Daily Bible Reading for April 2, 2020

Today my Bible reading plan covers Judges, Chapter 8-9.

In Chapter 8, Gideon and the 300 men went on to pursue the kings of Midian. Because they were exhausted, Gideon asked the men of Succoth to provide food for his men. They would not. Gideon promised that he would repay. He then asked the men of the city of Penuel, and they too denied help. Gideon promised reprisal on them as well.

Gideon and his army did capture the two kings. and Gideon got the names of all the leaders and officials of Succoth to render justice. Gideon also broke down the tower of Penuel and killed all the men of that city.

Sadly, and not surprisingly, once Gideon died, the Israelites turned back to their way of rebellion. Gideon had seventy sons, and then had son, Abimelech from a concubine.

“As soon as Gideon died, the people of Israel turned again and whored after the Baals and made Baal-berith their god. And the people of Israel did not remember the LORD their God, who had delivered them from the hand of all their enemies on every side, and they did not show steadfast love to the family of Jerubbal (that is, …” Vss. 33-34

In Chapter 9, Abimelech schemes the people into choosing him to be king and then kills his 70 brothers, but the youngest brother, Jotham gets away. He rebukes the leaders of Shechem, reminding them of all Gideon had done for them, yet they allowed one born of a concubine, to rule over them as king and kill their brothers. He warned that they would pay by choosing Abimelech who would go against them.

God did put an evil spirit between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem forcing the leaders to run and hide in a tower. As Abimelech pursued after them, a woman threw a stone down crushing his skull, but short of killing him. He asks his armor-bearer to finish him off so that it won’t be said that a woman killed him.

“Thus God returned the evil of Abimelech, which he committed against his father in killing his seventy brothers. And God also made all the evil of the men of Shechem return on their head, and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbal.” Vss. 36-37

My Thoughts On This: God is righteous, and judges righteously. His sovereignty has no limitations. Nothing goes unnoticed by him. The late R. C. Sproul is known for saying: “There are no maverick molecules in the universe,” which is to say God is in control of all things. We really need to bow to him. He is God alone.

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Galatians 6:7

Let’s read the Book!