WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.940 We are, as a church, we are in the book of Judges right now. 00:00:05.080 --> 00:00:06.100 We're in a series. 00:00:06.580 --> 00:00:09.359 We're calling Judges, Longing for the King. 00:00:09.460 --> 00:00:11.259 This is an Old Testament book. 00:00:11.800 --> 00:00:16.679 In terms of redemptive history, this is happening after Joshua. 00:00:16.980 --> 00:00:20.039 Israel is in the promised land. 00:00:20.500 --> 00:00:24.800 But what we've seen throughout the book of Judges is that the nation of Israel, 00:00:24.800 --> 00:00:30.179 they are giving themselves over to a sinful cycle. 00:00:30.280 --> 00:00:33.260 If you go and you look in Judges 2, 11 through 23, 00:00:33.260 --> 00:00:35.480 you're going to see a blueprint for the book. 00:00:35.560 --> 00:00:36.820 So just by way of a recap, 00:00:37.399 --> 00:00:41.320 this is how the sinful cycle works in the book of Judges. 00:00:41.960 --> 00:00:46.920 Step one, Israel does evil in God's sight. 00:00:47.060 --> 00:00:52.260 They abandon Yahweh and they seek after other gods. 00:00:52.259 --> 00:00:58.019 Step two, God gives them over to their enemies and Israel suffers. 00:00:58.739 --> 00:01:03.780 Step three, Israel cries out to the Lord for deliverance. 00:01:04.039 --> 00:01:08.019 And then step four, God in his mercy and in his goodness, 00:01:08.179 --> 00:01:12.519 he raises up a judge, a rescuer, who delivers them 00:01:12.519 --> 00:01:16.259 and gives them temporary relief. 00:01:16.959 --> 00:01:19.900 The land has temporary peace. 00:01:19.900 --> 00:01:25.440 And then the cycle flips and it starts up again and we repeat it. 00:01:25.540 --> 00:01:27.880 So last week we were in Judges 6 through 8 00:01:27.880 --> 00:01:30.920 and we heard the story of Gideon, the cowardly lion. 00:01:31.980 --> 00:01:33.700 God raises up Gideon. 00:01:33.820 --> 00:01:40.000 He uses him despite his fear to rescue the people of Israel from the Midianites. 00:01:40.860 --> 00:01:45.120 But we also saw that Gideon, he's quite a mixed bag, right? 00:01:45.120 --> 00:01:51.260 That he allows towards the end of his days, he allows idolatry to creep back in to the nation of Israel. 00:01:51.640 --> 00:01:55.219 He says that he won't be king, but it's more of like a wink, wink, nudge, nudge. 00:01:55.280 --> 00:01:57.680 And he actually acts like the king. 00:01:58.300 --> 00:02:02.659 He ends up having 70 wives, which if you don't know, or 70 wives, I'm sorry. 00:02:02.719 --> 00:02:03.740 He has 70 sons. 00:02:04.340 --> 00:02:08.280 And the way that he has that, which is a lot of sons, 70 sons. 00:02:08.379 --> 00:02:09.280 He has many wives. 00:02:09.400 --> 00:02:10.140 Maybe he had 70. 00:02:10.139 --> 00:02:10.639 I don't know. 00:02:10.739 --> 00:02:11.139 I'm not sure. 00:02:11.659 --> 00:02:22.459 But 70 sons and he has a concubine in Shechem who gives birth to his illegitimate son Abimelech. 00:02:23.500 --> 00:02:32.259 And then at the end of chapter 8, Gideon dies and Israel immediately runs back to idolatry. 00:02:32.819 --> 00:02:35.959 And this is just a repeat of the cycle. 00:02:35.960 --> 00:02:40.520 And we're getting into a new cycle here in Judges chapter 9. 00:02:41.540 --> 00:02:52.960 So if you're following that pattern, what we can expect this week is that we're going to have a new oppressor that's going to come into the nation of Israel. 00:02:53.140 --> 00:02:59.600 So if you're like, okay, I just know that the Amaclimidianites are going to show up and they're going to take over. 00:02:59.780 --> 00:03:01.700 That's the right expectation. 00:03:01.699 --> 00:03:05.699 But this is not just a purely repeat cycle. 00:03:06.319 --> 00:03:06.579 Okay? 00:03:06.719 --> 00:03:10.739 That there are twists and turns to this. 00:03:11.199 --> 00:03:19.120 That there's a downward spiral that is happening that is building evidence of Israel's spiritual compromise. 00:03:19.120 --> 00:03:27.039 So the oppressor that we're going to see today is an oppressor that doesn't come from outside of the nation of Israel. 00:03:27.259 --> 00:03:32.800 It's an oppressor that comes from within the nation of Israel. 00:03:33.259 --> 00:03:35.140 So we're not getting a new foreign adversary. 00:03:35.379 --> 00:03:39.200 We're getting an adversary right from within the house of Israel. 00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:44.439 And that man is Abimelech, the son of Gideon. 00:03:45.259 --> 00:03:50.859 So what we'll see with Abimelech is that Abimelech, he has none of his father's good qualities. 00:03:51.259 --> 00:03:54.699 And he has all of his father's bad qualities. 00:03:55.359 --> 00:04:02.079 So this is the only point in the sermon in which I want to give you some room to feel a little bit of sympathy for Abimelech. 00:04:02.080 --> 00:04:04.740 Abimelech, he, as we're going to see, is a wicked man. 00:04:05.280 --> 00:04:13.700 But if we think a little bit about his situation by birth, he was born as an illegitimate son in that society. 00:04:13.820 --> 00:04:15.620 He would have been ostracized. 00:04:15.720 --> 00:04:19.800 He would have been ostracized by his own brothers, by his own family. 00:04:20.300 --> 00:04:25.139 He's born into this chaotic mess of a sinful family. 00:04:25.139 --> 00:04:26.759 And that's not Abimelech's fault. 00:04:26.860 --> 00:04:33.240 That's the fault of Gideon failing as a godly man at the end of his life. 00:04:33.279 --> 00:04:37.199 And when men fail their families, it always leads to collateral damage. 00:04:37.919 --> 00:04:38.159 Okay? 00:04:38.959 --> 00:04:40.360 So let's get into this. 00:04:40.779 --> 00:04:48.139 If we think about this, like last week we did in terms of Acts, Act 1 is marked by political treachery. 00:04:49.000 --> 00:04:50.959 So Judges 9, 1 through 2 says this. 00:04:50.959 --> 00:04:57.019 Now Abimelech, the son of Jerobal, Jerobal is Gideon, Gideon, Jerobal, same person. 00:04:57.919 --> 00:05:04.959 Abimelech went to Shechem, to his mother's relatives, and said to them and to the whole clan of his mother's family, 00:05:05.560 --> 00:05:10.639 Say in the ears of all the leaders of Shechem, which is better for you? 00:05:10.759 --> 00:05:14.259 That all 70 of the sons of Jerobal rule over you? 00:05:14.659 --> 00:05:17.359 Or that one rule over you? 00:05:17.360 --> 00:05:21.240 And remember also that I am your bone and your flesh. 00:05:22.120 --> 00:05:30.180 So in these opening verses of Judges 9, Abimelech, he walks into Shechem, burdened with glorious purpose. 00:05:30.759 --> 00:05:38.480 And he says to his extended family, he asks them to talk to the leaders of Shechem and to ask them, 00:05:39.199 --> 00:05:41.280 Hey you guys, what do you think is better? 00:05:41.279 --> 00:05:46.319 You've been being ruled by the sons of Gideon for a while now. 00:05:47.099 --> 00:05:50.919 Do you think it would be better for you if you were ruled by 70 men? 00:05:51.439 --> 00:05:54.779 Or if you were ruled by one man? 00:05:55.059 --> 00:05:57.239 That's the argument that he presents to them. 00:05:57.379 --> 00:06:02.619 And then he tells his family, he says, you guys remember, I am your flesh and blood here. 00:06:03.019 --> 00:06:03.939 This is who I am. 00:06:03.979 --> 00:06:04.639 I'm your family. 00:06:04.799 --> 00:06:05.379 Do this for me. 00:06:05.459 --> 00:06:06.919 Go to them and deliver this message. 00:06:06.920 --> 00:06:09.580 And so his family does that. 00:06:09.860 --> 00:06:12.840 They deliver the message to the Shechemite leaders. 00:06:13.420 --> 00:06:21.000 And the text tells us that the hearts of the Shechemite leaders incline to Abimelech, that they're drawn to him. 00:06:25.340 --> 00:06:29.000 And then more things happen, except that I lost my place in my manuscript. 00:06:29.400 --> 00:06:30.319 Hold on one second here. 00:06:32.240 --> 00:06:33.000 Let's see. 00:06:33.000 --> 00:06:33.040 Let's see. 00:06:36.920 --> 00:06:39.199 Sorry, everyone. 00:06:41.540 --> 00:06:42.259 Oh, there we are. 00:06:42.360 --> 00:06:42.520 Okay. 00:06:42.900 --> 00:06:43.199 All right. 00:06:43.240 --> 00:06:44.020 So message delivered. 00:06:44.259 --> 00:06:44.759 We got that? 00:06:44.879 --> 00:06:45.020 Okay. 00:06:45.160 --> 00:06:46.100 Message has been delivered. 00:06:46.540 --> 00:06:48.860 So this is a political move and it works. 00:06:48.939 --> 00:06:49.800 It works really well. 00:06:49.860 --> 00:06:51.120 It works perfectly. 00:06:52.120 --> 00:06:59.560 In the hearts of Shechem inclined to Abimelech, the leaders, they take money from the temple of Baal-Bareth. 00:06:59.560 --> 00:07:02.860 And what they do is they grab 70 pieces of silver. 00:07:03.020 --> 00:07:04.780 That's one for each of Gideon's sons. 00:07:04.779 --> 00:07:09.939 And Abimelech, the son of Gideon, he goes and he hires mercenaries. 00:07:10.839 --> 00:07:15.659 Now we're going to pause for a second here because the location of Shechem, this is important. 00:07:15.779 --> 00:07:20.139 This is not just a random location within the nation of Israel. 00:07:20.879 --> 00:07:29.759 Shechem, this was where the first altar to worship Yahweh was set up in the promised land by Abraham. 00:07:29.899 --> 00:07:32.959 You can go read about that in Genesis 12. 00:07:32.959 --> 00:07:39.180 Shechem was where the bones of Joseph, the son of Jacob, were laid. 00:07:39.639 --> 00:07:45.539 Shechem was where Joshua renewed the covenant of Moses with Israel. 00:07:45.540 --> 00:07:56.020 So Shechem is a place in the promised land, a city in the promised land that should be devoted to the worship of the one true God. 00:07:56.100 --> 00:08:04.700 But instead of an altar there to the Lord, what we have is a temple that is devoted to the Canaanite god of Baal-Bareth. 00:08:04.699 --> 00:08:12.800 And the leaders of Shechem are using blood money from the temple to purchase the betrayal of Gideon's sons. 00:08:13.439 --> 00:08:17.599 Gideon being the last judge that the Lord had raised up. 00:08:17.659 --> 00:08:24.180 So this is just Canaanization that is settled in to the nation of Israel. 00:08:24.180 --> 00:08:27.819 And what we have next is the betrayal. 00:08:28.040 --> 00:08:36.159 So Abimelech, with his mercenaries hired, he goes to Gideon's sons at Orpha, where they were functioning sort of as foe kings. 00:08:36.639 --> 00:08:44.340 And the text tells us that he murders them one by one on a single stone. 00:08:44.340 --> 00:08:48.379 And that stone maybe was a ritualistic killing. 00:08:48.740 --> 00:08:51.080 We don't necessarily know the cultural significance. 00:08:51.399 --> 00:08:58.180 But what we do know is that this is barbaric and that this is treachery and that this is murder. 00:08:58.300 --> 00:09:01.399 We see Abimelech's heart on display. 00:09:02.480 --> 00:09:10.860 So this is Abimelech, the anti-judge, the oppressor who has risen up from within Israel. 00:09:10.860 --> 00:09:13.680 And that's the end of Act 2. 00:09:14.340 --> 00:09:27.680 And next, what we see is that Abimelech, ruthlessly as efficient as he was, he did not manage to actually get all of Gideon's sons. 00:09:27.800 --> 00:09:29.740 There is one who got away. 00:09:29.899 --> 00:09:30.860 His name is Jotham. 00:09:32.300 --> 00:09:34.700 And Joshua gets away by hiding. 00:09:35.060 --> 00:09:40.240 Presumably when the mercenaries are rounding up all the other Gideon's sons, he goes, he hides somewhere, he runs away. 00:09:40.240 --> 00:09:51.460 And then someone that is still loyal to him comes and tells him the news that he had feared that all of his brothers are dead, which is just devastating. 00:09:52.440 --> 00:09:57.419 And we wonder to ourselves, what's Jotham going to do from here? 00:09:58.100 --> 00:10:01.659 Is he going to attempt to do some kind of political move? 00:10:01.659 --> 00:10:07.459 Is he going to try to hire maybe his own mercenaries and he can go toe-to-toe with Abimelech? 00:10:07.980 --> 00:10:15.079 Is he maybe going to pull a play out of Ehud's playbook and attempt an assassination? 00:10:15.399 --> 00:10:17.059 What's he going to do? 00:10:17.059 --> 00:10:30.819 And what he does in verse 7 is Jotham goes to Mount Gerizim, which is the mountain where the blessings of the covenant had been spoken over the nation of Israel. 00:10:30.820 --> 00:10:47.160 But rather than a blessing, what Jotham does is he speaks a fable of judgment over the leaders of Shechem and over Abimelech for what they've done to him and for what they've done to his father's house. 00:10:47.940 --> 00:10:58.780 And this fable that he tells, this story that he tells, it begins to reveal to us that God is at work behind the scenes in all of this mess. 00:10:58.779 --> 00:11:03.399 So he begins his speech, Jotham starts his speech with these words. 00:11:03.519 --> 00:11:10.959 He says, listen to me, you leaders of Shechem, that God may listen to you. 00:11:11.519 --> 00:11:22.919 So just by saying that, Jotham is recognizing that there is a God who is still present in all of this, even in the face of great loss that he has experienced. 00:11:22.919 --> 00:11:29.179 And he speaks before the Lord and he invites the leaders of Shechem to hear it, to listen to him. 00:11:30.039 --> 00:11:31.659 So this is the fable that he tells. 00:11:31.860 --> 00:11:37.299 He talks of these trees that go out and they're looking for a king to reign over them. 00:11:37.879 --> 00:11:40.919 They go first to the olive tree and the olive tree refuses. 00:11:40.919 --> 00:11:46.599 And it says, should I leave my abundance that honors God and men and go and rule over you trees? 00:11:47.319 --> 00:11:55.479 So then they go to the fig tree and the fig tree likewise refuses them and asks, should I leave my sweetness and my good fruit and go and rule over you? 00:11:56.439 --> 00:12:04.539 And then they go to the vine and the vine refuses and says, should I leave my wine that cheers God and men and go rule over you? 00:12:04.539 --> 00:12:21.980 And then the trees go to the bramble and the bramble replies to them, if you're asking me in good faith to be your king, then come on in and take refuge in my shade. 00:12:22.659 --> 00:12:29.539 But if you're not asking me in good faith, then let fire come out from me and consume you. 00:12:29.539 --> 00:12:37.000 So each of those trees, olive tree, fig tree, vine, each of them kind of beautiful in their own way. 00:12:37.079 --> 00:12:38.179 They all bear fruit. 00:12:38.299 --> 00:12:39.919 These are good trees. 00:12:40.639 --> 00:12:45.099 The bramble or the thorn bush, it gives no shade. 00:12:45.899 --> 00:12:50.439 It is ugly and it's really good for catching fire and burning other trees down. 00:12:50.879 --> 00:12:52.159 That's kind of what a bramble is. 00:12:52.159 --> 00:13:01.379 So Jotham, he gives this very sarcastic interpretation just in case the leaders of Shechem and Abimelech weren't picking up on what he's saying to them. 00:13:01.379 --> 00:13:27.019 And he basically, what he's saying is, if you guys have acted in the integrity of your hearts by making Abimelech king, and if you have respected my father and his sons, remember my dad who risked his life for you and he saved you from the Midianites, and then you went and you killed all of his sons in cold blood and made the son of his slave woman a king. 00:13:27.019 --> 00:13:39.519 And he's saying, if you guys did all of that in good faith, then go ahead and rejoice in Abimelech and let Abimelech rejoice in you because you guys are just absolutely perfect for each other. 00:13:39.519 --> 00:13:45.939 But if you didn't act in good faith, then we get verse 20. 00:13:46.079 --> 00:13:58.879 He says, let fire come out from Abimelech and devour the leaders of Shechem and Beth Milo, and let fire come out from the leaders of Shechem and from Beth Milo and devour Abimelech. 00:13:58.879 --> 00:14:11.340 So through this fable, he is pronouncing a curse from Mount Gerizim before God, and he is saying, let God give you what you deserve. 00:14:13.240 --> 00:14:20.039 And then Jotham flees, and he places justice in God's hands, and he's gone. 00:14:20.159 --> 00:14:20.980 We don't see him again. 00:14:23.779 --> 00:14:25.080 That closes Act 2. 00:14:25.080 --> 00:14:35.180 We start Act 3 with verse 22, which just simply says, Abimelech ruled over Israel for three years. 00:14:36.400 --> 00:14:46.379 And that one sentence, that covers a lot of time of heartache and of suffering and of unrepentant sin. 00:14:46.520 --> 00:14:52.700 This is three years of Jotham, the only surviving son of Gideon, living as a wanted man. 00:14:52.700 --> 00:14:56.900 This is three years of Israel living under a tyrant. 00:14:57.700 --> 00:15:05.520 This is three years of Abimelech seemingly free of the consequences of his crimes that he has committed. 00:15:05.660 --> 00:15:08.300 But then the narrator, he gives us these words, and these are important. 00:15:10.540 --> 00:15:11.400 The narrator writes, 00:15:11.399 --> 00:15:21.759 And why did God do this? 00:15:22.399 --> 00:15:28.759 So that the violence done to the 70 sons of Jeroboam, of Gideon, might come. 00:15:29.120 --> 00:15:33.179 And their blood be laid on Abimelech, their brother, who killed them, 00:15:33.399 --> 00:15:38.899 and on the men of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to kill his brothers. 00:15:38.899 --> 00:15:39.759 Verse 24. 00:15:41.299 --> 00:15:44.199 So Abimelech seems to have the upper hand, but he does not. 00:15:45.259 --> 00:15:46.019 God does. 00:15:47.939 --> 00:15:53.919 And God sends a spirit of treachery amongst these traitors, which is very fitting. 00:15:54.459 --> 00:16:00.519 And God takes the weapon of treachery, and he causes them to point it at one another, 00:16:00.620 --> 00:16:03.379 both the leaders of Shechem and Abimelech. 00:16:03.379 --> 00:16:09.360 So it might look like he is not there, but God is already stoking the fires of judgment against Abimelech 00:16:09.360 --> 00:16:12.519 and against the leaders of Shechem. 00:16:14.340 --> 00:16:22.100 And that takes us to Act 4, where we're introduced to Gal, the son of Ebed, 00:16:22.220 --> 00:16:27.620 who shows up seemingly out of nowhere with his relatives in Shechem. 00:16:27.620 --> 00:16:32.860 It seems kind of random, but again, nothing is random in this story. 00:16:33.700 --> 00:16:39.539 We're not given any backstory on Gal, the son of Ebed, but we know that he is a Shechemite. 00:16:40.399 --> 00:16:44.480 We know that the leaders of Shechem seem to know him to some extent, 00:16:44.620 --> 00:16:47.399 and they instantly fall in love with him. 00:16:47.980 --> 00:16:52.019 The text says that they put their confidence in him. 00:16:52.279 --> 00:16:55.539 And things move really fast, and all of a sudden, they're having a party. 00:16:55.539 --> 00:16:57.159 They're drinking wine. 00:16:57.279 --> 00:16:58.360 They throw this festival. 00:16:58.759 --> 00:16:59.599 There's this feast. 00:16:59.719 --> 00:17:03.500 They have this drinking party in the temple of Balbereth. 00:17:04.539 --> 00:17:09.920 And Gal says in the midst of this revelry, he asks the leaders of Shechem, 00:17:10.119 --> 00:17:13.359 who does Abimelech think that he is? 00:17:14.819 --> 00:17:18.059 He's not a real Shechemite like us. 00:17:19.180 --> 00:17:20.779 He's Gideon's son. 00:17:21.740 --> 00:17:23.839 He's not a true Shechemite. 00:17:23.839 --> 00:17:29.599 And if I was ruling over Shechem, I would kick that guy out. 00:17:29.679 --> 00:17:32.159 I'd tell him, bring your little mercs and let's go. 00:17:32.279 --> 00:17:35.399 So he's just talking a big talk right now. 00:17:36.240 --> 00:17:40.859 And it should sound familiar because he's playing the we're family card 00:17:40.859 --> 00:17:44.919 that Abimelech was playing earlier when he's making his play for the throne. 00:17:44.920 --> 00:17:55.160 Unfortunately for Gal, the son of Ebed, Abimelech's officer, Zebel, he overhears, 00:17:55.840 --> 00:17:59.180 and he sends a message to Abimelech. 00:17:59.220 --> 00:18:01.259 He basically says, hey, we've got a problem over here. 00:18:01.820 --> 00:18:03.259 Gal and his brothers showed up. 00:18:03.320 --> 00:18:06.000 They are stirring the whole city against you. 00:18:06.000 --> 00:18:12.660 And he gives Abimelech a whole plan for how to lay an ambush for the city and draw Gal, 00:18:12.740 --> 00:18:14.980 the son of Ebed, out into battle. 00:18:15.140 --> 00:18:20.920 And if you're wondering where Abimelech is in all of this, he's probably out at his father's 00:18:20.920 --> 00:18:22.140 house in Ophrah. 00:18:22.339 --> 00:18:23.759 And he's just playing king. 00:18:23.759 --> 00:18:29.599 So he set himself up as this true Shechemite who is going to care for the people of Shechem. 00:18:29.680 --> 00:18:31.079 And he's not even there. 00:18:31.460 --> 00:18:33.339 He's just off playing king. 00:18:34.539 --> 00:18:36.059 So Abimelech, he gets the message. 00:18:36.539 --> 00:18:38.440 He takes his forces to Shechem. 00:18:38.599 --> 00:18:42.059 And then under cover of darkness, they set an ambush. 00:18:42.980 --> 00:18:47.619 And early the next morning, Gal and his troops, they step outside the city gate. 00:18:48.460 --> 00:18:50.519 And Abimelech attacks. 00:18:50.519 --> 00:18:56.019 And the battle does not go well for Gal at all. 00:18:56.240 --> 00:19:00.119 His men are decimated by Abimelech's army. 00:19:00.900 --> 00:19:05.839 And Gal, who was just talking really big a few verses ago, he flees the scene. 00:19:05.960 --> 00:19:06.799 He abandons Shechem. 00:19:06.980 --> 00:19:09.400 And we do not see him again. 00:19:10.480 --> 00:19:14.839 And once more, it looks like things are going pretty well for Abimelech. 00:19:14.839 --> 00:19:24.819 And what we see after this is that things get darker in the story, as if they're already 00:19:24.819 --> 00:19:26.759 not dark enough. 00:19:27.539 --> 00:19:33.339 What Abimelech does is he sets up another ambush the next day. 00:19:34.059 --> 00:19:37.099 He sets it up for the citizens of Shechem. 00:19:37.220 --> 00:19:38.779 He doesn't set it up for military forces. 00:19:38.959 --> 00:19:40.740 He sets it up for innocent people. 00:19:40.740 --> 00:19:44.700 The citizens of Shechem, they need to get out. 00:19:44.779 --> 00:19:45.759 They need to work in the fields. 00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:47.460 They assume that the danger is gone. 00:19:47.539 --> 00:19:49.400 The big battle from the previous day is out. 00:19:49.900 --> 00:19:51.420 And you've got to make food. 00:19:51.759 --> 00:19:54.700 So they go out and they begin doing their work. 00:19:55.440 --> 00:20:00.039 And Abimelech and his men, they spring out and they slaughter everyone. 00:20:00.039 --> 00:20:06.579 So now we have innocents being killed on the battlefield. 00:20:08.279 --> 00:20:10.420 And then Abimelech, he goes to war with the city. 00:20:11.079 --> 00:20:16.119 And by the end of the day, most of the city is in ashes. 00:20:16.319 --> 00:20:19.359 He just brings this city to absolute ruin. 00:20:20.079 --> 00:20:29.079 And then he sows the ruins with salt, which is like putting a curse of infertility on the 00:20:29.079 --> 00:20:29.299 land. 00:20:29.339 --> 00:20:33.220 And this is just, this is another anti-judge move by Abimelech because what we've been 00:20:33.220 --> 00:20:38.139 seeing with the judges is that they give the land rest, at least for a while. 00:20:38.539 --> 00:20:41.319 But Abimelech doesn't give the land rest. 00:20:41.439 --> 00:20:42.720 He ravages it. 00:20:43.579 --> 00:20:44.980 He brings it to ruin. 00:20:45.139 --> 00:20:47.500 He's the Israelite who is oppressing his own people. 00:20:49.220 --> 00:20:54.099 But there's apparently one part of the city that Abimelech has not yet destroyed. 00:20:54.099 --> 00:21:04.240 And it just so happens to be the temple of Israel's false god, Balbereth, which also functioned 00:21:04.240 --> 00:21:06.659 as a defensive stronghold. 00:21:06.779 --> 00:21:13.339 So this is a place where the citizens could go into as kind of a last resort, where they 00:21:13.339 --> 00:21:16.779 could go into a defensive position. 00:21:16.779 --> 00:21:23.460 They're acting out of the wisdom of Proverbs 18.10, which says that the name of the Lord 00:21:23.460 --> 00:21:24.460 is a strong tower. 00:21:24.579 --> 00:21:27.879 The righteous man runs into it and is safe. 00:21:28.440 --> 00:21:31.660 But there's a couple of problems with that, though, because the leaders of Shechem are not 00:21:31.660 --> 00:21:32.299 righteous men. 00:21:32.940 --> 00:21:36.240 And this strong tower is not under the name of the Lord. 00:21:36.319 --> 00:21:39.819 It's under the name of Balbereth, the false god. 00:21:39.819 --> 00:21:45.639 So they are not safe in running into this temple stronghold. 00:21:45.740 --> 00:21:50.339 The house of their god is really just functioning as a bunch of kindling at this point. 00:21:51.359 --> 00:21:58.779 So seeing his betrayers trapped Abimelech, he goes and he grabs an axe, and he cuts down 00:21:58.779 --> 00:22:02.639 some wood, and he tells his army to do the same. 00:22:03.779 --> 00:22:07.339 And what we see next in verse 49 is this. 00:22:07.339 --> 00:22:13.980 It says, so every one of the people cut down his bundle, and following Abimelech, put it 00:22:13.980 --> 00:22:21.339 against the stronghold and set the stronghold on fire over them, so that all the people 00:22:21.339 --> 00:22:27.240 of the tower of Shechem also died, about 1,000 men and women. 00:22:27.240 --> 00:22:38.099 And the first part of Jotham's curse, like a horror movie of inevitability, comes to completion, 00:22:38.279 --> 00:22:41.599 and the leaders of Shechem are brought into judgment. 00:22:43.680 --> 00:22:45.440 But that still leaves Abimelech. 00:22:46.240 --> 00:22:49.319 And things have gone pretty well for Abimelech so far. 00:22:49.380 --> 00:22:52.099 It looks as though he has triumphed over his enemies. 00:22:52.240 --> 00:22:54.039 He just wiped out an entire city. 00:22:54.039 --> 00:22:58.339 He just burned alive 1,000 men and women in a tower. 00:22:58.980 --> 00:23:02.480 He is looking pretty untouchable at this point. 00:23:03.680 --> 00:23:07.819 But Jotham's curse wasn't just against the leaders of Shechem. 00:23:09.220 --> 00:23:13.779 And God's justice is not just against the leaders of Shechem. 00:23:13.899 --> 00:23:16.359 It's going to go against Abimelech as well. 00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:19.279 So the question isn't, is Abimelech going to get away with this? 00:23:19.279 --> 00:23:27.519 The question is, how is God going to bring Abimelech to justice? 00:23:28.839 --> 00:23:34.740 Is God going to raise up another judge to strike Abimelech down? 00:23:35.579 --> 00:23:41.759 Are we going to have an end of the story with kind of this epic villain versus hero battle? 00:23:41.759 --> 00:23:43.980 What's going to be this wicked man's downfall? 00:23:45.680 --> 00:23:53.059 And in verse 50, we're told that Abimelech, he takes his army and he makes his way to another town, 00:23:53.220 --> 00:23:58.279 which is Thebes, to continue his murderous rampage. 00:23:58.720 --> 00:24:02.000 The text doesn't say why he assaults another town. 00:24:02.079 --> 00:24:05.420 There doesn't seem to be a clear reason for doing so. 00:24:05.420 --> 00:24:10.440 But at this point, I think it's just safe to say that Abimelech, he's just got a lust for power 00:24:10.440 --> 00:24:14.620 and a lust for violence that has settled into his heart. 00:24:15.539 --> 00:24:21.100 And this battle functions like a mirror image of what just happened in Shechem. 00:24:21.259 --> 00:24:27.500 The leaders of Thebes and the citizens of that town, they run into the strong tower in the city 00:24:27.500 --> 00:24:34.680 and Abimelech comes to the base of the tower to set fire on it, just like he did with Shechem. 00:24:34.819 --> 00:24:36.279 He thinks this is going to go great. 00:24:37.039 --> 00:24:43.019 But tragically for Abimelech, there's a woman at the top of the tower 00:24:43.019 --> 00:24:50.680 and she has a millstone, which would have been used for crushing grain. 00:24:51.740 --> 00:24:55.500 And from the top of the tower, she takes this millstone, which would have been quite heavy, 00:24:55.500 --> 00:25:03.579 and she throws it down and the stone lands on Abimelech's head, crushing his skull. 00:25:03.680 --> 00:25:10.099 The man who murdered his brothers on a single stone is crushed by a stone. 00:25:10.759 --> 00:25:12.000 But it doesn't kill him instantly. 00:25:12.160 --> 00:25:15.619 The stone lands on his head in such a way that he doesn't die right away, 00:25:15.700 --> 00:25:18.579 so he has time to tell his armor bearer, 00:25:18.779 --> 00:25:23.259 please kill me so that history doesn't see me as the man who died by the hand of a woman. 00:25:23.259 --> 00:25:29.200 And his armor bearer gladly obliges and thrusts him through with a sword. 00:25:29.579 --> 00:25:31.920 So good effort for Abimelech. 00:25:32.339 --> 00:25:37.359 But he obviously doesn't get his wish because we are all here talking about how Abimelech 00:25:37.359 --> 00:25:42.220 died by the hand of a woman with the ancient Near Eastern equivalent of a KitchenAid mixer. 00:25:42.799 --> 00:25:46.039 So that's how that worked out for him. 00:25:46.039 --> 00:25:54.180 And then we get the epilogue, the summary of all of these 57 verses. 00:25:54.779 --> 00:25:57.579 Verses 56 and 57 tell us, 00:25:57.579 --> 00:26:24.699 So what does this mean for us today? 00:26:24.700 --> 00:26:28.700 All of this violence and this rampage and this wickedness, 00:26:29.200 --> 00:26:31.360 what does this mean for us today? 00:26:33.519 --> 00:26:37.680 First, there's this theme that's been played out throughout the book of Judges. 00:26:37.779 --> 00:26:41.340 We'll continue to see it as we spend time in this Old Testament book, 00:26:41.840 --> 00:26:45.000 which is a, there's a warning, there's a strong warning here 00:26:45.000 --> 00:26:48.980 against spiritual corruption and compromise. 00:26:48.980 --> 00:26:57.940 We've seen the nation of Israel just sinking in deeper and deeper into spiritual compromise. 00:26:58.160 --> 00:27:03.539 In this story, we see it in Abimelech's murderous play for the throne. 00:27:03.759 --> 00:27:09.120 We see it in Shechem's, the leaders of Shechem's wicked betrayal of Gideon's sons. 00:27:09.119 --> 00:27:16.719 We see it as Shechem itself, which should have been functioning as a sort of spiritual center for the worship of Yahweh, 00:27:16.859 --> 00:27:20.659 instead becoming a home to the temple of Baal. 00:27:21.379 --> 00:27:24.379 We see it in the murder of civilians. 00:27:25.239 --> 00:27:31.779 This is rampant violence and wickedness that is horrifying to behold, 00:27:31.879 --> 00:27:36.899 and all of it is a testament to the evil nature of idolatry. 00:27:36.900 --> 00:27:42.860 And we can read this story, and we can think to ourselves, 00:27:43.220 --> 00:27:46.920 thank goodness that I am not like Abimelech, 00:27:47.420 --> 00:27:50.960 and that I'm not like the leaders of Shechem. 00:27:51.060 --> 00:27:56.640 And if we think that to ourselves, we're actually gravely underestimating the power of idolatry, 00:27:56.720 --> 00:27:59.320 which this text is warning us of. 00:27:59.319 --> 00:28:07.839 Because the reality is that you and I are capable of far more wickedness than we can imagine, 00:28:07.960 --> 00:28:09.439 apart from the grace of God. 00:28:10.720 --> 00:28:18.519 So we shouldn't turn up our noses at this barbarism and think that we aren't capable of this same kind of evil, 00:28:18.639 --> 00:28:19.419 because we are. 00:28:19.420 --> 00:28:21.840 1 Corinthians 10, 12, 00:28:21.980 --> 00:28:26.019 Therefore let anyone who thinks he stand take heed, lest he fall. 00:28:26.920 --> 00:28:33.180 And then what we're also seeing with this theme of corruption is the slippery slope of sin. 00:28:33.360 --> 00:28:37.420 So remember how this story is deeply connected to the story of Gideon, 00:28:38.140 --> 00:28:41.360 how Gideon ends his days in spiritual compromise, 00:28:41.359 --> 00:28:50.439 and the consequences, they just flow downhill into the pit that is his son's power-hungry wickedness. 00:28:51.839 --> 00:28:58.599 So I would encourage us soberly to take stock 00:28:58.599 --> 00:29:05.839 and ask if there is spiritual compromise that has settled into our lives. 00:29:05.839 --> 00:29:10.740 And ask if our hearts are numb to the Lord. 00:29:10.819 --> 00:29:13.339 Is your heart numb to his word? 00:29:15.339 --> 00:29:19.500 Does sin seem like a small thing to you? 00:29:19.539 --> 00:29:26.419 Because sin can seem really small, but it can snowball into this avalanche so quickly. 00:29:28.480 --> 00:29:29.559 Psalm 16, 4 says, 00:29:29.559 --> 00:29:33.519 The sorrows of those who run after another God shall multiply. 00:29:33.519 --> 00:29:37.779 And that's what we've been seeing throughout the book of Judges. 00:29:38.859 --> 00:29:47.160 But I would say that the main point of Judges 9 for this particular episode within the book of Judges 00:29:47.160 --> 00:29:52.400 is that God will bring all evil into judgment. 00:29:53.720 --> 00:29:56.900 God will bring all evil into judgment. 00:29:56.900 --> 00:30:03.099 That there is no injustice which will not ultimately be held accountable 00:30:03.099 --> 00:30:04.059 by him. 00:30:06.139 --> 00:30:10.980 It's justice that is going to be done in his own good timing, 00:30:10.980 --> 00:30:13.740 whether it's in this life or in the next. 00:30:15.059 --> 00:30:20.179 So right in the middle of the narrative, the narrator, he makes this clear in verses 23 through 24. 00:30:20.319 --> 00:30:25.259 He says that God sends the spirit of treachery between Abimelech and the leaders. 00:30:25.259 --> 00:30:31.319 And he does it so that they would come into judgment for their sin against Gideon's sons. 00:30:31.319 --> 00:30:40.039 And then verses 56 through 57, we saw the story get wrapped up with the verses that say that God is the one 00:30:40.039 --> 00:30:44.159 who brought the leaders of Shechem and Abimelech into judgment. 00:30:44.419 --> 00:30:46.859 And he does that through human agents. 00:30:47.559 --> 00:30:52.839 He does that through somewhat seemingly normal circumstances. 00:30:52.839 --> 00:30:59.199 But make no mistake that God is the one who is bringing about justice through this chapter. 00:31:01.359 --> 00:31:06.339 And this is a chapter that gets at a hard reality. 00:31:06.599 --> 00:31:11.599 Because for much of the story, it does not look as though God is there. 00:31:11.759 --> 00:31:17.039 This looks like it's wickedness that is out of control. 00:31:17.039 --> 00:31:20.119 It's bleak. 00:31:20.359 --> 00:31:23.059 It doesn't seem like there is hope. 00:31:24.680 --> 00:31:31.579 And we can look around right now at world events that are happening in our day 00:31:31.579 --> 00:31:34.879 that can make it look like everything is out of control. 00:31:35.440 --> 00:31:37.819 Like God isn't there. 00:31:38.920 --> 00:31:45.539 Or on a more personal level, there are injustices that maybe you have experienced 00:31:45.539 --> 00:31:49.859 within your own life that have caused you to wonder, 00:31:50.519 --> 00:31:52.619 where is God in this? 00:31:54.940 --> 00:32:03.559 How could God allow this evil to happen to me or to happen to someone that I care about? 00:32:03.619 --> 00:32:04.720 And that is a fair question. 00:32:04.720 --> 00:32:10.160 So there's two realities that I want to point you to. 00:32:10.259 --> 00:32:16.440 And the first reality is that God sees and that God knows. 00:32:18.860 --> 00:32:20.180 Proverbs 15.3, 00:32:20.380 --> 00:32:24.759 The eyes of the Lord are in every place, 00:32:25.200 --> 00:32:29.079 keeping watch on the evil and the good. 00:32:29.079 --> 00:32:35.699 So for those of you who have had evil done to you, 00:32:35.759 --> 00:32:37.460 I want you to know that God sees it. 00:32:39.859 --> 00:32:41.119 That you are not alone. 00:32:42.559 --> 00:32:43.720 That he cares. 00:32:46.159 --> 00:32:51.299 Psalm 34.18 says that God is near to the brokenhearted. 00:32:51.299 --> 00:32:56.500 And just because you do not, maybe at this point, 00:32:57.079 --> 00:33:00.339 see the purpose or see what God is doing, 00:33:01.700 --> 00:33:04.440 it does not mean that God is not with you in this. 00:33:06.980 --> 00:33:09.460 It does not mean that he does not love you. 00:33:13.079 --> 00:33:20.220 And then the same point can be made to those of us who have done the evil. 00:33:20.220 --> 00:33:27.000 That God sees and God knows. 00:33:28.059 --> 00:33:33.299 And that should be a terrifying reality to us. 00:33:33.539 --> 00:33:36.740 That if there is a sin that we have committed against another, 00:33:37.900 --> 00:33:42.860 if we think that we have gotten away with it, 00:33:42.859 --> 00:33:47.539 that we should repent of that right now 00:33:47.539 --> 00:33:51.619 and ask God for his forgiveness. 00:33:51.859 --> 00:33:54.240 And if it's a sin that we have managed to hide, 00:33:54.879 --> 00:33:56.759 if it's a sin that has not been exposed, 00:33:57.579 --> 00:34:03.819 God is mercifully allowing you to get that sin out into the light yourself. 00:34:03.819 --> 00:34:11.099 We should not fool ourselves into thinking that sin is somehow private 00:34:11.099 --> 00:34:14.319 and that it does not affect other people 00:34:14.319 --> 00:34:17.019 because all sin does collateral damage. 00:34:17.340 --> 00:34:17.779 All of it. 00:34:17.780 --> 00:34:23.040 So if you haven't been caught yet, 00:34:25.560 --> 00:34:27.140 repent, make it known, 00:34:27.720 --> 00:34:32.360 and as far as you are able and as far as wisdom dictates, 00:34:32.540 --> 00:34:35.240 seek to make peace and seek to make restitution 00:34:35.240 --> 00:34:37.080 and to make it right. 00:34:38.560 --> 00:34:40.920 And then the second reality that I want to point you to 00:34:40.920 --> 00:34:44.659 is that God will bring about justice. 00:34:44.940 --> 00:34:46.920 That he will do that. 00:34:47.039 --> 00:34:48.579 Proverbs 16, 4 through 5, 00:34:49.039 --> 00:34:52.340 the Lord has made everything for its purpose, 00:34:52.539 --> 00:34:55.360 even the wicked for the day of trouble. 00:34:56.700 --> 00:35:00.380 Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord. 00:35:00.619 --> 00:35:05.500 Be assured he will not go unpunished. 00:35:05.500 --> 00:35:06.680 So that's his promise, 00:35:06.679 --> 00:35:12.119 that he is going to bring all injustices into justice. 00:35:13.219 --> 00:35:15.219 And it's going to be done in his timing, 00:35:15.319 --> 00:35:18.659 which might not be the timing that we want it to be, 00:35:19.359 --> 00:35:21.980 but he has his good reasons and his good purposes, 00:35:21.980 --> 00:35:24.960 and he does bring all things into judgment. 00:35:25.119 --> 00:35:28.919 So we see a picture of that in terms of judgment happening in this life, 00:35:29.039 --> 00:35:30.319 justice happening in this life, 00:35:30.399 --> 00:35:32.639 in the chapter that we just read 00:35:32.639 --> 00:35:34.239 with the leaders of Shechem and Abimelech 00:35:34.239 --> 00:35:36.119 being brought to justice for their betrayal, 00:35:36.119 --> 00:35:39.339 for the murder of Gideon's sons. 00:35:41.659 --> 00:35:44.279 But then we ask the question of, 00:35:44.659 --> 00:35:49.119 what about those who do seem to get away with it? 00:35:50.119 --> 00:35:53.960 For those that do seem to escape. 00:35:53.960 --> 00:35:58.740 And the truth is, 00:35:58.840 --> 00:36:01.860 is that God brings all things into judgment, 00:36:03.240 --> 00:36:04.119 both in, 00:36:04.820 --> 00:36:08.900 if it does not seem like he brings it into judgment in this life, 00:36:09.539 --> 00:36:12.820 he will absolutely bring it into judgment in the next. 00:36:12.820 --> 00:36:19.880 There's a verse in 2 Thessalonians 1, 7 through 10, 00:36:21.360 --> 00:36:25.880 which says that there will come a day when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven 00:36:25.880 --> 00:36:29.420 with his mighty angels in flaming fire, 00:36:30.360 --> 00:36:33.620 inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God 00:36:33.619 --> 00:36:37.759 and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 00:36:39.079 --> 00:36:42.159 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction 00:36:42.159 --> 00:36:44.759 away from the presence of the Lord 00:36:44.759 --> 00:36:47.579 and from the glory of his might. 00:36:47.579 --> 00:36:53.380 And what that means is that there is no sin 00:36:53.380 --> 00:36:57.759 that will escape God's judgment on that final day. 00:36:59.179 --> 00:37:04.400 That for those who refuse to put their trust in Christ as their Savior 00:37:04.400 --> 00:37:09.239 and refuse to obey his gospel as their Lord, 00:37:09.239 --> 00:37:13.219 that their wickedness will be brought on their own heads. 00:37:15.319 --> 00:37:17.299 If you are not a Christian, 00:37:17.439 --> 00:37:21.839 this is the most important part of the message that you can hear, 00:37:22.219 --> 00:37:26.339 which is that the God who made us is a holy God. 00:37:27.319 --> 00:37:32.719 He does not shrug his shoulders at sin. 00:37:32.839 --> 00:37:36.079 He brings sin to justice. 00:37:36.079 --> 00:37:40.159 And no one is good enough to stand before God. 00:37:40.239 --> 00:37:42.380 So you can't compare yourself to a Bimelech and think, 00:37:42.519 --> 00:37:44.619 well, I'm not murdering thousands of people, 00:37:44.719 --> 00:37:46.739 so I think I'm doing pretty okay 00:37:46.739 --> 00:37:51.400 because God's word says to us in verses like James 2, 10, 00:37:51.799 --> 00:37:55.500 whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point 00:37:55.500 --> 00:37:57.619 has become guilty of all of it. 00:38:01.139 --> 00:38:02.420 Which begs the question, 00:38:02.420 --> 00:38:07.820 how would anyone escape God's justice? 00:38:11.119 --> 00:38:14.119 And the answer to that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. 00:38:15.760 --> 00:38:20.240 That Jesus Christ, who was fully God and fully man, 00:38:20.360 --> 00:38:25.639 he came to take the punishment of justice that we deserved 00:38:25.639 --> 00:38:28.180 and to take it upon himself. 00:38:28.500 --> 00:38:30.440 This is 2 Corinthians 5, 21. 00:38:30.440 --> 00:38:33.280 For our sake, God made him, Jesus, 00:38:33.539 --> 00:38:35.700 to be sin who knew no sin 00:38:35.700 --> 00:38:37.539 so that in him, in Jesus, 00:38:38.179 --> 00:38:40.240 we might become the righteousness of God. 00:38:41.579 --> 00:38:45.420 And this is the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 53, 5 through 6. 00:38:45.940 --> 00:38:49.079 He, Jesus, was pierced for our transgressions. 00:38:50.099 --> 00:38:52.800 He was crushed for our iniquities. 00:38:54.000 --> 00:38:58.179 Upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace. 00:38:58.179 --> 00:39:01.699 And with his wounds we are healed. 00:39:02.899 --> 00:39:06.159 All we like sheep have gone astray. 00:39:07.319 --> 00:39:10.000 We have turned everyone to his own way 00:39:10.000 --> 00:39:15.139 and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 00:39:16.639 --> 00:39:20.179 That God in his goodness has made a way for my sins 00:39:20.179 --> 00:39:27.239 and for your sins to be brought to justice 2,000 years ago on a Roman cross. 00:39:27.239 --> 00:39:32.199 So if you have not yet put your faith in Christ, 00:39:32.979 --> 00:39:34.879 this morning, this is God's promise to you. 00:39:34.919 --> 00:39:36.139 This is from Romans 10, 9. 00:39:36.259 --> 00:39:37.459 This is the best news in the world. 00:39:37.879 --> 00:39:38.199 He says, 00:39:38.339 --> 00:39:41.299 If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord 00:39:41.299 --> 00:39:44.939 and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, 00:39:45.179 --> 00:39:47.739 you will be saved. 00:39:48.639 --> 00:39:49.459 Praise God. 00:39:49.460 --> 00:39:54.599 So if you decide this morning, 00:39:55.460 --> 00:39:57.059 if you have not yet put your faith in Christ, 00:39:57.420 --> 00:39:58.900 if you decide that you want to do that, 00:39:59.119 --> 00:40:02.260 or if you have questions about what that means, 00:40:02.619 --> 00:40:03.679 what that looks like, 00:40:03.820 --> 00:40:04.679 after the service, 00:40:05.119 --> 00:40:05.980 please come down. 00:40:06.860 --> 00:40:08.860 And we would be so happy to talk to you, 00:40:08.900 --> 00:40:09.940 either me or Pastor Mike, 00:40:10.099 --> 00:40:10.920 please come down. 00:40:11.179 --> 00:40:13.400 We'd love to talk to you about the gospel 00:40:13.400 --> 00:40:16.800 and about Jesus Christ who has rescued us from our sins, 00:40:16.800 --> 00:40:17.659 not because we're good, 00:40:17.760 --> 00:40:18.599 but because he is. 00:40:18.599 --> 00:40:19.980 We'd love to do that. 00:40:21.779 --> 00:40:24.339 And if you are a believer this morning, 00:40:25.019 --> 00:40:31.239 you can worship and find great joy in the fact 00:40:31.239 --> 00:40:33.559 that God's justice against you 00:40:33.559 --> 00:40:36.519 has been satisfied already at the cross. 00:40:38.000 --> 00:40:38.719 Romans 8, 1. 00:40:38.819 --> 00:40:40.739 There's therefore now no condemnation 00:40:40.739 --> 00:40:43.920 for those who are in Christ Jesus. 00:40:45.599 --> 00:40:48.219 And if you are a believer who has had evil, 00:40:48.599 --> 00:40:49.920 done to you, 00:40:49.920 --> 00:40:53.719 we can follow the example of Jotham, 00:40:54.420 --> 00:40:56.819 the youngest son of Gideon, 00:40:56.940 --> 00:41:00.619 who placed justice in God's hands. 00:41:02.380 --> 00:41:06.980 We trust him to work in his good timing, 00:41:07.119 --> 00:41:09.279 and we forgive knowing that God in Christ 00:41:09.279 --> 00:41:10.699 has forgiven us. 00:41:10.699 --> 00:41:16.439 And that doesn't mean that we don't work for justice in this life 00:41:16.439 --> 00:41:17.319 because we should do that. 00:41:17.379 --> 00:41:20.000 It doesn't mean that there are no boundaries. 00:41:20.219 --> 00:41:21.379 We should have those. 00:41:21.599 --> 00:41:23.480 But at the end of the day, 00:41:23.659 --> 00:41:28.000 we entrust true justice to our Father in heaven. 00:41:28.000 --> 00:41:30.619 And we give it to him. 00:41:31.099 --> 00:41:32.039 We trust him. 00:41:32.119 --> 00:41:33.039 We trust his timing, 00:41:33.380 --> 00:41:35.280 knowing that he is good 00:41:35.280 --> 00:41:37.980 and that he is faithful 00:41:37.980 --> 00:41:40.900 and that we can hold to him 00:41:40.900 --> 00:41:42.659 as our refuge. 00:41:43.659 --> 00:41:44.380 Let's pray. 00:41:44.380 --> 00:41:49.840 Heavenly Father, 00:41:50.019 --> 00:41:52.380 we are grateful 00:41:52.380 --> 00:41:53.800 that you will 00:41:53.800 --> 00:41:57.119 one day make all wrongs right. 00:41:58.840 --> 00:42:00.079 We thank you that 00:42:00.079 --> 00:42:03.260 for those that have put their faith in you, 00:42:05.360 --> 00:42:08.140 that the sins that we have committed 00:42:08.140 --> 00:42:09.619 have been paid for by our Savior. 00:42:09.619 --> 00:42:09.819 Father, 00:42:10.420 --> 00:42:15.259 Holy Spirit, 00:42:15.359 --> 00:42:16.299 we thank you 00:42:16.299 --> 00:42:17.339 that you are 00:42:17.339 --> 00:42:19.319 a God who is at work, 00:42:20.819 --> 00:42:21.739 that you're a God 00:42:21.739 --> 00:42:23.159 who wakes us up to our sin. 00:42:26.420 --> 00:42:27.019 Lord Jesus, 00:42:27.119 --> 00:42:28.420 we thank you for going to the cross. 00:42:29.400 --> 00:42:30.839 We thank you for saving us. 00:42:35.059 --> 00:42:35.539 Lord God, 00:42:35.599 --> 00:42:36.759 we pray that you would help us 00:42:36.759 --> 00:42:37.940 to increasingly 00:42:37.940 --> 00:42:40.220 trust you 00:42:40.220 --> 00:42:44.300 to run to you as our refuge. 00:42:47.599 --> 00:42:48.420 We love you. 00:42:49.220 --> 00:42:49.840 In Jesus' name, 00:42:50.220 --> 00:42:50.460 amen.