Judges 11 "The Unlikely Hero"

 “The Unlikely Hero”

“Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valor, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.” (v.1)

Men are not to be blamed for the wrong doings of their parents as long as their personal merits are beyond reproach. And, no matter where we come from, no matter what our background, the LORD can use us all for His purposes. If Jephthah, the son of a harlot, a reproach of his people, a marauder, could be used to defend Israel – just think how God might use you.

We’ve all come out of some pit. God has already performed miracles in our lives. Let’s look forward to how He may want to bless us and use us in the future.

The Truth

“I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:8)

Judges 10 "Israel Backslides"

 “Israel Backslides - Again”

“Then the sons of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD, served the Baals and the Ashtaroth, the gods of Aram, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the sons of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines; thus they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him.” (v.6)

Here the Israelites forsook the Lord their God again, and served the gods of the surrounding nations. As a result, the Lord gave them up to the power of the Philistines and Ammonites and left them to groan for eighteen years under the severe oppression of the Ammonites (v.8), till they cried to Him in their distress (v.10). Later in chapter 11, He would send them deliverance through Jephthah, though not till He has first charged them with their sins, and they had put away the strange gods.

Here we see that, true repentance is not only for sin but from it as well. Meaning, we must humble ourselves under His hand, seek deliverance from the powers of darkness, separate ourselves from sin, and from occasions of it. All the while realizing that when we freely choose to return and repeat some past sin, God is able to prolong His mercy until we truly repent.

The good news is we are not under the law but under grace. And, “If we confess our sin, He is faithful to forgive us our sin, and cleans us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9)

The Truth

Jesus said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” (Matthew 9:12)

Judges 9 "The Peril of Ambition"

“The Peril of Ambition”

“And he (Abimelech) went to his father's house at Ophrah, and slew his brothers the sons of Jerubbaal, being three score and ten persons, on one stone: notwithstanding yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.” (v.5)

This is the first mention in Scripture of the hideous custom of anticipating conspiracies by destroying all brothers and near kinsmen – no brother near the throne. Abimelech by this vile wickedness set a fatal precedent, which was followed again and again in the kingdom of Israel by Baasha (1 Kings 15:29), Zimri 1 Kings 16:11), Jehu (2 Kings 10:7) and probably by other kings (2 Kings 15). Herod also put to death most of his kinsmen, and some of his sons.

Here we see the power of ambition and what power it has over men. How it will break through all the ties of natural affection, and natural conscience, and sacrifice what is most sacred, dear, and valuable. We see also the peril attending high birth and honour. It was their being the sons of so great a man as Gideon that made Abimelech jealous of them, and exposed them thus to danger and to death.

The Bible says, “Whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7).  Abimelech sowed a seed when he put the heads of his seventy brothers upon the chopping block, for a stone fell upon his own head. His desire was to be crowned, and he was – with a millstone thrown from the top of a stone to tower (v.51-53).

Be careful with your ambitions and the methods used to acquire them, as they will come back around on your own head.

The Truth

“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6)

Judges 8 "A Soft Answer"

 “A Soft Answer”

“God has given the leaders of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb into your hands; and what was I able to do in comparison with you?” Then their anger toward him subsided when he said that.” (v.3)

The Bible says we are supposed to be “slow to speak” (James 1:19), and that “a soft answer turns away wrath” (Proverbs 15:1).

Gideon gave a soft answer during a verbal scuffle with some fellow Israelites. Just after his army defeated the Midianites, a group of his countrymen criticized him sharply (v.1). They were bugged because they missed out on the main part of the battle. Gideon did not fling back a rough response. Instead, he reminded them that they had captured and killed the Midianite princes. He also honored the men by asking, “What was I able to do in comparison with you?” Finally, “their anger toward him subsided when he said that” (v.3)

With the Lord’s help, we can defuse heated situations by reining in our words. Responding gently and carefully to angry people can promote unity, for God’s glory.

Bite your tongue before it bites others.

The Truth

A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness. (Proverbs 15:1-2)

Judges 7 "Gideon's Army Reduced"

 “Gideon’s Army Reduced”

The Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying, ‘My own power has delivered me.’ (v.2)

Military commanders always want to have enough troops to accomplish their mission. Most would prefer having too many not too few, but not everyone agrees on just how many troops will be enough. When Gideon recruited an army of 32,000 men to stand against those who oppressed the Israelites, the Lord told him, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me” (v.2)

So the Lord began to reduce Gideon’s army. When the fearful were allowed to leave, 22,000 men went home (v.3). A second reduction cut the force from the remaining 10,000 to 300 troops, of whom the Lord said, “By the three hundred … I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand” (v.7) And so He did (v.19-23).

In our life of faith, our resources can become the enemy of trust. God wants us to depend on Him, not our own strength, whether physical, financial, or intellectual. When the Lord reduces our resources from “32,000 to 300,” it is not punishment. It is preparation for Him to be glorified through our lives as we acknowledge and trust His power.

With God all things are possible.

The Truth
But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26, Mark 10:27)

Judges 6 "God Calls Gideon"

“God Calls Gideon”

The angel of the Lord appeared to him (Gideon) and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior.” (v.12)

Here we see God Himself came down to call Gideon into His service. The visit by ""the angel of the LORD"" was another Old Testament appearance of Christ. Gideon realized who his Guest was when the Lord burned up Gideon's meal in answer to his request for a sign. As soon as the meal went up in flames, the angel of the Lord disappeared.

Gideon's first reaction was fear, because the common belief was that to see God was to die. But God spoke an all-important word of peace, or shalom, to Gideon (v.23). So like Moses before him, Gideon built an altar to the Lord and gave it a name: "The LORD is peace" (v.24).

However Gideon needed assurance, because as far as he was concerned the nation's enemies were too powerful to be conquered. God's message of peace to Gideon was a guarantee that His plans for Israel's deliverer would be carried out.

We too may doubt our own abilities and potential. But let us never doubt what God can do with us when we trust and obey Him. Gideon’s God is the same God who will help us accomplish all that He asks us to do.

The Truth

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13)