February 15...

Judges 6-8
The cycle of sin continues to repeat, but this time something is different. It starts out the same … “Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD …” The middle is the same … they are defeated and oppressed. But this time the delivery is different. Up until this time when Israel has cried out to the LORD, He has raised up a judge to deliver them. This time He sends them a prophet.

The prophet comes to point out why they are in the mess they are in – they have not listed to God!

God selects Gideon (which means “he that bruises or breaks” and “the destroyer”) as the leader, but Gideon point out that he is the weakest of the weakest (“one who bruises or breaks”). And God says, “Perfect! That is what I was looking for!” Okay, maybe not. God calls him a “mighty warrior” (“the destroyer”). What Gideon doesn’t realize is that even the weakest person combined with God is MIGHTY!

So enter in with us to the battle room (the presence of God) where some of the strangest war plans ever seen have been made … including circumcision, marching in circles, and blowing trumpets. Gideon assesses his troops. He has 32,000 men to fight against Midian’s 135,000! No problem (ha) – each Israelite will have to take care of 4 Midianites. Okay, let’s go.

Not so fast – God says, “You have too many men ….” What? God is making weak Israel even weaker! Why? So they cannot possibly claim the victory as their own. Next, 22,000 men walk away and Gideon is left with 10,000. And God says, “Still too many!” Finally, Gideon prepares for battle with 300 men – they are outnumbered 450 to 1.

The weapons – an empty jar, a torch, and a trumpet. Really! No human could claim this victory – but God gave them victory over Midian. Cool story, but what does it mean for us today?

Midian means “strife” or “difficult times”. And we will have strife in our lives – especially if we don’t listen to God. But how can we use clay jars, torches, and trumpets to defeat strife today?

In 2 Corinthians 4:5-10, we find out that we are the fragile clay jars, and when we are weak (cracked) the torch is seen. Jesus is the light of the torch in us (the jar). So Jesus, who is in us, is seen through our weaknesses. And the trumpet? It is your testimony of God’s greatness! Remember in the battle, it was when the trumpets were blown that the LORD brought victory over Midian (strife). BLOW the trumpet!! NO – don’t toot your own horn and bring attention to yourself. Blow the trumpet of God. The Apostle Paul said, “For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as LORD.” Think about it: God knew He would deliver the Israelites, but He wanted them to see that the mess they were in was because of a cycle of sin caused by not listening to God. It is the same for us. Is your life a mess because you are not listening to Him? For the Israelites, it started with God not being number one in their lives anymore then it progressed to where He was not even a part of their lives at all. Where is God in your life? Have you ever felt like Gideon – like you didn’t have anything to offer?

Remember your strength does not come from you – it comes from joining with God! Do you blow God’s trumpet or your own?
Does the fact that you are God's child help you make it through the day or the thought that you are prettier, more muscular, cooler, smarter, your folks have more money, or you made the team/squad?