haha...i finally found the commentary on Judges 9 - the parable of the trees.
take your time to read k..enjoy!
Jotham rebukes the Shechemites.
There was no occasion for the trees to choose a king, they are all the trees of the Lord which He has planted. Nor was there any occasion for Israel to set a king over them, for the Lord was their King. Those who bear fruit for the public good, are justly respected and honoured by all that are wise, more than those who merely make a figure. All these fruit-trees gave much the same reason for their refusal to be promoted over the trees; or, as the margin reads it, to go up and down for the trees. To rule, involves a man in a great deal both of toil and care. Those who are preferred to public trust and power, must forego all private interests and advantages, for the good of others. And those advanced to honour and dignity, are in great danger of losing their fruitfulness. For which reason, they that desire to do good, are afraid of being too great. Jotham compares Abimelech to the bramble or thistle, a worthless plant, whose end is to be burned. Such a one was Abimelech.
(Jdg 9:22-29)
Abimelech murders his brethren, and is made king.
The men of Shechem chose Abimelech king. God was not consulted whether they should have any king, much less who it should be. If parents could see what their children would do, and what they are to suffer, their joy in them often would be turned into sorrow: we may be thankful that we cannot know what shall happen. Above all, we should fear and watch against sin; for our evil conduct may produce fatal effects upon our families, after we are in our graves.
(Jdg 9:7-21)
The Shechemites conspire against Abimelech.
Abimelech is seated in the throne his father refused. But how long does this glory last? Stay but three years, and see the bramble withered and burned. The prosperity of the wicked is short and fickle. The Shechemites are plagued by no other hand than Abimelech's. They raised him unjustly to the throne; they first feel the weight of his sceptre.
(Jdg 9:30-49)
Abimelech destroys Shechem.
Abimelech intended to punish the Schechemites for slighting him now, but God punished them for their serving him formerly in the murder of Gideon's sons. When God uses men as instruments in his hand to do his work, he means one thing, and they another. That, which they hoped would have been for their welfare, proved a snare and a trap, as those will certainly find, who run to idols for shelter; such will prove a refuge of lies.
(Jdg 9:50-57)
Abimelech slain.
The Shechemites were ruined by Abimelech; now he is reckoned with, who was their leader in villany. Evil pursues sinners, and sometimes overtakes them, when not only at ease, but triumphant. Though wickedness may prosper a while, it will not prosper always. The history of mankind, if truly told, would greatly resemble that of this chapter. The records of what are called splendid events present to us such contests for power. Such scenes, though praised of men, fully explain the Scripture doctrine of the deceitfulness and desperate wickedness of the human heart, the force of men's lust, and the effect of Satan's influence. Lord, thou has given us thy word of truth and righteousness, O pour upon us thy spirit of purity, peace, and love, and write thy holy law in our hearts.
AMAZING...God showed me this a couple of weeks ago..but i still dunno wat's He tryin to tell me...dun go for position?
Actually, He showed me this verse first....before Judges 9 =>
Isaiah 7:2 (Amplified Bible)
2 And the house of David [Judah] was told, Syria is allied with Ephraim [Israel]. And the heart [of Ahaz] and the hearts of his people trembled and shook, as the trees of the forest tremble and shake with the wind.
then i realised another thing...
Isaiah 7
A Virgin Will Bear a Son
:14 ...and shall call His name Immanuel.
SO..until now, if u still dun know wat the heaven i'm tokkin abt...i oso dun understd cos i'm digestin at the same time i'm copyin all these passages from biblegateway.com. Another thing is my buddhist cheena colleague actually ask me wat i'm doin typin all these...and he wants to copy down the website (not my blog but biblegateway). HAHA...thn he wants to borrow the mel gibson show on Jesus Christ...i forgot the title alreadi...haha...tis is so AMAZING...
back to the topic, frm wat i understand so far...
i want a listenin heart that can be compared wif wat Solomon asked for, which will give me the riches and honor that i did not ask...
thn again..is it the riches and honor which i am really after? i forgot the part where God says,'...walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments..." i guess that's sumthin Solomon din keep...cos wat follows is, "....then i will lengthen your days.'
the company which i'm workin in now, has given me a position of a photographer, whereby i'm put solely in charge of the photography department. i'm no longer workin under another photog as an assistant, which is radical to all my past workin experiences..
but after workin here for almost more than a mth, my mind keeps arguing that my pay doesnt match my job description/position, cos the previous photog was earnin double of wat i'm earnin now. i know God is my provider but my rational tot is " c'mon! you are payin me peanuts man!"
i want to earn more than 2k. i want to be respected by my peers. i want a place of authority. i want to be well known.
haha...power hungry moron...
that day at jackson's bdae, i overheard lynn ong sharin this wif johnny boy. sumthin frm proverbs that, it takes a revelation of true freedom to practise self restrain. when u know n know n know how much God loves you, that He gave Jesus to die on the cross for us, thn u understand why there are certain undesirable things that you used to do but dun do anymore. not cos you lost interest but u know n know n know that JESUS LOVES U!
proverbs 1:27 When your terror comes like a storm,
And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
28 “ Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.
29 Because they hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of the LORD,
30 They would have none of my counsel
And despised my every rebuke.
31 Therefore they shall eat the FRUIT of their own way,
And be filled to the full with their own fancies.
32 For the turning away of the simple will slay them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33 But whoever listens to me will dwell safely,
And will be secure, without fear of evil.”
i dunno how to really explain this.."Those who bear FRUIT for the public good, are justly respected and honoured by all that are WISE, more than those who merely make a figure."
Be a fruitful tree. Cheers!
