God of Jesus Christ,
give us a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Christ,
so that the eyes of our hearts might be enlightened.
Help us to know the hope to which you have called us,
the riches of the glorious inheritance in the saints,
and the immeasurable greatness of your power at work in us.
Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
—based on Ephesians 1:17-19
There are some striking small details in the story of Gideon. Gideon is threshing his wheat in a winepress. Threshing should be done on a high spot where the wind can blow the chaff away. A wine press is a low place. The situation is dismal when people are threshing in the press.
When the angel appears, Gideon wants to make an offering. It strikes me that his offering is pretty generous considering the “economic downturn” Israel is facing. We keep seeing details in Gideon's life that show that he understands what God wants (clues we don't really get from judges like Samson).
To understand the offense of 6:25-26 it is helpful to know that the bull was the symbol for Baal. It is like God is saying, “Rebuild Baal’s altar as my altar, then burn Asherah to sacrifice Baal to me.” Talk about killing two birds with one (set of altar) stone(s)! What does it say about God’s people when they respond to God’s altar by wanting to kill the one who built it? That is the story of Judges.
8:1 – Wouldn’t it be great to be able to say this never happens in churches anymore? The Ephraimites show up again in the same type of situation in 12:1! I think I have met these people.
8:23 – Again Gideon shows incredible wisdom in this statement, but the people won’t submit themselves to the LORD as their king. This will also be a turning statement that we’ll read on Saturday in 1 Samuel.
11:14-27 – Jephthah knows his history well, and he interprets history well! A key theme in Judges is that those who forget the story of God suffer miserably, and those who remember and respond triumph. We are on a 90 day journey to know the story. May God bless us as we read his Word!
11:31-32 – These verses left me hanging for many years. A few years ago I heard Kenneth Bailey speak, and he explained how it was common to bring the animals into the house at night both for safety and for warmth for the family. The animals would then go back out in the morning. It is still a rash promise that Jephthah makes, but at least there is a plausible context.
From the story in Judges 12 “Shibboleth” has become a word in our vocabulary. The Miriam Webster Student Dictionary defines Shibboleth – 1 a : a slogan especially of a party or group b : an idea or saying that is commonly believed 2 : some behavior or use of language that identifies a person as belonging to a group.
Even for those who don't believe the truth in the Bible, it is still a book that shapes our society.
Even for those who don't believe the truth in the Bible, it is still a book that shapes our society.
And now Samson. Oh Samson, what are we to do with you? We’ll pick up this story tomorrow.
Just a warning – tomorrow’s reading includes what I think is one of the most difficult Bible stories to stomach. Even that is profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that all of God’s people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Tim 3:16-17).
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