Okay, I'm going to wrap this up today if it takes me ALL day!
So, Gideon now has an army of 300. THREE HUNDRED. Let that sink it. It's a soaker, as my dad likes to say, lol.
The enemy has a cool 135,000 but we're not worried because God is on our side, right?
Riiiiiight. Gideon's scared to death.
They're camped out, waiting for the signal to attack, and God knows Gideon is still having some trust issues. So, once again, He calms His child down. He tells Gideon, Arise, go fight the Midianites, for I have delivered them into your hand! But....just in case you are still afraid...take your servant and go listen to what they're talking about. THAT will make you feel better!
So little Gideon 'neaks down (sorry, I have a 5 yr old with a "s" blend problem...it works it's way into my vocabulary from time to time ☺) into the enemy's camp in the middle of the night and overhears two soldiers discussing a dream.
The one man tells his dream:
A loaf of barley tumbles into the camp and knocks a tent down.
Now, I would have said, Boy, you been eatin' too much lamb pizza!
But his companion says, Yep, we're all gonna DIE. It's just a sign that Gideon & His God are going to kill us all.
How's that for faith?! He had more faith in Gideon and the God he served than Gideon had himself!
I love that God let him hear that dream. I love that He took Gideon's insecurities in to account and, instead of rebuking him, He calmed him. Tell me He doesn't love us! That He isn't for us, and won't help us!
So, Gideon and the 300 men surround the camp in 3 groups of 100 men each, with only a trumpet in one hand and clay pot in the other, covering up a torch. Now THAT takes faith. And from here on out, Gideon has faith in spades. No more hand holding by God, no more running scared, afraid to do what God called him to do. From that night onward, Gideon chases down the enemy one by one till they are wiped off the face of the earth. Just as God called him to do.
The highlight of Gideon's story for me is in chapter 8:
Gideon comes to the city of Succoth and asks for food & water to help his tired & hungry men on their chase of the two kings of Midian. The elders of Succoth say, Are the kings in your hand, that we should give you bread? So, basically, no kings, no bread. They had NO faith in Gideon or God to complete the task. To which Gideon replies:
I'm going to chase down and capture the two kings, then come back here and teach you a lesson! And he does.
Man after my own heart ☺
He comes to another town and they respond the same way and he tells this town,
"When I come back in peace, I'm going to tear down your tower!" And he does.
Listen at that faith! Not if, but when!
Gideon is a changed man. He now has the confidence in God, and himself, he needs to get the job done. What a transformation!
A lot of people think Gideon went out of kind of a low note, but I disagree:
When he returns from battle, the men of Israel ask him to be their king. Rule over them, fight their enemies, be their leader. He turns it down and says something I love:
"...the Lord shall rule over you."
But he makes a rookie mistake. A human mistake, if you will. He knows he did good. He wants a little something, a token, to remind everyone what he and God just accomplished. So he takes some of the gold jewelry they recovered and builds a statue of an ephod, a short vest the priest wore in service to God.
I think he had good intentions. I don't think he turned down the position of king and proclaimed that God was their king and leader, only to turn around a build a statue to worship. Remember, they usually built a pile of rocks as a memorial when God did something for them. I think he wanted a memorial for all to remember what God had accomplished for them; he just went about it the wrong way.
So he erected this statue in his hometown and, while it does not say that Gideon himself worshiped the statue, the Bible says it became a snare to him and the Israelites and they began to worship the memorial, the statue, instead of the One the statue was built in honor of. Maybe he did, I don't know, but I like to think his heart was in the right place when he made it.
That still goes on today, by the way: people love to worship nature, instead of the One who formed it and controls it. Or worship a human being, another creation of the Master Creator. I've said it before in church...it's like worshiping a light bulb when you have the sun. The light bulb is a wanna be sun.
Okay, so I'm done with Gideon!!! What did we learn? God is loving and patient with His people. If He has chosen you for a job, He'll equip you. He often chooses the least likely and able, because He then receives the glory when they succeed. And He holds our hand. He's a loving Father, a parent, who does not leave us on our own but holds our hand and walks us through each trial and fight. He's on OUR side! And if God be for us....who cares who is against us!
I wish you'd comment if you read this story on Gideon and give me your thoughts. Or if you agree/disagree. Or if you hated it, liked it, couldn't finish it...whatever! I feel like I'm typing to the wall sometimes. ☺
God bless!
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
An Unlikely Hero ~ Part 5
I am so sorry it has taken me so long to finish this! I'll do better, give me another chance! ☺
Okay, we left off with Gideon and his fleece before God, in Judges 6:36-40.
By the way, I got so into this story of Gideon that I taught on it for the adult Sunday School a couple of Sundays ago. Somehow I managed to wrap it up in 45 minutes or less, lol, so I'm going to try to wrap this up today. Or tomorrow ☺ I'm having so much fun digging into Gideon, I don't want it to end!
I want to briefly mention something that happens in Gideon's story, though, before the fleece. Back up to verse 34 in chapter 6:
"But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him."
My Bible notes say that the Hebrew for this text is literally translated as: "The Spirit of the Lord clothed Himself with Gideon..." WOW. I don't fully comprehend all this entails, but I have a feeling that I'm making a mistake by asking God to fill me with His power...instead I should be asking Him to take over completely, just put me on as a cloak and do whatever needs to be done in my stead. I don't know. I don't fully understand this, but I'm telling you, that's crazy!!! God clothed Himself with Gideon. He didn't "fill" him up, He didn't "anoint" him to do the work, necessary...He went even further. And I hope one day He explains what that means. Or just does it to me!
Okay. I'm distracted already, lol.
Now, Gideon calls his clan to war (the Abiezerites) and they align themselves for battle (Chpt 7 now).
Here's the fun part. God takes a look at the enemy: 135,000 men ready to fight. They have camels (I think it's the first time camels are mentioned as being used in battle ) and remember, the Israelites do not use horses. God has forbidden them to rely on flesh, including horses and chariots, like their enemies. They walked every where. Remember the walls of Jericho and all that marching? Yep...by foot. No horses.
So, here's the Midianites and Amalekites (but referred to from hereon as just the Midianites) with 135,000 soldiers. Then God looks at Gideon's men, all 32,000 of them, and says, There's too many. They'll win against the enemy and brag that they saved themselves by their own hand. Time to whittle down the troops.
First of all, in what war does 32,000 seem like they have a chance again 135,000??? But God commands Gideon to make an announcement: Any man that is afraid can go home. Now, I'm just a girl, but I can just image the dead silence after that announcement, and the whispers when the first man raised his hand. NOT his proudest moment, no doubt.
All in all, 22,000 men left that day. 22,000 men said, Uh, yeah...I'm not feeling the victory in this one...I'm going home.
God takes a look and says, Nope...still too many. 10,000 against 135,000 is just too unfair of a fight when God is on your side! I'm jumping up and down on the inside right now!!!
So, Gideon takes them to the water and tells them to drink up. 21,700 men kneel down and bend their face to the water, not bothering to pay attention to their surroundings. 300 kneel down and scoop water up in their hands, drinking it like a dog with their tongues, all the while on the alert.
God says, by these 300 will I save you and deliver the Midianites into your hands. Send the rest home! Because, you know, 300 plus God against 135,000 without God is more than enough. Hmmm, reminds me of a song...☺
Now, here's what gets me. Those 22,000 men will sow their crops in excitement and reap in peace next year...all because of Gideon and his band of 300. And God, of course. 301 men will fight for the deliverance of 22,000 scared men and their families.
Why does this matter? Because I think we can do the same. I just received a call about a friend in trouble. The truth is, I get aggravated with this person because they like to call and tell you their problems, ask for advice, and then totally ignore it time and time again. Then, by the 50th time of giving the same advice for the same problem over the period of a couple of years, I get weary with them. I'm done praying, I want to wash my hands of the situation.
BUT GOD.
My faithful, ever loving, long suffering Heavenly Father...He never gives up! He's married to the backslider! He's the excited father to the prodigal so!. And He never grows weary of forgiving. In fact, if he commanded us mere humans to forgive the same person 490 times in one day, what's the standard He holds Himself to? How many times do you think He's willing to forgive you before casting you off?
I don't think you'd believe me if I told you!
So, yes, I'm going to pray and fight and pray and fight for my friend. Because I love her. And better yet, God loves her. I'll just start with a prayer that He give me the desire to pray first. Yep. He'll do that too!
Is someone you know struggling? Are you tired of dealing with their drama, their problems, their inability to help themselves? Ask God to give you a desire to fight for them and see what happens!
If God be for you, who can stand against you?!
Okay, we left off with Gideon and his fleece before God, in Judges 6:36-40.
By the way, I got so into this story of Gideon that I taught on it for the adult Sunday School a couple of Sundays ago. Somehow I managed to wrap it up in 45 minutes or less, lol, so I'm going to try to wrap this up today. Or tomorrow ☺ I'm having so much fun digging into Gideon, I don't want it to end!
I want to briefly mention something that happens in Gideon's story, though, before the fleece. Back up to verse 34 in chapter 6:
"But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him."
My Bible notes say that the Hebrew for this text is literally translated as: "The Spirit of the Lord clothed Himself with Gideon..." WOW. I don't fully comprehend all this entails, but I have a feeling that I'm making a mistake by asking God to fill me with His power...instead I should be asking Him to take over completely, just put me on as a cloak and do whatever needs to be done in my stead. I don't know. I don't fully understand this, but I'm telling you, that's crazy!!! God clothed Himself with Gideon. He didn't "fill" him up, He didn't "anoint" him to do the work, necessary...He went even further. And I hope one day He explains what that means. Or just does it to me!
Okay. I'm distracted already, lol.
Now, Gideon calls his clan to war (the Abiezerites) and they align themselves for battle (Chpt 7 now).
Here's the fun part. God takes a look at the enemy: 135,000 men ready to fight. They have camels (I think it's the first time camels are mentioned as being used in battle ) and remember, the Israelites do not use horses. God has forbidden them to rely on flesh, including horses and chariots, like their enemies. They walked every where. Remember the walls of Jericho and all that marching? Yep...by foot. No horses.
So, here's the Midianites and Amalekites (but referred to from hereon as just the Midianites) with 135,000 soldiers. Then God looks at Gideon's men, all 32,000 of them, and says, There's too many. They'll win against the enemy and brag that they saved themselves by their own hand. Time to whittle down the troops.
First of all, in what war does 32,000 seem like they have a chance again 135,000??? But God commands Gideon to make an announcement: Any man that is afraid can go home. Now, I'm just a girl, but I can just image the dead silence after that announcement, and the whispers when the first man raised his hand. NOT his proudest moment, no doubt.
All in all, 22,000 men left that day. 22,000 men said, Uh, yeah...I'm not feeling the victory in this one...I'm going home.
God takes a look and says, Nope...still too many. 10,000 against 135,000 is just too unfair of a fight when God is on your side! I'm jumping up and down on the inside right now!!!
So, Gideon takes them to the water and tells them to drink up. 21,700 men kneel down and bend their face to the water, not bothering to pay attention to their surroundings. 300 kneel down and scoop water up in their hands, drinking it like a dog with their tongues, all the while on the alert.
God says, by these 300 will I save you and deliver the Midianites into your hands. Send the rest home! Because, you know, 300 plus God against 135,000 without God is more than enough. Hmmm, reminds me of a song...☺
Now, here's what gets me. Those 22,000 men will sow their crops in excitement and reap in peace next year...all because of Gideon and his band of 300. And God, of course. 301 men will fight for the deliverance of 22,000 scared men and their families.
Why does this matter? Because I think we can do the same. I just received a call about a friend in trouble. The truth is, I get aggravated with this person because they like to call and tell you their problems, ask for advice, and then totally ignore it time and time again. Then, by the 50th time of giving the same advice for the same problem over the period of a couple of years, I get weary with them. I'm done praying, I want to wash my hands of the situation.
BUT GOD.
My faithful, ever loving, long suffering Heavenly Father...He never gives up! He's married to the backslider! He's the excited father to the prodigal so!. And He never grows weary of forgiving. In fact, if he commanded us mere humans to forgive the same person 490 times in one day, what's the standard He holds Himself to? How many times do you think He's willing to forgive you before casting you off?
I don't think you'd believe me if I told you!
So, yes, I'm going to pray and fight and pray and fight for my friend. Because I love her. And better yet, God loves her. I'll just start with a prayer that He give me the desire to pray first. Yep. He'll do that too!
Is someone you know struggling? Are you tired of dealing with their drama, their problems, their inability to help themselves? Ask God to give you a desire to fight for them and see what happens!
If God be for you, who can stand against you?!
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Answered Prayer
So, remember my post last week about my oldest son and his problems in school? It was an eye opening experience to me: children learn social behavior. Brilliant, right?0
I know, I know. I know this. I know it's important to teach my children perfect manners, correct indoor voice volume, not to interrupt adults...I know all that. But this week was a lesson in teaching the art of making friends, a vital piece of the social behavior pie chart. Something I just assumed would come naturally. But surprisingly, it's a learned behavior too and I didn't pay attention to what was being taught until he was already hurting.
But, right before I posted the previous post about this subject, here, I prayed. I cried and prayed to God for guidance on how to help my baby. To lead me to the root of the problem. And He did!
Right after that posted, I received a return phone call from his teacher, Mrs. R. At the beginning of the school year we dealt with the a similar problem with Ethan; she did not impress me as being very empathetic at the time, so I had low expectations. Thankfully, she blew them out of the water this time. Maybe I caught her on a bad day last fall, I don't know, but this time she was full of support and enthusiasm to fixing the problem.
She told me that she did not see an issue of the kids not liking Ethan, or not wanting to play with him. She said he stayed by himself most of the time, and when he did try to interact with his classmates, it came across awkward and confusing.
His sense of humor is on the odd side. He's the quiet, gamer boy in the corner...rather be playing Plants vs Zombies than talking about...well, anything. So, for example, he'd walk up to a table of classmates and yell some random phrase, like "fuzzy bunny!" then walk off. When they looked at each other in confusion instead of laughing, he took this as a sign they hated him, and shut down.
She suggested several great ideas. I am letting him go on a field trip that I had not planned to let him attend, since he'd be gone most of the day and his dad & I couldn't go. But she assured me she would pair him up with boys she thought he could get along with (they'll be in groups of 4 or 5, which is less pressure on him to be social, too). She suggested letting him speak with the guidance counselor, as well.
I wasn't 100% sure what that would accomplish, but I now have to say it was a wonderful idea. I'm familiar with the man, he's an older grandfatherly type and very nice. He called Ethan in to chat and when I asked Ethan about it later he said it was nice, he just thought he was in trouble so he didn't open up. I explained that he could talk to the man about anything he wanted and that maybe it would help talking to someone other than his mom & dad about these issues. He was so excited that it just broke my heart. He's happy to have help, to not deal with this alone. And I so happy for him.
That night we had a long talk about how to make friends. How to engage someone in conversation. How to find someone the other person is interested in so you can find something in common to talk about. Smile. Make eye contact. Don't blurt out goofy stuff that only you understand and then take it personally when they don't get the joke.
Every day now when we are driving to school, Katie or I one remind him: Your goal today is to start a conversation with a classmate. And after school: Did you talk to anyone today? Who? Did anyone start a conversation with you?
Seems so simple, doesn't it? But to him, it was Greek. Like Plants vs Zombies is to me.
He has been much happier this week. No explosions in anger when he can't play video games. Only a couple of times of him feeling isolated and sad, and then we went over his day, finding times someone spoke to him, played with him, and he realized...it's getting better. He's making progress, and they're responding in kind. He's not a freak.
Something his momma knew all along.
Thank you, Jacklyn, for your kind words. You always make me feel like the World's Best Mom when I'm feeling quite the opposite. And you have practical, wonderful advice and encouragement. Thank you most of all for your prayers. Same to you, Beth. Thanks for listening. And listening. And listening some more ☺
I know, I know. I know this. I know it's important to teach my children perfect manners, correct indoor voice volume, not to interrupt adults...I know all that. But this week was a lesson in teaching the art of making friends, a vital piece of the social behavior pie chart. Something I just assumed would come naturally. But surprisingly, it's a learned behavior too and I didn't pay attention to what was being taught until he was already hurting.
But, right before I posted the previous post about this subject, here, I prayed. I cried and prayed to God for guidance on how to help my baby. To lead me to the root of the problem. And He did!
Right after that posted, I received a return phone call from his teacher, Mrs. R. At the beginning of the school year we dealt with the a similar problem with Ethan; she did not impress me as being very empathetic at the time, so I had low expectations. Thankfully, she blew them out of the water this time. Maybe I caught her on a bad day last fall, I don't know, but this time she was full of support and enthusiasm to fixing the problem.
She told me that she did not see an issue of the kids not liking Ethan, or not wanting to play with him. She said he stayed by himself most of the time, and when he did try to interact with his classmates, it came across awkward and confusing.
His sense of humor is on the odd side. He's the quiet, gamer boy in the corner...rather be playing Plants vs Zombies than talking about...well, anything. So, for example, he'd walk up to a table of classmates and yell some random phrase, like "fuzzy bunny!" then walk off. When they looked at each other in confusion instead of laughing, he took this as a sign they hated him, and shut down.
She suggested several great ideas. I am letting him go on a field trip that I had not planned to let him attend, since he'd be gone most of the day and his dad & I couldn't go. But she assured me she would pair him up with boys she thought he could get along with (they'll be in groups of 4 or 5, which is less pressure on him to be social, too). She suggested letting him speak with the guidance counselor, as well.
I wasn't 100% sure what that would accomplish, but I now have to say it was a wonderful idea. I'm familiar with the man, he's an older grandfatherly type and very nice. He called Ethan in to chat and when I asked Ethan about it later he said it was nice, he just thought he was in trouble so he didn't open up. I explained that he could talk to the man about anything he wanted and that maybe it would help talking to someone other than his mom & dad about these issues. He was so excited that it just broke my heart. He's happy to have help, to not deal with this alone. And I so happy for him.
That night we had a long talk about how to make friends. How to engage someone in conversation. How to find someone the other person is interested in so you can find something in common to talk about. Smile. Make eye contact. Don't blurt out goofy stuff that only you understand and then take it personally when they don't get the joke.
Every day now when we are driving to school, Katie or I one remind him: Your goal today is to start a conversation with a classmate. And after school: Did you talk to anyone today? Who? Did anyone start a conversation with you?
Seems so simple, doesn't it? But to him, it was Greek. Like Plants vs Zombies is to me.
He has been much happier this week. No explosions in anger when he can't play video games. Only a couple of times of him feeling isolated and sad, and then we went over his day, finding times someone spoke to him, played with him, and he realized...it's getting better. He's making progress, and they're responding in kind. He's not a freak.
Something his momma knew all along.
Thank you, Jacklyn, for your kind words. You always make me feel like the World's Best Mom when I'm feeling quite the opposite. And you have practical, wonderful advice and encouragement. Thank you most of all for your prayers. Same to you, Beth. Thanks for listening. And listening. And listening some more ☺
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
An Unlikely Hero ~ Part 4
I did not intend for this to drag out as long as it has! Truth be told, when I started study Gideon last week, I wasn't a fan. He struck me as a bit whiny, very scared, and not much of a hero. But after going over his story 2 or 3 times, studying it all out, and much prayer, I came to realize two facts:
1. Gideon had a total transformation by the end of his story and becomes the man of valor the Lord called him on day one. (Makes me wonder: is it because God knew the end from the beginning? Or was He speaking it into existence? Or both!)
2. I'm a LOT like Gideon. I need a lot of hand-holding, just to do what God promised me I could do!
I left off yesterday with Gideon tearing down the altar and statue of the false god that his clan worshiped. He seems to have accepted the call to deliver Israel from the Midianites and Amalekites. But read on. Just when you think he's ready to go....he asks for another sign!
And here's what Gideon is probably most famous for: The Fleece. Every once in a while I hear someone say, I'm putting my fleece out (before God). It's our little "test" for God to show us He meant what He said the first time (and 2nd, 3rd, 5th....). We're SO trusting, right?!
But Gideon tests God, albeit, humbly. God, please, if You meant what You said, if I'm supposed to deliver Israel from our enemies and You're REALLY going to help me....
1. Let the ground be dry in the morning, but the fleece be wet. And not only does He make it wet, Gideon is able to wring water out of it. It wasn't damp, it was SOAKING wet.
Now....shouldn't that have been enough? He's already appeared as an angel, make fire appear out of a rock, given him specific direction at night concerning the altar and statue, and now the fleece is wet but there's no dew on the ground....shouldn't that have been enough?!
Well, no, because he's human. Just like me. And no matter how many times I read this wonderful book full of promises TO ME....I just keep testing Him, asking Him for ONE MORE SIGN. Proof that He still loves me (maybe He's changed His mind now that He's gotten to know me!)...that He hasn't left me (cause, really, even *I* want to leave me sometimes!)...that He hasn't forgot me (I mean, what have I done to stand out? Besides some major whining and testing?).
So, yeah. Gideon is my Grandpa, for real.
2. Let the ground be wet with dew and the fleece be totally dry. DONE. If you know fleece at all, you know how well it absorbs liquid. There is no way this thing is going to be bone dry and the ground be wet. Unless....
Is anything too hard for God? Really, the test is a little on the lame side when you consider just who Gideon is testing!
Now, think about this for a second. God chose the weakest man out of the poorest clan, and out of the tribe that is already divided in two (on either side of the Jordan). He has appeared to him, given him sign after sign. What does this tell you about God?
It told me that He is SO kind, loving, and patient with His most timid, weak, inhibited children. And time and time again, I'm that child. He didn't rebuke Gideon for asking for a sign. He didn't say, Again with the tests and signs? Nope, that's it, I'm done. I'm moving on to the next guy!
Why? Why does He bear with us? Why does He keep coming back to us, again and again, even though we've ran off, pushed Him away, ignored Him, tested Him, disbelieved Him?
The only answer I can come up with is this: He must really, REALLY love us. Really.
The only thing I can compare it to is the love I have for my children. I love them unconditionally. If they push me away, disobey me, try to distance themselves from me, it upsets me...but I keep working on them, pulling them back to me. I keep providing for them, cooking their meals, washing their clothes. In fact, I start looking for ways to do extra, just to show them how much I care, how much I love them.
Sound familiar? The story of the Old Testament can be wrapped up in two words, for me:
Unconditional Love.
Looks like part 5 tomorrow!
1. Gideon had a total transformation by the end of his story and becomes the man of valor the Lord called him on day one. (Makes me wonder: is it because God knew the end from the beginning? Or was He speaking it into existence? Or both!)
2. I'm a LOT like Gideon. I need a lot of hand-holding, just to do what God promised me I could do!
I left off yesterday with Gideon tearing down the altar and statue of the false god that his clan worshiped. He seems to have accepted the call to deliver Israel from the Midianites and Amalekites. But read on. Just when you think he's ready to go....he asks for another sign!
And here's what Gideon is probably most famous for: The Fleece. Every once in a while I hear someone say, I'm putting my fleece out (before God). It's our little "test" for God to show us He meant what He said the first time (and 2nd, 3rd, 5th....). We're SO trusting, right?!
But Gideon tests God, albeit, humbly. God, please, if You meant what You said, if I'm supposed to deliver Israel from our enemies and You're REALLY going to help me....
1. Let the ground be dry in the morning, but the fleece be wet. And not only does He make it wet, Gideon is able to wring water out of it. It wasn't damp, it was SOAKING wet.
Now....shouldn't that have been enough? He's already appeared as an angel, make fire appear out of a rock, given him specific direction at night concerning the altar and statue, and now the fleece is wet but there's no dew on the ground....shouldn't that have been enough?!
Well, no, because he's human. Just like me. And no matter how many times I read this wonderful book full of promises TO ME....I just keep testing Him, asking Him for ONE MORE SIGN. Proof that He still loves me (maybe He's changed His mind now that He's gotten to know me!)...that He hasn't left me (cause, really, even *I* want to leave me sometimes!)...that He hasn't forgot me (I mean, what have I done to stand out? Besides some major whining and testing?).
So, yeah. Gideon is my Grandpa, for real.
2. Let the ground be wet with dew and the fleece be totally dry. DONE. If you know fleece at all, you know how well it absorbs liquid. There is no way this thing is going to be bone dry and the ground be wet. Unless....
Is anything too hard for God? Really, the test is a little on the lame side when you consider just who Gideon is testing!
Now, think about this for a second. God chose the weakest man out of the poorest clan, and out of the tribe that is already divided in two (on either side of the Jordan). He has appeared to him, given him sign after sign. What does this tell you about God?
It told me that He is SO kind, loving, and patient with His most timid, weak, inhibited children. And time and time again, I'm that child. He didn't rebuke Gideon for asking for a sign. He didn't say, Again with the tests and signs? Nope, that's it, I'm done. I'm moving on to the next guy!
Why? Why does He bear with us? Why does He keep coming back to us, again and again, even though we've ran off, pushed Him away, ignored Him, tested Him, disbelieved Him?
The only answer I can come up with is this: He must really, REALLY love us. Really.
The only thing I can compare it to is the love I have for my children. I love them unconditionally. If they push me away, disobey me, try to distance themselves from me, it upsets me...but I keep working on them, pulling them back to me. I keep providing for them, cooking their meals, washing their clothes. In fact, I start looking for ways to do extra, just to show them how much I care, how much I love them.
Sound familiar? The story of the Old Testament can be wrapped up in two words, for me:
Unconditional Love.
Looks like part 5 tomorrow!
Monday, April 23, 2012
An Unlikely Hero - Part 3
I'm in Judges 6, by the way, for those that want to follow along.
Okay, we left off with the Angel of the Lord (or the Lord, as He is henceforth referred as) calling Gideon a man of valor and telling him that HE is the next mighty deliverer...with the help of the Lord.
So, Gideon, being human like the rest of us, says...if it's really you talking to me (and not a figment of my imagination - give me a sign! He asked the Lord to remain while he runs to get a present for the Him. The Lord agrees to hang around while Gideon runs to prepare a meal. The Lord accepts the gift by touching the food with His staff and consuming it with fire that came out of the rock..then disappeared right in front of him! If that's not sign enough that you're not crazy and you're truly talking to an angel, I don't know what is! Then Gideon is all scared, cause he's just looked upon the Lord and lived to tell about it and the Lord has to reassure him he won't die for it! Sounds like he is STILL not convinced of the plan.
Now the incident I mentioned earlier: the Lord tells Gideon that his first act as deliverer is to tear down his father's altar to Baal and build an altar to the true God, then offer the wood from Baal's altar as a burnt sacrifice. And our little man of valor sneaks out with 10 servants and does so in the dead of night because he is SCARED of the men in the city. Gideon is STILL not convinced God is on his side and that he is ordained to win. What a patient God!
Of course, the men of the city woke up the next day and were all like, What happened to our altar!?! They find out it's Gideon and go after him but his dad stops them with this challenge: If Baal is truly a god, let him fight for himself! And from that day forward he called Gideon "Jerubbaal", meaning, let Baal plead.
This got me to thinking today about a question I hear a lot as a Christian: Why does God allow suffering? Why doesn't He....(fill in the blanks). For instance, when things like the hurricane last year or the year before that hit Haiti and did a number on the island, killing thousands, leaving thousands more homeless, parentless, jobless...Why did God let it happen?
Let me tell you my answer. Why did THEIR god allow it? The national religion of Haiti is Voodoo. The people of Haiti have very clearly stated, we do not serve the God of the Bible. I'd say they serve Satan, personally, since they practice dark magic & voodoo. But these people are praying to false gods. So, why does the rest of the world get mad at God? He isn't their protector. They don't want Him. They don't pray to Him. So He honors that and stays away (free will and all that).
The point is: who are you serving? Cause if you aren't feeling very protected, if you are full of strife and discontentment, if you can't see God anywhere...maybe you're not under HIS protection...maybe you're not actually serving Who you claim you serve.
Hmmm....gonna end on that note today☺
Looks like we'll have part 4 tomorrow...I love a good cliffhanger!
Okay, we left off with the Angel of the Lord (or the Lord, as He is henceforth referred as) calling Gideon a man of valor and telling him that HE is the next mighty deliverer...with the help of the Lord.
So, Gideon, being human like the rest of us, says...if it's really you talking to me (and not a figment of my imagination - give me a sign! He asked the Lord to remain while he runs to get a present for the Him. The Lord agrees to hang around while Gideon runs to prepare a meal. The Lord accepts the gift by touching the food with His staff and consuming it with fire that came out of the rock..then disappeared right in front of him! If that's not sign enough that you're not crazy and you're truly talking to an angel, I don't know what is! Then Gideon is all scared, cause he's just looked upon the Lord and lived to tell about it and the Lord has to reassure him he won't die for it! Sounds like he is STILL not convinced of the plan.
Now the incident I mentioned earlier: the Lord tells Gideon that his first act as deliverer is to tear down his father's altar to Baal and build an altar to the true God, then offer the wood from Baal's altar as a burnt sacrifice. And our little man of valor sneaks out with 10 servants and does so in the dead of night because he is SCARED of the men in the city. Gideon is STILL not convinced God is on his side and that he is ordained to win. What a patient God!
Of course, the men of the city woke up the next day and were all like, What happened to our altar!?! They find out it's Gideon and go after him but his dad stops them with this challenge: If Baal is truly a god, let him fight for himself! And from that day forward he called Gideon "Jerubbaal", meaning, let Baal plead.
This got me to thinking today about a question I hear a lot as a Christian: Why does God allow suffering? Why doesn't He....(fill in the blanks). For instance, when things like the hurricane last year or the year before that hit Haiti and did a number on the island, killing thousands, leaving thousands more homeless, parentless, jobless...Why did God let it happen?
Let me tell you my answer. Why did THEIR god allow it? The national religion of Haiti is Voodoo. The people of Haiti have very clearly stated, we do not serve the God of the Bible. I'd say they serve Satan, personally, since they practice dark magic & voodoo. But these people are praying to false gods. So, why does the rest of the world get mad at God? He isn't their protector. They don't want Him. They don't pray to Him. So He honors that and stays away (free will and all that).
The point is: who are you serving? Cause if you aren't feeling very protected, if you are full of strife and discontentment, if you can't see God anywhere...maybe you're not under HIS protection...maybe you're not actually serving Who you claim you serve.
Hmmm....gonna end on that note today☺
Looks like we'll have part 4 tomorrow...I love a good cliffhanger!
Thursday, April 19, 2012
An Unlikely Hero - Part 2
You can read in Judges 2:1-3 the account I mentioned yesterday, of how God warned the Israelites that He was going to leave some of their enemies unconquered and why. He also warns them that they will be "thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you." In Joshua, He adds the enemy will be "pricks in your eyes". So they had been fully warned of the consequences of messing with the false gods of their neighbors.
Now, leading up to the time of Gideon, there had already been at least 4 times of a falling away from God's law and way, to a following of false gods, to persecution from the enemy by God's hand, to calling on God and a deliverer being sent. The first deliverer was Caleb's nephew/son-in-law, Othniel. The 2nd was Ehud, the 3rd Shamgar - who had just one verse in Judges. Then Deborah.
Ohhhhh, Deborah! What a feisty little woman of God! And when the Bible refers to them as deliverers and judges, the word is used to mean as a leader in the sense of a president or king, just like Moses & Joshua had been. Israel's first woman leader...I love it!
So, Gideon becomes the 5th judge and deliverer, at least of those mentioned in the Book of Judges. Judges 6:1 says the people were doing evil in the sight of the Lord, so He delivered them up to the Midianites.
Ever feel like everything you do just slips through your fingers, you have nothing to show for all your hard work, and it looks like God has washed His hands of you? Might want to check your life, make sure you're not doing "evil in the site of the Lord." And evil can mean so many different things but basically is anything against the will, plan, and ways of God.
There is also a devil at work, so that's not always the reason, but here's one good way to tell which it is for you: check and see if you have peace. If there's peace in the middle of your storm, God's right there with you and you're exactly where you're meant to be. If you can't find any peace, no matter what you do, how hard you pray, then maybe He is withholding peace to get your attention.
So anyway, Gideon. For seven years the Midianites have been oppressing the Israelites and they start crying out to God for help. They didn't even get rid of their false gods first, so there goes the theory you have to clean yourself up before you approach God. They were in the middle of their sin, asking God for help, and He responded. But the first thing He had Gideon do as their deliverer was to tear down the altar of Baal in the middle of the city and rebuild HIS altar. Talk about a loud statement!
I've skipped ahead! First, though, where does God find this future hero? Hiding out in a whine press so he can secretly thrash wheat, to keep it from falling into the Midianites' hands. And when the Lord (or the Angel of the Lord) addresses him in his hiding place, He says to Gideon "The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour." (I really wish they used exclamation points in KJV!)
So Gideon is hiding from the enemy and God calls him a man of valour...a MIGHTY man of valour! He should have looked around and said, "Who, ME?!"
(The dictionary does not recognize that spelling of "valor" but that's how the KJV spells it - I'm going to switch to the current spelling because that red squiggly line messes with my English OCD!)
The first thing Gideon responds with is, Where is the Lord?! He has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of our enemies! (paraphrased☺) He conveniently leaves out the part where Israel forsook God first! What surprises me is the angel totally ignores that omission as well. He doesn't point out their sin, their serving false gods, thus negating God's promise of protection. He basically says, I am sending YOU to fix that!
Okay, I'm all fired up and can't wrap this up today, so come back again tomorrow for part 3! ☺
Now, leading up to the time of Gideon, there had already been at least 4 times of a falling away from God's law and way, to a following of false gods, to persecution from the enemy by God's hand, to calling on God and a deliverer being sent. The first deliverer was Caleb's nephew/son-in-law, Othniel. The 2nd was Ehud, the 3rd Shamgar - who had just one verse in Judges. Then Deborah.
Ohhhhh, Deborah! What a feisty little woman of God! And when the Bible refers to them as deliverers and judges, the word is used to mean as a leader in the sense of a president or king, just like Moses & Joshua had been. Israel's first woman leader...I love it!
So, Gideon becomes the 5th judge and deliverer, at least of those mentioned in the Book of Judges. Judges 6:1 says the people were doing evil in the sight of the Lord, so He delivered them up to the Midianites.
Ever feel like everything you do just slips through your fingers, you have nothing to show for all your hard work, and it looks like God has washed His hands of you? Might want to check your life, make sure you're not doing "evil in the site of the Lord." And evil can mean so many different things but basically is anything against the will, plan, and ways of God.
There is also a devil at work, so that's not always the reason, but here's one good way to tell which it is for you: check and see if you have peace. If there's peace in the middle of your storm, God's right there with you and you're exactly where you're meant to be. If you can't find any peace, no matter what you do, how hard you pray, then maybe He is withholding peace to get your attention.
So anyway, Gideon. For seven years the Midianites have been oppressing the Israelites and they start crying out to God for help. They didn't even get rid of their false gods first, so there goes the theory you have to clean yourself up before you approach God. They were in the middle of their sin, asking God for help, and He responded. But the first thing He had Gideon do as their deliverer was to tear down the altar of Baal in the middle of the city and rebuild HIS altar. Talk about a loud statement!
I've skipped ahead! First, though, where does God find this future hero? Hiding out in a whine press so he can secretly thrash wheat, to keep it from falling into the Midianites' hands. And when the Lord (or the Angel of the Lord) addresses him in his hiding place, He says to Gideon "The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour." (I really wish they used exclamation points in KJV!)
So Gideon is hiding from the enemy and God calls him a man of valour...a MIGHTY man of valour! He should have looked around and said, "Who, ME?!"
(The dictionary does not recognize that spelling of "valor" but that's how the KJV spells it - I'm going to switch to the current spelling because that red squiggly line messes with my English OCD!)
The first thing Gideon responds with is, Where is the Lord?! He has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of our enemies! (paraphrased☺) He conveniently leaves out the part where Israel forsook God first! What surprises me is the angel totally ignores that omission as well. He doesn't point out their sin, their serving false gods, thus negating God's promise of protection. He basically says, I am sending YOU to fix that!
Okay, I'm all fired up and can't wrap this up today, so come back again tomorrow for part 3! ☺
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Social...not so much.
A few days ago I woke up with a heavy heart. My 10 year old son is not doing well in school right now, socially. It's been going on for just over a year and really started affecting his grades. I can handle that; it just tears me up to see him so miserable.
We take so many things for granted, like, my child with make friends easily and always feel loved and socially acceptable. But that doesn't happen naturally for everyone, including him. He is the type that hangs in the background, unsure of himself and how he fits in, unable to speak up and take the first small step to making a stranger a friend. Small talk with his peers does not come easy to him. He is his father's son.
So, after dealing with the grades aspect, and pushing him to make just one good friend, I thought we were good. But I started noticing some ongoing problems, compounded by his ever changing emotional state (thank you, puberty!). I feel like I finally got to the bottom of the problem this week when he had a mini breakdown and admitted just how bad it is at school for him every day.
Hiding at recess, crying because no one wants to play with him, sitting alone at free time...just typing those words makes me want to bawl.
I'm still peeling away at the layers to this situation, talking with his teacher, his sister/confidant, and my most valuable ally, my Heavenly Father.
I'm not sure how much of this is, for lack of a better phrasing, in his head. I think he has serious insecurity issues. On top of that, I think he's not at the same level of maturity as most boys his age, and so they don't know how to respond to his attempts at humor and fitting in. What's funny to him makes his classmates scratch their heads in confusion. I've seen it with my own eyes and his teacher confirmed that this week when I spoke to her.
It seems so easy to me. Walk in, make eye contact, smile, say hi. How's it going? What did you do this weekend? Do you like Star Wars/cake/riding bikes? But what comes so easy to most of us is like walking into a nest of hornets for him. He'd rather die. And at the tender age of 10, he already expects the negative. Weird looks, walking off, solitude.
But I serve a faithful, love God who controls the wind, the rain, the spin of the earth, the cycle of seasons...the One Who created all, is in all, and by Whom all exists. The One that formed the spirit in man...He's able to strengthen, to change perception, to increase courage. He's been made aware of the problem and we're working on it together. Meaning, I'm stressing, repenting for stressing, putting it back in His hands. Then repeat.
Please, if you know him, don't try to talk with him about it. Just pray. I want God to intervene and I plan to knock on His door until He answers.
We take so many things for granted, like, my child with make friends easily and always feel loved and socially acceptable. But that doesn't happen naturally for everyone, including him. He is the type that hangs in the background, unsure of himself and how he fits in, unable to speak up and take the first small step to making a stranger a friend. Small talk with his peers does not come easy to him. He is his father's son.
So, after dealing with the grades aspect, and pushing him to make just one good friend, I thought we were good. But I started noticing some ongoing problems, compounded by his ever changing emotional state (thank you, puberty!). I feel like I finally got to the bottom of the problem this week when he had a mini breakdown and admitted just how bad it is at school for him every day.
Hiding at recess, crying because no one wants to play with him, sitting alone at free time...just typing those words makes me want to bawl.
I'm still peeling away at the layers to this situation, talking with his teacher, his sister/confidant, and my most valuable ally, my Heavenly Father.
I'm not sure how much of this is, for lack of a better phrasing, in his head. I think he has serious insecurity issues. On top of that, I think he's not at the same level of maturity as most boys his age, and so they don't know how to respond to his attempts at humor and fitting in. What's funny to him makes his classmates scratch their heads in confusion. I've seen it with my own eyes and his teacher confirmed that this week when I spoke to her.
It seems so easy to me. Walk in, make eye contact, smile, say hi. How's it going? What did you do this weekend? Do you like Star Wars/cake/riding bikes? But what comes so easy to most of us is like walking into a nest of hornets for him. He'd rather die. And at the tender age of 10, he already expects the negative. Weird looks, walking off, solitude.
But I serve a faithful, love God who controls the wind, the rain, the spin of the earth, the cycle of seasons...the One Who created all, is in all, and by Whom all exists. The One that formed the spirit in man...He's able to strengthen, to change perception, to increase courage. He's been made aware of the problem and we're working on it together. Meaning, I'm stressing, repenting for stressing, putting it back in His hands. Then repeat.
Please, if you know him, don't try to talk with him about it. Just pray. I want God to intervene and I plan to knock on His door until He answers.
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