Ibzan the Bethlehemite - Part 3

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In Judges 12:8-10, we find the short biography of Israel’s 9th judge, Ibzan. The text reads,

“And after him Ibzan of Beth-lehem judged Israel. And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters, whom he sent abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years. Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Beth-lehem.” Although there is very little written about Ibzan, there are certain things said about his life in our text that I believe help us understand the kind of man that he was. Ibzan is not one of your well-known people from the Bible, but there is no doubt that God used him. And although you and I may never be on the front page of some popular Christian periodical, or have our lives written about in a biography, God can use us in a great way to do great things for His glory.

So far, we have seen:I. The Personality of Ibzan (vs. 8a)II. The Participation of Ibzan (vs. 9)

This week, let’s consider:III. The Persistence of Ibzan (vs. 10) Verse 10 tells us, “Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Beth-lehem.” Where was Ibzan born? We read in verse eight that he was born in Bethlehem. Now, there are two Bethlehems in the Bible. There is the Bethlehem that is located in Zebulun and only mentioned once in the Bible (Joshua 19:15). Then there is the Bethlehem that was located in Judah. This is referring to Bethlehem of Judah. Bethlehem

of Judah was a prominent place in the Bible. Many important Bible events took place in Bethlehem. It was in or near Bethlehem that Rachel, Jacob’s wife, was buried. Caleb’s family settled in Bethlehem. Bethlehem was the place where Ruth would return to when she left Moab with Naomi. It was the place where Boaz lived. King David would be born in Bethlehem. And the crowning event of Christ’s incarnation would take place in Bethlehem as well. Micah 5:2 tells us, “But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”

The name “Bethlehem” means “house of bread.” It is the place where God would feed His people. In John 6:33-35, the Lord Jesus Christ said, “For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” Some of God’s people, like Elimelech (Ruth 1:1), left “the house of bread” in times of difficulty. But notice Ibzan’s testimony. Ibzan was born in Bethlehem, he lived his entire life in Bethlehem, and he died in

Bethlehem. Ibzan never left the house of bread! What a testimony! One of the things that we are seeing all around us on almost a daily basis is change. America is quickly changing. The institution of marriage has been redefined, sodomy has become an acceptable lifestyle, and the exceptionalism of America with her liberties is being redefined before our very eyes. Many churches have changed as well. When we used to think of the word “church,” certain things would come to mind. We would think of things like preaching, evangelizing, a heart for the lost, and a pursuit of holy, righteous living. It was the churches and pulpits of America that set the moral standard in our nation. Not so today. Today, many churches have become no more than entertainment centers. There are many Christians that are changing as well. People that once stood for certain things are no longer standing for those same things. Many Christians that once had a strong stand on the King James Bible, dress standards, standards of music, standards of holy living, and being faithful to all the services of the church do not hold to that standard anymore. May I ask...Why? Has the Bible changed? Has God changed? The obvious answer is, No! Malachi 3:6 says, “For I am the LORD, I change not.” Then we should not change either! Ibzan started in Bethlehem, lived in Bethlehem, and died in Bethlehem. May God help us all to stand firm on our convictions until the day that we die and join voices with the hymn writer that wrote “I shall not be moved!”

May God help us all to stand firm on our convictions until the day that we die!

Judges 12 :8-10 | Pastor T. H. Moore• Fri., March 31

CBS Spring Performance and PTF at 12:30 PM

• Sun., April 2 Official opening services for First State Baptist Church in Wilmington

• Tue., April 4 Mrs. Moore’s “Balanced Beauty” Ladies’ Meetings resume at 6:30 PM in the Fellowship Hall

• Sat., April 15 Ladies’ Spring Tea in the Fellowship Hall for ladies 7th grade and above; 2:00-4:00 PM; Bring your own teacup and a finger food to share!

Sunday Early Service 8:30 AM Sunday School 9:45 AM Morning Service 11:00 AM Choir Practice 4:30 PM Missionary Prayer Time 5:30 PM Evening Service 6:00 PM

Tuesday Ladies’ Ministry 6:30 PM

Wednesday Teen Meeting 6:15 PM Children’s Service 7:00 PM Bible Study & Prayer 7:00 PM

Soul-Winning & Visitation Wednesday 3:30 PM Saturday 10:00 AM

Weekly Events

Church Activities March 30, 2017

Capitol BaptistCAPTIONS

“Son”-shine Join us in prayer for...• Easton Baptist Church:

continued growth• First State Baptist Church:

financial support (currently at 96%); opening services in Wilmington this Sunday, April 2

• Mayfair Park Property: continued progress towards land swap

• Cindy Ansalvish: thyroid biopsy results• Joanne Bible: surgery recovery• Katrina Bish: grade 4 glioblastoma brain

cancer; radiation & chemotherapy• George Cordeiro: pneumonia• Daku Family: recovery of stolen funds• S.M. Davis: malignant prostate cancer• John Haskins: cancer• Doris Hutchinson: surgery recovery• Gwen Leys: colon cancer• Danny Lugar: health• Maryann MacDonald: compressed

fracture of 3rd vertebrae, cancer, health • Northcutt Family: fire recovery • Walter & Nancy Peretiatko: health• Phil Schutz: health • Baby Isabelle Sophia: open heart surgery

recovery, down syndrome• Varner Family: bereavement - loss of son;

funeral expenses

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From the Mission Field / Help MinistryBEARING PRE C IOUS SEED - AL BRALE Y, DIRECTOR

January-February 2017Dear Friends at Capitol Baptist Church, As many of you know, Bearing Precious Seed ended 2016 with the highest print production in its history. We were able to print over 11.4 million Scriptures! This January started off very quickly as well. We ran for the first three weeks at a very good pace. Our goal was to have enough Scripture printed to enable the press to have four days of down time needed to install a fourth tower on the press. Those four days turned into almost four weeks, as necessary alignments and adjustments were made. As we ended February, I was amazed to realize we were just short of printing two million Scriptures in the first two months despite those four weeks of downtime! When this update letter was written, we were finishing printing the Kannada Bible for the first time here at BPS. The added tower is a blessing and a time saver. Since the press has been back in operation, we have produced 20,000 New Testaments, 371,500 John & Romans, and 15,000 Kannada Bibles. The new tower makes it possible for us to print 40,000 John & Romans per hour (compared to 20,000 John & Romans per hour previously). The paper used at the new rate amounts to $37.50 per minute! We are excited to see what God has in store for the rest of 2017! Currently, we have over 120,000 whole Bibles scheduled to

print, and then we need to produce one million John & Romans for the schools in Sierra Leone. We could not accomplish this without the help of our faithful monthly supporters, those who give to National Bible Publishing month, our partnering Seedline churches, countless individuals who contribute, and a great company of volunteers. Thank you for helping increase the Word of God all around the world. If you are in the Cincinnati area, please come and see what God has done with the equipment here at BPS. He continues to add to the ministry, enabling us to produce more Scripture and get it around the world. Please continue to pray for the ministry and all of the places the Scripture are begin sent. We pray that eternity will change for millions of people as we go forward.

Serving Him together,Al Braley | Director of BPS

Psalm 68:11

Website: bpsmilford.orgEmail: info@bpsmilford.org | Phone: 513.575.1706 Address: 1369 Woodville Pike, Milford, OH 45150Al Braley: abraley@bpsmilford.org | 513.575.1706 ext. 701

Doris HutchinsonSurgery Recovery

1203 East Division StreetDover, DE 19901

Please pray for Doris this week as she recovers from gallbladder removal surgery

and struggles with her health. Consider sending a note of encouragement!

Wilmington Church PlantPraise the Lord for a good response to the John & Romans distribution and for those who have come out for the Get-Acquainted Meetings!

Corner Harvest from Heaven