I Bid You Godspeed

PAT has become a journey through the Old Testament. Until I am further prompted by God, it seems to be the appropriate time for me to continue reading the bible without making any blog entries. My hope is that you continue to read the bible also in order to know God better and to work out your own salvation. Godspeed on your journey!

Angel Visits Manoah and Wife

Judges 13:8-25 (KJV)

8) Then Manoah intreated the Lord, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.

9) And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was not with her.

10) And the woman made haste, and ran, and shewed her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day.

11) And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and said unto him, Art thou the man that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I am.

12) And Manoah said, Now let thy words come to pass.  How shall we order the child, and how shall we do unto him?

13) And the angel of the Lord said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware.

14) She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe.

15) And Manoah said unto the angel of the Lord, I pray thee, let us detain thee, until we shall have made ready a kid for thee.

16) And the angel of the Lord said unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread: and if thou wilt offer a burnt-offering, thou must offer it unto the Lord.  For Manoah knew not that he was an angel of the Lord.

17) And Manoah said unto the angel of the Lord, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour?

18) And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?

19) So Manoah took a kid with a meat-offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the Lord: and the angel did wondrously; and Manoah and his wife looked on.

20)For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar.  And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground.

21) But the angel of the Lord did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife.  Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the Lord.

22) And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God.

23) But his wife said unto him, If the Lord were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt-offering and a meat-offering at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these.

24) And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him.

25) And the Spirit of the Lord began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.

Israel Delivered to Philistines

Judges 13:1-7 (KJV)

Israel returned to their evil ways after the death of Abdon the judge.  Therefore, the Lord delivered Israel to the Philistines for forty years.

“And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.  And the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.  Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines” (vs. 2-5).

“Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name: But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death” (vs. 6,7).

Jephthah Battles Ephraim

Judges 12 (KJV)

The men of Ephraim were so angry with Jephthah for not calling them to battle against the Children of Ammon  that they told Jephthah they would burn his house with him in it.  Jephthah said to Ephraim, “I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out of their hands.  And when I saw that ye delivered me not, I put my life in my hands, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the Lord delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me” (vs. 2,3)?

“Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites.  And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay; Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right.  Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.  And Jephthah judged Israel six years.  Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead” (vs. 4-7).

Following Jephthah as judge of Israel was Ibzan of Bethlehem who served for seven years.  Next to serve for ten years was Elon, a Zebulonite.  Then, Abdon, a Pirathonite, served for eight years.

Jephthah Vows Unto the Lord

Judges 11:29-40 (KJV)

29) Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon.

30) And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the Lord, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,

31) Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the Lord’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt-offering.

32) So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the Lord delivered them into his hands.

33) And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter.  Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.

34) And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child: beside her he had neither son nor daughter.

35) And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and I cannot go back.

36) And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the Lord, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the Lord hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon.

37) And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows.

38) And he said, Go.  And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.

39) And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man.  And it was a custom in Israel,

40) That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephtha the Gileadite four days in a year.

Gilead Elders Turn to Outcast for Leadership

Judges 11:1-28 (KJV)

The elders of Gilead turned to Jephthah, an outcast for being the son of a harlot, to be their captain to fight against the Children of Ammon.  “And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father’s house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress? And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.  And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the Lord deliver them before me, shall I be your head? And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The Lord be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.  Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the Lord in Mizpeh” (vs. 7-11).

“And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land? And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably” (vs. 12, 13).

  And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon: And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon: But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh; Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto.  And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel abode in Kadesh.  Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moaab.  And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land into my place.  But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.  And the Lord God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.  And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan” (vs. 14-22).

“So now the Lord God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it? Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the Lord our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess.  And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them, While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them within that time? Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: the Lord the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.  Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him” (vs. 23-28)

Judges Continue to Deliver Israel

Judges 10 (KJV)

More judges came after Abimelech to deliver Israel as they followed the pattern of turning to other gods.  Tola, a man of Issachar, came after Abimelech’s reign and judged Israel for twenty-three years.  Jair, a Gileadite, judged for twenty-two years after Tola.  Following Jair, the Lord became angry with Israel and “…sold them into the hands of the Philistines and into the hands of the children of Ammon” (v.7).

Israel was oppressed for eighteen years when they cried out to the Lord.  “And the Lord said unto the dchildren of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines? The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand.  Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.  Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation”(vs.11-14).

“And the children of Israel said unto the Lord, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day.  And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the Lord: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel” (vs. 15, 16).

“Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead.  And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpeh.  And the people and princes of Gilead said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead” (vs. 17, 18).

Abimelech Pays for Evil Deeds

Judges 9:22-57 (KJV)

When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel, Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons [seventy] of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren” (vs. 22-24).  Abimelech received word that the people of Shechem were waiting for him along the mountaintops where they were robbing all who passed that way.

The men of Shechem were building their confidence in the son of Ebed named Gaal who went to Shechem with his brethren.  This party “…went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech.  And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbal? and Zebul his officer? serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him” (vs. 27, 28)? Gaal said he would remove Abimelech if it would be to God that the people were under his hand.  “And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out” (v. 29).

Zebul, the ruler of Shechem, became angry when he heard Gaal’s words.  “And he sent messengers unto Abimelech privily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren be come to Shechem; and, behold, they fortify the city against thee.  Now therefore up by night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in wait in the field: And it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early, and set upon the city: and, behold, when he and the people that is with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find occasion” (vs. 31-33).

“And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies.  And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from lying in wait.  And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, there come people down from the top of the mountains.  And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as if they were men.  And Gaal spake again and said, See there come people down by the middle of the land, and another company come along by the plain of Meonenim.  Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou has despised? go out, I pray now, and fight with them.  And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.  And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the gate” (vs. 34-40).

“And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem.  And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech.  And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and laid wait in the field, and looked, and, behold, the people were come forth out of the city; and he rose up against them, and smote them.  And Abimelech, and the company that was with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and the two other companies ran upon all the people that were in the fields, and slew them.  And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt” (vs. 41-45).

“And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith.  And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.  And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and laid it on his shoulder, and said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done.  And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women” (vs. 46-49).

“Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.  But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut it to them, and gat them up to the top of the  tower.  And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire.  And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and all to brake his skull.  Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him  And his young man thrust him through, and he died.  And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place” (vs. 50-55).

“Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren: And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal” (vs. 56, 57).

Shechem Makes Abimelech King

Judges 9:1-21 (KJV)

Abimelech, Gideon's son from the Shechem concubine, spoke to his family on his mother's side and asked them, "Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of [Gideon], which are [seventy], reign over you, or that one riegn over you" (v. 2)? Abimelech reminded his family, "I am your bone and your flesh" (v. 2). "And his mother's brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother" (v. 3).

Abimelech slew all his brothers except the youngest one named Jotham who hid himself. "And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem." (v. 6).

"And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you" (v. 7). "Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands; (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian: And ye are risen up against my father's house this day, and have slain his sons, [seventy] persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother;) If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you: But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech. And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother" (vs. 16-21).

Personal note: Be sure to read more of Jotham's words to Shechem in Judges 9:8-15.

Forty Years of Peace

Judges 8:22-35 (KJV)

22) Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian.

23) And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the Lord shall rule over you.

24) And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)

25) And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey.

26) And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels' necks.

27) And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house.

28) Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon.

29) And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house.

30) And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives.

31) And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.

32) And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites.

33) And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baal-berith their god.

34) And the children of Israel remembered not the Lord their God, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side:

35) Neither shewed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, namely, Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had shewed unto Israel.

Gideon Pursues Midian Kings

Judges 8:1-21 (KJV)

Gideon and his three hundred men pursued Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian. Gideon stopped in Succoth and Penuel along the way to ask for bread for his weary men, but the people would not give them any. Gideon had even explained his mission. "And the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thine army" (v. 6)? "...[A]nd the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered him" (v. 8). Gideon told the men of Succoth, "Therefore when the Lord hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine a hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers" (v. 7). He told the men of Penuel, "When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower" (v. 9).

"Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the east: for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword. And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host: for the host was secure. And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued after them, and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the host" (vs. 10-12).

After the battle, Gideon returned to Succoth and Penuel. "And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth. And he beat down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city" (vs. 16,17).

Gideon moved on to question his captives, Zebah and Zalmunna, to discover that the Midian kings had slain members of his family. Gideon said, "They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother: as the Lord liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you. And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth. Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels' necks" (vs. 19-21).

Israel Cries, "The Sword of the Lord, and of Gideon"

Judges 7:9-25 (KJV)

God wanted Gideon to go down to the Midianites in the valley for He had delivered them into his hand. God even said to Gideon that if he was afraid that he could take his servant, Phurah, along with him. There were words amongst the Midianites for Gideon to hear that would strengthen him.

Gideon headed out to the outside of the Midian camp and took Phurah with him. "And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along. And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host" (vs. 13, 14).

"And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian. And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers. And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do. When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon" (vs. 15-18).

"So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle of the watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands. And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon. And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled. And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the Lord set every man's sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Beth-shittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abel-meholah, unto Tabbath" (vs. 19-22).

"And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites. And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites, and take before them the waters unto Beth-barah and Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the waters unto Beth-barah and Jordan. And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan" (vs. 23-25).

Gideon's Help Narrowed Down

Judges 7:1-8 (KJV)

Gideon, known as Jerubbaal from the time he threw down the altar of Baal (Judges 6:32), took thirty-two thousand people with him to pitch camp "...beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh in the valley" (v. 1). The Lord felt that thirty-two thousand was too many people for Him to deliver the Midianites into their hands lest the Children of Israel would take the glory for saving themselves instead of giving God the glory. Steps were taken to illiminate the number of people to whom the Midianites were to be delivered.

God told Gideon to "...proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosover is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand" (v. 3). With ten thousand remaining, the Lord still felt that there were too many people. "And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go" (v. 4).

"So he brought down the people unto the water: and the Lord said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place. So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley" (vs. 5-8).

Gideon Assured by God through Miracles

Judges 6:36-40 (KJV)

Gideon put forth two miracle scenarios for God to perform if God wanted him to save Israel. God performed the miracles on two separate occassions to assure Gideon that he was indeed the one. Here is the King James version:

36) And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said,

37) Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.

38) And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.

39) And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.

40) And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.

Gideon 'Throws Down' Altar of Baal

Judges 6: 25-32 (KJV)

25) And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto [Gideon], Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it:

26) And build an altar unto the Lord thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt-sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down.

27) Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the Lord had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night.

28) And when the men of the city arose early in the morning,behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built.

29) And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they enquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing.

30) Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it.

31) And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal? will ye save him? he that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar.

32) Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar

God Sends Gideon to Save Israel

Judges 6:1-24 (KJV)

When Israel turned again to their evil, stubborn ways, the Lord placed them in the hands of Midian for seven years. The Midianites along with the Amalekites and the Children of the East destroyed Israel's crops "...and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass" (v. 4). Israel was left greatly impoverished.

"And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord because of the Midianites, That the Lord sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage; And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land; And I said unto you, I am the Lord your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice" (vs. 7-10).

"And there came an angel of the Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abi-ezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites" (vs. 11-13).

"And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me. Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again" (vs. 14-18).

"And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it. And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. Then the angel of the Lord put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight" (vs. 19-21).

"And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face. And the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die. Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites" (vs.22-24).

Deborah and Barak Sing

Judges 5 (KJV)

1) Then sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam on that day, saying,

2) Praise ye the Lord for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves.

3) Hear, O ye kings; give ear, O ye princes; I, even I, will sing unto the Lord; I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel.

4) Lord, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water.

5) The mountains melted from before the Lord, even that Sinai from before the Lord God of Israel.

6) In the days of Shamgar the son of Anath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walked through byways.

7) The inhabitants of the villages ceased, they ceased in Israel, until that I Deborah arose, that I arose a mother in Israel.

8) They chose new gods; then was war in the gates: was there a shield or spear seen among forty thousand in Israel?

9) My heart is toward the governors of Israel, that offered themselves willingly among the people. Bless ye the Lord.

10) Speak, ye that ride on white asses, ye that sit in judgment, and walk by the way.

11) They that are delivered from the nose of archers in the places of drawing water, there shall they rehearse the righteous acts of the Lord, even the righteous acts toward the inhabitants of his villages in Israel: then shall the people of the Lord go down to the gates.

12) Awake, awake, Deborah: awake, awake, utter a song: arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam.

13) Then he made him that remaineth have dominion over the nobles among the people: the Lord made me have dominion over the mighty.

14) Out of Ephraim was there a root of them against Amalek; after thee, Benjamin, among thy people; out of Machir came down governors, and out of Zebulun they that handle the pen of the writer.

15) And the princes of Issachar were with Deborah; even Issachar, and also Barak: he was sent on foot into the valley. For the divisions of Reuben there were great thoughts of heart.

16) Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the flock? For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart.

17) Gilead abode beyond Jordan: and why did Dan remain in ships? Asher continued on the sea shore, and abode in his breaches.

18) Zebulun and Naphtali were a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field.

19) The kings came and fought, then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of money.

20) They fought from heaven; the stars in their courses fought against Sisera.

21) The river of Kishon swept them away, that ancient river, the river Kishon. O my soul, thou hast trodden down strength.

22) Then were the horsehoofs broken by the means of the pransings, the pransings of their mighty ones.

23) Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty.

24) Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent.

25) He asked water, and she gave him milk; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish.

26) She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workmen's hammer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through his temples.

27) At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: at her feet he bowed, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead.

28) The mother of Sisera looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? why tarry the wheels of his chariots?

29) Her wise ladies answered her, yea, she returned answer to herself,

30) Have they not sped? have they not divided the prey; to every man a damsel or two; to Sisera a prey of divers colours, a prey of divers colours of needlework, of divers colours of needlework on both sides, meet for the necks of them that take the spoil?

31) So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years.

Israel Prevails Against King Jabin

Judges 4:12-24 (KJV)

"And Deborah said unto Barak, Up; for this is the day in which the Lord hath delivered Sisera into thine hand: is not the Lord gone out before thee..." (v. 14)? Barak went down from Mount Tabor followed by ten thousand men while Sisera was driven along with his multitude by the Lord to come before Barak. Sisera then came down from his chariot and fled on foot to the tent of Jael, wife of Heber the Kenite. Sisera served King Jabin who had peace with the House of Heber the Kenite.

"And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me; fear not. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, she covered him with a mantle. And he said unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink; for I am thirsty. And she opened a bottle of milk, and gave him drink, and covered him. Again he said unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it shall be, when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and say, Is there any man here? that thou shalt say, No. Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, and took an hammer in her hand, and went softly unto him, and smote the nail into his temples, and fastened it into the ground: for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said unto him, Come, and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest. And when he came into her tent, behold, Sisera lay dead, and the nail was in his temples. So God subdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Israel. And the hand of the children of Israel prospered, and prevailed against Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan" (vs. 18-24).

Barak and Deborah Leave to Deliver Israel

Judges 4:1-10 (KJV)

A pattern had developed for the Children of Israel. This pattern was that Israel would turn to serve other gods; God would become angry for their actions and sell them into the hands of an oppressive king; Israel would then cry out to God for deliverance; God would send a judge to deliver them; Israel would rest from their ways then eventually turn back to serving other gods.

So, in continuing with the pattern, Israel turned to evil again after the death of their deliverer Ehud. God then sold Israel into the hands of king Jabin of Canaan. Sisera was the captain of Jabin's host which had nine hundred iron chariots. Israel had been greatly oppressed for twenty years when they called upon the Lord.

"And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedesh-naphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw to ward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun? And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Siser, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand. And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go" (vs. 4, 6-8).

Deborah agreed to go with Barak, but let him know that he would receive no honor for his journey because the Lord would sell Sisera into a woman's hand. "And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; and he went up with ten thousand men at his feet: and Deborah went up with him" (v. 10).

Ehud Delivers Israel from Eglon

Judges 3:12-31 (KJV)

Israel turned again to their evil ways in the Lord's sight. As a result, the Lord strengthened Eglon the king of Moab who went against Israel with the help of the Children of Ammon and Amalek and gained possession of the city of palm trees. Israel served Eglon for eighteen years.

"But when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised them up a deliverer, Ehud the son of Gera, a Benjamite, a man lefthanded: and by him the children of Israel sent a present unto Eglon the king of Moab. But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh" (vs. 15,16).

"And he brought the present unto Eglon king of Moab: and Eglon was a very fat man. And when he had made an end to offer the present, he sent away the people that bare the present. But he himself turned again from the quarries that were by Gilgal, and said, I have a secret errand unto thee, O king: who said, Keep silence. And all that stood by him went out from him. And Ehud came unto him; and he was sitting in a summer parlour, which he had for himself alone. And Ehud said, I have a message from God unto thee. And he arose out of his seat. And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his right thigh, and thrust it into his belly: And the haft also went in after the blade; and the fat closed upon the blade, so that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly; and the dirt came out" (vs. 17-22).

Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and shut the doors of the parlour upon him, and locked them. When he was gone out, his servants came; and when they saw that, behold, the doors of the parlour were locked, they said, Surely he covereth his feet in his summer chamber. And they tarried till they were ashamed: and, behold, he opened not the doors of the parlour; therefore they took a key, and opened them: and, behold, their lord was fallen down dead on the earth. And Ehud escaped while they tarried, and passed beyond the quarries, and escaped unto Seirath" (vs. 23-26).

"And it came to pass, when he was come, that he blew a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim, and the children of Israel went down with him from the mount, and before them. And he said unto them, Follow after me: for the Lord hath delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him, and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab, and suffered not a man to pass over. And they slew of Moab at that time about ten thousand men, all lusty, and all men of valour; and there escaped not a man. So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel. And the land had rest fourscore years" (vs. 27-30).

"And after him was Shamgar the son of Anath, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad: he also delivered Israel" (v. 31).

Israel Serves Baalim

Judges 3:5-11 (KJV)

Living among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites had a negative impact on the Children of Israel. For Israel "...took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their sons, and served their gods" (v. 6). Israel forgot the real God Who lead them out of Egypt and served Baalim.

"Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushan-rishathaim eight years. And when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the Lord delivered Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushan-rishathaim. And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died" (vs. 8-11).

Judah Takes Lead Against Canaanites

Judges 1 (KJV)

After Joshua’s death, the Children of Israel asked the Lord, “Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them”? (v. 1).  The Lord answered, “Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand” (v. 2).  Judah had his brother, Simeon, to help him fight the Canaanites.  In return, Judah agreed to help Simeon in his fight against the Canaanites.

Ten thousand Canaanites and Perizzites were delivered into the hands of the brothers by the Lord in Bezek.  From Bezek, Judah went to Jerusalem  where the people had fought and taken the city.  Moving on to the mountain, south and valley of the Promised Land, Judah took the cities of Hebron, Debir, Hormah, Gaza, Askelon and Ekron.  Moses said for Hebron to be given to Caleb.  The people of the mountain were driven out, but the valley people were prevented from being driven out because of their iron chariots.

There were other inhabitants in the land who were not driven out by the tribes of Israel: Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites; Manasseh did not drive out the people of Bethshean, Taanach, Dor, Ilbeam and Megiddo or any of their towns; Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites of Gezer; Zebulun did not drive out the people of Kitron or Nahalol; Asher did not drive out the people of Accho, Zidon, Ahlab, Achzib, Helbah, Aphik or Rehob; Naphtali did not drive out the people of Beth-shemesh or Bethanath.  Israel did not drive the people out, but, in time, was strong enough to have them put to tribute.

The Children of Dan were forced into the mountain by the Amorites.  Yet, when the house of Joseph became stronger, the Amorites were put to tribute.

Faith Conversation Reflection #1

My Aunt Shirley and I have faith conversations from time to time. During one of our talks, Aunt Shirley made a comment along the lines that one day she will have a mansion. I came across a hymn called Mansion Over the Hilltop by Ira Stanphill in the hymnal Melodies of Praise that reminded me of our conversation. Here is a version sung by Elvis Presley:

We'll Have the Answers Down the Road

There is an excerpt from Joshua 24:15 that has weighed on my heart--"And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord...". These are the opening words of Joshua in the verse when he gave the Children of Israel the choice of gods to follow. At that time, the people chose to follow the God Who brought them out of Egypt.

I believe that people today struggle with following God because they view Him as evil for allowing bad things to happen to good people or good things to happen to bad people. Here is an old hymn sung by Brad Paisley called Farther Along that will help shed some light on the situation:



My hope is that you choose to follow the real God and put your faith in Him. The answers to the difficult questions will come down the road.