Jotham's Parable (Bramble Tree ==> Judges 9:14-15)

(Class Notes)

• Earthly Adam (Genesis 3:17-19)
  • In the BEGINNING - AFTER the FALL (Genesis 3:17-19):
    • God declared that MAN'S LIFE would be a STRUGGLE to reap his EARTHLY SUSTENANCE - "in the SWEAT of thy FACE shalt thou EAT BREAD" (Genesis 3:19)
    • This would be due to the GROUND being "CURSED" (Genesis 3:17) in that NOW - "THORNS also and THISTLES shall it bring forth" (Genesis 3:18)
    • The "BRAMBLE" tree is a "THORN" tree, which is FRUITLESS (Luke 6:44)
    • The "BRAMBLE" tree represents MAN in his "CORRUPT" state and worthy of only being "HEWN (CUT) DOWN" (Matthew 7:17-19)
    • ADAM'S LEGACY is SIN and DEATH to HIS POSTERITY (Romans 5:12) as well as "the BONDAGE of CORRUPTION" to ALL under HIS DOMINION (Romans 8:20-22)
  • The "BRAMBLE" tree of MANKIND (Matthew 7:15-16):
    • BEFORE and AFTER the FLOOD there were the "GIANTS" (Genesis 6:4):
      • They were the HUMAN OFFSPRING of FALLEN ANGELS (II Peter 2:4; Jude 6 cf. Job 1:6; Job 2:1)
      • They were "MIGHTY MEN" (Genesis 6:4; Genesis 10:8) and "MEN of RENOWN" (Genesis 6:4 cf. Genesis 4:20-22)
      • They FILLED the EARTH with VIOLENCE and OPPOSED GOD (Genesis 6:11; Genesis 10:9)
      • They were MONSTERS of INIQUITY and OPPOSED GOD'S PEOPLE (Numbers 13:33; Deuteronomy 3:11,13; I Samuel 17:4-10,32,41-51; II Samuel 21:15-22)
      • They were IDOLATROUS SNARES and were to be "CUT OFF" by the SWORD of ISRAEL (Deuteronomy 12:1-3,29-31; Joshua 11:21-22)
    • RACES of the "GIANTS" (Genesis 6:4):
      • The "EMMIMS" (Deuteronomy 2:10-11), i.e. the "TERRIBLE ONES"
      • The "ZAMZUMMIMS" (Deuteronomy 2:20-21), i.e. the "NOISY ONES"
      • The "REPHAIM" (Deuteronomy 3:11), i.e. the "GIANTS" - whose "VALLEY" was the HOLD of the PHILISTINES (II Samuel 5:18,22; II Samuel 23:13)
      • The "ANAKIMS" - "a people GREAT and TALL" (Deuteronomy 9:2)

• Earthly Israel (Isaiah 14:19)
  • ISRAEL'S BESETTING SIN - IDOLATRY:
    • DAN was the FIRST IDOLATROUS TRIBE (Judges 18:29-31):
      • DAN is described as a "SERPENT by the way, an ADDER in the path" (Genesis 49:17)
      • The TRIBE of DAN is REPLACED BY the TRIBE of MANASSEH in the SEALING of the 12,000 from EACH TRIBE at the outset of the TRIBULATION (Revelation 7:1-4)
    • SOLOMON, ISRAEL'S WISEST KING (I Kings 4:30-32) - was turned to IDOLATRY by his WIVES (I Kings 11:4), i.e. by his "STRANGE WIVES" (I Kings 11:8):
      • ASHTORETH - "the GODDESS of the Zidonians" (I Kings 11:5)
      • MILCOM - "the ABOMINATION of the Ammonites" (I Kings 11:5)
      • CHEMOSH - "the ABOMINATION of Moab" (I Kings 11:7)
      • MOLECH - "the ABOMINATION of the children of Ammon" (I Kings 11:7)
      • For his WORSHIPPING of the above ABOMINATIONS, i.e. of the above IDOLS (Deuteronomy 29:17; Ezekiel 14:6) - God SPLIT the KINGDOM of his son (I Kings 11:11-13)
    • JEROBOAM was the FIRST IDOLATROUS KING of ISRAEL'S NORTHERN KINGDOM (I Kings 12:25-30):
      • The IDOLATROUS LEGACY of JEROBOAM, i.e. "the SINS of JEROBOAM" - mentioned 14 TIMES in the ANNALS of ISRAEL'S KINGS (I Kings 14:16; I Kings 15:30; I Kings 16:31; II Kings 3:3; II Kings 10:29-31; II Kings 13:2,11; II Kings 14:24; II Kings 15:9,18,24,28; II Kings 17:22)
      • The DIVINE DESTRUCTION of JEROBOAM'S HOUSE (I Kings 14:7-11) - the EXAMPLE of DIVINE JUDGMENT upon ISRAEL'S IDOLATROUS KINGS (I Kings 16:3-4; I Kings 21:20-22)
      • The DIVINE DESTRUCTION of JEROBOAM'S ALTAR (I Kings 13:1-3,29-32) - the EXAMPLE of DIVINE JUDGMENT upon ISRAEL'S IDOLATROUS PRIESTS (II Kings 23:15-18)
  • ISRAEL'S CLIMAX SIN - FALSE MESSIAH, "an ABOMINABLE branch" (Isaiah 14:19):
    • The "PROFANE WICKED PRINCE of ISRAEL" (Ezekiel 21:25) whose "SOUL which is LIFTED UP ... who ENLARGETH his DESIRE as HELL ... GATHERETH unto him ALL NATIONS, and HEAPETH unto him ALL PEOPLE" (Habakkuk 2:4-5):
      • TYPIFIED BY NIMROD - the MIGHTY HUNTER against the Lord (Genesis 10:9)
      • TYPIFIED BY ABIMELECH - the WICKED SLAYER of his brethren (Judges 9:56 cf. Judges 9:21)
    • The "SON of PERDITION" who is the ULTIMATE USURPER of AUTHORITY (II Thessalonians 2:3-4 cf. Daniel 11:36-37) with NO LEGAL RIGHT to REIGN (Ezekiel 21:26-27):
      • TYPIFIED BY NIMROD - BEGOTTEN by Cush (Genesis 10:8), BUT NOT a SON of Cush (Genesis 10:7)
      • TYPIFIED BY ABIMELECH - BEGOTTEN ILLEGITIMATELY by Gideon (Judges 8:31)
    • The "ABOMINATION of DESOLATION" who DEFILES the "HOLY PLACE" (Matthew 24:15 cf. Daniel 11:31; Daniel 12:11):
      • TYPIFIED BY NIMROD - the FOUNDER of the KINGDOM of BABYLON (Genesis 10:10; Genesis 11:1-2 cf. Daniel 1:1-2), which is CALLED "the MOTHER of HARLOTS and ABOMINATIONS of the EARTH" (Revelation 17:5)
      • TYPIFIED BY ABIMELECH - EMPLOYED IDOLATRY TO SECURE RULERSHIP (Judges 9:4-5 cf. Judges 8:33)
  • ISRAEL'S FINAL CLEANSING - TRUE MESSIAH, "a RIGHTEOUS branch" (Jeremiah 23:5):
    • "The BRANCH of the LORD ... BEAUTIFUL and GLORIOUS" (Isaiah 4:2):
      • The GLORY of the LORD will be REFLECTED upon REDEEMED ISRAEL - to be a LIGHT unto the GENTILES (Isaiah 60:1-3)
      • REDEEMED ISRAEL will KNOW GOD as her REDEEMER (Psalms 19:14) and as "the LORD our RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Jeremiah 23:6) and will POSSESS the RIGHTEOUSNESS of GOD (Isaiah 45:23-25)
    • "A PRIEST upon His THRONE (Zechariah 6:13) with the LEGAL RIGHT to REIGN (Hebrews 1:3 cf. Psalms 110:1):
      • By His TRIUMPHANT VICTORY over DEATH (Hebrews 2:14-15 cf. Revelation 1:18)
      • By His ETERNAL PAYMENT for SIN (Hebrews 9:12-15 cf. Revelation 5:5-8; Revelation 13:8)
    • The FINAL PURGER of ISRAEL'S IDOLATRY (Zechariah 13:1-2 cf. Ezekiel 36:25):
      • TYPIFIED BY ISRAEL'S LAST & GREATEST OT REFORMER (II Kings 23:23-27)
      • REPENTANT ISRAEL will MOURN over HIS DEATH as she MOURNED over the DEATH of JOSIAH near Megiddo (Zechariah 12:10-11 cf. II Chronicles 35:22-25)

Study Outline

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