Judges 7
Verse 2 God's concern is the glory of His Name. He would deliver His people, but not by human strength or incredible odds.
Verse 3 The men had reason to be afraid. They were facing a terrible enemy. This is another indication to me that fear is not a sin. But if you can get past it and truly trust in the Lord with everything, then you really LIVE.
Verse 5 It is interesting to me that God is communicating with Gideon in the form of "signs," the same way that Gideon sought the Lord's will with the fleece. God could have easily said take these 300 men, but he communicated with Gideon on Gideon's level. God know us and speaks to us in the ways we understand.
Verse 6 As Gideon watched his enemy dwindle from 32000 to only 300 men, I wonder what he was thinking. Do you think he was disappointed in them for being afraid? God told him to separate the "lapping" men from the "kneeling" men before He told him why. On one side was a group of 9700 men, and on the other was a group of 300. And God gave him the smaller group. I bet he was shocked!
Verse 10 Again, we see God making a provision for Gideon's fear. He said if you are afraid to go down, take Purah with you and listen to what they are saying about you.
Verse 11 He was afraid! He took his servant with him.
Verse 15 God demonstrated His divine control over a situation that made Gideon's hands shake. (Verse 11 says that after he heard what they were saying, his hands would be strengthened.) The enemy, as it says in verse 12, was as numerous as locusts, or the sand on the shore! But when God opened Gideon's eyes to His divine plan, Gideon bowed in worship. It was as if he suddenly saw the fiery chariots of God's army. That he looked down and saw the glowing armor of the Lord's protection around him, and he was a changed man. I pray that God would open our eyes to the Truth of the battles we are facing. He has fortified us to carry out His will by His strength, not ours. When Gideon finally realized this in his situation, not only was he ready to fight, he was ready to lead!
Verse 16. The men were given trumpets for one hand, and lamps for the other. There were no weapons. Their hands were full! I wonder if they were worried about this lack of weaponry, but my guess is they saw Gideon the way God did. They would follow him anywhere.
Verse 20-22 This story is amazing. I mean, truly I am awestruck. God won this battle for His people, and He used their own weaponry and power against them. Our security cannot be in the things of this world, because there will always be someone bigger, faster, or smarter to come along. We trust in the Power that holds planets in orbit, who is a Light brighter than the sun. A word from Him can send a mountain crashing to the ground or the sea to rise up and cover the earth.
Chapter 8 This si the wrap-up of Gideon's dealings with Midian.
Verses 1-3. Gideon was wise in his dealings with the men of Ephraim. They didn't understand what God was doing, for His own glory, and they felt left out of the story. If Gideon had been boastful, they could have become contemptuous.
Verse 6 The leaders of Succoth were skeptical that Gideon would succeed, as were the men of Penuel (verse 8).
Verse 10 There were "only" 15,000 Midianites left, because 120,000 of them had already been killed. Gideon's odds were much improved, although he still had just 300.
Verse 15 Gideon takes the captured men to show the taunting leaders of Succoth. Uh Oh.
Verse 18 After he deals with Succoth and Penuel, he must deal with the last kings of Midian. They die by Gideon's hand, just as God had foretold it.
Verse 22 The people want a human king, but Gideon gives the true glory to the Lord, at least for now.
Verse 26 Did this part catch you off-guard? Why did Gideon need this gold earrings on top of everything else that was rightfully his? It surprised me that he would make such a foolish decision, right after he was so wise about not being crowned king! Greed is dangerous, and too much of anything is rarely a blessing. The gold became a thing to worship. They honored the spirit of war, rather than the One who led them to victory. It really saddens me that Gideon would leave this last indiscretion as his legacy to his family. We have to remember that what we do in this life is studied and emulated by those around us--especially our children.
Verses 28-35 Gideon dies, and Israel is forgetful again.
Next time: Judges 9-10
Comments