Year One, July 9

Show Me a Sign Of Your Favor1

Judges 7:9-21; 23-25

9That same night the LORD said to [Gideon], “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand. 10But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant. (See how gently the Lord deals with his servant. He tells Gideon there is no reason to be afraid and gives him a way to overcome what fear still remains.) 11And you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” (God does give signs and assurances to certain sincere people. However, for others it might be sinful to even hope for them. Just because Gideon was given so many signs, does not mean we should expect them. Instead, we should remember our Lord’s words in John 20:29: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”) Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outposts of the armed men who were in the camp.

12And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the East lay along the valley like locusts in abundance, and their camels were without number, as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance. 13When Gideon came, behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade. And he said, “Behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.” 14And his comrade answered, “This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp.” (God brings about a remarkable combination of circumstances. One soldier has a particular dream, another gives it a fearful interpretation, and Gideon is listening in on their conversation. The wonders of Providence2 deserve the careful and adoring eye of the observer. The dream was just what Gideon needed. He was the poor barley cake that would turn the Midianites upside down and flatten them.)

15As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the LORD has given the host of Midian into your hand.” (Notice that Gideon takes time to worship even before he returns to the camp. Devotion does not wait for a convenient time.) 16And he divided the 300 men into three companies and put trumpets into the hands of all of them and empty jars, with torches inside the jars. 17And he said to them, “Look at me, and do likewise. When I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. 18When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp and shout, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon.’”

19So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch. And they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands. 20Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow. And they cried out, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” 21Every man stood in his place around the camp, and all the army ran. They cried out and fled. (Seeing so many torchbearers, and hearing so many trumpeters, they assumed that the army itself must be immense. They panicked and ran for their lives.)

23And the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali and from Asher and from all Manasseh, and they pursued after Midian. (Those who cannot go first, may still be a great help if they will come in later and aid the good cause.)

24Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and capture the waters against them, as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they captured the waters as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan. (A wise leader is anxious to obtain all the success he can from a victory. When we have overcome evil of any kind we must work hard to make the success a permanent one.) 25And they captured the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. (Faith wins the day against unnumbered foes. Let us only believe and we shall be victorious. The Lord Jesus is our Captain. We shall be more than conquerors.)

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¹ Psalm 86:17

² Usually, when used with a capital “P”, Providence refers to God; when with a lower case “p”, it refers to God’s will, his divine intervention, and his predetermination (predestination).

Year One, July 8

Blessed Are Those Who Have Not Seen and Yet Have Believed1

Judges 6:33-40

33Now all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East came together, and they crossed the Jordan and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. 34But the Spirit of the LORD clothed Gideon, and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him. (When the enemy crossed over the Jordan River, the Lord moved his chosen servant to meet them. At the sound of Gideon’s trumpet, many of the downtrodden people gained courage and came out of their hiding places to face the enemy.) 35And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they too were called out to follow him. And he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet them. (The Lord’s people will offer themselves freely on the day of his power.2)

36Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, 37behold, I am laying a fleece3 of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.” 38And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water. 39Then Gideon said to God, “Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground let there be dew.” 40And God did so that night; and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew. (See how tenderly the Lord looks on the weakness of his servant’s faith and gives a double miracle to strengthen his confidence. The Lord also gives assurance of his presence to strengthen our faith. Sometimes during the Communion Service he will give us a special awareness of his grace, even though others do not experience it. On another occasion others rejoice in the abundance of the Lord’s grace and we do not. If our religion was a lifeless machine, we could adjust it to always act the same way. If it were merely rituals and ceremonies, we could always keep it from changing. But because it is from the Lord, he is the one who decides when and where his almighty power will be made evident.)

  

Judges 7:1-8

1aThen Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod.

2The LORD said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ (God’s helpers are never too few, but we learn from this passage that they may be too many. This is a blow for those who boast in their numbers, and an encouragement for the few and the weak.) 3Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained.

4And the LORD said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.” (This was a great test for Gideon’s faith. He may have been weak in some points, but he was mighty in others.) 5So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.” (Those who reached down with their hand and drank only a little water at a time were the men who would respond quickly to the enemy. They were ready for war. They were not about to relax until their cruel oppressors had been driven out of the land. These are the kind of people the Lord will use.)

6And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouth, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water. 7And the LORD said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.” 8So the people took provisions in their hands, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the 300 men. (The armed soldiers melted away, and only a few trumpeters remained. Now everything was prepared for the fight. Now they were ready for victory. When we are weak, then are we strong.4 When we have no strength that can be seen, we rely on the Power that is invisible.) And the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

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¹ John 20:29

² A reference to Psalm 110: 3a, “Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power.”

³ Fleece, a soft cloth or coat made from sheep’s wool or the wool obtained from a sheep at one shearing.

⁴ See 2 Corinthians 12:10

Year One, July 7

Peace Be To You. Do Not Fear.1

Judges 6:17-32

17And [Gideon] said to the [angel of the LORD], “If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speaks with me. 18Please do not depart from here until I come to you and bring out my present and set it before you.” And he said, “I will stay till you return.” (To one person God refuses to give a sign, and to another he does give one. God works one way with one person and another way with someone else. This demonstrates not only God’s wisdom, but also his sovereignty or absolute power to do as he pleases. In this case, Gideon asked for and was given many signs and was not rebuked for needing them.)

19So Gideon went into his house and prepared a young goat and unleavened cakes from an ephah (or about three gallons) of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought them to him under the terebinth and presented them. 20And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and put them on this rock, and pour the broth over them.” And he did so. (What Gideon intended for a feast was turned into a sacrifice. It did not matter what the Lord did with Gideon’s gift. What really matters is that the Lord accepted both the gift and the giver.)

21Then the angel of the LORD reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes. And fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. And the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight. (Gideon is given both a sign that God was with him and a hint of the power God could use. God could bring fiery courage out of Gideon’s heart, as well as fire out of a rock. And he could consume Midian as easily as he burned up the unleavened cakes.)

22Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the LORD. And Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face.” 23But the LORD said to him, “Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die. 24Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD and called it, The LORD is Peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.

25That night the LORD said to him, “Take your father’s bull, and the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it 26and build an altar to the LORD your God on the top of the stronghold here, with stones laid in due order. Then take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah that you cut down.” (Gideon is told to start right away and get rid of everything in his house that is used to worship the false god. Those who want to serve God in a foreign country should begin by serving God at home. He was not commanded to dedicate Baal’s temple to God, but to destroy it. He was not ordered to sacrifice to God on the idol’s altar, but to destroy it. We cannot overdo it when it comes to cleaning out the things that tempt us. The filthy birds of sin will return if we do not destroy their dirty nests. God gave Gideon a wonderful job to do. We should rejoice if he gives us a special assignment.)

27So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the LORD had told him. But because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night. (If we cannot do our duty exactly as we should, we must do it as we can. One way or another, it should be done. Gideon did a glorious night’s work.)

28When the men of the town rose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar that had been built. 29And they said to one another, “Who has done this thing?” And after they had searched and inquired, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.” 30Then the men of the town said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, for he has broken down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah beside it.”

The penalty for idolatry was death. Very often, the people who are the most guilty of a sin are the loudest in accusing others of doing it. They demand that the innocent get the punishment they themselves deserve.

31But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Will you contend for Baal? Or will you save him? Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because his altar has been broken down.” (He reasoned with them. If Baal is really a god, then he can take care of himself. If Baal is not a god, then those who claim he is should be put to death. That was the penalty God commanded for those who worshipped false gods.) 32Therefore on that day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend against him,” because he broke down his altar.

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¹ Judges 6:23

Year One, July 6

My Grace Is Sufficient For You1

Judges 6:1-16

1The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, (“A burnt child dreads the fire,” is a common saying, but Israel, after being burned again and again as the result of her sin, returned to it the moment the chastisement2 stopped or the judge was dead. Such is the strange fascination people have for sin.) and the LORD gave them into the hand of Midian seven years. (This nation was but a puny enemy, and yet they were too much for sinful Israel. Israel had once brought the Midianites to a very weak condition and now they are unable to stand before them. See how sin weakens people.)

2And the hand of Midian overpowered Israel, and because of Midian the people of Israel made for themselves the dens that are in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. 3For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. 4They would encamp against them and devour the produce of the land, as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel and no sheep or ox or donkey. 5For they would come up with their livestock and their tents; they would come like locusts in number--both they and their camels could not be counted--so that they laid waste the land as they came in. 6And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel cried out for help to the LORD. (These wandering looters were hard to stop. They were a terrible problem for Israel.)

7When the people of Israel cried out to the LORD on account of the Midianites, 8the LORD sent a prophet to the people of Israel. And he said to them, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery. (It seems that when the Lord sends his faithful ministers, their main job is to condemn. But when we look more closely we see that they also bring encouragement. First the scolding, then the comfort.) 9And I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10And I said to you, ‘I am the LORD your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.’ But you have not obeyed my voice.” (“Faithful are the wounds of a friend.”3 God had a good reason to complain. By bringing up Israel’s great sin, the Lord’s servant was taking them on the most direct route to peace with God. Peace with God comes only by admitting we are sinners and pleading for mercy through the blood of Jesus.)

11Now the angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. 12And the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.” (The angel of the Lord found Gideon hiding from his enemy, working hard with little to show for it, and miserable. He had very little wheat, because he had no oxen to thresh it. He was in great fear of the enemy, so he threshed in the winepress instead of a regular threshing floor. And yet in his poverty, he received rich grace. “God shows no partiality.”4)

13And Gideon said to him, “Please, sir, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” (These were sensible questions, and proved that Gideon had really thought about it.) 14And the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” (It is clear that the angel was the Lord himself. What power there is in that question, “Do not I send you?” And how inspired must Gideon have been when “the Lord turned to him” and spoke to him.)

15And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” 16And the LORD said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” (God told Gideon to “go in this might of yours” and made him mighty. He sent him on his mission and went with him. He taught him faith and then honored his faith. How will the Lord glorify himself in each of us?)

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¹ 2 Corinthians 12:9

² chasten, chastening or chastisement - The act of discipline which may include scolding, criticizing or pain inflicted for the purpose of correction or moral improvement.

³ Proverbs 27:6

⁴ Acts 10:34

Year One, July 5

Arise, O God, Defend Your Cause1

Many years after the times of the Judges, Israel was again in serious trouble. Her holy men and women remembered the Lord’s overthrow of Jabin and Sisera and used those victories as part of their prayer. We must never doubt that the Lord will answer our prayers today, just as he did for his people in the distant past. He may use different methods, but he will achieve the same result.

  

Psalm 83

A SONG. A PSALM OF ASAPH

1 O God, do not keep silence;

do not hold your peace or be still, O God!

2 For behold, your enemies make an uproar;

those who hate you have raised their heads.

Oh Lord, your enemies are in a rage. Do not be deaf and silent. Hear their furious threats and rebuke them. They are very proud. Lord, humiliate them.

3 They lay crafty plans against your people;

they consult together against your treasured ones.

God’s people are his finest treasure. He protects them like others protect gold. Their lives are as precious as jewels to him. To the wicked, however, God’s people are puzzling and worthless. They plot against them. They are dishonest and cruel. But we can still learn from them. Believers sometimes act without thinking things through, but their enemies almost never do that.

4 They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation;

let the name of Israel be remembered no more!”

They will only be satisfied with destroying us completely. If they had their way, the powers of evil would not leave a single believer on earth. Remember the massacre of St. Bartholomew,2 and be assured that the spirit of antichrist has not changed.

5 For they conspire with one accord;

against you they make a covenant--

6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites,

Moab and the Hagrites,

7 Gebal and Ammon and Amalek,

Philistia with the inhabitant of Tyre;

8 Asshur also has joined them;

they are the strong arm of the children of Lot.     Selah

Relatives and neighbors. Old enemies and new. They came together against the favored nation. The wicked will come together for evil, but Christians often refuse to come together for good. This is very shameful.

9 Do to them as you did to Midian,

as to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,

10 Who were destroyed at En-dor,

who became dung for the ground.

11 Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,

all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,

12 who said, “Let us take possession for ourselves

of the pastures of God.”

The “pastures of God” refers to the tabernacle. These evil men wanted to attack it and take over the Most Holy Place itself. Their total destruction was a well deserved reward for such vicious disrespect.

13 O my God, make them like whirling dust,

like chaff before the wind.

Oh Lord. Let them have no peace. Let them have no power to fight against you.

14 As fire consumes the forest,

as the flame sets the mountains ablaze,

15 so may you pursue them with your tempest

and terrify them with your hurricane!

We must love our own enemies, but when we think of people as the enemies of God and his glorious cause, we cannot love them nor is it our duty to do so. May all those who fight against God; his truth, his love, and his holiness, be totally defeated.

16 Fill their faces with shame,

that they may seek your name, O LORD.

A sweet prayer.  It is a very proper one for Christian lips, because it asks for the salvation of those who are now the Lord’s enemies.

17 Let them be put to shame and dismayed forever;

let them perish in disgrace,

If wicked people will not bend, then let them break. All the rights of people and all the laws of God should not be set aside just so unholy people have the freedom to sin as they please. If truth and holiness cannot exist unless bad people are crushed, then let them be crushed.

18 that they may know that you alone,

whose name is the LORD,

are the Most High over all the earth.

“Your kingdom come.”3 This is God’s magnificent plan. All events in history move toward it. As a household and as individuals, let us always be found on the Lord’s side.

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¹ Psalm 74:22

² The slaughter of thousands of Huguenots (Christians) by Roman Catholic supporters in Paris, France in August, 1572.

³ Matthew 6:10

Year One, July 4

The Right Hand of the LORD Does Valiantly1

Let us now consider the rest of Deborah’s magnificent song from:

  

Judges 5:19-31

19 “The kings came, they fought;

then fought the kings of Canaan,

at Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo;

they got no spoils of silver.”

The enemies of Israel were willing volunteers. They hated Israel so much they were eager for the battle. They did not care if they were paid. They just wanted to persecute and abuse the nation of Israel. Satan has his volunteers to serve him. Why should any of us need forcing to serve the Lord?

20 “From heaven the stars fought,

from their courses they fought against Sisera.”

The heavenly hosts joined forces with Israel. Even the weather was on their side. The rain from the sky was in their favor. The clouds blazed with lightning and tremendous floods poured from them.

21 “The torrent Kishon swept them away,

the ancient torrent, the torrent Kishon.”

The Kishon River suddenly swelled to overflowing and flash floods washed away whole armies of men.

“March on, my soul, with might!

22 “Then loud beat the horses’ hoofs

with the galloping, galloping of his steeds.”

The frighted horses pranced until their legs failed them. Sisera’s boasted cavalry became useless. His chariots of iron created only problems for his army.

23 “Curse Meroz, says the angel of the LORD,

curse its inhabitants thoroughly,

because they did not come to the help of the LORD,

to the help of the LORD against the mighty.”

The people of Meroz dragged their feet. They are cursed not for what they did, but for what they failed to do. Fear made them neutral. Those who will not fight in a patriotic war are a disgrace. “Would that you were either cold or hot!”2 Those who love the Lord the most, are the most disappointed with those who drag their feet and do not seem to care when the kingdom God is attacked.

24 “Most blessed of women be Jael,

the wife of Heber the Kenite,

of tent-dwelling women most blessed.

25 He asked for water and she gave him milk;

she brought him curds in a noble’s bowl.

Sisera saw the milk, but not the nail. Many who are tempted do not see the danger they are in.

26 “She sent her hand to the tent peg

and her right hand to the workmen’s mallet;

she struck Sisera;

she crushed his head;

she shattered and pierced his temple.

27 Between her feet

he sank, he fell, he lay still;

between her feet

he sank, he fell;

where he sank,

there he fell--dead.”

Jael’s life may not have seemed important to others, but she did her very best for Israel. Therefore she received as much praise as Barak who led thousands into battle.

28 “Out of the window she peered,

the mother of Sisera wailed through the lattice:

‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?

Why tarry the hoofbeats of his chariots?’”

This is a beautiful picture of the disappointment of the women at home when their warriors do not return in triumph. They did not think about what God might do in the battle and therefore their expectation failed them. The next two verses are almost comical.

29 “Her wisest princesses answer,

indeed, she answers herself,

30 ‘Have they not found and divided the spoil?--

A womb or two for every man;

spoil of dyed materials for Sisera,

spoil of dyed materials embroidered,

two pieces of dyed work embroidered for the neck as spoil?’”

They imagined out loud, thinking her son and the other soldiers were busy dividing the spoils of war, when they had really lost. The enemies of the church have often thought they have been victorious, only to find their rejoicing was premature. Up until now, the Lord has always helped us and he always will.

31 “So may all your enemies perish, O LORD!

But your friends be like the sun as he rises in his might.”

Amen! Amen! Under the gospel we dare to say Amen. But our fight is against spiritual powers, not humans. It is against error, sin, Satan, and unbelief. Oh for the brave hands of men and women to strike our real enemies.

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¹ Psalm 118:16

² Revelation 3:15