God’s Sovereignty in Evil Affairs

Transcript

GRS 2-53
1/14/2007
God’s Sovereignty in Evil Affairs
Judges 9
Gil Rugh

We are studying the Old Testament together and we are in the Book of Judges and before we go to Judges, let me ask you to turn your Bibles to Romans 15. So I can just remind you quickly of what we are to be aware of and alert to as we are studying the Old Testament.

Romans Chapter 15 verse 4, for whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have a hope. So as we study the Old Testament Scriptures, we are not only learning certain facts about the history of God’s people in the Old Testament but we are being instructed about the sovereignty of our God and His working in and through His people, on behalf of His people, and we are to be encouraged the persevere, continue on to the realization of what God has promised.

And so as we look back on the history of God’s working that is to be an encouragement to us and a challenge to us. You turn over to the Book just after Romans, First Corinthians Chapter 10 and talking about some of the experiences that occurred to Israel in the Old Testament. Verse six of First Corinthians, now these things happened as examples for us. Things for us to learn from so that we would not crave evil things as they did, nor be idolaters as some of them were. Verse 8, nor act immorality as some of them did. Nor to try the Lord as some of them did, in verse 9. Nor grumble, verse 11. Now these things happened to them as examples and they were written for our instruction upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

So there are both positive things and negative things if you will that we are to learn, things to encourage and challenge us and strengthen us to persevere. There are also things we learn as warnings about the seriousness of sin and its disastrous sequences. So I direct your attention back to the Book of Judges and Chapter 9.

The Book of Judges is really a connecting Book. Israel begins its life as a nation when it comes out of the Egyptian bondage. When Moses goes and confronts Pharaoh, and ultimately the children of Israel leave Egypt. Now for the first time they come out functioning as a nation. They went down into Egypt remember as a family of seventy people, Jacob and his family.

When they come out of Egypt 400 years later they are a great nation, perhaps two million people. And they function under the leadership of the prophet leader, Moses. And Moses then is succeeded by Joshua. So there you have the early history of the nation as a nation. Now God chose Abraham and his descendants, but they function as family. They don’t blossom into a nation until their time in Egypt.

Now after Moses and then Joshua, we come to the period of time of the Judges. A period of some 300 years where various individuals within the land are raised up by God to bring deliverance to Israel, not as a united nation even there, but portions of the nation in this area or this area of the land that God has given them. And we have that cycle in Judges.

Remember the people sin; God gives them into the hands of their enemies. They cry out to God for deliverance and God sends a judge who is one who will bring military deliverance, if you will, to the nation from the oppression of their enemies. And this period of the judges will bring us to the time of the monarchy in Israel. The last of the Judges will be the prophet Samuel and he will anoint Saul and then David as king and thus Israel then will live as a monarchy.

We looked at the man Gideon, perhaps the two most well known of the judges are Gideon and Samson. And we had three Chapters devoted to the man Gideon. Chapter 6, 7, and 8 are devoted to the leadership of Gideon. He is a great judge; he is listed among the heroes of the faith. In Hebrews Chapter 11, individuals from the Old Testament that are examples for us of living by faith. We saw with Gideon. Here he was privileged to be called by the angel of the Lord and appointed to bring mighty deliverance from the oppression of the Midianites. Gideon was the man with his weaknesses and he was a great deliverer but then when deliverance came and prosperity came he stumbled. And remember he made an ephod of gold and set it up in his city.

Verse 27 of Chapter 8, and all Israel played the harlot with it there and as we talked in our study earlier today that constant attraction of something physical, something visible to be the focus of our worship and even with good intentions it becomes a trap and a cause of sin for Gideon and his family and for Israel in this area.

Gideon has other flaws. We will mention this because they are going to become significant when we move into Chapter 9. Verse 30, Gideon has seventy sons who were his direct descendants for he had many wives. That always is a weak spot and that’s not only that he had wives, but he had a concubine. The verse 31, his concubine was in Shechem.

Now Gideon lives in Ophrah and south of Ophrah, Ophrah getting up near the sea of Galilee, Shechem about half way down from the sea of Galilee and the dead sea, roughly half way down between the sea of Galilee and the dead sea and about half way between the River Jordan that connects those two bodies of water and the Mediterranean is the city of Shechem.

So he was a man who kept a number of women around either as wives or as concubine. He died at a rippled age; he didn’t know the disastrous results of some of his actions. Verse 34 of Chapter 8, told us, thus the sons of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the hands of all their enemies on every side, what did they do? Verse 33, as soon as Gideon was dead, the sons of Israel played the harlot with the Baals and made Baal, sometimes pronounce usually we have ankle size and call it Baal, Baal-berith, their god. So they forget the Lord.

I mean, here God’s great deliverance but Gideon is gone and they forget and they did not show kindness to the household of Jerubbaal. Remember that was the other name of Gideon, the one who contends with Baal in accord with all the good that he had done to Israel. So we have now we are back in the cycle of apostasy.

They had been under bondage to the Midianites for their sin, severe oppression. They cried out to the Lord for mercy, God send Gideon. And God used Gideon to bring deliverance to Israel. Gideon dies and Israel goes back to their old ways, their sinful ways.

So Chapter 9 will open up and we are going to talk about Abimelech and Abimelech’s home town is Shechem remember because that’s where his mother lived. When Gideon would travel from Ophrah, come down to Shechem, get relation with his concubine and she lived in Shechem, she didn’t come up to live as part of his household. That’s evidently the connection in which she did the family was still down there in Shechem.

Shechem is a major city in the Old Testament. When Abraham was Abram then, first came into the land of Canaan. Why don’t you turn back to Genesis Chapter 12? Sometimes it’s hard to track the geography of the Old Testament particularly if we don’t have a map right before us.

Genesis Chapter 12, verse 6, when God called Abram out of Ur of the Chaldees and then he went to Haran and then from Haran he comes into the land and then you note in verse 6 of Genesis 12, Abram passed through the land as far as the sight of Shechem to the oak of Moreh. The Canaanites were then in the land. The Lord appeared to Abram and said, to your descendents I will give this land. Shechem becomes a major area because it’s somewhat focal. If you look on a map it’s somewhat of a central place, so Abram came to Shechem and there the Lord appeared to him. While you are in Genesis, you might to skip over to Chapter 33. Significant event happen here with Jacob.

Jacob left the land because of a conflict remember with his brother Esau, and he is returning after being out of the land for a number of years having he now has his own family, his own wives. And in Chapter 33 verse 18 of Genesis, we are told now Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem. Verse 19, he bought a piece of land where he pitched his tent, he bought the land from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father and there he build an altar to the God of Israel.

Now this is where then one of his daughters Dinah has violated by the son of the king of Shechem and so Dinah’s two brothers end up killing all the men of the city of Shechem and looting the city. And so Jacob has to leave Shechem and journey on. When you get over to Joshua Chapter 8, just before the Book of Judges, Joshua, Chapter 8 verse 30, and the event that happens here under Joshua’s leadership when the children of Israel was coming to the land here at Shechem and Shechem is between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim.

And so it’s here that the covenant is renewed or confirmed before Joshua’s death. In Joshua 8, you read that Joshua built an altar to the Lord in Israel in Mount Ebal. And there they built stones, set stones up there and half the people are going to stay on one side of the mountain. On the one mountain, Mount Gerizim, the other on the slope coming down of one mountain and then on the other mountain, the other half of the people stand and they recite the law in response kind of setting. And here we are at Shechem to the north one mountain and to the south you have the other.

Come to Joshua 24, and really all of Chapter 24 is another renewal of the covenant, the confirmation of the covenant as Joshua prepares for his death. So you see Chapter 24 opens up Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, called for the elders of Israel, for their heads, their judges, their officers; Joshua said to all the people, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, from ancient times your fathers lived beyond the river and now they were going back to Abraham, and how God faithfully work and this is that well known section. Verse 14, now they fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and truth.
Verse 15, if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourself today whom you will serve. At the end of the verse but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. So we come to Judges Chapter 9, and we talk about Shechem. It is an important city in Israel’s life and history and if you have already located on a map, I mean, you even have a map right in the area there. You got take a moment at least to identify Shechem.

All right, let’s begin with Chapter 9 where Abimelech becomes the ruler. Now remember Abimelech is the son of Gideon but not by one of his wives. He has seventy sons by his wives but by a concubine. And Abimelech, the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother’s relatives. So perhaps the concubine had come to be part of the extended family of Gideon. We are not told the details, but her family obviously and the families of Abimelech are in Shechem.

So he realizes he has a potential powerbase here. Remember with the recent events with Saddam Hussein and his hometown was at Tikrit where a sort of center of support for him. He has relatives there and he is from that city so the people there are supportive of him. So this is what Abimelech is going to do. My mother is from your town, my relatives here, so he is going here to build a powerbase to assume leadership in Israel.

Now again we have think this is all the nation united under him like he is a king of the nation Israel. But the whole area in this region would come under his authority. Abimelech, the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem to his mother’s relatives; spoke to them to the whole clan of the household of his mother and father saying, his mother’s father saying speak now in the hearing of all the leaders of Shechem which is better for you that seventy men, all the sons of Jerubbaal rule over you or that one man rule over you.

And also remember you are bone and you are flesh. Stop and think about it, would you rather have seventy rulers and all the confusion that brings or would you have one? And how about is that one was one of your relatives. That would be best, wouldn’t? So he goes and he gets the key men from the family, his relatives to bring this up in the city. Verse 3, his mother’s relative spoke all these words on his behalf in the hearing of all the leaders of Shechem. They were inclined to follow Abimelech for they said, “he is our relative.”

Naturally if he becomes a ruler, our city is going to become a key city and we will reap the benefits of that. They gave him seventy pieces of silver from the house of Baal-berith with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless fellows and they followed him. You get something of the character of Abimelech. The people of Shechem, they are worshippers of Baal. They take money that has been given in honor of their god Baal and give him seventy shekels of silver and he can use this if you will to hire an army. An army of worthless men that will be willing to do whatever he wants them to do because he is paying them.

And so the first thing he does get rid of the competition. Verse 5, then he went to his father’s house at Ophrah and if you look on the map he has gone north. Now he has gone back to where his fathers’ house Gideon and Gideon’s seventy sons by his official wives would have been located. And he killed his brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal seventy men on one stone. The indication is this is a mass execution, the seventy sons are assembled together at one spot, and then on one stone the execution takes place. We are not told how, where they beheaded, whether they executed with the sword we are not told that in this one bottom mass execution takes place.

One son escapes, the end of verse 5, Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself. Nothing mention here but any outcry among the people for this treatment of Gideon’s family and you remember verse 35 of Chapter 8, they did not show kindness to the household of Jerubbaal that is Gideon in accord with all the good that he had done to Israel almost hard to fathom that the people of this region who would have reap such benefit from the leadership of Gideon now passively observe indifferent to the fact that all seventy of his sons are executed indicate something of the spiritual decline that has overtaken the nation so quickly.

Is they have turned to worship Baal then the kindness that you would think would have characterize their actions toward Gideon’s family are gone. Spiritual decay and with it this kind of activity. We have a son that escaped and that’s the youngest son Jotham. Verse 6, all the men of Shechem and all Beth Millo assembled together and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar which was in Shechem.

So now we have eliminated all potential rivals. There is one descendent of Gideon so he can claim some rightful lineage to being ruler and he has eliminated all the sons that could be potential conflict. Remember Gideon refuses to become a king in Chapter 8, verse 23, when they wanted him to become a king. He said I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you. The Lord shall rule over you.

But Gideon would have been recognized as the leader in Israel even though he would not assume a formal position. But Abimelech has been appointed king; he is going to rule the people now for three years until some trouble breaks out. Now Gideon had many wives, he had this son by a concubine, he dies, he didn’t know what trouble would come to his household by his actions there. And sometimes certain things go on in the bile doesn’t directly address them.

We know from the teaching description variety of places that was not God’s plan for multiple wives. Remember what the bible says about Solomon that they led him away from the Lord. And here now you’ve got this multiple sons from multiple women and you set up the potential for disaster. Gideon goes to his grave not knowing that he has put in place the kind of situation that will result in almost all of his sons being executed.

And then the one who is guilty of it will also then himself suffer death for his action. You know sometimes we don’t know and we have no way of knowing what the consequences of our sin will be. Gideon’s failures here have disastrous consequences. All right, let’s look at verse 7. Now when they told that Jotham, he went and stood on the top of mount Gerizim, remember we done in Shechem, that’s where Abimelech has just been ordained as king by the people.

Now Jotham gets up on the top of mount Gerizim, a place where he can shout out and be heard and yet not quickly captured. And he is going to give a parable and a prophecy. Listen to me the end of verse 7, all men of Shechem that God may listen to you once the trees went forth to anoint a king over them; and they said to the olive tree, Reign over us. But the olive tree said to them, shall I leave my fatness, with which God and men honored and go to wave over the trees? Then the trees said to the fig tree, you come reign over us. But the fig tree said to them, shall I leave my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go wave over the trees? Then said the trees to the vine, you come reign over us.

The vine said to them, shall I leave my new wine, which cheers God and man, and go to wave over the trees? Finally all the trees said to the bramble. Now you see here anyone of character, anyone of worth, if you will, wouldn’t take that position. Remember Gideon rejected it and he said he son wouldn’t rule. So they go to bramble and that refers to obviously Abimelech.

He is the one who is anoint the kingship, people of value and worth would not function in that capacity formally. But the people finally the trees got a bramble, a thorn bush something that had no value in itself. And verse 15, the bramble said to the trees, If in truth you are anointing me as king over you, or you come and take refuge in my shade; but if not make fire come out of the bramble and consume the cedars of Lebanon.

Verse 16, he is going to challenge them now, there is the parable picturing what you have got is the bramble. And what is the thorn bush the briar is worth for, the burning here. Now therefore, if you have dealt in truth and integrity and making Abimelech king, if you’ve dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have dealt with him as he deserved for my father fought for you, risk his life, deliver you from the hand of Midian but you have reason against my father’s house today, have killed his sons, every men on one stone, have made Abimelech the son of his maid servant, king over the men of Shechem because he is your relative. If then you dealt in truth and integrity with Jerubbaal and his house this day, rejoice in Abimelech. Let him rejoice in you. Now here comes the prophecy, but if not, let fire come out from Abimelech and consume the men of Shechem and Beth Millo.

Let fire come out from the men of Shechem and from Beth Millo and consume Abimelech. There is the prophecy, if you have functioned faithfully and integrity dealing with the family of Gideon in light of how God used him to bring great blessing to you, well, rejoice, but if you haven’t then may you destroy each other. The men of Shechem have just appointed Abimelech king, but in Jotham’s those prophecy if you haven’t functioned in truth and integrity, that Abimelech will destroy Shechem and Shechem will end up destroying Abimelech and that’s a prophecy that will be fulfilled in a relatively short time.

Then Jotham escaped and fled, and went to Beer, and remain there because of Abimelech his brother. So he has fled out of the region to a place where Abimelech would not search him out. Now Abimelech ruled over Israel three years in verses 22 to 49. Really are going to focus on the destruction of Shechem at the hands of Abimelech, the very city that is his hometown. He is going to turn against them because they become unhappy with his leadership. And he can’t tolerate rebellion against him so he is going to destroy them. And you will note the sovereignty of God in this.

And God uses evil men to accomplish his work. Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech. You see something of the sovereignty of God in the affairs of the world. Here we are dealing with an ungodly man; we are dealing with people who are idol worshippers even though they are Israelites. They are not worshipping the living God. And you have Gods’ sovereignty intervening in these affairs and he is going to use a demonic spirit to accomplish his work there.

Which is God sent an evil spirit that is a demonic being, a fallen angel. One of the angels who joined Lucifer in his rebellion against God and was casts from their position in heaven. God remains sovereign over all and even uses fallen beings, not only fallen men but fallen angels. So here he sends a demonic spirit, an evil spirit between Abimelech and the sons of Shechem. Why do things unravel here because the sovereign God has sent a demon to stir up trouble?

Turn over to First Samuel Chapter 6, just look at several references for this. First Samuel 6, we need to understand something of God’s working in the affairs of the world. First Samuel 16, and here you have the failure of Saul the function as a king that God could honor and bless and so he will be replaced by David. In fact, the Chapter opened up, Chapter 16, verse 1, the Lord said to Samuel, how long will you greave over Saul since I have rejected him being king over Israel.

Your concern is to be with what God has determined to do, not with your personal feelings about Saul, he is done. Look over in Chapter 16 verse 13, then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed David, anointed him referring to David in the midst of his brethren. Now note this, and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Verse 14, now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord terrorized him. Now the demonic spirit comes from the Lord, in the sense God in his sovereignty has sent him. So that he can terrorize Saul.

Look over in Chapter 18 of First Samuel. Verse 10, now it came about on the next day that an evil spirit from God came mightily upon Saul. You see, I mean, careful to see it is God is sovereign even in the activity of the demonic beings in the world. Now be careful, he doesn’t make demonic beings sin. They function out of their own sinful character, their nature as fallen beings. But God is sovereign over their activity to even use their sinful actions for the accomplishing of his purposes. Perhaps a clear passage is in First Kings Chapter 22 seeing how this works. We are given a glimpse into the throne room of heaven.

With all the angelic host gather before the throne of God, very similar to the scene that we have in Job Chapters 1 and 2, where all the angels gather and Satan comes among them and here in First Kings 22, you have fallen angels assembled before the throne of God in heaven. Micaiah is the prophet. The context is Gods’ plan to bring about the death of Ahab, the godless king of Israel. So verse 19, First Kings, 22, Micaiah is a godly prophet and he is been summoned and so he gives his prophecy. Verse 19, Micaiah said, therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne.

So Micaiah the prophet is given a vision of the throne room of heaven. He saw the Lord sitting on his throne and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right and on his left. These are angelic beings, and you will see in a moment this include the fallen angels. Evidently at appointed times all the angelic beings present themselves before God. It is throne in heaven that includes unfallen and fallen angels. And Job tells us that there came a day when the sons of God presented themselves before the throne of God.

The Lord said, who will entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? One said this, well, another said that. Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord and said, I will entice him. The Lord said to him, how? I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. Then he said you have to entice him and also prevail: go and do so. You see his sovereign here, God.

Now the demonic spirit wants to do something. Go out and be a lying spirit of the mouth of the prophets. God gives him permission to go and do that and tells him he will be successful because Ahab will believe the lies of the false prophets. I want you to note here, we talk this morning about the danger of some of things that infiltrate the church and we are dealing with a spiritual supernatural flow and sometimes it is God’s plan to use even demonic being. And we need to be aware of the kind of conflict and issues at stake and not be overwhelmed.

I mean, the message of these false prophets is going to overwhelmingly convincing to regenerate people. Because it is supernatural, it has the power of devil if you will under the authority of God who has determined that the lies of these false prophets will be effective in being believed by a godless man. Verse 23, now therefore behold the Lord as put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets and the Lord has proclaimed disaster against you.

Then one of the false prophets Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and struck Micaiah on the cheek, and said, how did the spirit of the Lord pass from me to you? And it is a false prophet, he doesn’t understand. He thinks he has the spirit but he has rejected the God of Israel, he is a liar. And he has a spirit motivating him, empowering him but it’s a demonic spirit. But you see God’s sovereignty comes from the throne room of God that the demons have authority to carry out this action and God has determined that it will be successful. For God even using the activity of sinful beings, angels, as well as man and the demons and Ahab are joined in this because Ahab is to suffer a death and destruction on this occasion and he is taught he will but he chooses the believe the false prophet not the true prophet Micaiah.

Go to Job 1, Job 1, just keep going back just before song you will hit the Book of Job. Job Chapter 1 verse 12. Verse 6 I refer to earlier, Job 1, 6, in other words a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan also came among them. Remember Satan won’t loose access to heaven and the demonic angels will not loose access to heaven till the middle of the seven year tribulation, Revelation, Chapter 12, there will be war in heaven between Satan and his angles and Michael and the good angles and Satan and his host will be cast from heaven.

So these fallen angels have lost their position in heaven but they have not lost their access. And at appointed times they are summoned before Gods’ throne. You got # of that in First Kings 22, here it’s happening again in Job 1. Again God initiated the conversation, have you consider my servant Job and his righteousness and there is none like him in verse 8. Verse 12, then the Lord said to Satan, behold all that has in your power; only do not forth your hand on him so Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.

You see God has given Satan permission to do what Satan wants to do. But he is giving permission to do it because that’s within the plan of God for Job. In Chapter 2, verse 6, again we have, Chapter 2 verse 1 began, again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord. Satan came also among them; see this like regular times where all angelic beings are summoned before Gods’ throne. Verse 6, so the Lord said to Satan, behold, he is in your power, only spare his life. You see Gods’ sovereignty, here is what you can do, here is what you cannot do because it fits Gods’ plan.

The demons are free to do whatever they want. But they have to operate under the sovereign authority of God. Not that God is causing sin but he is using these demonic beings even in the activity of the world. Think about that when you see the nations of the world raging and the conflicts and the activities of the world, you have fallen spirit beings moving on the hearts and minds of fallen human beings. Remember Jesus said to the religious people of his day, the religious ruler, you are of your father the devil and you always do his will and its what they wanted to do. So there is agreement.

Turn over to – stop at Daniel Chapter 10, Daniel Chapter 10. And in Daniel Chapter 10, Daniel has been praying and the answer to his prayer is sent but the angel who brings the answer Gabriel is held up, the angel appears to Daniel in Daniel Chapter 10. Daniel fell on his face and into a deep sleep, verse 9, and the angel touches him and he has raised up and he says, verse 11, O Daniel, a man high esteem understand the words that I am about to speak to you. What an honor to be known the quote of heaven is a man of high esteem, a man honored of God. Daniel was trembling as he hear, he said to me, verse 12, do not be afraid Daniel for from the first day you set your heart on understanding this, and humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words.

God has sent me because he heard you. But it took me three weeks to get here because I had a battle with a demonic being who has authority over the realm of Persia. And he wouldn’t let me in. But prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty one days as not a man. That’s referring to an angelic being who was of significant power and authority to prevent Gabriel from coming to speak to Daniel because this demonic being has authority over the kingdom of Persia. Here we get some idea of the arrangement of demonic forces we have the nations of the world arranged under the authority of Satan with a demonic authority over these nations and powerful enough beings to hold the Gabriel who comes from the presence of the Lord for twenty one days. That’s three weeks.

Then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes came to me, there is an authority structure among the angels. One with greater authority came, Michael, the arch angel for I have been left there with the kings of Persia. Now I have come because Michael had authority and you see something of what is going on the spirit world in just glimpses like windows. One of the passages we have to stop, well, that we are studying Judges, well, we are. Revelation, Chapter 9, you see the consistency in the work of God from back in Judges where God is using these beings.

And this is a yet future event, now we are Revelation Chapter 9, we are in coming seventieth week of Daniel. The last seven years leading up to the bodily return to Christ to earth to destroy his enemies and establish his kingdom. And in Revelation, Chapter 9, verse 13, then the sixth angel sounded, this is the sixth trumpet judgment and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before the Lord one saying to the sixth angel who led the trumpet, release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates. And the four angels who had been prepared for the hour, and the day, the month, the year, release so that they would kill a third of mankind.

The number of the armies of the horsemen was two hundred million; I heard the number of them. You see here four angelic beings bound, obviously, demonic beings bound because this is not Gods’ time but as soon as they are loosed, they are free to unleash their destructive power on the peoples of the earth and the result will be one third of mankind will die under this judgment.

I mean, what say the population at the death time of this six billion, I have to do it in a number I can divide. That would be two billion people, right. One judgment, four angles loosed, they have an army under them of two hundred million but the releasing of these four key angels who are bound, they are bound while we are talking at the river Euphrates. They are bound there, waiting, verse 15, for the hour, the day, the month, the year. God has appointed his sovereign at his time, he will give the word to the good angels to release them and now they are free to go out their destructive desires because it’s within the plan of God.

And we are going to see the destruction between one and two billion people depending on the population of the earth under this judgment that you see the place of these demonic spirits. How do we fit into this? Well, Job became the object of demonic attack but it’s always limited by God, controlled by God, you see hell is under control in authority as everything under control, it is God. We are his people. Job was the most righteousness man on the face of earth. God gave permission to Satan to attack him in very difficult ways, all of Jobs children died one day, remember. He looses all his wealth, his health he has lost, his friends abandoned him, all under the power of Satan, but he wasn’t allowed to kill him.

We are in spiritual battle and they continue on today, go to Ephesians Chapter 6, Ephesians Chapter 6 verse 10, finally be strong in the Lord and the strength of his might, put on the whole armour of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenliest. Therefore take up the whole armour of God, stand firm, being go to whole armour of God.

Nothing changes in the sense, back to the days of the Judges and the activity of demonic spirit and before that we have to content with them. The God has made provision for us; the first provision is the armour he has provided. He strengthen his armour and that is the way that you stand firm because we are not doing battle against flesh and blood, we think oh, we can only get this leader out, this person change, this person replace, that’s not the issue.

The real issue is the spirit forces we are doing battle with, I mean, understand what the reality is. Second provision while we are at it, First John, Chapter 4, verse 4, First John 4, 4, you are from God little children and come them because greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world. Greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world. So we have the spirit of the living God dwelling within us. So we do battle with the forces of Satan but we have a greater force, we have a greater strength because the spirit of God dwells in us and he is more powerful and have greater authority than Satan. That’s not mean Satan won’t attack us, he does, we battle not against flesh and blood but against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenliest.

These fallen angelic beings who have access to the heavenliest and the throne of God, beings of great power, but we have to tremble, we have to have a healthy respect. Jude says that even Michael, the arch angel realize then only the Lord could rebuke Satan in the battle recorded in Jude. So we have the armor of God provided for us, we have the spirit of God provided for us and come to Second Corinthians, Chapter 10, and then we will go back to Judges.

I haven’t forgotten, Second Corinthians, Chapter 10, Second Corinthians 10, verse 3, for thought we walk in the flesh, we do not war against the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and so on.

You see we have divinely powerful weapons. That’s the trap that devil has to try to lure the people of God, the church of God, away from the word of God which is sword of the spirit. And that’s away from the power of the spirit who dwells us and uses the word of God that he is inspired and now we are out there with the weapons of the flesh trying to do battle against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenliest. And we need the weapons of warfare that are divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. So we have the armor of God, we have the spirit of God and we had the divinely powerful weapons. So that’s what you need to deal battle with the devil, with the forces of the demonic world.

Come back to Judges, Chapter 9, all of that because we were told that an evil spirit from God, an evil spirit from God indicating it comes under his sovereign control with his authority to bring about the destruction of ungodly people. And so out of this conflict and disagreement between Abimelech and the people of Shechem, it ends up that Abimelech comes and you have the details of the battle and you can read them, I spend too much time on the other things, for us to go through the details of the battle, but it’s pretty much self explanatory, as you read through it. The end result of this all is Abimelech will fall on the people of the city and utterly destroy them.

Verse 45, Abimelech fought against the city all that day; he captured the city, killed the people that were in it, he razed the city and sowed it with salt. Now this was Shechem, the city that was his powerbase to start, he not only destroys all the people and smashes the city, then he sows it with salt. Purpose being what? It’s useless, you can’t grow anything here now, it’s a dead city.

Now, his destruction of this city, he intended to be complete. The leaders of Shechem, they entered the inner chamber of the temple and it was told to Abimelech that all the leaders of the Tower of Shechem were gathered together, he went to Mount Zalmon, all his people were with him, he took an axe in his hand cut down a branch and they follow him. And so they all carry these branches they have cut down and these are all gathered on this temple area and all Abimelech and his soldiers, his followers just to lay all of these branches around the Temple therein and light them a fire and burn up all the leaders that had – were from the city of Shechem.

Then, Abimelech Verse 50, went to Thebez, he camped against Thebez, and captured it. This is a related City, who had joined Shechem in the rebellion against Abimelech leadership. But there was a strong tower, Verse 51, in the city, and all the men and women and all the leaders of the city fled there and shut themselves in it, went up on the roof of the tower.

So Abimelech’s fighting and he has got an idea, worked in the last city, everybody, will gather up all the branches, follow my leadership, he goes and gathers the branches and carries them up to put – so he can light them and all his followers will do it, but you know what happens There is a dear little old lady up on the top of the Tower. And here comes Abimelech carrying his branches and she has got a big millstone in here hand, so just leans over and says, bombs away.

And verse 53, A certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech's head, crushing his skull. And oh boy, now we have got trouble, he quickly call his armor bearer and says thrust me through. Why? What’s the worst thing that can happen to a military man? Remember Sisera; die at the hands of a woman. I mean what kind of military guy is this going to be? I mean, he will be disgraced in his death.

Oh Abimelech, yes, I remember him, a little old lady killed him. He didn’t want to die that way. So he has his armor bearer draw his sword and thrust him through, Verse 54, "Draw your sword and kill me, so that it will not said of me, a woman slew him", so the man pierced him through and he died. But the men of Israel saw Abimelech was dead, each departed to his house.

Thus, the Lord repaid the wickedness of Abimelech which he had done to his father and killing his seventy brothers and God returned all the wickedness of the men of Shechem on their heads and the curse of Jotham, son of Jerubbaal came upon them. Hey, you know, just is amazing the sovereignty of God.

What seems to be confusion and disorder and chaos and God has it all under control. When all is said and done, the people of Shechem are dead, Abimelech is dead. God used Jotham, the surviving son of Gideon to give the prophecy and then it all works out. On all that chaos, God is in control. Well, one thing, when we study the old testament, we see the hand of God, when we turn on the news, we ought to ring our hands, I might scratch my head and say, I don’t have the foggiest idea, the Lord is going to bring out of this what he plans.

But, I know, he’s sovereign, the confusion, the disorder, he is in control. Some of the things that are happening, only the worst of the demons can do that, that’s all right, they only function under the sovereign authority of God in a manner that will accomplish his purposes in bringing about the destruction of Godless people and preparing the way for glory for his people. We saw that in the Revelation 9 passage.

All right, let me just read a few summary statements about this and we will wrap it up. Number one, disobedience to God, leads to increasing wickedness and corruption, you just cant disobey God a little bit, that opens the door to the next step, the next step, the next step, the next step. Disobedience to God leads to increasing wickedness and corruption.

Failure to discipline. Number two, failure to discipline seen among God’s people is a sign of spiritual decay and corruption. You know, the people turn away from the Lord, begin to worship Baal again, they forget about the leadership of Gideon and his family and it’s a down hill slide. And then, failure to deal with sin, one sin leads to another and pretty soon you can have Abimelech come and execute seventy men, sons of the man that God greatly used to bring about your deliverance and its nothing to you. Somehow we are prepared to accept the worst of actions and the failure to discipline sin among God’s people is a sign of spiritual decay in grip, that’s why we are called to exercise spiritual discipline in the church today.

Number three, failure to discipline sin leads to increased sin and corruption, that cycle of downward it goes, it won’t be over until Shechem is destroyed, Abimelech is destroyed, I mean sin always, brings ruin. You know, I am amazed, visiting with a person here in the last week or two about the tragedy of the Aids epidemic in Africa and they talk about the millions of people dying and children dying, but one of the solutions is not, you know can’t be considered is morality.

They can stop the Aids epidemic, last I read is 92% of the Aids cases could be traced either to illicit sex or illicit drugs, monogamous marriage and no illicit drugs and we can cure Aids. Oh that’s it, they can be one of it, we have to be free to commit a morality and so we see the deterioration go on just as one example.

Number four, all creation is under God’s sovereign authority, even the demons. All creation is under God’s sovereign authority, even the demons. I believe, the course of this world, is exactly on track. God’s not up there, trying to make adjustments on a master map.

What do you think Gabriel, Michael? Go ahead, speak, we have got to come up with something here, that’s not the way it is. I mean, he – when he calls the angels to assemble before him, he sends out his good angels, he sends out the demonic angels according to what will fit his plan. In the moving among individuals and the moving among nations, all creations under God’s sovereign authority.

The demons are used, now this is point five, the demons are used by God to bring about judgment and discipline, the demons are used to bring about judgment and discipline.

Number six. And we looked at this as we went into the New Testament; God has made complete provision for us in our spiritual conflicts, so we are prepared as his people as we draw upon his provisions. The full armor of God submitting to the indwelling spirit, utilizing divinely powerful weapons for the destruction of fortresses. God has made complete provision for us in our spiritual conflicts.

And lastly, God will judge the wicked, you know there would have been a time there when it seemed like the wicked had won. Abimelech is roiling, Gideon’s sons are dead, Shechem’s excited, one of their own is king, but that’s not the reality, the reality is that they are on the road to destruction and that time of seeming victory and that sin has won out wasn’t the true picture, the last Chapter hadn’t been written. We have to go down three years and find Shechem and its people destroyed and Abimelech dead, with his skull crushed by a millstone thrown by a woman and then his armor bearer finishing the task.

God will judge the wicked, Ecclesiastes, Chapter 12, verse 13 and 14, the conclusion when all has been heard is, fear God and keep his commandments, because this applies to every person, because God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil. Let’s pray together. Thank you Lord for your grace, thank you for these accounts of your working among your people Israel. And a time which seems so long ago, but in many ways, the things are the same, the battle is still a spiritual battle.

The issues are still issues of sin, issues of faith, issues of obedience, Lord, may we learn from these things and be encouraged to persevere, to rejoice in the hope that we have the promises you have give. Lord, may we be warned about the dangers of sin, the seriousness of sin, the activity of the enemy of our soul. Thank you for your provision for us in grace, in Christ’s name, amen.