Gideon and the Trumpet
Part two of Gideon tells how once more Gideon tests the LORD to make sure He really wanted Gideon to be the one who saves Israel. How are you testing the LORD?
Judges 6:25-40
Gideon was told by the LORD to tear down the altar of baal that his father has and to cut down the grove that is by it. Baal was one of the Canaanite and Phoenicia gods that the people worshipped. It was worshipped by the children of Israel during the time of the Judges. It was believed that baal was a fertility god and would cause the crops to grow and the people could produce more children. The children of Israel were warned by the LORD God not to worship theses Canaanite gods when they entered the Promised Land.
Then Gideon was to build an altar unto the LORD his God upon the top of a rock in the ordered place and offer a burnt sacrifice of a bullock with the wood of the grove which Gideon cut down.
Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father’s household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night.
When the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built. The men wanted to kill Gideon because he destroyed the altar of baal.
Joash, was the father of Gideon and would not allow for the men to kill his son. Joash said to them ; Will you plead for Baal? Will you save him? those that will plead for him, let him be put to death while it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one has cast down his altar. It was from then on that Gideon was called Jerubbaal.
All the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel. Jezreel means ìGod will sow.î It extents out to the north and east from Mount Carmel. The Bible speaks of the gathering of armies in this valley at the place of Armageddon.
The Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet. Gideon sent messengers throughout all the tribes of Israel and they came up to meet Gideon.
Gideon, decided to test the LORD and said if He would save Israel by the hand of Gideon then Gideon would put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then Gideon would know that the LORD would save Israel by the hand of Gideon, as the LORD had said.
When Gideon rose up early the next morning he wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. This should have been the end of it and Gideon should have gotten on with the task that he needed to do. But it was not!
Gideon said unto God, Don’t be mad at me LORD and I will only prove you one more time. I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. The LORD was tolerant and that night there was dew upon the ground but the fleece was dry.
What Can This Story Teach Us?
The last lesson we found out that Gideon did what so many of us does he questioned the LORD God and asked for a sign. Not only did Gideon test the LORD God once he tested twice. Gideon had no confidence that the LORD would protect him; so he asked for two signs from the LORD.
Poor Gideon was told the LORD wanted to use him to save Israel. Where was his faith in the LORD? Why did Gideon have a lack of faith? Many people have lost their trust in the LORD in difficult times in their lives.
When people go through a difficult time they ask the question of “Why me”, or “why did this happen to me now”, even “show me what to do now LORD.” These questions also show a lack of trust or faith.
You see the Israelites had lived in peace for the forty years that they had wandered in the wilderness. Life was easy for them because the LORD provided everything they needed to survive. Once they were in the Promised Land they forgot the blessings they had received from the LORD. They started worshipping baal and forgot the LORD. So the LORD handed them over to the Midianites.
Many of us are like those Israelites we do not know we are having a lack of faith and have fallen very far from the LORD. Sometimes it takes hitting bottom before we realize how desperately we need the relationship with the LORD. It is imperative that we stay united with the LORD and that we are forever being faithful to Him like He is faithful to us.
We may not be worshiping the false god baal but there are other false god that are tempting us today. Things like money, video games, and the bigger or better things like cars, houses or even friends. Once we learn there is nothing better than the love and guidance of the LORD God then things can get better for us. We become changed people.
We all need to have more faith and trust in the LORD God. When we turn our lives over to Him He will make changes in us. “Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.” (Proverbs 30:5).
“As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler (or shield) to all those that trust in him.” (Psalm 18:30).
Cite Article Source
MLA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne “Gideon and the Trumpet:.” Becker Bible Studies Library Jan 2015.< https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=1945,>.
APA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2015, January) “Gideon and the Trumpet:.” Becker Bible Studies Library. Retrieved from https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=1945,.
Chicago Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2015) “Gideon and the Trumpet:.” Becker Bible Studies Library (January), https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=1945, (accessed).
