The Lord intended to rule the nation of
ISRAEL OPPRESSED BY MEDIANITES (Judges 6:1-6)
Israel through righteous men, who made known
God's, will to His people.
Moses was a faithful servant and was Israel's
leader. Joshua was also a faithful servant
of the Lord. Those people who succeeded them
were leaders known as judges.
But there were times when apparently no man
could be found to act as a judge. And every man
did that was right in his own eyes (Judge 21:25).
The period of unfaithfulness was one of violence
and unrest. Tribal jealousies , and the oppression
by the Canaanites weakened Israel. And idolatry
sapped the spiritual strength of the people.
When the people forshake the Lord, disaster would
strike them.
When the people would repent and call upon the Lord
for mercy, the Lord would raise up a deliverer or
judge.
As long as the judge lived, there would be a period
in which the people were faithful to the Lord. And
there would be peace among the people because they
rested in the Lord The Lord would defeat their enemy
for them.
Then when the judge died , another generation would
arise , and go into idolatry . And the whole cycle
would start over again. The people would cry unto the
Lord for mercy . then the Lord would again sent a
deliverer.
Unfaithfulness always led to disaster. But the Lord
is always ready to save His people when they repent
and return faithfully to Him.
The Lord executes righteousness and judgment for all
that are oppressed (Psalm 103:6).
The Lord is God of righteousness.And the children of Israel did evil in the sight
of the Lord. And the Lord delivered them into the
hands of the Medianites seven years. The children of
Israel sinned against the Lord ; so he let the people
of Median rule them for seven years. And the hand of
Median prevailed against Israel. The Medianites were
stronger than Israel. And because the Medianites, the
children of Israel made dens which are in mountains,
and caves, and strong holds. The children of Israel
hid from them in these caves.
And so it was , when Israel had sown , that the
Medianites and the Amalekites came up. And even the
children of the east came up against them.
When children of Israel had planted any seed, the
Medianites would come with the Amelekites and the
desert tribes .And they would attack the children
of Israel.
And they would encamped against them , and destroyed
the increase of the earth. They left no substance for
Israel , neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass.
For they came up with their cattle and their tents.
And they came as grasshoppers for multitude. . They
and their camels were without number. It was massive.
And they entered into the land to destroy it.
They would come with their livestock and tents, as thick
as locusts. They and their camels were too many to count.
They came and devasted the land. And the children of
Israel,was helpless against them. And Israel was greatly
impoverished because of the Medianites.
Israel's sin brought suffering. Sin dispirits man. They
felt guilty like Adam and Eve who had hide themselves.
The children of Israel hid themselves in dens and caves,
because they were defeated first by sin. Before the children of Israel entered the promised land,
the Lord had warned them,
Behold , I set before you this day a blessing, and a
curse¨ (Deut 11:26)
The blessings would be theirs if they obeyed God's
commandments.
The curse would be theirs if they neglected to obey
God's commandments.
Those people who depart from God's commandments are
cursed.
If we follow God's commandments we can live freely.
Learn to appreciate God¡¦s law. Mediate upon it. It
will become freedom as you live from your heart following
God.
When Joshua and the elders who outlived Joshua died,
there arose other generations which knew not the Lord.
They fosook the Lord and served idols.
And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel. And
He said,
Because that this people has transgressed my covenant
which I commanded their fathers ,and have not hearkened
unto my voice; I also will not henceforth drive out any
from before them of nations which Joshua left when he
died; that through them I prove Israel, whether they will
keep the way of the Lord to walk therein , as their fathers
did keep it or not (Judges 2:20-22).
Therefore the Lord left those nations, without driving
them out hastily; neither delivered He them into the
hand of Joshua. Israel's survival depended on their
faith in the Lord , while unfaithfulness and disloyalty
always led to disaster. The lord executes righteousness
and judgment for all the oppressed.
When the people forsook the Lord , disaster would strike
them because the Lord withdrew His protection for them.
He let their enemies conquer them.
But the Lord was always ready to save His people when
they repented and returned to Him.
And Israel suffered greatly because of the Medianites .
and the children of Israel cried out unto the Lord.
Then the lord sent a prophet unto the children of Israel
and He said to them,
Thus say the Lord God of Israel,
I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth
out of the house of bondage. And I delivered you out
of the hands of the Egyptians , and out of the hand of
all that oppressed you. And I gave you their land. And
I said unto you, I am the Lord your God. Fear not the
gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell ; but you
have not obeyed my voice (Judges 6:8-10).
The Lord told them that their suffering and defeats
were the results of their sin and unfaithfulness. They
had to repent and turned from their wicked ways before
the Lord would help them.
THE LORD CALLS GIDEON (Judges 6:11-24)
And there came an angel of the Lord , and sat
under an oak tree which was in Ophrah , that belonged
to Joash the Abiezite. And his son Gideon treshed
wheat by the winepress. Gideon was beating out wheat
in the winepress. Gideon had to work in secret lest the
Midianites seize the grain. This was an act of desperation
because only a small amount of wheat could be treshed at
a time by the winepress.
And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him , and said
unto him,
the Lord is with you , you mighty man of valour.
Mighty man of valour ?
Here was a man who was hiding for his dear life among the
caves and dens. Here was a man who had to tresh wheat by
the winepress so that the Midianites would not take his
grain. Gideon could hardly survive. He could hardly meet
the need of his people.The Lord does have a sense of humor.
Remember now what you were when God called you. From human
point of view not many wise men after the flesh, not many
mighty people , not many famous people are called. But God
has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the
wise. And God has chosen the weak things of the world in
order to shame the powerful.
And the base things of the world , and the things which
are despised, has God chosen.
God has chosen things which are not, to bring to nothing
that are. God has done this so that no flesh should glory
and boast in His presence.
But God has brought you into union with Christ Jesus. And
God has made Christ to be our wisdom. By Christ we are put
right with God. And we become God's holy people and are
set free. Whoever wants to boast must boast of what the
Lord has done.
And Gideon said unto him,
Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us , why then is
all this befallen us ? And where be all his miracles
which our fathers told us of , saying, Did not the
Lord bring us up from Egypt ? But now the Lord has
forsaken us , and delivered us into the hands of the
Midianites.
And the Lord looked upon him, and said,
Go with all your might, and you shall save Israel
from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent
you ? And he said unto him,
Oh, my Lord , wherewith shall I save Israel.
Behold, my family is poor in Manassah, and I am
the least in my family's house.
Gideon was humble before the Lord. Proud people are
useless . And the Lord can not use them. But the
Lord can use humble folks such as Gideon.
Gideon pointed out that his family was too poor and
that he was the least in his family. Gideon did not
think too highly of himself. Gideon knew his weakness
By himself with his weak human characteristics ,Gideon
would not qualify to be a deliverer. But with God's
help Gideon could do all things.
With God nothing shall be impossible.(Luke 1:37)
God has chosen the weak things of the world in order
to shame the mighty.And the Lord said to Gideon,
Surely I will be with you , and you shall smite
the midianites as one man.(Judges 6:16)
When the Lord is with you , nothing shall be impossible.
Surely I will be with you
This is the best assurance when the Lord is with you.
Jacob found peace when the Lord told him,
I am with you.(Genesis 28:15)
And Moses found peace when the Lord told him,
Certainly I will be with you.(Exodus 3:12)
And Joshua found peace and confidence , when the
Lord told him,
I will be with you.(Joshua 1:5)
There shall not be any man able to stand before
you, when the Lord is with you, fighting for you.
The Lord will not fail you. The Lord will not
forshake you.
Gideon said unto him, If now I found grace in your sight , then show
me a sign that you are the Lord. Please do not
leasve until I bring forth my present, and set it
before you.
And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and
unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour. The flesh he
put in a basket. And he put the broth in a pot and
brought it out onto him under the oak, and present
it.
And the angel of God said unto him,
Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay
them upon this rock, and pour out the broth.
And he did so.
Then the angel of the Lord put forth the end of the
staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and
unleavened cakes. And there rose up fire out of the
rock, and consumed the flesh and unleavened cakes.
Then the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight.
And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the
Lord, Gideon said,
Alas , O Lord God ! for because I have seen the
angel of the Lord face to face
And the Lord said unto him,
Peace be unto you. Fear not . You shall not die.
Then Gideon built an altar unto the lord, and called
it , IJehovah-shalom ,(the Lord is Peace )
God delights to lift up the humble. Gideon wanted to have
his faith confirmed. The Lord accepted Gideon'S offering
of meat and unleaven cakes, by consuming them with fire.
This was the sign Gideon was looking for. This was the
mark of God's acceptance (Leviticus 9:24; 1Kings 18:38).
Gideon was afraid because he knew he had seen the Lord.
The lord had said to Moses,
There shall no man see me and live/(Exodus 33:20)
But the Lord assured Gideon that he was not to die.
Gideon's life was in the Lord's hands. If he Lord wants
a person to live, then the person will live.
THE DESTRUCTION OF IDOLS
(Judges 6:25-32)
And it came to pass the same night , that the Lord said
unto him,
Take your father's young bullock , even the second
bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of
Baal that your father has , and cut down the grove that
is by it. And build an altar unto the Lord your God upon the top of
the rock , in ordered place, and take the second ullock ,
and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove
which you shall cut down.
Then Gideon took men of his servants, and did as the Lord
had said unto him. And so it was , because he feared his
father's household, and the men of the city, that he
could not do it by day, that he did it by night.
The idol must be destroyed before we can be of any use
for the Lord. Before we can be delivered from the
Midian, we must destroy the idolatry of evil in the
inner life.
The altar of the idol Baal must be thrown down, and
replaced by the altar of God.
Gideon had to offer sacrifice unto the Lord to show
to show that he had surrendered completely unto the
Lord.
Godeon had to ake peace with the Lord before he made
war on the Midianites.
Till sin is forgiven through the sacrifice of Christ,
no good is to be expected.
With God nothing is impossible. The Lord could raise
up a deliverer, out of a family that had fallen deep
into idolatry.
And when the men of the city arose early in the morning,
they saw that the alta of Baal was cast down, and that
the nearby grove was cut down.
And they saw that the second bullock was offered upon
the altar that was built.
And they said one to another, Who has done this?
And when they inquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash has done thisthing.
Then the men of the city said unto Joash,
Bring out your son , that he may die, because he
he has cast down the altarof Baal, and because he has
cut the grove that was by it.
And Joash said unto all the people that stood against
him,
Will you plead for Baal ? Will you save him ? He
that will plead for him, let him be put to death
before morning. If he be a god, let him defend himself.
It is his altar that is cast down>
Baal was an idol. The people were by results convinced
of their foolishness in praying to one to help them
that could not defend itself.
We are first tested in the smaller things before we
are called to do greater things.It was because Gideon
dared to obey God in his home and village that the
Lord called him far wider service.
Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the
children of the east were gsthered togethered. They
went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel.
But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon , and
he blew a trumpet. And the clan of Abiezer were
gathered after him.
And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who
was also gathered after him. And he sent messengers
unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali. And
they came up to meet them.
And Gideon said unto God,
If you will save Israel by mine hand, as you have
said, Behold , I will put a fleece of wool in the floor;
and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon
all the earth beside, then shall I know that you will save
Israel by mine hand , as you have said.
And it was so; for he rose up early next morning, and thrust
the fleece together , and wringed the dew out of the fleece,
a bowl full of water.
Gideon wanted the dew of God's blessings to come down upon
him. The dew on the fleece assured him of God's blessing.
And Gideon said unto God,
Let not your anger be hot against me, and I will speak
but this once. Let me prove, I pray you, but this once
with the fleece. Let it now be dry only upon the fleace,
and upon the ground let there be dew .
Gideon wanted further assurance from the Lord before he
would step forward to rescue Israel.
And God did so that night; for it was dry upon the fleece
only, and there was dew on the ground.
Gideon was assured that the dew of God's blessings would be
upon Israel.
MIDIANITES DEFEATED
(Judges 7:1-23)
Gideon and all the people that were with him,
rose up early , and camped beside the well of
Herod.
The Midianite camp was in the valley to the north
of them by Moreh Hill.
And the Lord said unto Gideon,
The people that are with you are too many for me
too give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel
vaunt themselves aganst me, sayig , Mine own hand has
saved me.
Now therefore go to proclaim in the ears of the people.
saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him depart
early from mount Gilead.
And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand;
and there remained ten thousand.
And the Lord said unto Gideon,
The people are yet too many.Bring them down unto the
water, and I will try them for you there. And it shall be,
that of whom I say unto you , This shall go with you, the
same shall go with you.And whomsoever I say unto you ,
This shall not go with you, the same shall not go.
So he brought down the people unto the water.
And the Lord said unto Gideon,
Every one that laps of water with his tongue, as a
dog laps, him shall you set by himself. Likewise everyone
that bows down upon his knees to drink.
And the number of them that lapped , putting their hand to
their mouth, were three hundred men. But all the rest of
the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.
And the Lord said unto Gideon,
By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you,
and deliver the Midianites into your hand. And let all the
people go every man unto his place.
So the people took victuals in their hand ,and their
trumpets.And he sent all the rest of Israel every man
unto his tent,and retained those three hundred men . And
the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley. The
Midianite camp was below him in the valley.
The lord wanted to teach His people to trust in Him.people who were afraid were allowed to go home.About
two-thirds of the army left. But for God's purpose there
were still too many people.
Godd will not give His glory to another.
The Lord will not help those people who are full of their
own plans and strength.And the Lord will not help people
who count on great numbers of men to assist them.
The Lord cannot give the Midianites into our hand on
long as there is a likelihood of our claiming the credit
the result. The Lord does not want us to vaunt ourselves
The Lord wants us to be humble before Him
A further division took place at the water.
Gideon carefully observed how the soldiers drank their
water. Those people who threw themselves completely
at the water evidently indicated they cared for their
own comfort, refreshments, and pleasure more than their
duties of soldierly self-denial. These people were not
chosen and were dismissed.
Only three hundred men were chosen by the Lord so that
the people would know that the victory belonged to the
Lord. The Lord planned to use a small army to defeat
Israel's enemy.
The Lord counts the faithful hearts, not the heads.
The Lord can use those who trust in Him.
Arise and attack the enemy ; for the Lord has delivered
them into your hand.
But if you fear to go down, go with Phurah your severant
down to the enemy's camp.
And you shall hear what they say. And afterward shall your
hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. You will
hear what they are saying. and then you will have the
courage to attack them.
So Gideon went with Phurah his severant to the edge of
the enemy camp.
And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children
of the east lay in the valley like grasshoppers for
multitude; and their camels were without number, as the
sand by the sea side for multitude.
When Gideon was come, he heard a man telling a friend
about a dream.He was saying,
Behold , I dreamed a dream, and lo, a cake of barley
bread tumbled into a tent, and smote it that it fell, and
overturned it, that the tent lay along.
He had dreamt that a leaf of barley bread rolled into his
camp and hit a tent.And the tent collapsed and lay flat on
the ground.
And his friend answered and said,
This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son
of Joash, a man of Israel. For unto his hand has God
delivered Midian, and all the host.
The dream was interpreted as evidence that the Lord was
about to give Gideon victory over the Midianite army.
And it was so , when Gideon heard the telling of the dream,
and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped the Lord.
When he heard about the man's dream and what it meant ,
Gideon fell to his knees and worshipped the Lord.
And Gideon eturned confidently to his camp and prepared for
the attack. And Gideon said,
Arise ; for the Lord has delivered into your hand the
host of Midian.
And he divided the the three hundred men into three
companies.And he put a trumpet in every man's hand, with
empty pitchers,and lamps within the pitchers.
and he said unto them,
Look on me, and do likewise.
And behold , when I come to the outside of the camp, it
shall be that , as I do, so shall you do.
When I blow with a trumpet , I and all that are with me,
then you blow the trumpets also on every side of allthe
camp, and say, The sword of the Lord and of Gideon.
So gideon , and the hundred men that were with him, came
unto the outside of the camp a short while before midnight,
just after the guards had changed.
Then they blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers and jars
that were in their hands.
And the three companies blew the trumpets , and broke the
pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the
trumpets in their right hands to blow together. And they cried,
The sword of the Lord and of Gideon.
And they stood every man in his place round about the camp.
And the enemies ran, and cried, and fled.
And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the Lord sat
every man's sword against his fellow, even throughout all
the host. And the enemies fled to Bethahittah in Zereath
and to the border of Abelmeholah unto Tabbath.
And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of
Napthali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseth, and
pursued after the Midianites.
Gideon made use of the trumpets, the pitchers, and the
lamps. The pitchers were to conceal the light until the
right moment.
Gideon had surprised his enemies.
In the middle of the night , the enemies were awakened
by the battle cries of the trumpets and the noises of
clashing pitchers. And at the same time they would see
the sudden bursts of light in the darkness.
The enemy campp was thrown into confusion.In their
confusion, the Midianites and their allies attacked and
fought against each other. The Lord set every man's
sword against his fellow. The wicked are often led to
destroy each other.
God often makes his enemies destroy each other under the
power of their delusions , and the fury of their evil
passions. God choose the foolish things of the world to
confound the worldly clever. God used the weak things of
the world to put to shame the mighty.
We can never make the tents of theMidian collapse. It is
only the Lord who delivers Midian into our hands that the
victory is possible.
we shall have more victories by blowing the Good News
trumpet, and shining than by our most splendid arguments.
And Gideon send the messengers throughout all mount
Ephraim , saying ,
Come down against the Midianites , and take before
them the waters unto Brtharah and Jordan.
Come down and fight the Midianites. Hold the River Jordan
and the streams a far as Betharah. Keep the enemy from
crossing it.Then the men of Ephraim were called together .
And they took the waters unto Betharah and Jordan.
nd they took the princes of the Midianites , Oreb and
Zeeb. And they slew Oreb and Zeeb. They pursued the
Midianites. And they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb
to Gideon on the other side of the Jordan.
We are epected to help where help is needed. We are to
help our fellow workers.
FINAL DEFEAT OF THE MIDIANITES
(JUDGES 8:1-21)
By this time Gidoen and his three hundred men had come up
to the Jordan River and had crossed it.
They were exhausted but were still pursuing the enemy.
And Gidon asked the men of Succoth,
Please , give loaves of bread unto the people that
follow me; for they are exhausted. And I am pursuing
after Zebah and Zalmunia, kings of Midian.
And the princes of Succoth said,
Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your hands,
that we should give bread unto your army ?
And Gideon said,
Therefore, when the Lord has delivered Zebah and
Zalmunna into mine hand, then I will tear your flesh
with thorns of the wilderness and with briers.
Gideon went to Penuel and spoke to them likewise.
And the men of Penuel answered him as the men of
Succoth has answered him.
And Gideon told them that he will come back safe and
sound.
And I will break down this tower.
Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor. All that was
left of the whole army fifteen thousand men.One
hundred twenty thousand men had been killed.
Gideon went along the road by the edge of the desert,
east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and attached the enemy
by surprise.
And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued after
Them, and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and
Zalmunna, and discomforted all the enemies.
And Gideon the son of Joash returned from the
battle before the sun was up. And he causght a young
man of Succoth, and questioned him.
The young man told Gideon the names of seventy-seven
leading men of Succoth.
The real severats of the Lord meet more dangerous
oppositions from wolves in sheep's skins than open
enemies. The false professor are Israelites in
name, but Midianites in heart. The Lord does not
look at appearances. The Lord looks at the heart.
The severants of the Lord must put all heir heart,
mind and might to serve the Lord, even though they are
exhausted through inward hardships.
Gideon punished the men of Succoth. He took thorns and
briars from the desert and used them to punish the
leaders of Succoth.
And he tore down the tower at Penuel and killed the
men of the city because they were really secret allies
of Midian. And Gideon treated them as such when he
returned to punish them.
Many people are taught with briars and thorns of
affliictions. They would not have learn otherwise.
And there are some people who will never learn.
These people will perish.
Then Gideon said unto Zebah and Zalmunna,
What manner of men were they whom you slew at Tabor ?
And they answered,
As you are, so were they . Each one resembled the
the children of a king.
And he said,
They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother.
As the Lord lives, if you had saved them alive, I would
not slay you.
And he said to Jether his first born,
Up , and slay them.
But the youth drew not his sword; for he feared , because
he was yet a youth.
Then Zebah and Zalmunna said,
Rise you, and fall upon us;
for as the man is, so is his strength.
And Gideon arose , and slew Zebah and Zalmunna. And he
took away the ornaments that were on their camel's necks.
A man's strength is the outcome of inner self. As a man is,
so is his strength. Jether was a youth, so he had the
strength of a youth. And he was afraid.
Zebah and Zalmunna had challenged Gideon to slay them
himself.
The devil is strong. Many people are afraid of him. But he
is no match against God.
Evil men are influenced by the devil. Even when they are
in locked up , people are afraid of them. But no matter
wicked they are, they will be destroyed by God.
In this case the Lord brought up Gideon to destroy the two
wicked kings of Midian. And Gideon slew them.
THE EPHRAIMITES
(JUDGES 8:1-3)
And the men of Ephraim said unto Gideon,
Why have you served us thus, that you call us not , when
you went to fight with the Midianites ?
And they did chide with him sharply.
They complained bitterly about it. why did Gideon treated
them like this ? Why didn't he call them when he went to
fight the Midianites ?
When we are doing the work of the Lord, and especially if
we are successful in doing it , there will always be plenty
of critics.These people who will not step out to serve the
Lord, will be most ready to criticize those who have
devoted themselves completely in serving the Lord.
The men of ephriam were angered that Gideon had not
enlisted their help earlier in the war with the Midianites.
They wanted the glory for themselves. The men of Ephraim
wanted to boast of their strength and of what they
could do. They failed to realize that it was not them that
defeated the enemies.They failed to realize that it was
the Lord who defeated the Midianites. They did very little
in gaining victory over their enemies, because the Lord
had defeated the Midianites for them.
The Lord does not give His glory to snother. The Lord
wants Israel to know that it was the Lord who defeated
the Midianites.
For this very reason the Lord chose only three hundred
men to defeat the great Midianite army.
If any one is going to boast , let him bost only of what
the Lord has done.Only the Lord is worthy to be praised.
Only the Lord is worthy to be glorified and honored.
Gideon ruled his spirit, and behaved with meekness.
But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight
themselves in the abundance of peace.(Psalm 37:11)
Blessed are the meek , for they shall inherit the
earth.(Matt 5:5)
we must not crave to have power over others. We are to
serve others. We must desire that in all things Jesus
Christ is Lord.
Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but
rather think of yourself with sober judgment.Be devoted to
one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above
yourselves. Lifting the Lord Jesus Christ make it possible
for meekness to become one of our virtues.
ONly by pride comes contention ; but with the well
advised is wisdom. (Proverb 13:10)
A soft answer turns away wrath ; but grievous words
stir up anger.(Proverb 15:1)
Gideon softly answered the men of Ephraim. Gideon
assured them that their victory was the greater
accomplishment. Gideon was humble in his reply. Ephraim
had taken the two great Midianite princes , whereas
Gideon's people had only did the preparation works.
Gideon's soft answer satified the men of Ephraim.
Gideon shows us that envy is best removed by humbleness.
Gideon seek nothing for himself but to serv the Lord.
And Gideon said unto them,
What have I done now in comparison of you ? Is not the
gleaning of grapes of ephraim better than the vantage of
Abiezer ?
God has delivered into your hands the princes of Midian,
Oreb and Zeeb. And what was I able to do in comparison of
you ?
Then their anger was abated toward him, when they heard
these words of Gideon. When he said this , they were
no longer angry.
GIDEON REFUSED TO BE THEIR RULER
(JUDGE 8:22-35)
Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon,
Rule over us, you and your son, and your son's son
also; for you have delivered us from the hand of Midian.
And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you , neither shall my son rule
over you .The Lord shall rule over you.
Gideon rufused to be their ruler because he wanted to
give God all the glory for all Israel's victories.
Gideon seeked not the things of this world. He seeked
first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
Gideon , like Abraham and Jacob , was waiting for the
city which God designed and built , the city with
permanent foundations. By faith Gideon was a foreigner
in this world . Gideon made it clear that he was looking
for a place in heaven.
It was a better place they longed for, the heavenly place.
And so the Lord is not ashamed for Gideon to call Him his
God.Gideon knew that only the Lord is worthy to rule over
us.
The Lord is worthy to be King.
You are worthy to take the book, and open the seals
thereof; for you were slain, and has redeemed us to God
by your blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and
people , and nation; and has made us unto our God kings
and priestsl and we shall reign on the earth.(Rev 5:9-10)
And Gideon said unto them,
I would desire a request of you , that you would
give me every man the earrings of his prey.
(They had golden earrings because they were Ishmaelites>)
And they answered,
We will willingly give them.
And they spread a garment , and did cast therein every man
the earrings of his prey.
And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested
was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside
ornaments, and collars, and purple raiments that was on
the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about
their camel' necks.
And Gideon made an ephod thereof , and put it in his city,
even in Ophrah and all Israel went over there whoring
after it, which thing became a snare unto Gideon and to his
home.
Gideon made the ephod out of the choicest of the spoils.
Gideon thought that the ephod would serve as a reminder of
their victory over the Midianites. But the ephod became an
object of idolatry.
What we do may become a terrible snare to others. We must
be careful of what we do. We must consider how our actions
and deeds may affect others.
Many people are led into false ways by one false step of
a good man, That is the very reason why we should not
follow man. We must follow only the Lord Jesus Christ.
Well , whateveer you do, whether you eat or drink, do
it all for God's glory. Live in such a way as to cause no
trouble either to Jews or Gentiles or to the Church of
God.
But we should be careful not to let our freedom of
action make those who are weak in faith fall into sin.
(1Cor 8:9)
Now we can see many people are led in false ways of
worshipping idols such as wooden cross, and clay statues
of saints. Search the Scriptures, and you will find that
God does not want you to worship idols. Worship the Lord
your GOd in spirit and in truth.
Gideon was a real person like us, with weaknesses. Gideon
won God's approval because his faith in the Lord.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen.For by it the elders obtained
a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds
were framed by the word of God, so that things which are
seen were not made of things which do appear.
(Hebrews 11:1-3)
By faith Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham Sara, Isaac, Jacob,
Moses, Rahab, and Joshua pleased God.
And what shall I say ? for the time would fail me to
tell of Gideon, and of Barak , and of Samson, and of
Jephthae ; of David also, and Samuel, and of the
prophets; Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought
righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of
lions,quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge
of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed
valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
(Heb 11:32-34)
BibleFolks ----------------------------------------------------------
Title GIDEON Author Anthony Ing Publisher Good News Publishing paperback 1987 ISBN 10 0-921947-05-4 ISBN 13 978-0-921947-05-9 Digitized 2014