Java with the Judges - Week 3

"The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, "Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!"... Then the Lord turned to him (Gideon) and said, "Go with the strength you have and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!" ".  Judges 6:12,14

This is the Gideon that I remember from my childhood stories: the mighty warrior who defeated God's enemies with only 300 men!  So, as I re-read this story, in it's entirety, my jaw hit the ground more than once.  I was flabbergasted to read that Gideon questioned God over and over again.  That he doubted and was afraid, both of the people and of what God was telling him to do.  I just couldn't believe Gideon was so - human!

I was also taken aback by the violence of the whole story!  This I had to deal with first because, for me, it interfered with understanding God's message.  Knowing that this is an historical book of the Bible and these events took place, does not lessen the importance of it's relevance for us today.  So, I started to read this as an allegory.  It's not, but it certainly helped me to make the leap from the physical world of Gideon to the spiritual implications for today.  An aside: in chapter 7, verse 5-7 the NET translation reads a little differently than some other translations. The short version is that God chose the men who lapped water from their cupped hands rather than the ones who drank directly from the water.  As always, if the NET translation raises a question, read another translation or two for clarification.

Keeping the focus on Gideon - his character, his actions, his conversations with the messenger of the Lord and with God - allowed me to see myself in this story.  It also helped me to see more clearly how God works!  He called the youngest member of the weakest clan, a coward and doubter, to be a great warrior and spiritual leader!

Sandra Glahn, through her questions, keeps bringing us back to the important part of studying the Bible: how do we fit into it and what can we learn about our own spiritual lives?  Some of the questions this week are personal, using Gideon and his life as a spring board to examine our own lives.  It is crucial to spend time reflecting on these more personal inquiries - this is where our journey takes place.

Gideon's God is our God!  Reading Judges 6-9 with that foremost in our minds, we should ask ourselves a few questions:
Where do I see myself in this story?  Is there any part of it to which I can relate?
Is God telling me to do something I'd rather not?  What is it and how have I reacted?
What  questions do I have for Him?
How can God use what I (society) consider to be a weakness to glorify Him?
How can I avoid falling back into a sin that God has helped me to overcome?

I hope you mustered some strength to read through these challenging chapters!  I know I needed to reach deep to digest it, and there are still parts I just can't 'get over'.

Comment below (go to the website if you're reading this in your e-mail) - I'd love to read your reaction to Gideon's story!  Can you relate?  If so, how?  And if not, why not?

Your Partner in Ministry,
Shelly
honey

"Kind words are like honey - sweet to the soul and healthy for the body."  Proverbs 16:24