Learn From Gideon, 28

~ Trust God Without a Specific Sign ~

The Biblical account of the life of Gideon provides for one of the most interesting character studies in all of Scripture.  In this series we will discover practical lessons for living the Christian life today.  

Scripture  ~  “It happened on the same night that the Lord said to him, ‘Arise, go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand.  But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant, and you shall hear what they say; and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.’  Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outpost of the armed men who were in the camp.  Now the Midianites and Amalekites, all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude” (Judges 7:9-12).

Learn From Gideon  ~  Gideon trusted God without needing a miraculous sign.

1. Previously (Judges 6:25-40) we find Gideon honestly seeking a sign.
2. Now Gideon has grown.  The book of Hebrews provides the definition of maturity in Christ: “For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food.  For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.  But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:12-14).
3. Now God is asking Gideon to step out in faith (“Arise, go down against the camp”).
4. God offers reassurance (“Arise, go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand”).
5. Gideon is now facing a huge crisis of faith:  “the Midianites and Amalekites, all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude.”
6. Gideon obeyed God (“he went down”).
7. As we will see further on God kept His word to Gideon. 

Challenge For Us  ~  Can you trust God when asked to do something beyond your ability without having a miraculous sign from above? 

concluding comment  ~  We learn about Gideon primarily from Judges 6-8, but also Isaiah 9:1-7, and Hebrews 11:1-3, 32-34.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .

Angels, 3of27

~ 7 P’s of Angelic Ministry: PROVIDE ~ 

Prolog  ~  Angels are God’s special undercover agents who bring messages from God and minister to God’s people.  “But to which of the angels has He ever said: ‘Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool’?  Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:13-14). 

#3 – Angels PROVIDE Our Needs (in times of discouragement)  ~  “Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, ‘Arise and eat.’  Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water.  So he ate and drank, and lay down again.  And the angel of the Lord came back the second time, and touched him, and said, ‘Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.’  So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God” (1 Kings 19:5-8).

Epilog  ~  Angels are spirit beings and invisible.  However, sometimes in Scripture they appear in human form.  Scripture reminds us: “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels” (Hebrews 13:2). 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .

Angels, 2of27

~ 7 P’s of Angelic Ministry: PREPARE ~ 

Prolog  ~  Angels are God’s special undercover agents who bring messages from God and minister to God’s people.  “But to which of the angels has He ever said: ‘Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool’?  Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:13-14). 

#2 – Angels PREPARE Us (for future conflict)  ~  “Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites.  And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, ‘The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!’

“Gideon said to Him, ‘O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?  And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, “Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?”  But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.’

“Then the Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites.  Have I not sent you?’

“So he said to Him, ‘O my Lord, how can I save Israel?  Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.’

“And the Lord said to him, ‘Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.’

Then he said to Him, ‘If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who talk with me.  Do not depart from here, I pray, until I come to You and bring out my offering and set it before You.’

And He said, ‘I will wait until you come back.’

“So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat, and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour.  The meat he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot; and he brought them out to Him under the terebinth tree and presented them.  The Angel of God said to him, ‘Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.’  And he did so.

“Then the Angel of the Lord put out the end of the staff that was in His hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread.  And the Angel of the Lord departed out of his sight.

“Now Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the Lord.  So Gideon said, ‘Alas, O Lord God!  For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face’” (Judges 6:11-22).

Epilog  ~  Angels are spirit beings and invisible.  However, sometimes in Scripture they appear in human form.  Scripture reminds us: “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels” (Hebrews 13:2). 

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .