OVERVIEW:
Deborah’s song to the Lord; Gideon’s call and deliverance of Israel from the oppression of the Midianites.
HIGHLIGHTS & INSIGHTS:
Deborah was one of the judges during this incredibly dark time in Israel’s history. Chapter 5 records a song that she was “inspired” to write and to sing on the very day that Jael put Sisera to death, which we read about in yesterday’s reading. Though the song has obvious reference to the things that were happening at that time historically, the song is actually prophetic in nature, because it will also be the song the redeemed will sing when the true King (the Lord Jesus Christ) takes His rightful throne, and the king of evil (Satan) is defeated. (Revelation 5:9; 14:3) Notice as the song comes to an end (Judges 5:31), the Sun goes forth to reign in His might with those He loves, and there is rest in the land. It is the very thing that Malachi 4:2 and Revelation 19:14 say will take place 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 of Israel from the Midianites. Interestingly, the name Midian means “strife”, or “contention”. Note that Proverbs 13:10 teaches us that “only by pride cometh contention” and 1st Corinthians 1:10–11 and 3:1–3 lets us know that the root of “strife” and “contention” is “CARNALITY” or FLESHLINESS!
Make sure you notice just what it was that the Midianites did to the children of Israel. They destroyed the fruit in the land, leaving them with nothing to eat. (Judges 6:4) How incredibly ironic! I mean, here is Israel, starving, mind you, in the midst of a land flowing with milk and honey! Does that sound at all familiar to you? Many people who have received ETERNAL LIFE (John 10:10a) are defeated by their FLESH and, therefore, are unable to eat the fruit of the ABUNDANT LIFE God intended their salvation to provide. (John 10:10b) Remember, Midian’s (or “strife’s”) ultimate target is the harvest! Are you starving spiritually? Are you struggling to be fruitful because of the contentious attitude of your heart and the selfish desires of your flesh? If so, pay close attention to what Gideon did to defeat the Midianites so you can employ the same principles to your life!
God chose 300 men armed with nothing more than pitchers, lamps (lanterns), and trumpets to defeat a much larger and better equipped enemy. This was God’s “strategy”, so that when they got the victory, only God would get the glory. (Judges 7:2) It is, of course, the New Testament principle that God teaches us in 1st 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”!
But, notice that battle plan once again. It really was very “simple”. (2nd Corinthians 11:3) Shatter your pitcher, blow your trumpet, shine your lamp, and stand fast in your place while God defeats the enemy! (Judges 7:19–21) This is the only way “Midian” (pride, strife, contention — FLESH!) can be defeated in our lives as well! We must be BROKEN VESSELS (or, pitchers) for God to use (2nd Timothy 2:21); we must let our LIGHT SHINE (Matthew 5:16; Philippians 2:15–16); we must use our MOUTHS as a TRUMPET to proclaim the gospel to the world (Ephesians 6:9); and finally, we must STAND FAST and watch God defeat the enemy with the SWORD (Ephesians 6:10–14)!
You may also want to note that Hebrews 11:32 puts 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 “common man” (a farmer—Judges 6:11), and not a trained warrior, you can see how wonderful his faith actually was!
As “common” men and women (Mark 12:37b), in the midst of all of our doubts, fears, and shortcomings, let us, like Gideon, dare to trust the word of God!
CHRIST IS REVEALED:
As The Angel of the Lord – Judges 6:12–21
Through Barak, the son of Abinoam – Judges 5:12. The name Barak means “Glittering Sword”. (John 1:1, 14) The name Abinoam means “beautiful father.” Barak, the glittering sword, was the son of a beautiful father!
Through Gideon – Judges 6–8. The deliverer who leads Israel to a most improbable victory.