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Bible StudyJudges

Judges 6 – Bible in a Year

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Judges 6-10. ‘My own hand has saved me’ – this is the very thing God did not want to hear from his people when it was HE that helped them and caused them to succeed.

This continues the saga of these people who continually fall back into the worship of Baal and other gods of the land, then cry out to God when life is tough.

Judges 6-10, Bible in a Year, Day 38

Judges 6

We read about Gideons time as Judge of Israel.

The Midianites had ruled over Israel for seven years. Between them and the Amalekites (remember them??)

And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the Lord’ Judges 6:6

Similar story as Egypt isn’t it? God hears the cries of his people.

But look at the pattern. He loves them, shows himself, provides, does all the things and after they’ve had their problem solved, they fall back into their selfish ways and relying on the natural senses, get into idolatry – into what they can see, feel, touch. Until the consequences of that hurts them again, and they cry out to God again.

God! How merciful is he.

But what is that day of Judgement going to look like when he opens the books and discusses what we’ve done in our life? Frightening to think of really.

An angel visits Gideon and the story unfolds of his calling to deliver Israel. People loves to preach about the fleece, because they think it’s gives them the right to ‘put out a fleece’ for God themselves. Ridiculous really.

Judges 7

God is teaching Gideon how he wants to handle this battle.

God causes the enemy to dream and be afraid of you – who is dreaming of you and ’the sword of the Lord’ this way? Do you expect it?

The two princes mentioned in this chapter, Oreb and Zeeb are mentioned elsewhere in the bible. I’m sure we’ll come across it as we keep reading. This is a signifiant moment for Israel.

Judges 8

The battle plays out. And Gideon refuses to rule over Israel. He sounds like Moses when he says ‘the Lord shall rule over you‘ (Judges 8:23).

Even today, God wants to be your God. He does not have rulers over you. The Spirit of God is there to lead you, to guide you. And those that are called to be ministers of the gospel in truth, the ones we call the five fold ministry, they are meant only to serve you in the perfecting of you for the work of the ministry.

Israel had quietness for 40 years under Gideon.

But sadly, again, it says, after his death, ‘the children of Israel turned again and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baalberith their god, and the children of Israel remembered not the Lord their God..’

Judges 9

Gideons son turned into bad news, Abimelech. You need to read that story yourself. The selfish exploits of one man can be extraordinary.

But what made me laugh is a woman was the one who ended his life (9:53). Suppression of women in the Western world and in particular by the church is so false, God never intended it. They have been the ones 3 times in Judges so far to be the ones dealing with the enemy.

These stories are not just tales. Principles, concepts and spiritual truisms are staring at us in the face. But does the church learn?

Hmmmm

Jesus Christ, the ultimate deliverer, awaits us to remember him as God, and to relate to Him as such!

What kind of gospel have we come into????

Every knee shall bow and those that KNOW will swear allegiance to Him!

Judges 10

We have a few judges listed after Abimelech that arose to defend Israel. There is Tola the son of Puah, he judges for 23 years. Then Jair, judged for 22 years.

But in 10:6 we read AGAIN….

‘And the children of Israel did evil again the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the Lord and served not him’.

Well, before we get all self-righteous and think we would never do that, I would take a good long hard think about those things that you love more than God. Idolatry has insidious forms. And as the bible says, there is none righteous, no not one. The West cannot claim any moral superiority against the history of Israel, we are riddled with this stuff to the extreme, and in the church hold up mens wisdom far more than the scriptures themselves.

When they cry out to God what does he say? ‘go and cry unto the gods which you have chosen, let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation’ (10:14)

Wowzers!!! Had they gone too far?

But no, when they repented and put away those strange gods it says ‘his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel’.

Gods love is beyond and beyond. His mercy never fails. His salvation is eternal.