One Year Bible, April 28

JUDGES 8:18-9:21                                                                                                             

OUTLAW "JUDGE": Gideon's son, Abimelech, was an outlaw.   Abimelech was prophesied to be a "Bramble-bush" because he usurped his authority. He and his hired assassins executed all but one (Jotham) of his 70 brothers to get the throne. This time Israel's apostasy came from within. Abimelech is a picture of the murdering spirit, self-preservation, or antichristian spirit in every one of us that wants a throne for SELF. Jotham prophesied that Abimelech would destroy them all and himself with them.

RESPONSE:   Abimelech is what you get when you compromise and disobey the Word of God. It wasn't outside influence this time either, it came from within the country. You should never trust an assassin, as they were the ones who turned against him first. Abimelech is a picture of how self-preservation works - it does what it has to in order to save HIMSELF. He is self-promoted, and kills whatever stands in his way. This is the spirit that is ALREADY in the world. The Bible calls it a "world-spirit" or "antichristian spirit" (1 John 4:3; 1Co 2:12). THIS is what the Holy Spirit and the fire of God comes to purge from our lives - one "affection" after another. (Gal 5:24; Gal 5:17) When these thoughts and feelings get exposed, the best thing to do is to repent quickly. How do we know? It feels like pressure and relentless pointing-out of a "fault". It doesn't even have to be a BIG fault. Just own up to it and repent - and connect with God again for strength to leave it alone!

LUKE 23:44-24:12                                                                                                               
BORROWED TOMB: How tenderly Joseph claimed the body of Jesus and laid it in his own tomb. It was prefigured in OT Joseph being buried in Egypt - to be "resurrected" by Joshua and taken to Canaan on a Sunday!

DON'T FORGET WHAT GOD TELLS YOU:  All our errors in life spring from ignorance or forgetfulness of the Word Christ Jesus has spoken to us. The good news was carried by WOMEN - and the men thought they were making it up, and even in v.41 thought it was "too good to be true". They forgot what Jesus had said. This is important, because NOTE: In 24:9 they are called "the eleven" and in 24:10 they are now called "the apostles". They have the Truth, they have been trained, and NOW they will be sent out.

RESPONSE:   I think "the eleven" had a problem believing Jesus was alive only in part because the news came via women. I go with the "too good to be true" reason.   It is sort of like when we receive a miraculous healing and we "work it" - making sure we are really healed because it seems "too good to be true".   All the people who experienced the resurrection of Jesus asked all the questions WE would have asked, had we been there back then, until finally, Jesus' resurrection is one of the most-attested-to, proven, historical facts that there are.

PSALM 99:1-9                                                                                                                    

OUR GOD, THE KING ENTHRONED IS HOLY. His Kingdom, His throne, His administration of Justice are HOLY. He has absolute integrity.

OUR GOD, THE KING ENTHRONED FORGAVE US. God forgives us with losing anything. His witnesses to His great forgiveness are Moses (who struck the Rock unadvisedly), Aaron (who made the golden calf), and Samuel (who appointed his sons as judges (1Sam 8:1-3).

PROVERBS 14:9-10                                                                                                         

THE TRAP OF FOOLS: They get trapped by their sin, and their repentance becomes a mockery because they repeat their sin, even while they are "repenting"! They fall from one sin right into another one, then make light of it! Some even laugh it off!

ULTIMATE SOLITUDE OF THE SOUL: There is something in every sorrow, and in every joy, which no one else can share, because they are indescribable.

RESPONSE:      "...you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory" (1Pet 1:8)   An old evangelist used to say, "it is better felt than telt."  And I've also had sorrow so deep that I thought my physical heart would tear apart.  Either extreme is hard to share with someone else. But Jesus knows.  Sometimes He is the ONLY ONE Who understands us.