as simple as that.

Going back to the scriptures, the people of Israel quickly realized that they were in deep trouble this time around. For before, the Lord had always answered their cries and sent them a deliverer. But now, they were left to fend for themselves, seeking help that would never come from the false gods and idols they chose to worship.

And so in that place, bottomed out and out of favor with God, we find the Israelites making one last ditch effort to regain the Lord’s favor, following three critical steps that we need to follow as well if we find ourselves in the same place…having sinned over and over and over again, thinking the Lord will just continue to forgive and restore us every time. Those three steps include:

1. Repentance.

The first step starts with a person’s heartfelt commitment to turn from their transgressions, confessing their wrongs to the Lord. In our scripture passage, we see where the Israelites confessed to the Lord, “We have sinned”.

Admittance that one has wronged is the first step to reconciliation.

2. Submission.

We need to understand that repentance doesn’t mean that we won’t be disciplined by the Lord for there are often negative consequences attached to our sinfulness. When those consequences come, we need to accept them, taking accountability for our wrongs while God works to correct us and teach us in the ways we should be living, ways that produce righteousness and the holiness He expects.

As we see in the scriptures, the Israelites realize and acknowledge that God is in control and His will would end up being done, no matter what, saying:

“Do with us whatever you think best” before adding a plea for Him to “please rescue us now."

Their words show us that submission is the next step following repentance.

3. Action.

You know, a person can carry out the first two of these steps but their words can ring hollow and insincere unless they willfully change their behavior to show they’re working to correct the sinful behavior. One must be willing to take action, parting ways with whatever caused them to sin in the first place.

In the case of Israel, they chose to get “rid of the foreign gods among them” before recommitting themselves to serve the Lord and Him alone. We need to follow their lead, adopting the same action to regain God’s favor in our own lives.

So as we close this message, we see where the Israelites had repented, submitted, and took action to rid themselves of the false idols they chose to worship, opting instead to serve their God and Him alone. This willingness to get right with God paid off for we read where God once again extended His love, compassion, and forgiveness toward His people, unable to “bear (their) misery (any) longer”. God’s people once again found themselves on the brink of being back in His good graces…and so can we if we follow the three basic steps to restoration: first repenting of our sin, then submitting ourselves to God and His authority, and finally taking action against what causes us to sin.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

SEEK, FIND, AND CARRY OUT GOD'S PURPOSES

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Abimelech, son of Jerub-Baal, went to his mother's brothers in Shechem and said to them and to all his mother's clan, "Ask all the citizens of Shechem, 'Which is better for you: to have all seventy of Jerub-Baal's sons rule over you, or just one man?' Remember, I am your flesh and blood."

When the brothers repeated all this to the citizens of Shechem, they were inclined to follow Abimelech, for they said, "He is our brother." They gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith, and Abimelech used it to hire reckless adventurers, who became his followers. He went to his father's home in Ophrah and on one stone murdered his seventy brothers, the sons of Jerub-Baal. But Jotham, the youngest son of Jerub-Baal, escaped by hiding. Then all the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo gathered beside the great tree at the pillar in Shechem to crown Abimelech king.

When Jotham was told about this, he climbed up on the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted to them, "Listen to me, citizens of Shechem, so that God may listen to you. One day the trees went out to anoint a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, 'Be our king.'”

"But the olive tree answered, 'Should I give up my oil, by which both gods and men are honored, to hold sway over the trees?'”

"Next, the trees said to the fig tree, 'Come and be our king.'”

"But the fig tree replied, 'Should I give up my fruit, so good and sweet, to hold sway over the trees?'”

"Then the trees said to the vine, 'Come and be our king.'”

"But the vine answered, 'Should I give up my wine, which cheers both gods and men, to hold sway over the trees?'”

"Finally all the trees said to the thornbush, 'Come and be our king.'”

"The thornbush said to the trees, 'If you really want to anoint me king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, then let fire come out of the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!'”

"Now if you have acted honorably and in good faith when you made Abimelech king, and if you have been fair to Jerub-Baal and his family, and if you have treated him as he deserves - and to think that my father fought for you, risked his life to rescue you from the hand of Midian (but today you have revolted against my father's family, murdered his seventy sons on a single stone, and made Abimelech, the son of his slave girl, king over the citizens of Shechem because he is your brother) - if then you have acted honorably and in good faith toward Jerub-Baal and his family today, may Abimelech be your joy, and may you be his, too! But if you have not, let fire come out from Abimelech and consume you, citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo, and let fire come out from you, citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo, and consume Abimelech!"

Then Jotham fled, escaping to Beer, and he lived there because he was afraid of his brother Abimelech.

After Abimelech had governed Israel three years, God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem, who acted treacherously against Abimelech. God did this in order that the crime against Jerub-Baal's seventy sons, the shedding of their blood, might be avenged on their brother Abimelech and on the citizens of Shechem, who had helped him murder his brothers. In opposition to him, these citizens of Shechem set men on the hilltops to ambush and rob everyone who passed by, and this was reported to Abimelech.

Now Gaal son of Ebed moved with his brothers into Shechem, and its citizens put their confidence in him. After they had gone out into the fields and gathered the grapes and trodden them, they held a festival in the temple of their god. While they were eating and drinking, they cursed Abimelech. Then Gaal, son of Ebed, said, "Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should be subject to him? Isn't he Jerub-Baal's son, and isn't Zebul his deputy? Serve the men of Hamor, Shechem's father! Why should we serve Abimelech? If only this people were under my command! Then I would get rid of him. I would say to Abimelech, 'Call out your whole army!'"

When Zebul, the governor of the city, heard what Gaal, son of Ebed said, he was very angry. Under cover he sent messengers to Abimelech, saying, "Gaal, son of Ebed, and his brothers have come to Shechem and are stirring up the city against you. Now then, during the night you and your men should come and lie in wait in the fields. In the morning at sunrise, advance against the city. When Gaal and his men come out against you, do whatever your hand finds to do."

So Abimelech and all his troops set out by night and took up concealed positions near Shechem in four companies. Now Gaal, son of Ebed, had gone out and was standing at the entrance to the city gate just as Abimelech and his soldiers came out from their hiding place.

When Gaal saw them, he said to Zebul, "Look, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains!"

Zebul replied, "You mistake the shadows of the mountains for men."

But Gaal spoke up again: "Look, people are coming down from the center of the land, and a company is coming from the direction of the soothsayers' tree."

Then Zebul said to him, "Where is your big talk now, you who said, 'Who is Abimelech that we should be subject to him?' Aren't these the men you ridiculed? Go out and fight them!"

So Gaal led out the citizens of Shechem and fought Abimelech. Abimelech chased him, and many fell wounded in the flight — all the way to the entrance to the gate. Abimelech stayed in Arumah, and Zebul drove Gaal and his brothers out of Shechem.

The next day the people of Shechem went out to the fields, and this was reported to Abimelech. So he took his men, divided them into three companies and set an ambush in the fields. When he saw the people coming out of the city, he rose to attack them. Abimelech and the companies with him rushed forward to a position at the entrance to the city gate. Then two companies rushed upon those in the fields and struck them down. All that day, Abimelech pressed his attack against the city until he had captured it and killed its people. Then he destroyed the city and scattered salt over it.

On hearing this, the citizens in the tower of Shechem went into the stronghold of the temple of El-Berith. When Abimelech heard that they had assembled there, he and all his men went up Mount Zalmon. He took an ax and cut off some branches, which he lifted to his shoulders. He ordered the men with him, "Quick! Do what you have seen me do!" So all the men cut branches and followed Abimelech. They piled them against the stronghold and set it on fire over the people inside. So all the people in the tower of Shechem, about a thousand men and women, also died.

Next Abimelech went to Thebez and besieged it and captured it. Inside the city, however, was a strong tower, to which all the men and women—all the people of the city— fled. They locked themselves in and climbed up on the tower roof. Abimelech went to the tower and stormed it. But as he approached the entrance to the tower to set it on fire, a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull.

Hurriedly he called to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and kill me, so that they can't say, 'A woman killed him.'" So his servant ran him through, and he died. When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they went home.

Thus God repaid the wickedness that Abimelech had done to his father by murdering his seventy brothers. God also made the men of Shechem pay for all their wickedness. The curse of Jotham, son of Jerub-Baal, came on them.

Judges 9

This ends our reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we turn to today’s text from the Book of Judges, chapter 9, we find Israel having been freed from the oppressive rule of Midian thanks to the leadership of Gideon, a man who had been hand-selected by the Lord to serve and fight in His name. In return for his faithfulness and loyalty, God handed the nation of Midian into the hands of Gideon and the Israelites.

Well, after Gideon died, we find Israel yearning for a different kind of leadership: a king. With this, we need to keep in mind that all leaders up to this point had been selected by God to carry out His will and in each incident, the Israelites experienced deliverance from the hands of an oppressor. Ultimately, Gideon had told his brother and sisters that they were, first and foremost, under the rule of the Lord (Judges 8:23) and yet we still see the Israelites seeking to be led by a man rather than their Lord.

This all got started when Gideon’s son, Abimelech, petitions the people of Shechem to make him their ruler, saying this “to all his mother's clan”:

"Ask all the citizens of Shechem, 'Which is better for you: to have all seventy of Jerub-Baal's sons rule over you, or just one man?' Remember, I am your flesh and blood."

And so we see that Abimielech’s mother’s brothers repeated the words “to the citizens of Shechem” who became “inclined to follow Abimelech” who they saw as their “brother”. Further, they paid Abimelech “seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith” which he then used to “hire reckless adventurers, who became his followers”.

After this, Abimelech, with the endorsement of the people of Shechem, “went to his father's home in Ophrah and on one stone murdered his seventy brothers”, the sons of Gideon. Only one, “the youngest son” Jotham, managed to escape “by hiding. Abimelech followed this slaughtering of his siblings by assembling “all the citizens of Shechem and Beth Millo” beside “the great tree at the pillar in Shechem to crown (him) king”.

We need to note Abimelech’s troubling display of ruthlessness as he sought power and authority. In deep contrast to how his father ruled under God’s authority and guidance, Abimelech established his own form of rule through bloodshed and intimidation, not even hesitating to murder his own siblings in order to ascend in power. Additionally, he gladly took payment from the temple of the false god Baal...a seventy shekel payoff from the people of Shechem who were just as guilty as Abimelech after they endorsed his murderous idea.

Truly, there’s much we need to learn from Abimelech because I’m afraid that we too have a tendency to sometimes get power hungry or controlling to the point where we’re willing to run over anything or anyone who might get in the way of us getting what we want. We might not murder someone like Abimelech did but demeaning the character of others, back-stabbing people, or spreading false rumors to make ourselves look better is a sin nonetheless.

In the end translation, we should never force any issue in life without seeking whether or not it’s in alignment with the Lord’s will. He will always put us where He wants us to be in order to accomplish His purposes.

Going back to our scripture passage, we find Jotham, Gideon’s youngest son who had survived Abimelech’s sanctioned execution, climbing Mount Gerizim and addressing the people of Shechem as they were ready to crown Abimelech king. After getting their attention, Jotham tells them a parable illustrating the mistake they had made as well as the consequences that were yet to come.

In the story, the trees represented the people of Shechem who were determined to have a ruler over them. We find the trees first ask an olive tree to lead them, followed by a fig tree, and then a vine…all of which rebutted the offer to rule.

Why?

Because God had made them for a different purpose.

The olive tree realized that its oil was needed to honor others…for that was God’s purpose for it.

The fig tree bore good and sweet fruit that was needed to nourish others…for that was God had purposed it for.

And the vine yielded wine that was used for many functions including religious events because it was how God had purposed it.

And so unable to convince the olive tree, fig tree, or vine to rule over them, the trees turned to the thornbush…a dried up, jagging tumbleweed that had no real purpose and was very prone to catch fire. We find the trees asking the thornbush to rule them and in response, it rather sarcastically tells the trees to come into its shade if they really wanted to anoint it king. If they didn’t do so, then it would indicate that they didn’t really want the thornbush to lead them, in which case it would just consume them with fire.

Here we find that the thornbush had no commitment to anyone, including itself. It didn’t turn down the offer to rule because it had any kind of special purpose. Additionally, it didn’t go out of its way to show it really wanted to reign. In fact, it was just as willing to destroy the trees as it was to lead them.

Unfortunately, we see where Jotham’s parable was a complete overshadowing of what Abimelech’s actions once he assumed responsibility over Shechem.

As for us today, there’s much we can glean from the story of the trees and their quest for a ruler, especially when it comes to realizing God’s purpose for each of our lives. For we all have one. We just need to seek it and then be ready to carry it out once He reveals it to us.

Part of finding our purpose involves identifying the special gifts and talents that God has provided. This is paramount because the Lord will call us to use those gifts to carry out His will every day and we should never cease to seek what He desires…then do what is needed to meet those desires. Like the olive tree, fig tree, and vine, we can bless others with the special things God equips us to provide others.

Conversely, we could also easily become a thornbush if we fail to live with any purpose in life, never allowing the Lord to guide what we do. In that place, we will find ourselves dried up and void of His Spirit…useless and pointless.

As we see in this chapter of Judges, Shechem would end up appointing Abimelech as king and in the end, they would destroy each other just as Jotham had predicted. Abimelech refused to allow God to lead Him and therefore never realized the purposes He had for him. Further, Shechem rejected the Lord’s rule and chose instead to allow a murderous, power-grabbing son of a Gideon to take control, a man who thought nothing of committing fratricide on his own siblings before committing genocide on the people he was given the privilege to rule.

If Shechem had only just led God lead them, it all would have gone so differently. The same applies to Abimelech who could have just chosen to submit himself to the Lord as his father Gideon had done.

Friends, let’s commit ourselves to not repeat the mistakes of the past today. For in the course of human history since biblical times, there have been way too many other Abimelechs and Shechems in the world...rulers and their people who were unwilling to surrender to the will of God.

We can stop that trend by all doing the following three things each and every day:

1. Seek God’s purpose.

2. Carry out that purpose after He reveals it to us.

3. Continue working within His purpose until you accomplish what He wants you to do…then simply go back to step 1 and start again.

Rest assured of one thing. There will never be a time when the Lord doesn’t have a purpose for you and your life.

You can believe and trust in that.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.