Judges 6:1-40, Luke 22:54-23:12, Psalms 95:1-96:13, Proverbs 14:5-6
Today is the 26th day of April. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It’s great to be here with you at the conclusion of another work week. Boy we are winding our way down the month of April and we’ll finish up this month. We’re moving our way through the book of Judges, which is, of course, where we are now. We learned of the judge Deborah yesterday and today from the English Standard we’ll read Judges chapter 6 and meet the judge named Gideon.
Commentary:
Okay. So, in the book of Judges today we met Gideon. And this is a famous story, you’ve probably heard the story of Gideon before, at least if you grew up in the church at all. So, we met Gideon and we began one of these incredibly counterintuitive stories in the Old Testament. Things had gotten really hard for the children of Israel again, right? They abandoned God and then and then they’re delivered over into the hands of their enemies, which invariably would happen. This is how it would go naturally but it’s also what God warned against. And, so, they fell into the hands of the Midianites who oppressed them severely. Every year they would sow their crops to feed their people throughout the land but as the harvest approach than the Midianites the Amalekites would come in in caravans and pillage and feast and destroy everything that’s left. So, they were like a yearly plague that would come and basically leave the people of Israel starving. And, so, the Israelites were forced to grab what they could and hide in caves and strongholds and try to survive, which is where we met Gideon. He was threshing out wheat at the bottom of winepress to stay hidden from the Midianites when an angel appeared and told that God was with him. And even though this story is thousands of years old Gideon’s response is the same kind of response that happens even today, it’s a contemporary response - “really, if the Lord is with us, then why is all this happened to us”. Right? “Where are the miracles that we were told about, that our ancestors told us. Where’s that story?” And, so, we see that the issues that surfaced in the Bible are the same issues that we face, they just have different clothes on, they just happen at a different time and in a different culture, but the Bible is surfacing these issues because they are in us and God’s response to Gideon’s lack of conviction of faith is what He’s still saying today, “go with strength that you have, I am sending you.” And, of course, Gideon does just like Moses did and starts a list of reasons why it can’t happen, why he can’t do it, right? Who is his tribe? Who is his clan? He’s from the smallest family from the smallest…he’s like…he’s giving all of the excuses and God just tells him, “I will be with you.” Of course, we’re just getting going in the story and the story will have to play out before us in the coming days but if we can remember that, “I will be with you” then what else…what else do we need if it is God that’s doing the scenting? And, of course, God gave some signs to Gideon so that he could discern that he really was in fact being called and sent to do this task.
Prayer:
Father, we often forget that piece, “I will be with You”. It’s like the last piece of the puzzle for us often when it really should be the first and only piece of the equation. We should very, very easily be able to say, “if You’re not going this direction, I’m not going. Wherever You’re going…if You’re gonna be with me, that’s the only thing I need to know”. But so often it’s is the one thing that we doubt the most, that You are with us. And, so, Holy Spirit come. As we watch Gideon’s story, as we watch the counterintuitive ways of it we see these patterns appear in the Bible, we see the responses to them, and we see that our own hearts are being revealed into it, our own doubt and fear is being exposed. And, so, we invite You. Come Holy Spirit, show us where You are leading, that we are released to go with what we have with the strength that we have because You are sending us and You will be with us. Come Jesus we pray. In Your mighty name we ask. Amen.
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This is a busy weekend for our family because…ahhh…I can’t even…I can’t even hardly say it out loud…because China will be getting married tomorrow. And if she’ll let us, we’ll post a picture or two of that out on social media. She’s kind of grown up in the bubble here, and she’s wanted a very private wedding. And, so, that’s what she’s having with just a few friends out on a farm and it’ll be beautiful and we’ll have to practice. We’ll have to rehearse all of that today, which…yeah…I don’t know…I’m pretty stoic, pretty even, pretty steady person. I usually feel…feel the emotion of a situation much later after it happens. So, I don’t know, I may get through this just fine and be a basket case next week or I may be full of emotion or it may be fine. I think she’s a wise young woman who has given her life to being invested into the Scriptures every day for her entire childhood. So, I have to believe that the Lord has been speaking to her all of these years, and I do believe that, and that He is in and among all of this and this will be a beautiful union. So, thank you for your prayers as Jill and I kinda turn into this transitional next couple of days. We are profoundly excited, excited for all of this and yet it’s bittersweet when you think back of your…over the life of your child and realize, you know, they’re starting their own story. So, thank you for your prayers over that.
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And that is it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here tomorrow.