Theological term
Salvation of the Lord
2 sermons · All terms
Judges 12
Judges 12 brings the Jephthah cycle to its close with a civil war provoked by Ephraimite pride, the famous shibboleth test, and the sparse notices of three minor judges. The Ephraimite confrontation exposes a recurring flaw — the desire for personal glory rather than gratitude to God for deliverance — and Jephthah's response with the sword rather than diplomacy reveals both his character and the escalating moral disorder of the period. The absence of the formulaic 'rest in the land' after Jephthah's judgeship signals Israel's deepening Canaanization. Throughout the study, the central interpretive principle is maintained: the judges, however flawed, are not the heroes — Yahweh is, and they point forward to the true deliverer, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Christ and the Demoniacs
Matthew 8:28–34 presents two men so thoroughly dominated by demonic forces that no human restraint could subdue them — yet Jesus casts out an entire legion with a single word. This exposition works through the description of the demoniacs, their confrontation with Christ, the exorcism itself, and the city's fearful rejection, arguing that the passage is Matthew's sustained demonstration of Christ's absolute authority over the powers of hell. The demons' own testimony — confessing Jesus as the Son of God and acknowledging a coming day of judgment — stands as a rebuke to all who withhold that confession. The sermon closes by calling hearers to flee to Christ rather than away from Him, pointing to the restored men clothed and in their right minds as a picture of what sovereign grace accomplishes.