And the lights came on...

This post has been long overdue but better late than never.
This is about something cool that happened at this last Wednesday fellowship that we had.
After the worship was over and one of our elders, Justin, stood up to speak, there was a power cut and everything went dark. Being around eight in the evening you wouldn’t expect anything less. But, Justin exhorted us and we decided to sing and worship God and spoke in faith that before we finished the song, the lights would come on.
And as we sang, and reached the second stanza, the lights did come on!! Hallelujah!! We can experience God’s presence in all circumstances!

Just when Abimelech thought he would burn the city with its tower...

So Abimelech came to the tower and fought against it, and approached the entrance of the tower to burn it with fire. But a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head, crushing his skull.
Judges 9:52, 53


Verses 46-49 of the same chapter of Judges relates the story of Shechem and how the people sought refuge in the temple of El-berith but they were burnt down by Abimelech. El-berith is usually identified with Baal-berith mentioned in Judges 8:33 and 9:4. Thus the people of Shechem who provided Abimelech with silver from the same temple [9:4] are destroyed by the same man. At first, they took refuge in the wrong person and now they take refuge in the wrong place.
Then, immediately Abimelech goes to Thebez. Here, also, he thinks he is going to do the same thing. But now, the people run to the strong tower in their city. They know what saves and who can save. In the beginning, Abimelech thought he had got them too. When Christ died on the cross, Satan thought it was finished, he thought he had overpowered the Sovereign God, that his dominion has at last become the everlasting Kingdom.
But, just when Abimelech thought he could set fire to the tower and overpower everyone who had taken refuge in him in hope and faith, a woman threw an upper millstone on his head, crushing his skull. Just when Satan thought the King of Heaven would be held captive in the fiery abode, that this was the end, lo and behold!! The Son, the Seed of the Woman [Genesis 3:15] overcame the tricks and treachery of the enemy and in a master stroke crushed the skull of the Ultimate Enemy, Death and rose again on the third day, having ransomed all lives from the clutches of the illegitimate master.
Praise God!! The skull of the enemy is crushed and our King is seated at the right hand of God, the Father awaiting the Day when he returns in glory!!

“…a strong tower…in the city”

Inside the city, however, was a strong tower, to which all the men and women—all the people of the city—fled. They locked themselves in and climbed up on the tower roof.
Judges 9:51

The account’s climax finds itself in a battle around a strong tower and a city. Psalm 144:2 states
He is my loving ally and my fortress,
my tower of safety, my deliverer.
He stands before me as a shield, and I take refuge in him.
He subdues the nations under me.

God is the strong tower in whom we take our refuge. And it was only in Christ that mankind could take refuge from the sin that had trapped it into an inevitable impending doom. But praise God!! The cross gained the victory for us…now we take refuge in the strong tower in Zion, the city of our God and no usurper can hold a certificate of guilt against us because He has cancelled that legal certificate, hostile to us, nailing it on the cross [Col 2:!4].
The world now has a strong tower that they can flee to and lock themselves in. It is Jesus Christ who bled His unblemished blood to atone for our sins and today we stand justified when we put our faith in the redemptive work of Christ.
Praise God…the tower still stands and will stand till the fullness of time for all who wish to take refuge in Him.

“…crushing his skull”

Next Abimelech went to Thebez and besieged it and captured it.
Inside the city, however, was a strong tower, to which all the men and women—all the people of the city—fled. They locked themselves in and climbed up on the tower roof.
Abimelech went to the tower and stormed it. But as he approached the entrance to the tower to set it on fire,
a woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and cracked his skull.
Judges 9:50-53

The NASB translates cracked as crushing in verse 53. I came across this passage in one of the meetings I had been to.
This passage is a very dramatic and yet subtle shadow of the work of Christ.
The first aspect that emerges is that Abimelech was an ‘illegitimate ruler’. He was the son of Gideon’s concubine [Judges 8:31] and then later on, he killed all of Gideon’s seventy sons to be elected as king [notice…not anointed].
Satan was the illegitimate ruler who gained dominion through deception. Satan received authority because of Adam and Eve’s willful disobedience rather than God giving him that authority.
But then, there is a strong tower in the city. All the men and women run into it…we’ll take a look at that tomorrow.

I logged on to my blog this morning and felt it really needed some colour...so here's to colour...this photo has been coloured colourful illusions 

The Cross of Christ

Here’s a quote from a tiny booklet I came across while clearing our office written by Tony Ling,

Yet for those who experience the work of the cross in their lives, the crucified Jesus is the wisdom and power of God. It is as if, with arms cruelly stretched along a rough hewn beam, Jesus with one hand grasped the hand of his holy Father and with the other reached out to sinful humanity, and in himself, brought us together.