Gideon

June 11, 2017 Background Scripture: Judges 6 – 8 Lesson Passage: Judges 6:11 – 18 Gideon can be described as the reluctant judge who complained about what God was not doing rather than realizing that God could use him to do whatever Israel needed of God. The Midianites’ oppression of Israel had deflated the nation’s esteem and caused many to attempt to hide their grain or produce during the time of harvest to prevent the Midianites from taking it. This is the scene when we first learn of Gideon. He is threshing grain in a winepress to avoid being detected by the Midianites. When the angel of the Lord approached Gideon and addressed him as a mighty and brave warrior, it seemed more like irony than true accolades. Gideon’s response informs us as to what was truly on his mind. Gideon felt that Israel had been abandoned by God. He questioned what had happened to the God who loomed large in Israel’s history during her golden years of national pride and dominance. Like many children of God today, Gideon seemed oblivious to the fact that God had not changed but Israel’s behavior certainly had. God had not turned His back on the nation but rather Israel had turned her back on the God who had delivered her from Egypt and brought her into the land of promise, Canaan. Israel’s oppression by the Midianites was the result of the spiritual behavior of the nation when she abandoned God’s ways. During the time of the judges, every man in Israel did according to what was right in his own eyes. This was done in spite of the fact that God had shown them what was right by providing them with the Law that described righteousness. Gideon’s complaint was answered with a surprise, God would again show Himself to be among His people—and He would do it through Gideon. The one who complained about having no hero would become the hero for the nation. Gideon’s first assignment was to destroy the idol god his father had erected. This he did at night. His second assignment would not be so easy but would require total dependence on God. Gideon needed to confront the armies of the Midianites and the Amalekites. Although the Spirit of the Lord was upon him, Gideon did not readily accept the assignment but instead responded with skepticism and doubt. Gideon wanted concrete proof that God would deliver them through him and therefore he requested a sign as God’s assurance. When the sign was granted according to Gideon’s request, he requested a second sign. (Note that he did not require this before destroying his father’s idols. We often respond quite differently to the true enemy.) After the second sign was granted, Gideon was ready to proceed. However, God further reduced Gideon’s chances of winning this battle using his own abilities. After following God’s plans and successfully defeating their enemy, Gideon continued to judge Israel for forty years. Gideon, the one who had complained that God had abandoned Israel, became one of the most successful and longest serving judges in Israel’s history as a result of submitting himself to God’s lordship and direction. Robert C. Hudson April 20, 2017

Pervasive Love

May 28, 2017 Background Scripture: Jonah 4 Lesson Passage: Jonah 4 As Chapter 2 closed with Jonah in prayer recognizing God as the Lord of salvation, so Chapter 4 begins with Jonah praying in anger because God has spared the Ninevites. It is ironic how we are okay with God going the extra mile for us but we are not always compassionate and thankful when we see God do the same for others. In prayer, Jonah declared the reason for his disobedience when first called by God to deliver a message to Nineveh. Jonah knew that God would show compassion to the Ninevites if they repented of their deeds. Nineveh was the capital city of Assyria. The Assyrians were bitter enemies of Israel and they were known for their cruelty to captors during times of war. Jonah wanted God to destroy the Ninevites. Jonah did not want to warn the Assyrians because he knew that there was the possibility of them repenting if warned and God would spare them. Rather than work against his own desires for his enemies, Jonah chose to run from the mission God assigned to him. Prophesying can be easy when God is doing what we think He should do. However, when there is the possibility that God might show kindness towards those we despise, we would rather not be involved in it at all. The commandment to pray for our enemies is a difficult responsibility when we know who our enemies are, what they are doing that is harmful to us, and what they have done. It’s no big deal to ask God to bless our enemies when we don’t give them a name or a title. But when we know who they are, then sincere prayer for them is a challenge to our spirituality. Jonah is angry with God and while in this state of mind, he asks God to take his life. In the first prayer, Jonah thanked God for preserving his life. Jonah preferred to die rather than see his enemies blessed by God as a result of his prophesying to them. God’s question for Jonah was “Do you have a good reason to be angry?” God used Jonah’s attitude towards a vine that he enjoyed the shade of one day and the next day a worm destroyed to teach him a lesson. Jonah felt compassion for the life of a vine because he enjoyed its shade until the worm killed it. God pointed out to Jonah that he had nothing to do with the life that was in that vine. God caused the vine to come up overnight and to die overnight without any help from Jonah. When God asked Jonah about the vine, Jonah stated that he had a good reason to be angry because of what happened to the vine. God declared that He had a good reason to have compassion on the city of Nineveh because there were over 120,000 people living there and many animals. The Ninevites did not know how to discern right and wrong. Jonah’s preaching is what enlightened them. Although Judaism did not develop into an evangelistic religion, God’s covenant with Abraham was for all nations to be blessed through his offspring. Jonah was clear that he did not desire for that blessing to flow through him if it was going to benefit the enemies of Israel. In spite of this, God still displayed His pervasive love that is available for whosoever will receive it. Robert C. Hudson April 13, 2017