Sun.’s Devo - God’s Man of Valor -

Read: Judges 6:1-40; Luke 22:54-23:12; Psalm 95:1-96:13; Proverbs 14:5-6 The children of Israel fell back into idolatry so the Lord gave them over to the Midianites who oppressed them for 7 years. The Midianites raided their crops at harvest time and left them with nothing to eat. The Israelites cried out to the Lord for help. *** God sent a prophet to the people who reminded them of their promise to follow the Lord the last time he had delivered them, yet they had not followed through with their promise. Yet, in God’s mercy, he came to rescue them. *** The angel of the Lord came and met Gideon under the terebinth at Ophrah. He addressed him as a mighty man of valor and told him that the Lord was with him. Gideon questioned if the Lord was with them, why were they so oppressed. He complained about how God brought them out of Egypt and now he had turned them over to the Midianites. God told him he was sending him to save Israel from the Midianites. Gideon argued how he could not be then to save Israel since his tribe was the smallest. But God said he would help him. Gideon asked for a sign that it was really the Lord who was speaking to him. He told him to wait and he would bring him a present. *** Gideon went home and prepared meat and unleavened bread and brought it to him as a present. God told him put the food on a rock and pour the broth over it. The angel touched the meat with his tip of his staff and fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the bread. Then the angel of the Lord disappeared and Gideon knew he was the Lord. Gideon was amazed that he had seen God face to face and lived. God’s spirit told Gideon not to fear, he would not die. Gideon built an altar and named it “The Lord is Peace.” *** God instructed Gideon to take two of his father’s bulls and use them to pull down the altar of Baal his father had erected, and to cut down the Asherah pole beside it. Then he was to build an altar to the Lord where they had been. He was to take the second bull that was 7 years old. He stood for the seven years they had worshiped idols. He was to make a fire from the wood of the Asherah pole and sacrifice the bull on the altar. *** Gibeon took 10 of his servants to help him and did it at night in fear of the men in his family and the town, *** The next morning, everyone saw what had happened and eventually found out it was Gideon who did it. When the men of the town came to get Gideon, his father, Joash defended him. He reasoned with the men that Baal was big enough to defend himself and his altar. When nothing happened, they started calling Gideon, Jerubbaal which means, “Baal will be contended with.” *** Meanwhile, the Midianites and the Amelekites crossed the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel. The Sprit of the Lord was upon Gideon and he blew the trumpet as a call to war. The Abeizrites responded. Gideon sent out messages to Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali to come help him fight. *** Gideon then put out two fleeces for the Lord and he honored both of them. Gideon now knew for sure that God would save Israel. *** In Luke, Jesus was taken to Caipas’ house to be tried by the priests. Peter followed and sat in the courtyard. He denied knowing the Lord three times and then the rooster crowed and he remembered what Jesus had said about him. He was distraught with shame. *** Jesus was mocked and beat by the men holding him. When the chief priests and scribes gathered they took Jesus away to question him privately. They asked him if he was the Christ and he refused to answer their question. He did tell them that from then on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God. So, they asked him if he was this Son of Man. He only told them that they said he was. *** They then took him before Pilate and accused him of forbidden the people to pay their taxes and declaring himself as Christ, a king. Pilate asked Jesus if he was the King of the Jews. Jesus told him that he said he was. Pilate told them that he didn’t find Jesus guilty of a crime. This upset the priest who claimed that Jesus stirred up the people all around Galilee. *** Pilate realized if Jesus was a Galilean, then that was Herod’s jurisdiction. He sent him to Herod who was in Jerusalem at the time. When Herod questioned Jesus, he refused to answer him. This made Herod so mad that he mocked Jesus, dressing him in royal clothes, and sent him back to Pilate. Pilate and Herod, who had been enemies, became friends that day. *** Lord, thank you for your steadfast love and mercy. It amazes me the abuse you have been given by your children and yet you still choose to love us. May we be your people of valor and fight for your name sake.