Judges 8:1-3
This is some interesting stuff. At the end of chapter 7 Gideon calls for the tribe of Ephraim to help out in the chase down. They end up capturing two of the generals, Zeeb and Oreb. When they come to Gideon with their heads instead of being happy and congratulatory they were angry that Gideon did not invite them to the battle in the first place. This is an interesting attack. They had to have known that 135,000 troops were gathered for war. They did not offer their services just as much as Gideon did not ask for them. This response goes to show how much God knew the hearts of his children. They all wanted the glory and the credit for what He did. The reason He had trimmed the army down to 300 to begin with was so that no man/men could take the credit. The humility of Gideon was what allowed him to be used. His quick response was a testament to his humility. Instead of trying to claim the victory for himself he chooses to exalt their short involvement above his own. The response of Ephraim was also interesting in context to the song of Deborah and Barak. It was not more then 50 years earlier that when the other tribes did not go out to fight that Deborah and Barak mocked them in a song. Warriors must be carful not to develop so much pride that they no longer see the need for a commander and His strategy. God knew to allow them to fight would have certainty caused them to take the glory. Gideon was so aware of what God had done that he could care less about receiving the praise for himself. It is interesting to notice that when it was all over and he does finally ask for a piece of credit for himself it becomes his down fall. more on that to come.
Judges 7:7-15
What are we saying about our enemy? In this chapter we find the enemies of God afraid of Gideon and his army. The funny thing is that Gideon was extremely out numbered. Even with the 32,ooo original army they were out numbered. A big part of our ability to have victory is our confidence in going into the battle. The children of Israel viewed themselves as grasshoppers in the sight of Jericho and they choose to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. Gideon saw himself and his army of 300 the size of God. He went in knowing they would be victories because his victory was based on God. I find myself looking at the current state of the world and being about as confident as the children of Israel under the leadership of Moses. The problems are to big and the church is to small. We are going to lose. For some reason I fight like a suicide bomber. I go wanting to win as many as I can believing that I will never see victory. I just want to take as many as I can with me. The sad part is that I am putting this lets go out with a bang mentality on Christ. He is a God of victory not a God that settles for just taking out as many as we can while going down.
Judges 7:1-4
Gideon got his army together. He had 32,ooo in all. They were still outnumbered but at least you have a pretty good sized army. The Lord tells Gideon his army is to big. He told him if they win the Israelites would boast in the victory. He told Gideon to let as many as wanted to go leave. At this point he loses 22,ooo of his warriors. Now he was even more outnumbered with only 10,000 men left. Again he is told he has to many. This time he is left with only 300. I think that I often choose to set my vision and expectation lower then what God is capable of so that I have a chance to accomplish it myself if God does not. It blurs the line of the miraculous and man. This steals some if not all of the glory from God. It allows for myself and others to take the glory for what God does. It is my like of trust and obedience that destroys the opportunity for the miraculous around me. I like to keep that 32,000 or 10,000 person backup plan in place even when God has said He will give complete victory. Gideon Was amazing.
Judges 6:28-40
I grabbed something in regards to boldness and on act of obedience building on top of another act of obedience. I had this story all laid out wrong in my head my memories of this story from child hood put his obedience after the fleeces in verses 38-40. First Gideon would do something God would ask him to do then Gideon would ask for the proof. Gideon tore down the alter to Baal even in his fear. Gideon called the children of Israel to arms even in his fear and doubt. He was taking action even though he was afraid. He trusted God’s word more then his fear. It was like he would Go out to do whatever he was told then think about how CRAZY it was after. He had the destruction of Baal’s alter all worked out then afterward he hid out. I can just see him getting home and thinking, “WHAT the heck did I just do?” Then a little while later blowing the rams horn in verse 34 and saying “what the heck did I just do?” I want to be like this. When God speaks I just do it… don’t over analyze it. Then later I will say what the heck did I just do. I want to be obedient before I rationalize it away. I want to ask Him to prove Himself because of my obedience not before I obey. That is most of my problem… I ask him for the sign before I have obeyed. Gideon is of the chain!
Judges 6:13-16
Wow! This just jumped off the page at me. I don’t know how many times I have asked the EXACT same question Gideon asked in verse 13. If the Lord is with us where are all the miracles the bible talks about. I thought this question was unique to the church of the last couple hundred years. Look at the response of the Lord, “I am sending YOU.” I don’t even know what to say right now. I am the answer? Have I been complaining about what I do not see in America today and He has been saying all along YOU ARE THE ANSWER? Go with the strength you have I am sending you. I do not feel very strong. I am responding and looking back at Gideon’s response and getting overwhelmed by the similarities. I literally feel exactly the same. I am the weakest in my family! It was not that Gideon was so strong but that the one who was sending him was strong. I think that might be all the strength I have. I have just enough strength to go. He is going to have to do the rest. I want to respond in obedience to what He is speaking to me. Gideon obeyed even in the middle of his fleshly fear. Gideon sacrificed even in his lack. I want to be the agent of change. When my back I don’t what them to say that they never saw you mighty acts. Let them see your hand in and through me.
Judges 6:1-21
Something I have never recognized is the call to sacrifices food in the midst of complete starvation (vs. 6). I never thought about this. I only think about the sacrifices in context to the wealth of God’s people in early Genesis. Gideon’s offering of a small goat and bread would have been huge. So much for saying I will give when I am in a better financial situation. He was not giving out of abundance. Gideon was hiding in the mountains with the rest of his people starving to death and he sacrificed. This kind of sacrifice makes a statement. Gideon was not joking around. I had always put Gideon’s asking for prof from God as a testing pre obedience. Gideon sacrificed in his lack… then he asked for a sign. I have often wondered about the balance of asking God for a sign and just trusting. Gideon cast out the fleece AFTER a major sacrifice. He did it not once… but TWICE. He took his dads second best cow and destroys the alter of Baal. Gideon was scared… but he was IN. All in.
Judges 5:10-31
This song of victory is intense. I am intrigued by the fact that it calls out those who lay idle in the time of battle. It specifically calls out by name the tribes that did not go out to battle with their brothers. I never want to be remembered as the member of the group that reaped the benefits of everyone else’s labor. Here we find Reuben, Gilead, Dan, and Asher getting completely laid into for watching their brothers go to war for freedom and doing nothing and reaping the benefits. This Deborah and Barak laid it on thick in this song. It is easy to talk about Barak losing the glory of victory to a woman and forget that He still fought and was a big part of the victory. I truly never would want to be remembered and called out for sitting back and doing nothing and living receiving all of the benefits of the freedom the war brought. This goes along so well with the series “Everyone” that PA is doing right now. It is so easy to get caught up in making sure everything in our own little lives is going o.k. that we forget to or never fight for the benefit of the whole. It is defiantly a self evaluation time. When we see this happen in each other we must call it out. These four tribes mentioned kicked it into idle while the others where fighting for freedom and taking ground. I love this line in verse 18, “Asher sat unmoved at the seashore, remaining in his harbors. But Zebulun risked his life…”. What a rip! You guys sat at the beach while we where out risking our lives. I do not want to cost. I want to press!
Judges 5:1-9
Verses 2 and 9 make an amazing recognition. It is very confirming for what I have been learning in regards to the story. It is interesting that both Deborah and Barak recognized the need of a leader to rise up and for the people to follow gladly. It was a combination of leaders leading and people following willingly. This combination is the equation for congregational victory. This is what brought the entire nation into freedom. It is important to note that the leadership must be listening to the voice of God. This combination is so difficult to come across because it requires humility from all parties. The followers must be obedient and the leadership must never consider themselves more highly then the others. I love where I am because I can see leaders leading and followers doing it joyfully. I don’t spend time thanking God for this. This passage is a song of praise and this thought is right in the middle of it! love it.
Judges 4:12-24
I think the different fighting styles used in this passage are interesting to look at. You have the nation who go out to fight with a more traditional method of battle. Then Jael shows a unique approach to warfare. Gain trust then drive a stake though the temple. This is just a lot more strategic. It is reminiscent of an Ehud approach. Gain trust then stick it to the man. It is the point when the glory of the battle is taken from Barak. Because of Barak’s inability to step into the role he was called complete victory was prolonged for the collective. This is an interesting thought. Sisera’s whole army went into confusion but he escaped. He would have been destroyed by Barak had he believed the call on his life. A lack of trust in God’s call prolonged defeat and ultimately caused God to raise another up to bring the total victory. I don’t every want to delay victory for myself and others.
Judges 4:9-10
I am having a hard time with why it was bad for Barak to lose the glory to a woman. As I think about men and their roll in the home (as I think about myself). It is easy to set back and allow her to handle all of the responsibility of the home because I know they will get done. I think it is easy to let go of the glory of our man roles, the father/provider/disiplinary/potector/ect., If we know they will be taken care of. It is a lot of work and a tough battle to father and husband the way we are meant to. It often can mean taking care of the needs of everyone else before your own. In my selfishness I often want to get what I think I deserve first. I worked for the money so can I buy clothes for me. I feel often like I deserve to sit down and do nothing. This leaves all of the responsibility on my wife. If I live my life out in my flesh and do not walk it out according to the spirit then my children may still follow Christ and walk in victory but the glory of their freedom will go not to me but to my wife. Man up! We must move beyond provider only and learn how to play with our kids. We must not be providers that glean off the first fruits for ourselves. We must be husbands and romancers. We will only get the Glory of the victory’s in our families If we don’t take the back seat in the battles. Just because my wife is capable does not mean it is her role or responsibility.
