April 29th readings

~ Click on this link for today's readings ~
Judges 9:22-10:18 ~ Luke 24:13-53
Psalm 100:1-5 ~ Proverbs 14:11-12

Old Testament - Allright, I don't know about you, but I'm seeing quite a bit of pride flowing around in Judges recently - particularly in today's readings.  And we all know the old saying, "Pride goeth before the fall."  And indeed we are seeing people fall after their prideful fits.  In fact, Satan himself was guilty of the sin of Pride.  He wanted to be equal with God.  He thought he was all that and a bag-o-chips.  But he ain't.  Never will be.  So, maybe the saying in regards to Satan certainly is "Pride goeth before the Fall."  And that's Fall with a capital "F" unfortunately.

We saw Abimelech's deadly pride in yesterday's readings when he had killed 70 of Gideon's sons - his half brothers - so that he could rule the people of Schechem.  Pride & Power.  Deadly combination then - and still is today.  We then read Jotham's parable in yesterday's readings and see that his words came true in today's readings.  I am amazed at the depth of Abimelech's sin of pride even in his dying moment when we read in chapter 9 verses 52 through 54 today - "Abimelech followed them to attack the tower. But as he prepared to set fire to the entrance, a woman on the roof threw down a millstone that landed on Abimelech's head and crushed his skull. He said to his young armor bearer, "Draw your sword and kill me! Don't let it be said that a woman killed Abimelech!""  Wow...  Now - don't get me wrong.  I think for me to say that Abimelech was completely prideful and that I am not is the same sin - pride.  It would be prideful for me to put myself above Abimelech.  He's not a lot different than we are today.  I think pride is something we all probably struggle with at some level or at some point in our lives.  I know I do.  We are all sinners.  And as I read about Abimelech in the Judges today - or reflect upon Satan's Fall - I realize that pride is a sin that we really must vigilantly watch our entire lives.  If we don't, I think we can get blinded to the fact that we're prideful - and we'll say dumb things like "don't let it be said that a woman killed (fill in your name as if you were to say this about yourself in the 3rd person, cuz that's how you refer to yourself when you are prideful)!"  :)  Pride kills...  let us pray for humility in our lives today.  God can redeem and heal us from our pride.

Even poor Gaal - who I think was trying to do the right thing fell prey to pride as we see in verse 29 today - "If I were in charge, I would get rid of Abimelech. I would say to him, `Get some more soldiers, and come out and fight!'""  Unfortunately, Gaal got his wish and it did not turn out well for him.  Pride goeth before the fall...   An image is below for verses 37 & 38 - "But again Gaal said, "No, people are coming down from the hills. And another group is coming down the road past the Diviners' Oak." Then Zebul turned on him triumphantly. "Now where is that big mouth of yours?" he demanded. "Wasn't it you that said, `Who is Abimelech, and why should we be his servants?' The men you mocked are right outside the city! Go out and fight them!"

New Testament - We finish up the Gospel of Luke today!  It's been awesome to read through Luke again this year.  I hope it has been for you as well.   And tomorrow... the Gospel of John!  Yeah, I'm excited.  John is just one of those books in the Bible that speaks to me on a spiritual level - at a level I fully can't even consciously comprehend - every time I read it.  By the way, I do think this happens actually with any and all books of the Bible that we read.  I believe our spirit is fed in ways we do not even consciously realize when we read any and all portions of God's Word.  But, somehow, when I read John, I know it's happening!  Until tomorrow.  Luke is fantastic today...

The Road to Emmaus.  This is a phenomenal portion of the Bible.  I actually heard a sermon on this passage of the Bible not too long ago - just after Easter.  And the pastor said that each of us as Christians are journeying along the Road to Emmaus.  And Jesus is coming up to walk beside us.  He is with us.  And all too often we do not realize that Jesus is with us!  Our eyes are not opened.  The pastor encouraged us to open our eyes - through prayer, reading God's Word, and reflection on God's Word - and realize that Jesus is journeying on the road to Emmaus with us.  Let us not miss him.  Do you believe that Jesus is journeying along side you in your Walk today?  Yes, at this very moment, is Jesus with you?

I love Jesus' first words to all of the disciples in verse 36 - ""Peace be with you.""  Wow... how simple - and profound - and true!  Jesus is the Prince of Peace.  He brings peace into our lives, minds and hearts if we will let him in.  Do you believe that Jesus' words to you at this very moment might be - "Peace be with you."  Will you accept the heavenly peace that can only come from Jesus?

Verses 46 & 47 today sum up the Gospel message very nicely - "And Jesus said, "Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah must suffer and die and rise again from the dead on the third day. With my authority, take this message of repentance to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: `There is forgiveness of sins for all who turn to me.'"  Do you believe this to be true?

Bible.org's commentary on Luke chapter 24 titled "Christ our Companion" is at this link and commentary titled "From Invisibility to Invincibility" is at this link and commentary titled "The Ascension" is at this link.

Psalms - Today we read Psalm 100!  I will copy this short Psalm below. Does this Psalm speak to you? Do you feel joy while reading this song? I recently read much of “The Life You’ve Always Wanted” by John Ortberg – a great book by the way - and he has a great chapter on JOY being a spiritual discipline. It is amazing to realize that Joy is a gift from God we should be experiencing every day. I pray you are experiencing joy as a spiritual discipline! Think this Psalmist in Psalm 100 was?

Psalm 100
A psalm. For giving thanks.

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

When is the last time you shouted for joy to God? Do you regularly worship God with gladness? Do you come before our Heavenly Father with joyful songs? Do you know that you are God’s? Is this fact alone worth being joyful about each and every day?

Proverbs - How's this for a sobering Proverb in verse 12 today - "There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death."  Things that make you go hmmm....  think this Proverb is true?  I do.  I know it is.  And I think it is a Proverb that should make each of us stop and think about the path we are on now.  Is it the path God wants us to be on?  Or is it perhaps a path that looks attractive to the world (remember the Fallen world info at the beginning of this post...)?   We all have paths to choose in our life.  Many times over we will have to choose which path to walk upon.  Are we walking upon God's path for us toward light and life? 

What verses or insights jumped out for you in today's readings?  Please post up in the Comments section below!

Grace,
Mike

Comments

[John]

Luke 24
v.27
"And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." NIV

v.44b-45
"Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms. Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures." NIV

What did Jesus show them and open their eyes to regarding Scripture (only Old Testament at that time)?

Perhaps something like Pastor Stephen Davey outlined in one of his sermons - showing how Christ is pointed to in each of the Old Testament books.

• Genesis – He is the prophesied seed who
will crush the serpent’s head; He is the
brother betrayed by His kinsmen, whose
betrayal will lead to their deliverance;
• Exodus – He is the great “I AM”; He is the
Passover Lamb whose blood protects His
people from the angel of death and the
wrath of God; He is manna from heaven
and water from the rock;

• Leviticus – He is the tabernacle of God
among men:
• He is the brazen alter – signifying His
death which gives entrance;
• He is the brazen laver – promising to
cleanse us from every sin;
• He is the bread – signifying food that
gives everlasting life;
• He is the golden lamp stand – the light
of the world that will never be
extinguished;
• He is the altar of incense – perpetually
interceding on our behalf;
• He is the veil – through Him is the only
access into the presence of God;
• He is the ark – He embodies that holy
place where heaven touches earth;
• He is the Holy of Holies – in Him
dwells all the fullness of the Godhead.

• Numbers – He is the great hope in whom
all can safely put their trust; He is the great
High Priest who will never fail;
• Deuteronomy – He is the Lord our God; He
is the city of refuge where criminals may
run for protection;
• Joshua – He is the champion over every
enemy that stands in the way of God’s
people;
• Judges – He is the angel of God,
empowering the weak and pursuing the
wandering; He is the perfection of grace
and patience toward His wandering people;
• Ruth – He is the wealthy landowner who
redeems His gentile bride from hopeless
poverty; placing her in the family line of
royalty; giving her the right to everything
of His vast estate;
• I and II Samuel – He is the name of the
Lord, in whose strength young men of faith
conquer enemies and slay giants;
• Kings and Chronicles – He is the sovereign
King behind and above all kingdoms, both
pagan and God-fearing;
• Ezra – He is the keeper of divine promise to
Israel and the hand that liberates His people
from bondage;
• Nehemiah – He is the re-builder of broken
lives and the restorer of broken fellowship;
• Esther – He is behind the scenes,
outsmarting the evil one and seeing that His
remnant remain, whispering into the ear of
a young queen that for such a time as this,
she has been crowned.
• Job – He is the majestic One who rides
upon the wind and commands the lightning;
He is the Lord of mystery who does not
explain life, but reveals He is sovereign
over all of life;
• Psalms – He is the rock of refuge, the
Shepherd of the sheep, the tower of shelter,
the sweet honey of revelation, thirstquenching
water, a crucified Savior, and a
sin forgiving Redeemer;
• Proverbs – He is everlasting wisdom;
divine counsel for those who accept His
invitation to turn aside and listen;

• Ecclesiastes – He is eternal satisfaction
over every earthly desire; He is the One to
be remembered in the days our youth;
• Song of Solomon – He is the Bridegroom
who pursues His bride, stopping at nothing
until she is safely in His arms;
• Isaiah – He is Emmanuel, the suffering
Savior, the One crushed for our iniquities
and the coming Prince of Peace whose
strong shoulder will one day bear the
governments of the world;
• Jeremiah – He is the branch of
righteousness who brings justice and
equity; He is the promised One who will
write a new covenant on the hearts of His
people;
• Lamentations – He is the father who
disciplines the sons He loves;
• Ezekiel – He is resurrection power,
breathing life into dry bones and bringing
life from death; He is the faithful leader regathering
His wandering flock;
• Daniel – He is the stone, cut without hands,
rejected by kingdoms, yet smiting the false
image and filling the earth with His glory;
He is the one whose Kingdom will not end;
• Hosea – He is the faithful husband of the
faithless wife;
• Joel – He is the hope of His people, the
strength of the children of Israel;
• Amos – He is the wrath of God against
oppressors; He is the promise of vineyards
and gardens where His children will one
day rest;
• Obadiah – He ascends Mount Zion as the
deliverer who judges the kingdoms of this
world and inaugurates His own everlasting
reign;
• Jonah – He is the fulfillment of the sign that
after three days and three nights, the Son of
Man will come forth vindicating the
righteousness of God and resurrection
power;
• Micah – He is the One who pardons our
iniquities; who does not retain His anger
forever; who delights in unchanging love;
He is the one who treads our iniquities
under His feet; who casts all our sins into
the depths of the sea;
• Nahum – He is slow to anger and great in
power; of Him the mountains quake and the
hills dissolve, yet He is a safe haven for all
who hide in Him;
• Habakkuk – He is radiant like sunlight;
whose strength makes our feet like the
hinds feet, and makes us walk on high
places;
• Zephaniah – He is the One who will gather
those who grieve and those who are lame
and those who are outcast; He is the One
who will turn their shame and despair into
everlasting praise;
• Haggai – He is the victorious Lord of hosts
who will shake the heavens and the earth as
He overthrows the nations of this world; He
is the One who will wear His chosen people
as jewels around His omnipotent fingers;
• Zechariah – He stands with His redeemed
on the Mount of Olives; His holiness will
be praised, even by the inscriptions on the
bells of horses’ bridles as they gallop
through the city of His glory – “Holy to the
Lord” will be their praise for the Messiah;
• Malachi – He is the divine Refiner, sitting
over the smelting pot of His universe,
purifying His chosen people as silver and
gold; He is the great King, who does not
change; and for all those who believe in
Him, He will one day rise with healing in
His wings!

[Roslyn]

Jan,

Thanks for the post on "The Revolution of Unity" by Robert Ricciardeli. Indeed, that is what every true believer in Christ should be doing in the first place----a revolution of the heart and mind! Every authentic religion should unite rather than divide and reach out to all peoples regardless...and move all peoples toward spiritual unity in God.
If we could all work toward unity in diversity, what a beautiful world this would be!!!

Again, thank you, Jan for sharing the article with us.

[Vance Brown]

Yes, I totally agree that the Lord Jesus is with us. May our eyes be opened to Him as well. We need to take time to cultivate our relationship and our awareness of His Presence.

This reminds me of this song:
“Open the eyes of my heart, Lord; open the eyes of my heart. I want to see You; I want to see You.” Also, there is a song of Psalm 100 that I learned as a new believer.

It is good to take time to celebrate the discipline of worship in joy and praise.

I need to always take more time to be in God’s Presence, to be holy. Then God can, by His matchless grace, “reproduce the ideal Servant of the Lord” within me. (Isaiah 54:17, Amplified Bible)
~~~

Judges 10 (NKJV)
10
And the children of Israel cried out to the LORD, saying, “We have sinned against You, because we have both forsaken our God and served the Baals!”
11
So the LORD said to the children of Israel, “Did I not deliver you from the Egyptians and from the Amorites and from the people of Ammon and from the Philistines?
12
Also the Sidonians and Amalekites and Maonites [ or Midianites ] oppressed you; and you cried out to Me, and I delivered you from their hand.
13
Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods. Therefore I will deliver you no more.
14
Go and cry out to the gods which you have chosen; let them deliver you in your time of distress.”
15
And the children of Israel said to the LORD, “We have sinned! Do to us whatever seems best to You; only deliver us this day, we pray.”
16
So they put away the foreign gods from among them and served the LORD. And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel.

NOTE:
I note verse 16: “…And His soul could no longer endure the misery of Israel.” This shows God still loves His people even when we are disobedient. THANK GOD that He is a covenant-making and covenant-keeping God. When we break covenant, HE DOES NOT.

Also note verse 13: “Yet you have forsaken Me and served other gods. Therefore I will deliver you no more.” If we keep insisting on what we want, we may get it—and then regret it for many years. Let us keep our minds and hearts rooted in the Lord so we do not become ensnared

GOD CARES DEEPLY

Though I do not entirely understand it, I know this: The true and living God has fashioned us in His own image, personalities with emotions. Thus, it does not surprise me that God, Who is THE Personality also has “emotions”. Notice I placed “emotions” in quotes when referring to the God Most High.

When I say that, immediately people think of the so-called gods of the Greeks and Romans who had very volatile and sinful emotions. YET IT CAN BE SAFELY SAID THAT GOD CARES DEEPLY ABOUT US, AND RESPONDS DEEPLY.

Yet, it should not surprise us that God can be saddened, be grieved, can be happy, can rejoice, etc. God is REAL! God is not a stone. God is ALIVE! In fact, all of what is LIFE and ALIVE and REAL emanates from God.

When God responds with joy or sorrow to the human condition, we need to take note. For in a world that is full of confused emotional states, how God responds to us shows us what pure, holy, true and real feelings are.

On one hand, God is the Most High – so far above us that our human minds could never grasp Him.
Romans 11 (NKJV)
33
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

Yet, as God has revealed Himself to us, there are many instances where God responded with a real sense of feeling. See some instances below.

Genesis 6 (NKJV)
6
And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

Zephaniah 3 (NKJV)
17
The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

And who could forget Jesus—Who is the glory of God (according to Hebrews 1:1)—as He responded to various people and situations?

Luke 19 (NKJV)
41
Now as He drew near, He saw the city [i.e., Jerusalem] and wept over it,
42
saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

John 11 (NKJV)
34 And He said, “Where have you laid him [i.e., Lazarus]?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”
35
Jesus wept.
36
Then the Jews said, “See how He loved him!”

~~~
Thus, when I hear people say in modern society, “God loves me”. What they mean is this: “God loves me. It does not matter what I do, we all will go to heaven and love God because God loves us.”

Actually… God responds deeply to us—when we do what is right and when we sin. And knowing this, adds real “force” to how He responds. If our joy is deep, HOW MUCH MORE must God rejoice in us when we do right? If our anger against evil is real, HOW MUCH MORE must God’s perfect and just anger against sin be when we do wrong?

THANK GOD He is patient and longsuffering. He always gives us many chances to know and love Him, and to love truth.

The book of Hosea contains one of the most beautiful examples of how God being deeply moved, as well as God’s commitment to us – to love us. Thank God that He is not mere man.

Hosea 11 (NKJV)
7
My people are bent on backsliding from Me. Though they call to the Most High,
None at all exalt Him.
8
“ How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I set you like Zeboiim? My heart churns within Me;
My sympathy is stirred.
9
I will not execute the fierceness of My anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim.
For I am God, and not man, The Holy One in your midst; And I will not come with terror.

Vance

[Anka]

I have to say I was so amazed by God's mercy in the OT reading today.The Israelites knew they were offending God by worshipping other gods,they did it anyway.When trouble hit,God told them to go get help from their gods,in His anger God said "I will no longer save you".Then Israel got rid of their gods,they got to the "thy will be done with us"part,pleaded to be saved and God couldn't bear their misery any longer.Like the loving father He is,He just had to forgive them............
I couldn't help but wonder if these disciples/followers weren't there when Christ was crucified.Didn't they hear about the temple curtain or see the sun darken?Did they not listen to Jesus' teachings?Maybe they heard what suited them or they didn't get it because they had preconcieved notions of what the saviour should be like.We hear God's promises,but sometimes forget He asks us to play a part as well...I'm sure in Abraham's wildest dreams he never imagined that to become a blessing he had to be ready to sacrifice what he probably loved most.Well for some of us,just doing what God's told us to do is a huge sacrifice..thank God for his grace:))
God bless you all

[Ramona]

Judges 9:22-10:18

How long does it take for God’s vengeance to rear it’s head? How long does it take a known murderer, appointed by his “relatives” to reap the rewards of his sin? In God’s Perfect Timing. In today’s reading we see that three years was all it took for Abimelech to be destroyed by the very people who placed him in power, each party, leadership and those he lead, were “taken out” by each other.

Within the narrative, we see each trying to get back at each other, a one-up-menship, if you will; but, it was God’s timing that allowed each group to keep their appointment with judgment. In the true meaning of the literary tragedy, both the character flaws of Abimelech and the people who appointed them led to their own self-destruction. Without God the only character is bad character. Selfish and self-centered the people had picked a ruler that was related by DNA only and unfit for the job. Yet God, in spite of their flaws, worked out everything for his purpose.

Abimelech’s story and the people who put him in power is going on today. We take men who are “bramble bushes” promising shade where there can never be shade because of bad character, and turn on them when we don’t get what we want. Men/women who never had it within them to met our expectations because they are not God, despite our effort to make them a god. We go along to get along in hopes that we will grab the crumbs from the tyrants table if we join the posse and muscle our way to the front, near our god. We remain loyal to something and someone that is unloyal to any kind of righteous principle and are surprised when we find no stability. And when our expectations are not met, we turn on our “false” god and rage, while shaking our fist at God.

Whom have I attached myself too, whom have I made an alliance with, whom have I submitted myself too who is not God and never can be?

Grace and peace,
Ramona

[John]

Forsaking God

Why? Why does Israel at different times reject God and pursue the gods of the "world"?

I would like to suggest a passive and an active reason.

Passive:
Most Israelites did not have the "faith" of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, etc. Maybe they had the nominal faith of "clock-punchers" going to services (sacrifices)because it was the social custom, maybe they prayed for "relief" when times got tough, maybe they recited or taught Scripture on the Sabbath or feast days but were too busy the rest of the week. Maybe it was easier to turn in at night, to go about daily work, perform household chores than to really act on their faith. Maybe they acknowledged God, but did they Believe IN Him?

Children are perceptive. They know when parents are providing "lip service" to a notion. Why should they embrace a God who had done nothing tangible in their lives if their parents were not active in their faith? Sharing, teaching, and living the faith of the God of Israel. Hence you have fertile ground for the "active" reason.

Active:
Satan. If you were God's adversary what would be your plan? If God had promised you would be "crushed" back in Genesis, how would you fight back?

I would suggest that if you could nullify God's promises to His people, then perhaps you could nullify the promise of your own impending doom.

The rest of the World was his at the time, Satan could concentrate all his force of "fallen angels" on the Israelites. Throw every sensual pleasure, every ritualistic thrill, every promise of living life for pleasure (if it feels good - do it!) at the unschooled generations of Israelites. Having no deep abiding faith in God - is it any wonder that the Israelites (in general) chose the ways of the "world"? The free-styling bacchanal ceremonies of the "gods" of the world had to be more appealing to a nominal believer in God than all the rules and sacrifices of Israel.

If Satan could get God so exasperated and so angry that he would throw up his anthropomorphic "arms" and say "Enough" - if God would publicly recant his promises to Israel or better yet wipe them off the face of the earth. Then Satan would have his victory and a chance at winning the war against God.

It did not work. Oh, God got angry, but God chastised, God raised up new leaders, and God never stopped loving His people.
======================================================
Today:

Nothing has changed.

There are still nominal believers, unschooled generations, and Satan.

Now that God's plan has unfolded and Scripture is written, Satan still has a plan.

1) Wipe out Israel. Exterminate them as a race, and take the country off the map. If it happens, God's plan would be a lie and satan has a chance.

2) If not - take as many of "mankind" down as possible with Satan. His plan here - attack, infiltrate and decieve as many as possible. For those that purport to believe do the same in this order to disrupt the "Great Commission":
The church
The Christian family
The Christian individual

Get the Church divided on doctrine. Get the Church discredited with money, sex, and power scandals. Get the Church to be a "show" or a ritual ceremony instead of a worship of God. Make the Church ineffectual - the "butt" of jokes.

Divide the family, entice a nominally believing parent(s) to the "world", influence the children at a young age while parents fail to teach and lead because they are too caught up in life. disrupt the "chain" of faith so it does not spread geometrically.

The individual - tempt him, disrupt him, make his testimony ineffectual. Make him so caught up in his own life - he/she does not spread the Gospel.

Satan does not work by revealing his true nature. People would be repelled by that. Satan's greatest ploy is to have people think they got it right, to think they are doing the things God wants - to get real close, but never never to Believe IN Him.
======================================================
There will never be peace and unity in this "broken' world until Christ returns. Even then there will be issues as we will see in Revelations.

As to being the "Light" that dispels darkness. Won't happen before Christ returns. As the "Light" we can expose the darkness and illuminate it, but it is not going anywhere.

The "light" of the church and the believer will do two things:
Draw some to it by the power of God. (our mission)
or
Be rejected out of hand. (with attempts to extinguish it)

It was no different in Christ's day. One criminal rejected, one accepted. One family member accepts, the other rejects.

Christ said, "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword." Matt 10:34

Jesus' name and his message will always produce diviseness - you either believe IN him or you reject him. It was true 2,000 years ago, and it is true today.