Daily Bible Notes

Adam, Seth, Enosh; 1 Chronicles 1:1 (ESV)

Modern scholars in a cowardly attempt to shoe horn the scriptures to fit into the story presented by the unproven naturalistic theory of evolution, have discounted Adam and Eve as either mythical figures or as the first ape-men that God specially selected from all the other Neanderthals… seriously… I know it just sounds crazy but that is what some are teaching in order to find acceptance in the worlds academies.

The bible actually teaches that Adam and Eve were the first ever created humans and that we are all descended from them, they were actual historical people as demonstrated by this and other biblical genealogies.

The historical person of Adam is so vital to the gospel message in terms of our bondage under sin and salvation in Jesus that Paul refers to Adam often, see Romans 5:14-19 and 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 for example.

Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn and Heth, and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. 1 Chronicles 1:13–16 (ESV)

It is of note that the descendants of Canaan did not populate Africa as many are led to believe. They in fact populated the land of Canaan in the middle east.

for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 1 Timothy 2:2 (ESV)

God wants us to pray for all people, not just an elect few who meet a certain criteria. Specifically we should pray for leaders so that the church and the gospel can flourish in freedom and peace. The reason for this is that the message can spread to all peoples because God desires all types of people to be saved so we need to have the freedom to preach the message everywhere to all people

who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:4 (ESV)

God doesn’t just want to save the Jews or those with the “secret knowledge” as the false teachers were proposing (see previous chapter), no, God wants salvation to be made available to all peoples for all nations, tribes and tongues.

This does not discount the fact that God chooses those that are saved as taught elsewhere. God’s desired will as displayed here and God’s decreed will as seen in election are two different things. God’s desired will is not enforced whereas God’s decreed will is.

 there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 1 Timothy 2:5–6 (ESV)

Jesus, not Mary is our mediator. Universalist take this scripture and twist it to say all have been ransomed. As mentioned before, the all can not be interpreted as everyone who ever lived but all in terms of type, Christ died for people form every nation and station in life

For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. 1 Timothy 2:13–14 (ESV)

More evidence of the historical Adam as we mentioned in our note on the OT reading today. Also Paul’s rationale for male eldership and leadership in the church. It is getting harder to affirm the truth that leadership is male in today’s society but we must hold firm to the truthful teaching of the bible in spite of cultural moods

Yet God my King is from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. Psalm 74:12 (ESV)

Our God is the true King, Jesus is the king of our salvation

Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek rest for you, that it may be well with you? Ruth 3:1 (ESV)

Naomi makes a plan, a great and ingenious plan to provide a future for her faithful daughter Ruth, in this we see one way in which God’s actions and ours work together. God acts in or through Naomi’s acts. In other words what she does executes God’s plan.

We should not sit passively saying “I’m just waiting for God’s will to be done”, no, we should seize every God given opportunity, God opens doors and we need to walk through them.

So we need to open our eyes, see the open doors, make a plan and walk through the door, God works through us and in us. See Philippians 2:12

And she replied, “All that you say I will do.” Ruth 3:5 (ESV)

Ruth’s obedience to Naomi is inspiring, she does not question Naomi but has faith in her wisdom and command. Ruth is not skeptical but moves in faith to fulfill the plan set out by Naomi and God rewards her with success.

In contradiction to our culture which seems to be perpetually poised in opposition to God and his law, our lives should be marked by unquestioning obedience to God and his word.

Jesus calls us to obedience in John 14:15 and 15:10. Paul mentions obedience in the saints throughout the world as one of the reasons for his ministry in Romans 1:5 and 6:17. The writer of Hebrews also reminds us that our eternal security is connected to our obedience in Hebrews 5:9

He said, “Who are you?” And she answered, “I am Ruth, your servant. Spread your wings over your servant, for you are a redeemer.” Ruth 3:9 (ESV)

Ruth takes a bold step of faith in asking Boaz to become her covering as a husband and redeemer. The lesson for us is simple, without faith it is impossible for us to please God, we must put our faith in our redeemer Jesus. See Hebrews 11:6

So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife. And he went in to her, and the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son. Ruth 4:13 (ESV)

God’s providence was at work in all of this. God’s great plan of redemption for all peoples was unfolding, through this son would come David and through him Christ would come.

When we speak of God’s providence we are referring to God’s support, care, and supervision of all creation, from its beginning to all eternity. Jesus Christ said, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working” (John 5:17).

We are also speaking of God’s activity through his unlimited power and knowledge to fulfill his purpose for the whole creation, including human beings.

The Westminster Confession of Faith states “God, the great Creator of all things, doth uphold, direct, dispose, and govern all creatures, actions and things, from the greatest even to the least, by his most wise and holy providence, according to his infallible foreknowledge, and the free and immutable counsel of his own will, to the praise of the glory of his wisdom, power, justice, goodness and mercy”

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 1 Timothy 1:15 (ESV)

Jesus great mission in coming to this word was to save sinners, not one particular type of sinner but all types of sinner no matter how bad we have been or what sin we have committed we can be saved by Jesus our kinsman redeemer

To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 1 Timothy 1:17 (ESV)

God is our great king, he is sovereign and worthy of all our praise, mediate on the fact that he is king today, if he is king, what does that mean for your life?

holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, 1 Timothy 1:19 (ESV)

Holding to the faith, the truth of the gospel but having a bad conscience because of sin and compromise will lead to our faith being shipwrecked and us undergoing discipline from the Lord like Hymenaeus and Alexander. We need to keep our conscience clear by living in honesty and repentance by the power of the Holy Spirit

But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end. Psalm 73:16–17 (ESV)

it is only through God that we can understand the world around us. Our worldview should be informed by him

Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. Psalm 73:25 (ESV)

God should be our greatest treasure. Ask yourself this question, if heaven with all its splendour, pleasure and beauty did not have God, if God was not there… would you still want to go?

But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the LORD do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” Ruth 1:16–17 (ESV)

We can all learn so much from Ruth’s devotion, commitment and selfless faithfulness. Ruth is determined to stay with Naomi and will not abandon her, in doing so she goes as far as to change her nationality and faith for which God will greatly reward her.

Jesus calls us to show this sort of resolve and covenantal loyalty in following him, our spiritual nationality changes too as we become Gods people. We must be resolute, we must not turn back and must continue to press forward. If we settle our hearts on single-minded commitment to the Lord and persevere we will be rewarded. See Mark 8:34 and Luke 9:62

This attitude should affect other areas of our lives too like our marriage etc

She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves after the reapers.’ So she came, and she has continued from early morning until now, except for a short rest.” Ruth 2:7 (ESV)

Ruth shows us another great example, she is a hard worker. We are called to honest, hard, relentless work in the New Testament both spiritually and physically.

Paul echoes this call in his own account in 1 Corinthians 15:10 “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.”

Then she fell on her face, bowing to the ground, and said to him, “Why have I found favor in your eyes, that you should take notice of me, since I am a foreigner?” Ruth 2:10 (ESV)

Ruth knows where she is coming from and that she does not deserve and is not entitled to the grace Boaz is showing to her.

Ruth shows us the kind of humble, grateful and gracious attitude we should have. We too were once in darkness and we’re not part of Gods people but by Gods unmerited love he elected and saved us by his grace.

We should remember where we are coming from, how God saved us and not become proud. We should be grateful.

Paul reminds us in Ephesians 2:12-13 “remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”

And Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, “May he be blessed by the LORD, whose kindness has not forsaken the living or the dead!” Naomi also said to her, “The man is a close relative of ours, one of our redeemers.” Ruth 2:20 (ESV)

Jesus like Boaz became our kingsman redeemer, he became a relative of ours by becoming human to redeem us from the curse of sin and death. Here are just two verses that point to this as we praise his name for his grace to us:

Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. (Hebrews 2:17 ESV)

who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. (Philippians 2:6, 7 ESV)

As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. 1 Timothy 1:3–4 (ESV)

Teaching and theology matter. It matters what we believe. We can not be certain what the bad teaching was but it was likely some form of Gnosticism.

Each of us is called to know the truth, hold to the truth in faith and defend the truth. We should not give way to relativism, naturalism or any other ism that contradicts or opposes the truth of Gods word and message.

Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. Psalm 73:1 (ESV)

We must have the vital combination of pure teaching and pure hearts one is not valid without the other

And the Levite, the husband of the woman who was murdered, answered and said, “I came to Gibeah that belongs to Benjamin, I and my concubine, to spend the night. And the leaders of Gibeah rose against me and surrounded the house against me by night. They meant to kill me, and they violated my concubine, and she is dead. Judges 20:4–5 (ESV)

This wicked, self centred and callous Levite now lies, bringing a false witness before all Israel, inciting them into a frenzied state with a bloodlust to avenge the claimed wrong.

The Levite does not tell the full story of how he came to Gibeah, he claims the leaders wanted to kill him and then “took” his concubine to rape and kill her when in fact he had given her to the lowlife mob (not leaders) to save his own neck because the awful truth is that these men wanted to rape the levite.

The people of Israel have forgotten the wisdom and spirit of the law which instructs us that it is in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word should be established (Deuteronomy 19:15). Jesus reminds us of this when speaking of church discipline in Matthew 18:16.

We must not leave ourselves open to manipulation by men with their own agenda or bias. We must not neglect our responsibility to investigate the truth. See 2 Corinthians 13:1

and we will take ten men of a hundred throughout all the tribes of Israel, and a hundred of a thousand, and a thousand of ten thousand, to bring provisions for the people, that when they come they may repay Gibeah of Benjamin, for all the outrage that they have committed in Israel.” Judges 20:10 (ESV)

The children of Israel have an unbalanced response to this sin, it is hypocritical because they did nothing agains Micah and the tribe of Dan for their evil actions which were grievous sins before God.

We have a tendency to treat some sins as far more serious than others and so react differently based on our own value system rater than God’s. We often react most aggressively to sins perpetrated on innocent human victims yet we treat crimes aimed directly at God as less important by our response. Heresy and bad doctrine is actually a terrible sin but we do not respond to it in the same way we do sexual sins for example.

We need to ask for God’s help to respond to sin in a consistent way, apply the same weight on sins that the world may see as non issues like blasphemy.

A new testament example of this is the woman caught in the act of adultery, the lopsided view of this sin is dealt with by Jesus in John 8:3-11

The people of Israel arose and went up to Bethel and inquired of God, “Who shall go up first for us to fight against the people of Benjamin?” And the LORD said, “Judah shall go up first.” Judges 20:18 (ESV)

Gods name is used to legitimise what they have already decided to do, God sometimes answers in order to bring disciple and judgement. God shows his disapproval of the children of Israel’s methods for dealing with this outrage by allowing them to be defeated in the first two battles.

God cannot be manipulated to validate our human schemes, we must not take his name in vain, invoking the Lords name when we are living in hypocrisy can lead to our own undoing.

In the end the tribe of Benjamin who did not give up the men who committed the crime do receive their judgement too.

Yet we cannot give them wives from our daughters.” For the people of Israel had sworn, “Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin.” Judges 21:18 (ESV)

God made provision for a rash vows in Leviticus 5:4-6 so this rash oath was not the final word. If the Israelites had confessed their sin and sacrificed a sin offering, there would have been atonement for the rash vow.

There was no need for them to consider their oath as unbreakable and resort to such extreme measures as to pronounce the herem (devotion to destruction) of some of their own people in order to violently take the virgins and in a wicked and underhanded way offer them as a sacrifice to the tribe of Benjamin.

They end up being guilty of the same crime as the wicked men of Gibeah by murdering all the inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead except the virgins and the later sanctioned rape of the daughters of Shiloh.

Jesus warns us against the horrible trap of making rash vows in Matthew 5:33-37. We should speak simply and honestly knowing that the Lord forgives our foolish words if we humble ourselves and repent.

and watch. If the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out of the vineyards and snatch each man his wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. Judges 21:21 (ESV)

Judges does not end in a positive way, we see the tragic narrative of ridiculous parasitical legalism which sees the law interpreted in such an absurd way that the response to the rape and murder of one woman has culminated in the rape of 400 virgins from Jabesh Gilead and 200 women dances at a festival that was meant to be dedicated to the Lord.

Jesus taught us that we should avoid this sort of foolish and prideful interpretation of the law, instead we should interpret and live the law in the spirit of the law not in the deadness of the actual words on the page. See Matthew 5:27-28 and 2 Corinthians 3:6

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. Judges 21:25 (ESV)

This is a terrible ending to this book, relativism has prevailed. As God’s people we can be our own worst enemy, the world around us with its temptations only amplify the sin that is in our own souls, we need to submit to Jesus as our king and live according to his word or we will fall into the same moral darkness.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Philippians 4:23 (ESV)

Thank God for his grace, we should desire Gods grace is with all our bothers and sisters in the Lord today.

Blessed be his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and Amen! Psalm 72:19 (ESV)

This is our great goal, the mission of the church, lets strive to see the whole earth filled with the Lords glory through his saints.

In those days there was no king in Israel. And in those days the tribe of the people of Dan was seeking for itself an inheritance to dwell in, for until then no inheritance among the tribes of Israel had fallen to them. Judges 18:1 (ESV)

God is silent and is not truly consulted or considered in either of todays chapters from Judges, this points to the moral degradation of the people who have no central authority in a king which is a picture of the relativistic spiritual darkness the people had fallen into.

JRR Tolkien points to the spiritual darkness that will engulf any people when there is no leadership in his allegorical tale “The Hobbit” where the various kingdoms have no kings which gave a foothold to the enemy.

In the West we are so used to democratic life that we assume it is right when in fact it is not what God intended. Heavens government is not a democracy it is a Kingdom with God as the king. The right type of society before God is a godly kingdom not a “liberal” democracy or tyrannical dictatorship.

Jesus is our king. We have a king and ruler, he has laws which we gladly follow and a kingdom we are gratefully a part of, this keeps us from the darkness of moral relativism. See 1 Timothy 1:17

And they said to him, “Inquire of God, please, that we may know whether the journey on which we are setting out will succeed.” And the priest said to them, “Go in peace. The journey on which you go is under the eye of the LORD.” Judges 18:5–6 (ESV)

Although God’s title is mentioned, God himself is not a part of this, what the tribe of Dan is doing is wicked. God had already spoken, he had already allotted land to Dan but their cowardice and faithless hearts had caused them to lose their inheritance, now they seek to take land that God has not allotted to them.

The priest is in a place of great apostasy and is not actually hearing from God at all, he has sold himself to work as priest over the idols of Micah.

God has revealed his will to us in his word and from that revealed will leads us in its application through the person and ministry of the Holy Spirit. Turn to the word of God to seek Gods will, he has already spoken. For example do not ask Gods will regarding living with a girlfriend/boyfriend or committing adultery, fornication, abortion, lying, forgiving someone or marrying an unbeliever on all these things God has already spoken. See 2 Timothy 3:16

And the priest’s heart was glad. He took the ephod and the household gods and the carved image and went along with the people. Judges 18:20 (ESV)

Moral bankruptcy leads to deception and darkness. The allurement of sin is that one leads to another and false confidence comes through apparent success. This apostate priest is glad to hear he can be a priest to an entire tribe and so joins the tribe of Dan and is complicit in their theft and deception.

This apostate Levite was governed by a love for money and positions before men. See John 12:43

And the people of Dan set up the carved image for themselves, and Jonathan the son of Gershom, son of Moses, and his sons were priests to the tribe of the Danites until the day of the captivity of the land. Judges 18:30 (ESV)

The wandering Levite was “successful” in becoming the priest of the cult the tribe of Dan had stolen from Micah and the tribe of Dan were “successful” in conquering the unsuspecting people of Laish.

Success as the world views it is not a sign of God blessing the things we have done or that we have done things in the right way. True success will be measured on the day of Judgement so we should seek to be successful in God’s eyes according to his word and not in the eyes of man.

We must guard against measuring ourselves as Gods people and as a church community based on human standards of success, instead we should examine ourselves in the light of scripture. See Matthew 7:16-20

In those days, when there was no king in Israel, a certain Levite was sojourning in the remote parts of the hill country of Ephraim, who took to himself a concubine from Bethlehem in Judah. Judges 19:1 (ESV)

The fact that the levite had a concubine (a woman who he would have sex with and who might bare him children but did not have the status of a wife) is cause for alarm, there is no king and all do what seems right in their own eyes, relativistic philosophy always gives way to absurdity and wickedness.

and they turned aside there, to go in and spend the night at Gibeah. And he went in and sat down in the open square of the city, for no one took them into his house to spend the night. Judges 19:15 (ESV)

The lack of hospitality in Gibeah points to the moral decay that had taken hold of Israel. We are called to be hospitable, it is our Christian duty and should be done with joy. See Romans 12:13, Hebrews 13:2 and 1 Peter 4:9

But the men would not listen to him. So the man seized his concubine and made her go out to them. And they knew her and abused her all night until the morning. And as the dawn began to break, they let her go. Judges 19:25 (ESV)

These worthless men were homosexual, violent rapists. The host tries to reason with them using his own flawed morals saying it would be wrong to rape the man so rape his own daughter instead and even offers the Levites concubine. But these men are so driven by their lust that they refuse the old mans offer, they want to rape the Levite.

The Levite is himself so morally warped that he sends the poor concubine out to be raped and violently assaulted all night to save his own skin, what a miserable, callous excuse for a man. This concubine is not named in scripture and serves as an “everyman” image for all those who are weak and abused by those in power.

Homosexuality is a sin. Rape is a sin. Abuse is a sin. This was a great and terrible sin, no doubt the concubine cried out in distress and pain but no one in the city came to her aid, thus the entire city is complicit in her rape abuse and murder.

We are called to help the helpless and seek justice. See James 1:27

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13 (ESV)

We must learn like Paul to be content in all circumstances, this is the secret to fulfilling Gods calling on our lives. When we say we can do all things, the “all things” are constrained by the context of the previous verse, we are saying outside circumstances will not dictate to us that Gods assignment for us can or can not be fulfilled. Our faith is in God and our reliance is on him, if he has something for us to do he will supply the resources to get the mission accomplished.

We must avoid the worldly mentality that dictates that circumstances must be right before we do what God wants, no, we must trust in God and be content…. not complacent but content trusting God for strength and energy to work.

Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress. Psalm 71:3 (ESV)

Jesus is our rock, our refuge and saviour Matthew 16:18