Today’s Podcast
Today’s Scriptures
Today’s Bible reading plans include:
Ready – Judges 6:1-21
Set – Judges 6; Psalms 52; 1 Corinthians 14
Go! – Judges 6-7; Psalms 52; 1 Corinthians 14
Judges 6:1-21
1 When the people of Israel again did what the Eternal One considered evil, He made them serve the Midianites for seven years. 2 The power of Midian prevailed over Israel so that the Israelites built for themselves hiding places in the mountains, in caves, and in safe strongholds. 3 Whenever the Israelites planted seed, the soldiers of Midian, Amalek, and others from the east would rise up against them 4 and destroy their farms and fields as far as Gaza in the west, leaving them nothing to eat and no livestock. 5 They would come up with their tents and their livestock, as thick as a cloud of locusts. They and their camels were so numerous they could not be counted, and they left the land desolate behind them.6 So the people of Israel were impoverished because of the Midianites, and they cried out to the Eternal One for help. 7 When the people of Israel cried to the Eternal for relief from the Midianites, 8 He sent a prophet to them.
Prophet: Here are the words of the Eternal God of Israel: “I brought you out from slavery in Egypt. 9 I delivered you from the Egyptians, from all who would have oppressed you. I drove the Canaanites out before you and delivered their land into your care. 10 But I said to you, ‘I am the Eternal One, your True God, and you must not worship the gods of the Amorites, those people in whose land you settle.’ And you have not listened to Me.”
11 Now in Ophrah, the Eternal’s messenger sat under an oak tree that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite. Gideon, the son of Joash, was beating out wheat in the winepress so that the Midianites could not see what he was doing. 12 The Eternal’s messenger appeared to Gideon.
Messenger of the Eternal One: The Eternal One is with you, mighty warrior.
Gideon: 13 Sir, if He is with us, then why has all this misfortune come on us? Where are all the miracles that our ancestors told us about? They said, “Didn’t the Eternal deliver us out of Egypt?” But now He has left us. He has made us servants of the Midianites.
14 The Eternal turned to Gideon and addressed him.
Eternal One (speaking through His messenger): Go out with your strength and rescue Israel from the oppression of Midian. Do you understand that I am the one sending you?
Gideon: 15 But, Lord, how am I supposed to deliver Israel? My family is the weakest in the tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least of my family.
Eternal One: 16 Go. I will be with you, and you will totally destroy the forces of Midian as one man.
Gideon: 17 If You do look on me with favor, then give me a sign that I’m really hearing from You. 18 Wait here until I return and bring out my offering and place it in front of You.
Eternal One: I will stay here until you return.
19 So Gideon went into his house, cooked a young goat, and made cakes of unleavened bread from half a bushel of flour. He then put the meat into a basket, poured the broth into a pot, and brought the food out to present it to Him under the oak.
Eternal One: 20 Put the meat and the unleavened bread on this rock, and pour out the broth.
Gideon did as he was told. 21 Then the Eternal’s messenger touched the meat and bread with the tip of the staff he carried. Fire raged out of the rock and consumed the food, and the Eternal’s messenger vanished from sight.
Today’s Devotional
From today’s background scripture God might say:
Gideon was anything but a mighty warrior until I met him and made him one. Notice what he did before I came to him. Gideon hid in the wine press to thresh his grain because he feared the retribution of the Midianites who invaded the land like locusts. But I chose Gideon to act as the judge, the military leader for Israel to rescue them from the hands of these invaders.
If you look back through history, you’ll find I do that a lot. I choose the most unlikely characters to do spectacular things for Me. Gideon rightly noted he came from the weakest clan of the weakest tribe in the nation. How could lead such a defenseless, unorganized band to defeat such a formidable foe? The answer is he couldn’t, but I can…through him.
Was Gideon afraid? Absolutely, until he understood I would fight his battles. Did he understand how I would use him to defeat his enemies? Not at this point, but he willingly volunteered to act as an instrument in My hands. Would Gideon volunteer if he knew I would ask him to defeat the Midianites with just 300 men? Probably not at this point. But Gideon trusted Me and that’s all I really asked of him.
You might think you’re not good enough, strong enough, smart enough to do something I’ve asked you to do. That’s not unusual when I call people to important things. I know your capabilities. I gave them to you. But in your weakness, I am your strength. In your foolishness, I am your wisdom. I know My plans for you. And I don’t make mistakes.
The job I want you to do for Me is suited best for you and you alone. Otherwise I wouldn’t ask you to do it. Just trust Me. Like with Gideon, I’ll be there for the whole journey. I won’t leave you to face the job alone. I’ll make you successful when I give you a task. Just say yes to Me and trust Me to carry you through.
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