I have been using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study for almost a year. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I started writing this blog because the only way I can get myself to read the Bible everyday is to pretend that I am teaching someone about what it says to me. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.

     After Abimelech had ruled Israel for three years the people of Shechem became disenchanted with Abimelech and set up an ambush for him on the hilltops. They robbed everyone who passed that way, apparently hoping that Abimelech would come and try put a stop to it, but someone warned Abimelech about the plot. Into this developing animosity between Shechem and Abimelech moves Gaal and his brothers. Gaal and his brothers moved into Shechem and gained the confidence of the citizens of Shechem. During the harvest festival, when the wine began flowing freely, everyone was cursing Abimelech. Gaal shouted that Abimelech was not a true son of Shechem and Zebul was no more than his deputy. Gaal said that if he was in charge he would challenge Abimelech to bring his army out to fight.
     Zebul, the governor of the city, was furious at Gaal’s comments and sent word to Abimelech suggesting that Abimelech bring his army secretly to Shechem and ambush Gaal. Abimelech took this advice. When Gaal led the people of Gaal forth to fight Abimelech, Abimelech drove Gaal’s forces back to the gates of Shechem. Zebul then drove Gaal and his clan out of Shechem, while Abimelech camped with his army a short distance away. When the people of Shechem returned to working the fields Abimelech brought his army back and attacked them. He sacked the city and killed all of its citizens. The people of the city retreated into a stronghold in an attempt to survive the attack. Abimelech and his men gathered branches and piled them around the stronghold, lighting them on fire and burning the stronghold down with the people inside.
     Abimelech moved on to attack another town. Once again the people fled to a stronghold within the town. However, this time when Abimelech attempted to pile wood around the stronghold, a woman dropped a millstone on his head, crippling him. He called on his armor bearer to run him through with his sword so that it would not be said that he was killed by a woman. The end result of this was that both Shechem and Abimelech were punished for the sins they had committed against Gideon and his family and Jotham’s curse was fulfilled.
     After Abimelech died two judges ruled over Israel in succession. After the second judge died the Israelites completely abandoned the worship of the Lord in favor of worshiping Baal and Ashtoreth and other gods of the people around them. As a result, they were oppressed by the Ammonites. After eighteen years of oppression, the Israelites called out to God for rescue, acknowledging their sin of worshiping other gods. They got rid of their foreign gods and returned to worshiping the Lord. When the Ammonites once more gathered their armies to subdue the Israelites, the Israelites gathered their forces. The Israelites declared that whoever would take the lead in attacking the Ammonites would be made ruler over those living east of the Jordan River.

     Two of Jesus’ disciples were walking from Jerusalem to Emmaus on the day of the Resurrection discussing what had happened. Suddenly Jesus came up and started walking with them, but they did not recognize Him. Jesus asked them what they were discussing. They stopped short, surprised that anyone around Jerusalem could be ignorant of the things which had happened. Jesus asked them what things they meant. They then gave Him a short synopsis of Jesus’ ministry, arrest, death and reported resurrection.
     Jesus called them foolish for not recognizing that the prophets had proclaimed that the Messiah would need to suffer these things before coming into His glory. He then began with Moses and worked His way through all of the prophets showing them how they predicted His coming and what had happened. By the time He was finished they were approaching Emmaus. Jesus behaved as if He was going to go farther. However, they urged Him to stay with them since it was late and He agreed. When they sat down to eat, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it and gave it to them to eat. At that moment they realized who He was. He disappeared from their sight. I think this story represents something we need to pay attention to. We need to pay attention to messages that give us insights into God’s plans and will for us, even if the messenger is not obviously someone we recognize as a messenger from God. I am finding it difficult to word what I am trying to say, so I will try another way. Sometimes we will only recognize that someone has brought us a word from God after the fact.
     The two men got up immediately and returned to Jerusalem. When they rejoined the Eleven and those with them everyone told them that it was true that Jesus had risen. He had appeared to Peter. They then told everyone their story. While they were speaking Jesus appeared among them. Those present were startled and frightened. They thought they were seeing a ghost. Jesus asked them why they were troubled and showed them His hands and His feet and invited them to touch Him. They reacted to this in joy and amazement, but still an element of disbelief because it was too good to be true. Jesus then asked for some food. They gave Him some fish, which He ate. Jesus then repeated the process He had performed on the road to Emmaus, explaining how the Jewish Scripture predicted what had happened to Him. However, He added that now repentance and forgiveness were going to be preached in His name to all nations and that they were witnesses to what had happened. Finally He tells them to stay in Jerusalem until the power that the Father has promised came upon them.
     Jesus then led them out of the city to near Bethany. There He lifted up His hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them He was taken up into heaven. The disciples returned to Jerusalem rejoicing and spent a large portion of their time in the temple.
     There are a couple of points worth noting. The first is from the end. A simple reading of this passage leads one to think that Luke is saying that Jesus was lifted up into heaven on the day of resurrection or possibly the following day. However, Luke does not actually specify how long Jesus spent teaching the disciples the things He taught them about what the Scriptures predicted concerning Him. The other point that I want to discuss relates to Jesus using Scripture to show how He needed to suffer, die and be raised from the dead. Several weeks ago, I came across someone who posted a blog about an artifact that appears to be from the first century before Christ which appears to talk about the Messiah dying and being raised from the dead after three days. This blogger thought that if this artifact turned out to be what it appeared it would shake the faith of some Christians because it would show that the idea of that the Messiah would suffer, die and be raised from the dead was not original with Christianity, but had been present in Judaism all along. I commented to the blogger that there was no reason for such to be the case, since no where in the New Testament does it claim that this is a novel idea. As a matter of fact, passages such as this one suggest that the early Church believed that the idea was “baked into” Judaism, it was just that most people refused to see it. It would certainly make sense to me that Jesus might have used writings such as the artifact referenced to show the disciples how the Jewish Scripture had predicted what would happen.

     What a great psalm of praise. I will call all of the world to acknowledge that God is Lord and I will worship Him gladly. I will give thanks to Him and praise His name for He is good and faithful. Singing praises to God gives me joy and I pray that the same is true for you.

      Seemingly permanent structures built by the wicked will be destroyed, yet temporary structures put up by the godly will flourish. If we really on our own sense of what is right to determine our path, it will lead us to death and destruction. Some of the most evil people in the history of the world were doing what they thought was right. If we attempt to make ourselves the final arbiters of what is right and wrong, we are following the same path as those men.