Chapter 6: verse 3-6... those bullies!... I wonder if the Isrealites hid in the mountains for safety or if that was the only place they could get any food and shelter?... these verses make me think of several of the Psalms, where David talks about how his enemies are oppressing him and how he hides in God as his stronghold and rock and refuge... sounds like the Isrealites might be learning this about God too. verse 7-11... God is like, 'why are you wanting my help now? I told you how to stay out of trouble before and you didn't listen to me then, so why do you want Me now?'... isn't that how we are, though? don't we so often want to do things our own way until they go wrong, and then, and sometimes only then, do we finally reach out for God and ask Him what He thinks we should do... how much trouble and heartache would we save ourselves is we just reversed that cycle, and asked God first... and then obeyed what He said? verse 11-12... ok, I'm rolling here... the irony is so funny... Gideon is hiding in a winepress to do his work because he is so afraid, and God calls him a 'mighty warrior'... I am so thankful God knows who He made us to be! vers 13... isn't that such a real human question? I mean, how often, when things go bad, do we think it is because God has left us? ... Yet, how often is it really that WE have left God? verse 14-16... first, God says to go in 'the strength you have'... He does say that He is sending Gideon... but Gideon is not big-headed... he knows that he is weak and a 'nobody'... but I love how God clarifies, and says that it isn't Gideon that will save the people, it is God that will do it through him, because God will be with him... I think about how often I look at something God is asking me to do and in my humanness I rely on my knowledge of my own weakness instead of my knowledge on God's power and strength... I also love how God uses the weakness of us to bring Him the most glory... it reminds me of the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, when he talks about how God's power is made perfect in weakness... because when we are weak, then we have to rely on God to give us the strength... and when we are in God's strength, we are very strong indeed... funny how that works... like the idea of having to give up our life to save it (John 12:25, and Luke 17:33)... if we want to have life with a purpose, life to the fullest, and life eternal, then we have to give up our desire for our lives, and look to God for guidance... for it is only through His eyes (the eyes of the One who created us) will we be able to see all that we were created for and the abudance of blessings (both for us and others) that will result from us fulfilling that purpose in Christ. verse 17-19... so sweet! Gideon is a good guy! He knows how to worship God and how to be hospitable to an honored guest... I do have to laugh though, a little, because it has to take awhile for him to prepare all that food, and I just imagine God sitting out there waiting patiently, twiddling His thumbs, blowing dandelions, and waving at Gideon periodically when he looks up from his cooking to make sure his guest is still there. :) verse 20... ok, so much for the meal
verse 21... cool!... That would be awesome!... It also just dawned on me when I read 'tip of the staff' that God was dressed as a man, resembling people of that day... He wasn't glowing or dressed in a space suit or anything like that... He wanted to make Gideon as comfortable with His presence as possible... isn't that what God does in our lives, too? I mean, He allows us to think of Him in terms we understand... He allows us to view Him through our life's vision... if He approached us in 'flesh' today, He would probably be wearing jeans, a sports t-shirts, some tennis shoes, and drinking a Pepsi (or Coke or something)... why do we have to act all pretentious like we are trying to impress people, when God is willing to just act like a regular 'guy'? why do we see God as some far-off glowy, shimery thing? yes, God is beyond our comprehension, and more intricate and multi-faceted than we can ever imagine, but He doesn't ask us to try... He comes to us in a form we understand and can relate to... that's the whole reason Jesus came as a man... and why He came to Gideon with a staff, too, I bet... sometimes I think it is easier for us to imagine God as some distant foreign being because then we can excuse ourselves for not getting real about being 'buddies' with Him and 'hanging out' on a regular basis... really though, that is about us not wanting to... it has nothing to do with His lack of desire to be with us, or His lack of trying to meet us where we are at vesre 22... I just want to go and give Gideon a big hug! He is just so cute! He gets it! He gets that God is real, that God is sovereign, that he is in the presence of holiness, and that this whole thing is awesome... do we get that?... as dorky as Gideon seems at the beginning, you got to hand it to him... he gets the most important things right. verse 23... because anyone who sees God's face is supposed to die (although no one ever seems to die... see past stories so far... Moses, Abraham, etc) verse 24...I love the name of the alter :)
verse 25-26... interesting that Gideon comes from a family that worships Baal and other gods... also interesting that God wants to use the wood that had been used in worship of the other gods as wood for the fire now in worship of Him... kind of like saying, 'and whos the Big God now?' verse 27... so human, again... we are willing to obey, but we are also so afraid of what others will think when we do obey. vers 28-29... I wonder who ratted out Gideon? was it one of the guys who went with him? hmmm verse 30-31... Gideon has a cool dad! :) Interesting that his dad was apparently a worshipper of Baal, but knew he wasnt worth sticking up for... why worship something you arent willing to give your life for?... anyway, I love how he says "If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself if someone breaks down his alter"... totally cheering and cracking up over this scene :) verse 32... all in all, not a bad nickname... way better than 'wimp' or whatever else he must have used to been called since he knew he was the weakest of the weak (verse 15) verse 33... thats a lot of people verse 34... how did the Abiezrites know to follow the trumpet sound... and who are the Abiezrites, anyway?... interesting how Gideon went from weak to leader, and all because God's Spirit came on him... it was never about Gideon's abilities, and it still isn't... its all about God... both here and in our lives, too verse 35... Zebulun and Naphtali must have been good warriors because they were the ones who were so praised during Deborah's days, too (Joshua 5:18) verse 36... sometimes unfinished thoughts say more than finished ones verse 37-40... ok, so Gideon needed reconfirmation before he was fully sold... I think it is funny (in several ways) that he wanted to 'just make sure' before he totally went for it. I think it is interesting how God had already given him people to follow him, but Gideon, even though he had gone from 0 to hero under God's hand, Gideon still needed to doublecheck that God really was with him... in one way, it was a smart move, because as we've read, there were times when the Isrealites went in battle without God and got a good tushy beating, and Gideon probably wanted to make sure that wasn't the case... but I also think that Gideon's testing God had a lot to do with getting up the courage to do what God was asking of him... but we do this, too, don't we? despite all the times God's shown us His power, and all the ways He's shown us that He is with us in the past and had us covered coming, going, and while we were in the middle of it... despite all that, we still ask God, "are you really there?"
The Study Notes point out a good note about the beginning of Chapter 6... they talk about how there is a difference between being regretful and being repentant... and as we can see, there is a difference in God's response to us depending on which we are.
Ok, sorry I'm so wordy tonight... on to Chapter 7: verse 1... I think that it is interesting how God changes people names when He brings them into His service... He did for Abraham and Sarah, and now Gideon (and possibly others, too)... but more importantly, He does that for us... when we accept Him, He calls us His 'children'(1 John 3:1), we become 'chosen' part of the 'holy royal priesthood' (1 Peter 2:9), we are called 'saved' (Hebrews 10:39), we will be given the title of love and family (Mark 3:35), and the list could go on and on... I sure like those names way better than the ones I deserve like 'liar' (both by what I say and by what I do not say), 'murderer' (if I am angry, I am guilty of murder-Matthew 5:21-22), 'adulterer' (if I look at someone lustfully I have committed adultry-Matthew 5:27-28), 'theif' (even that pen from the back that I didn't ask for counts), 'sinner'... this list could go on and on, too... when I look at myself through God's eyes, it is easy to see why Romans 3:23 says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"... and it makes me all the more thankful that God saved us from our inability to repay our debt to Him by sending Jesus to do it for us (Romans 6:23) verse 2-7... I love this story! I think it is so awesome how God takes the army down from 22,000 to 300 men... sometimes we think that we can't do it because we don't have enough resources (people, finances, etc)... but it has nothing to do with us, it is all about God... and it is to His most glory to show His power through our weakness... even when that weakness is manpower... oh, one more thing that I thought about after reading some of the study notes commentary... I have to give kuddos to Gideon in verse 3, because when God said that anyone who was afraid could go home, Gideon stayed.... I would have to say that I would be a little hesitant if over half may men left and now God was interested in doing more cutting.... so, for all the encouragement that Gideon needed, he really did still trust in God deep down and knew that God was faithful adn trustworthy... isnt' that the same reason we stay and drop to our knees when things get hard? yes on one level we feel like its impossible, but we also know that really, with God, all things are possible. verse 8... ok, I am comically seeing 300 guys trying to carry all the provisions/trumpets of 22,000 men. :)
verse 9-11... I think it is funny how God says "if you are afraid to attack go down"... you'd think Gideon would be like 'no, God, its ok, I dont need to go and spy stuff out, I trust you'... but he doesn't... instead, hes like, ok, sounds like a plan to me... lets go sneak around in the dark to see if I can gain more courage and trust in God... how often do we scramble in the dark longer than we need to because of our lack of faith in God? verse 13-14... ok, so really, you can't get anymore clear than that! I would pee my pants if I heard that, especially if I knew I was a 'nobody'. vers 15... apparently Gideon was enccouraged by that, too... isn't cool how God gives us just what we need in order to do His work! verse 17... just out of curiousity, how could they see him in the dark? verse 18... '...for Gideon'... is that part because of the dream? I hope he isn't getting a big head or something verse 19... is middle watch at midnight? just curious verse 20-22... They didn't even have to fight... they just had to obey God ... God fought the battle for them... He took care of the rest after they obeyed... a lesson for us here today ? I think so. verse 23-24... other important thing to note... God gives us help when we are doing His work... and He gives us this help in His perfect timing verse 25... guessing the names were given after the men were killed there? otherwise, that is just really convenient
The IDEA: Romans 1:12-That we may be mutually strengthened, encouraged, and comforted by each others faith. Have you ever read the whole Bible before? We have never done it. We want to share God’s Word, but how can we if we do not know it.
The PLAN: Ecclesiastes 4:12-One person is easily overcome, but two can stand together and conquer. Three is even better, though, as a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. With each others help we can succeed-So, let us team up and read the Bible in a year.
The DATE: We will start Dec 26, 2009 - Dec 26, 2010.
The FYI: We will read 3-4 chapters each day, starting in Genesis, and post thoughts daily. If you do not have a Bible, you can access many translations at www.biblegateway.com. You can also download an audio for each chapter at: http://www.audiotreasure.com/webindex.htm
Read it. will comment later.
ReplyDeletesandJ
Chapter 6: verse 3-6... those bullies!... I wonder if the Isrealites hid in the mountains for safety or if that was the only place they could get any food and shelter?... these verses make me think of several of the Psalms, where David talks about how his enemies are oppressing him and how he hides in God as his stronghold and rock and refuge... sounds like the Isrealites might be learning this about God too.
ReplyDeleteverse 7-11... God is like, 'why are you wanting my help now? I told you how to stay out of trouble before and you didn't listen to me then, so why do you want Me now?'... isn't that how we are, though? don't we so often want to do things our own way until they go wrong, and then, and sometimes only then, do we finally reach out for God and ask Him what He thinks we should do... how much trouble and heartache would we save ourselves is we just reversed that cycle, and asked God first... and then obeyed what He said?
verse 11-12... ok, I'm rolling here... the irony is so funny... Gideon is hiding in a winepress to do his work because he is so afraid, and God calls him a 'mighty warrior'... I am so thankful God knows who He made us to be!
vers 13... isn't that such a real human question? I mean, how often, when things go bad, do we think it is because God has left us? ... Yet, how often is it really that WE have left God?
verse 14-16... first, God says to go in 'the strength you have'... He does say that He is sending Gideon... but Gideon is not big-headed... he knows that he is weak and a 'nobody'... but I love how God clarifies, and says that it isn't Gideon that will save the people, it is God that will do it through him, because God will be with him... I think about how often I look at something God is asking me to do and in my humanness I rely on my knowledge of my own weakness instead of my knowledge on God's power and strength... I also love how God uses the weakness of us to bring Him the most glory... it reminds me of the words of Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, when he talks about how God's power is made perfect in weakness... because when we are weak, then we have to rely on God to give us the strength... and when we are in God's strength, we are very strong indeed... funny how that works... like the idea of having to give up our life to save it (John 12:25, and Luke 17:33)... if we want to have life with a purpose, life to the fullest, and life eternal, then we have to give up our desire for our lives, and look to God for guidance... for it is only through His eyes (the eyes of the One who created us) will we be able to see all that we were created for and the abudance of blessings (both for us and others) that will result from us fulfilling that purpose in Christ.
verse 17-19... so sweet! Gideon is a good guy! He knows how to worship God and how to be hospitable to an honored guest... I do have to laugh though, a little, because it has to take awhile for him to prepare all that food, and I just imagine God sitting out there waiting patiently, twiddling His thumbs, blowing dandelions, and waving at Gideon periodically when he looks up from his cooking to make sure his guest is still there. :)
verse 20... ok, so much for the meal
verse 21... cool!... That would be awesome!... It also just dawned on me when I read 'tip of the staff' that God was dressed as a man, resembling people of that day... He wasn't glowing or dressed in a space suit or anything like that... He wanted to make Gideon as comfortable with His presence as possible... isn't that what God does in our lives, too? I mean, He allows us to think of Him in terms we understand... He allows us to view Him through our life's vision... if He approached us in 'flesh' today, He would probably be wearing jeans, a sports t-shirts, some tennis shoes, and drinking a Pepsi (or Coke or something)... why do we have to act all pretentious like we are trying to impress people, when God is willing to just act like a regular 'guy'? why do we see God as some far-off glowy, shimery thing? yes, God is beyond our comprehension, and more intricate and multi-faceted than we can ever imagine, but He doesn't ask us to try... He comes to us in a form we understand and can relate to... that's the whole reason Jesus came as a man... and why He came to Gideon with a staff, too, I bet... sometimes I think it is easier for us to imagine God as some distant foreign being because then we can excuse ourselves for not getting real about being 'buddies' with Him and 'hanging out' on a regular basis... really though, that is about us not wanting to... it has nothing to do with His lack of desire to be with us, or His lack of trying to meet us where we are at
ReplyDeletevesre 22... I just want to go and give Gideon a big hug! He is just so cute! He gets it! He gets that God is real, that God is sovereign, that he is in the presence of holiness, and that this whole thing is awesome... do we get that?... as dorky as Gideon seems at the beginning, you got to hand it to him... he gets the most important things right.
verse 23... because anyone who sees God's face is supposed to die (although no one ever seems to die... see past stories so far... Moses, Abraham, etc)
verse 24...I love the name of the alter :)
verse 25-26... interesting that Gideon comes from a family that worships Baal and other gods... also interesting that God wants to use the wood that had been used in worship of the other gods as wood for the fire now in worship of Him... kind of like saying, 'and whos the Big God now?'
ReplyDeleteverse 27... so human, again... we are willing to obey, but we are also so afraid of what others will think when we do obey.
vers 28-29... I wonder who ratted out Gideon? was it one of the guys who went with him? hmmm
verse 30-31... Gideon has a cool dad! :) Interesting that his dad was apparently a worshipper of Baal, but knew he wasnt worth sticking up for... why worship something you arent willing to give your life for?... anyway, I love how he says "If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself if someone breaks down his alter"... totally cheering and cracking up over this scene :)
verse 32... all in all, not a bad nickname... way better than 'wimp' or whatever else he must have used to been called since he knew he was the weakest of the weak (verse 15)
verse 33... thats a lot of people
verse 34... how did the Abiezrites know to follow the trumpet sound... and who are the Abiezrites, anyway?... interesting how Gideon went from weak to leader, and all because God's Spirit came on him... it was never about Gideon's abilities, and it still isn't... its all about God... both here and in our lives, too
verse 35... Zebulun and Naphtali must have been good warriors because they were the ones who were so praised during Deborah's days, too (Joshua 5:18)
verse 36... sometimes unfinished thoughts say more than finished ones
verse 37-40... ok, so Gideon needed reconfirmation before he was fully sold... I think it is funny (in several ways) that he wanted to 'just make sure' before he totally went for it. I think it is interesting how God had already given him people to follow him, but Gideon, even though he had gone from 0 to hero under God's hand, Gideon still needed to doublecheck that God really was with him... in one way, it was a smart move, because as we've read, there were times when the Isrealites went in battle without God and got a good tushy beating, and Gideon probably wanted to make sure that wasn't the case... but I also think that Gideon's testing God had a lot to do with getting up the courage to do what God was asking of him... but we do this, too, don't we? despite all the times God's shown us His power, and all the ways He's shown us that He is with us in the past and had us covered coming, going, and while we were in the middle of it... despite all that, we still ask God, "are you really there?"
The Study Notes point out a good note about the beginning of Chapter 6... they talk about how there is a difference between being regretful and being repentant... and as we can see, there is a difference in God's response to us depending on which we are.
ReplyDeleteOk, sorry I'm so wordy tonight...
on to Chapter 7: verse 1... I think that it is interesting how God changes people names when He brings them into His service... He did for Abraham and Sarah, and now Gideon (and possibly others, too)... but more importantly, He does that for us... when we accept Him, He calls us His 'children'(1 John 3:1), we become 'chosen' part of the 'holy royal priesthood' (1 Peter 2:9), we are called 'saved' (Hebrews 10:39), we will be given the title of love and family (Mark 3:35), and the list could go on and on... I sure like those names way better than the ones I deserve like 'liar' (both by what I say and by what I do not say), 'murderer' (if I am angry, I am guilty of murder-Matthew 5:21-22), 'adulterer' (if I look at someone lustfully I have committed adultry-Matthew 5:27-28), 'theif' (even that pen from the back that I didn't ask for counts), 'sinner'... this list could go on and on, too... when I look at myself through God's eyes, it is easy to see why Romans 3:23 says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"... and it makes me all the more thankful that God saved us from our inability to repay our debt to Him by sending Jesus to do it for us (Romans 6:23)
verse 2-7... I love this story! I think it is so awesome how God takes the army down from 22,000 to 300 men... sometimes we think that we can't do it because we don't have enough resources (people, finances, etc)... but it has nothing to do with us, it is all about God... and it is to His most glory to show His power through our weakness... even when that weakness is manpower... oh, one more thing that I thought about after reading some of the study notes commentary... I have to give kuddos to Gideon in verse 3, because when God said that anyone who was afraid could go home, Gideon stayed.... I would have to say that I would be a little hesitant if over half may men left and now God was interested in doing more cutting.... so, for all the encouragement that Gideon needed, he really did still trust in God deep down and knew that God was faithful adn trustworthy... isnt' that the same reason we stay and drop to our knees when things get hard? yes on one level we feel like its impossible, but we also know that really, with God, all things are possible.
verse 8... ok, I am comically seeing 300 guys trying to carry all the provisions/trumpets of 22,000 men. :)
verse 9-11... I think it is funny how God says "if you are afraid to attack go down"... you'd think Gideon would be like 'no, God, its ok, I dont need to go and spy stuff out, I trust you'... but he doesn't... instead, hes like, ok, sounds like a plan to me... lets go sneak around in the dark to see if I can gain more courage and trust in God... how often do we scramble in the dark longer than we need to because of our lack of faith in God?
ReplyDeleteverse 13-14... ok, so really, you can't get anymore clear than that! I would pee my pants if I heard that, especially if I knew I was a 'nobody'.
vers 15... apparently Gideon was enccouraged by that, too... isn't cool how God gives us just what we need in order to do His work!
verse 17... just out of curiousity, how could they see him in the dark?
verse 18... '...for Gideon'... is that part because of the dream? I hope he isn't getting a big head or something
verse 19... is middle watch at midnight? just curious
verse 20-22... They didn't even have to fight... they just had to obey God ... God fought the battle for them... He took care of the rest after they obeyed... a lesson for us here today ? I think so.
verse 23-24... other important thing to note... God gives us help when we are doing His work... and He gives us this help in His perfect timing
verse 25... guessing the names were given after the men were killed there? otherwise, that is just really convenient
sandJ