TODAY’S READING: JUDGES 5-8
OVERVIEW:
Deborah’s song to the Lord; Gideon’s call and deliverance ofIsraelfrom the oppression of the Midianites.
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:
Deborah’s song is really a prophecy of a song that the redeemed will sing when the true King (the Lord Jesus Christ) takes His rightful throne, and the ultimate king of evil (Satan) is destroyed (see Rev. 5:9; 14:3). At the conclusion of the song (Jud.5:31), the Sun goes forth to reign in His might with those He loves, and then there was rest in the land. That is exactly what Malachi 4:2 and Rev. 19:14 says will happen in the very near future!
Chapters 6-8 deal with one of the most well known heroes in the Book of Judges, Gideon. He is called by God to be the deliverer ofIsraelfrom the Midianites. Midian means “strife,” or “contention”. Proverbs13:10teaches us that “only by pride cometh contention”. The root of strife and contention is carnality (I Cor.1:10-11, 3:1-3). If Satan can get us to focus on ourselves, rather than on God and others, he wins. He knows that we cannot be used by God if we are focused on self.
Notice what the Midianites did toIsrael. They destroyed the fruit in thelandofIsrael, and left them with nothing to eat (Jud. 6:4). How incredibly ironic…Israelwas starving in the midst of a land flowing with milk and honey! Midian’s (or strife’s) ultimate target is the harvest! Are you starving, and struggling to be fruitful because of the selfish and contentious attitude of your heart? If so, pay close attention to what Gideon did to defeat the Midianites so you can employ the same principles to your life.
Hebrews11:32puts Gideon at the head of the list of judges. Though he often wavered in doubt, he was still a “man of faith” who dared to trust the Word of God. When you realize that he was a farmer (Jud.6:11), not a trained warrior, you can see how wonderful his faith actually was! When you read this story and see how God chose to defeat this enemy, it emphasizes the truth we learn in I Corinthians 1:27-29… “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise…that no flesh should glory in his presence”. God used 300 men armed with nothing more than pitchers, lamps, and trumpets to defeat a much larger and better equipped enemy, so that He would get the glory for the victory (Jud. 7:2). The battle plan was simple: shatter your pitcher, blow your trumpet, shine your lamp, and stand fast in your place while God defeats the enemy (Jud.7:19-21). This is the only way Midian (pride, strife, contention) can be defeated in our lives as well. We must be clean, broken vessels (or pitchers) for God to use (II Tim. 2:21); we must let our lights shine (Mt. 5:16); we must use our mouths as a trumpet to proclaim the gospel to the world; and finally, we must stand and watch God defeat the enemy with the sword (three times God commands us to “stand” in Eph. 6:10-14).
CHRIST IS REVEALED:
As THE ANGEL OF THE LORD – Judges6:12-21
Through BARAK, the son of Abinoam – Judges 5:12; His name means “Glittering Sword” (John 1:1, 14). Abinoam means “beautiful father”. Barak, the glittering sword, was the son of a beautiful Father!
Through GIDEON – Judges 6-8; The deliverer who leadsIsraelto a most improbable victory.