One Year Bible, April 29

JUDGES 9:22-10:18                                                                                                   
God sent an evil spirit: The spirit came between the two sides and God judged them both.

THE BRAMBLE KING:  Abimelech, who represents a "world-spirit" or "antichristian spirit" or self-preservation of the flesh - was killed by a woman crushing his skull. The woman is the church. Crushing his skull destroyed the "mind of the flesh".

THE WORM KING: Tola: Whose name means "worm". He represents the death principle, as worms live and breed in dead materials.

THE "ON FIRE" KING: Jair: Whose name means "on fire". He represents the Holy Spirit's resurrection power. Together these two judges symbolize the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and His followers.

SEVEN (7) KINDS OF IDOLATRY:  "THE evil" included "Baalim, Ashtaroth, gods of Syria, gods of Zidon, gods of Moab, gods of Ammon, gods of Philistines." Israel was "vexed and oppressed" 18 years (see also Jud 3:14). In Luke 13:11 was a woman bound by Satan 18 years and was bowed over in oppression and could no longer look up. Eighteen is a Bible number for bondage. The question asked: "What man is He who will fight....?"

RESPONSE:   It appears that God is long-suffering, but yet He only goes just so far - then He sells the idolaters into bondage again. What happens is, the thing that they worship is the thing they end up serving as slaves. They worshipped the gods of Ammon, and Ammon then oppressed them. Etc. etc. etc. So, when we serve Mammon (whatever gives us a sense of safety, security, prestige, goodness, rightness - other than God) - we end up oppressed by Mammon. I become a slave of whatever I worship and serve. Then God has to bail me out because I can't get free on my own.


LUKE 24:13-53                                                                                                            
RESURRECTION OF JESUS:
(1) Women at tomb. (1-12)
(2) Road to Emmaus (13-35)

(3) Disciples (36-43)

(4) Final instructions (44-49)

(5) Ascension (50-53)

All on Easter Sunday, all around Jerusalem. Luke's account begins and ends in the Temple.

ROAD TO EMMAUS:  (V.31) Their eyes were opened (and they knew Him). (v.32) The Scriptures were opened (causes their hearts to burn within them). (v.45) Their understanding was opened (allowing them to understand that the Scriptures revealed Jesus).

DISCIPLES: Even with the resurrected Jesus standing right in front of them, the disciples had their doubts  (v.38).  Notice that Jesus had "flesh and bones" (no blood. We say, "flesh and blood".)  V.41 says that one reason the disciples had trouble believing is that it seemed "too good to be true".

FINAL INSTRUCTIONS: (1) Preach "repentance and the remission" ("freedom from sin, forgiveness") of sins".  (2) Preach it to ALL nations, beginning at home. (3) Tarry until you are "clothed with power from on high."

ASCENSION: The disciples "worshipped Him" - the resurrected Jesus. They finally got it! And they had "great joy!" (splendid joy, on a great scale, intense joy, abundant, exceedingly great joy)

RESPONSE:   In v.25 Jesus said that people who are "slow of heart to believe"  are fools".   But Jesus still took the time to explain.   In fact, it's too bad someone didn't take notes because Jesus actually went through the whole OT and interpreted it to them!  How everything in the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms was actually about Him.   Being "slow of heart to believe" was "cured" with the Word of God (read with understanding).

PSALM 100:1-5                                                                                                            

MANIFESTED JOY: "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord" means "to shout out loud" - "to be earsplittingly loud".  And it's not limited to just us - but "ALL lands". Our Creator is also our Owner.   ALL our worship and obedience to God MUST be marked with joy and gladness.  We don't DARE come into His Presence with whining or disappointment, but with a knowing in our bones that He is good and He is God. V. 3 says I can know deep in my inner knowledge.

PROVERBS 14:11-12                                                                                                
The reason a man's ways ALWAYS lead to death is that man's ways are the way of self-indulgence and self-will, and anti-God reasoning (Rom 8:7).  Selfishness always leads to death. The book of Judges gives an awful illustration of "every man doing that which is right in his own eyes."

RESPONSE: One of the reasons that the godly flourishes is because everything we do has the mark of eternity on it. We may have nothing as far as external, material goods is concerned, but what we DO have goes into heaven with us. Our integrity, our righteousness, our peace, our love and goodness, our fruit (souls won, character development, works of obedience to God). This should be reassuring. We CAN "take it with us".