Tues.’s Devo -Gideon’s Obedience - God’s Victory

Read: Judges 7:1-8:17; Luke 23:13-43: Psalm 97:1-98:9; Proverbs 14:7-8 Gideon set out to fight the Midianites after his confirmations from the Lord. On his way the Lord told him he had too many in his army. When they won, they would think they did it in their own strength and God would not get the victory. Gideon told all the men who were afraid to go home. He lost 22,000 men. He was left with 10,000 and God said it was still too many. He told Gideon to take them to the spring and the Lord would tell him who to take with him. God chose the 300 who drank from their hands. He told Gideon to send the others home. That night, God was ready for Gideon to attack but he told Gideon that if he was afraid, he should go down to Midian’s camp and listen. He took Purah and went down to their camp. They saw the thousands of Midianites and Amalekites camped. They hid and listened as a man was telling his friend about a dream he had had. In his dream a loaf of barley bread came tumbling down into their camp. It hit a tent, turned it over and knocked it flat. His friend interpreted the dream to mean that God had given Gideon’s army victory over them. That was the confirmation Gideon needed. He went back to camp and woke his 300 men and told them to wake up because God had given them victory over the Midianite hordes. He divided them into three groups. Each man held a ram’s horn and a clay jar with a torch in it. They encircled the camp and when Gideon gave the signal they all blew their horns and broke their clay jars exposing the torches. The Midianites were so frightened, they fought each other. All Gideon’s army did was to stand and blow their horns. Some escaped to towns in Gad, but Gideon sent for the warriors of Naphtali, Asher and Manasseh and Ephraim and they cut them off. They captured Oreb and Zeeb two of the Midianite commanders. Ephraim was mad at first that they hadn’t been invited to fight in the battle, but Gideon assured them that their part was the most important so they calmed down. Gideon continued chasing the kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna. They came to two different towns in Gad asking for food for his men. They both gave him the same answer: when you catch the kings we will feed you. Gideon was ticked but had no other choice but to keep chasing them. He left them both with a promise to return and repay their cruelty. He finally caught the kings and brought them back to both city and repaid them exactly what he had said he would do. In Luke, the Roman political heads had finished examining the Lamb of God and Herod agreed with Pilate that Jesus was innocent. When they told the crowd, they were not satisfied. They asked that Barabbas be released to them and Jesus be crucified. It was becoming a riot so Pilate turned Jesus over to them to do what they wanted. Simon was chosen to carry Jesus’ cross while the crowd followed. Grief-stricken women also followed. Jesus comforted them and told them not to weep for him but for themselves and their children. If they would do that to Him, what would they do when he was gone? Jesus foresaw the day when they would have to run to the hills to be safe. Jesus was taken to Golgotha, The Skull, and hung between two thieves. Jesus forgave his accusers because he knew they didn’t understand what they were doing. He was mocked with words and their sign which said King of the Jews. Even the criminal on his side mocked him, but the other one repented and asked Jesus to remember him when he came to his kingdom. Jesus told him that he would join him there.