Joanie

Hello, I'm Joanie (middle name) and I live beside the sea. Silver Sands, Mandurah, Western Australia. Somehow my hello to you went into the study notes dated 10th March 2003 so this is actually my 'While we are absent one from the other, may The Lord watch between me and you' Thanking The Lord Jesus for allowing me to complete all the questions, even although they became almost a week behind. The many ponderings within my heart seem to take a while to express themselves. And because of the Lenten Series, the Gideon Study was kind of alone. But never alone With Him. Jesus loves me

Gideon Lesson 5 Question 6 How does Gideon influence Israel during his life? (8:28-35) What is the positive continuing effect of his leadership as judge? God blesses Gideon's influence in Israel as judge, even though Gideon's ephod leads people into idolatry. Midian was subdued by Israel. Midian never recovered and was at peace. Gideon's leadership keeps Israel strong enough both spiritually and militarily that they are not troubled by invaders during his lifetime. Throughout this study we have seen The Spirit of The Lord come upon Gideon and through Gideon save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. We need to realize that Gideon's heroism was not a product of his natural make-up, but the outcome of a transforming spiritual experience. This may help with Gideon's legacy which end in sadness. Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshipping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family. And . . . "No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. When God made the first covenant with Israel at Sinai, He said, "If ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me from among all peoples" (Exodus 19:5) But Israel, alas, had not the power to obey. Their whole nature was carnal and sinful. In the covenant there was no provision for the grace that should make them obedient. The law only served to show them their sin. Making it impossible for them to Continue Faithful. We need to be at great pains to keep the contrast between the Old and the New Testament very clear. The Old Testament had a wonderful measure of grace, which Gideon and many others experienced, but not enough for the Continual Abiding in the faith of obedience. That is the definite promise of the New Testament, the fruit of heart renewal and the power of the Holy Spirit leading the soul and revealing the fulness of grace to keep us 'unblameable in holiness.' "I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel. I will put My law in their inward parts, and in their hearts will I write it." Jeremiah 31 "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them." Ezekiel 36:27 "I The Lord have spoken it, and I will do it." Ezekiel 36:36 Amen

Gideon Lesson 5 Question 5 Why is spiritual unfaithfulness looked at as prostitution or adultery? (8:24-27) What is the concept of God's relationship to his people which underlies this analogy? What kinds of temptations to spiritual adultery do you face today? Spiritual unfaithfulness is looked upon as prostitution or adultery. Because in the Bible Israel is spoken of as Yahweh's betrothed wife, in the same way as the Church is pictured as the bride of Christ. The painful serious, ongoing consequences of unfaithfulness between husband and wife in the natural realm is to help us understand what God is saying here. The kinds of temptations to spiritual adultery for me to face today are seemingly the same as those given by me in the earlier Lesson 1 Question 2 writings. Anything, including family and loved ones that becomes more important to me than God. Becomes an idol. Thank God, through Jesus Christ for the new life which the New Covenant gives me. The Gospel of St.John teaches me about how the very life of Jesus has become mine, and my being united with Him just as He was with the Father.

Gideon Lesson 5 Question 4 What is a snare? In what way does Gideon's ephod ensnare his family and the people of Israel? (8:24-27) How can something be a sin if we don't see it as a sin? What was the essence of the sin the Israelites committed? What is the essence of Gideon's sin? A snare is anything serving to entrap, entangle, or catch unawares; a trap. Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshipping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family. Gideon wouldn't have intentionally created an idol, he had torn down Canaanite idols to Baal and Astarte (6:28). But the precious golden garment he created was an abomination. It appears to substitue for the ephod reserved for the high priest's use only and may have set Gideon up as a seer to determine God's will for Israel instead of the high priest (10) And even if Gideon didn't worship the ephod as an idol, certainly many worshipped it as such. The ephod in Ophrah became a source of sin. To be able to sin without seeing we are sinning. What a terrible warning for all of us. We need to keep our eyes on God for only His Holy Spirit within us can discern sin. The essence of the Israelites sin was to worship once again what they could see in the natural realm instead of worshipping the invisible God himself. They worshipped the golden ephod garment. Idols don't appear to be idols or God's people would flee from them. They come disguised as something seemingly beautiful. Idolatry entraps people and lures them away from the worship of the true God. The essence of Gideon's sin was rather than serving the invisible God, they focus their attention on caring for the golden ephod which draws many pilgrim worshippers . . . with their money into the town. And, like his father before him. Gideon and his family become caretakers of a new object of worship. With all the blessings our Heavenly Father has poured out on us through Jesus Christ, we so need to learn from Gideon. God forbid that we should, without seeing it as sin, be worshipping the blessings instead of the invisible God. Thank God for the New Covenant. "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them." Ezekiel 36:27 "I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel. I will put My law in their inward parts, and in their hearts will I write it." Jeremiah 31 "I the Lord Have spoken it, and I will do it." Ezekiel 36:36 Amen.

Gideon Lesson 5 Question 3 What is an ephod? (8:24-27) What might the gold ephod have looked like? "Ephod" is a trasliteration of the Hebrew noun 'ephod', and seems to refer to a sacred garment, though there is a lot of scholarly speculation. In the Old Testament the word is used of the high priest's garment (Exodus 28, 39). Others who wore less extravagant linen ephods were Samuel (l Samuel 2:18), priests (1 Samuel 22:18), and David (2 Samuel 6:14). Sometimes the Urim and Thummin in the high priest's ephod were used for determining the will of God.

Gideon Lesson 5 Queston 2 What does Gideon ask for his reward? (8:24-27) Was Gideon wrong to take a reward? Where did the sin begin? Gideon had one request, that each of the Israelites give him an earring from their share of the plunder. Modern soldiers are paid for their services, but in ancient times a soldier's pay was from the plunder stripped from the corpses of the opposing army or taken from the villages of the defeated. Terrible! But then, war was and is terrible! Gideon taking the gold, therefore was not wrong. It was appropriate to reward the courageous commander of a successful military victory. The problem came with what Gideon did with the gold. Money is like that. Money is a neutral element, but in how we hoard or spend it comes the sin. "Gideon made the gold into an ephod, which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family. "(8:27) Gideon wouldn't have intentionally created an idol, he had torn down Canaanite idols to Baal and Astarte (6:28). But the precious golden garment he created was an abomination. It appears to substitute for the ephod reserved for the high priest's use only, and may have set Gideon up as a seer to determine God's will for Israel instead of the hight priest. (10) And even if Gideon didn't worship the ephod as an idol, certainly many worshipped it as such. The ephod in Ophrah became a source of sin.

Gideon Lesson 5 Question 1 Why does Gideon refuse to be king over Israel? (Judges 8:22-23) In what sense would becoming king be treason? Why didn't the Israelites see bestowing kingship as treason? The Israelites believed Gideon saved them out of the hand of the Midianites and saw Gideon as the savior. This was a deception we all are in danger of. Believing that great men and women are what we need. When they are given us to point the way to Him. However, Gideon refuses to be king over Israel because Gideon knew it was the Lord who had saved them and he saw the Lord as savior, and to his credit, humbly points them to God, though he will act as judge and kind of interim leader throughout his lifetime. To understand why Gideon demurs, we need to understand the nature of the Kingdom of God. When Moses was leading the Israelites in the wilderness and the people of Israel gathered at the base of Mt. Sinai to receive the law, they were actually entering into covenant or relationship with God as their King. God was Israel's king and it would be treason, sacrilege, for Gideon to allow himself to be named king. Centuries later when the people clamor, 'Give us a king to lead us,' God says to Samuel, 'It is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king' (1 Samuel 8:6-7). People are no different today. We all want to be loved and accepted by those around us. The other nations all had a king so the Israelites wanted a king. The Israelites didn't see bestowing kingship as treason because they saw Gideon as the savior. They had seemingly forsaken the covenant given them through Moses with God as their King. They wanted to worship man instead of God. Even after their forefathers had been given, "You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites." (Exodus 19:4-6) And this precious Word is given us so we may learn from their mistakes how easy it is for all of us to want a leader that we can see. Our God is invisible, unseen . . . yet He is King of Kings. And we who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. We, who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. We are are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that we may proclaim the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:9-10)

Gideon Lesson 4 Question 5 Why does Gideon slay Zebah and Zalmunna? Is he unjust or fulfilling his just obligation? (Numbers 35:16) Why does Romans 12:19 prohibit Christians from taking vengeance? (8:18-21) According to the standard of the time, Gideon has a family obligation to exact vengeance for his brothers' unjust deaths. Numbers 35:19 'The avenger of blood himself shall put the murderer to death; when he meets him, he shll put him to death.' We cannot fault him for this, though we can tremble at the anger that motivates this primitive justice. Just as we need to tremble at our own fate without the Sacrificial death on the Cross for our sins. We are saved from death only because when Our Heavenly Father looks upon us He sees The Holiness of His Son. Jesus Christ paid the price for our sins. Wonders of Wonders. Romans 12:19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves. Leave that to God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord. Therefore, if your enemy hungers, feed him; If he thirsts, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.' In other words, he will feel ashamed of himself for what he has done to you. So not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Gideon Lesson 4 Question 5 Why does Gideon slay Zebah and Zalmunna? Is he unjust or fulfilling his just obligation? (Numbers 35:16) Why does Romans 12:19 prohibit Christians from taking vengeance? (8:18-21) According to the standard of the time, Gideon has a family obligation to exact vengeance for his brothers'

Gideon Lesson 4 Question 4 Why do the cities of Succoth and Peniel refuse aid to Gideon's army? (Judges 8:4-9) Why does Gideon punish these cities later? What is their sin? Is Gideon just? Can you think of a circumstance when a Christian might be guilty of the sin of Succoth and Peniel? (Judges 8:13-17) Rather than helping their brothers fight the common enemy as is their covenant responsibility as fellow Israelites, the cities of Succoth and Peniel are withholding aid until they make sure that the Midianites are thoroughly beaten. They even seem to ridicule Gideon's request for bread to give to his exhausted people. In refusing to help their fellow men fight the common enemy, Succoth and Peniel are both committing a terrible breach of hospitality to their own kinsmen and a grave sin against the God of the Covenant. We need to remember, in the light of Jesus' teaching our common enemy is in the spiritual realm. Ephesians 6:12 'For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.' However, Gideon feels terrible anger and after his amazing victory given him by The Lord, returns to punish the cities of Succoth and Peniel. Gideons' terrible anger may have exceeded the provocation. But we must judge Gideon by his own light and cultural standards. And not by the light of Jesus' teaching which comes twelve hundred years later. This precious Word shines even more brightly for me upon the incredible Sacrifice God gave In Himself In Jesus. He hates sin far far more than Gideon and we have all sinned and death is what we all deserve. And yet, while we were sinners He came and gave His Life. He became our sin. He took upon Himself our sin so we could receive forgiveness and LIVE. Precious Blessed Easter Word. When I first began this Gideon Bible Study I learnt there was a Lenten Series 'Behold, The Lamb of God.' But the advice given was not to try and do two studies at the same time so I was a little disappointed because Easter is upon us and as I had already begun Gideon, I wanted to concentrate on the task at hand. Praise God. The Easter message is here also! A circumstance when a Christian might be guilty of the sin of Succoth and Peniel could be while our fellow Christians are reaping great victories while we seemingly are not and they ask us to help them in some small and perhaps insignificant way and we find some excuse to refuse. We are The Body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 12 One may be as a foot. One may be as a hand. One may be as the ear. One may be as an eye. But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. The eye can never say to the hand, 'I do not need you.' The head cannot say to the feet, 'I do not need you.' God has put the body together in such a way that extra honor and care are given to those members that might otherwise seem less important. This makes for happiness among the members, so that the members have the same care for each other that they do for themselves. If one member suffers, all the members suffer with it, and if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

Gideon Lesson 4 Question 3 Why must Gideon vanquish the Midianite force of 15,000 men in Karkor: What danger do we face when we deal with problems only half-way? (Judges 8:10-12) Gideon lets nothing deter him from his single focus to destroy the remnants of the Midianite army of 15,000 men in Karkor. He must do this in order to protect his people from future invasions. When we deal with problems only halfway, the problem is much more likely to come back again with a vengeance and overcome us. Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Gideon was being obedient to God and walking in all the light God had given him. May we not be deterred by problems to the left and right but trust God to accomplish fully His Will. How blessed we are to have the light of Jesus' teaching. Romans 12:20 'Therefore, if your enemy hungers, feed him; If he thirsts, give him a drink . . . Ephesians 6:12 'For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.'

Gideon Lesson 4 Question 2 What does Gideon ask the Ephraimites to do? Why are they so angry? What do you learn from Gideon's approach to the Ephraimites' arrogance? (Judges 7:24-8:3) Gideon now asks the Ephraimites to help him with the fight against the Midianites. The Ephraimites do help and also experience great victory over the enemy. But the leaders of the Ephraimites are angry with Gideon for not asking them to help with the earlier battles. Gideon shows great restraint and instead of challenging the Ephraimites' arrogant complaints. He is very wise and praises their help even telling them that their victory is better than his. Gideon gives us a fine example to follow him in trusting in God's wisdom and restraint. Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly, But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.

Gideon Lesson 4 Question 1 Why does Gideon divide into three companies? What is the strategy with the trumpets, the empty jars, and the torches? (Judges 7:16-20) What was the result of this strategy? Why did this strategy work? (Judges 7:21-22) Gideon now knows the Lord is going to give him and his 300 men victory over the enemy. Gideon divides his skeleton force of 300 into three companies, with a line of men a few hundred feet apart. This way the enemy will feel like they are being attacked from all sides. Especially as the enemy thinks that one trumpet sounded is to direct an entire company of soldiers. But Gideon has given a trumpet and an empty jar with a torch inside to each of his 300 men. 'Watch me,' he tells them. 'Follow my lead. The jars are to hide the torches until the right time and then the jars will be shattered. Gideon has instructed his men to do exactly as he, Gideon does. The shattering of the pottery jars at night time will create a great deal of noise in order to confuse the enemy. Then, with torchlights suddenly appearing all around the Midianite camp, will give the impression of being surrounded. This strategy worked because in the confusion, while Gideons' men, each one, stood in his place, The Lord caused the enemy troops to begin fighting and killing each other from one end of the camp to the other. And they fled into the night to places far away.

Gideon Lesson 3 Question 6 What does the rolling barley loaf mean in the Midianite's dream? Why does the Lord show Gideon this dream (Judges 7: 13-14) The people of that day baked their bread as round lumps of dough that could sometimes bake into perfect wheels. And in the Midianite's dream, he saw one of these careening down hill into the camp. In his dream, the small loaf strikes and collapses a tent many times its size. The other Midianite interprets the dream out loud . . . in Gideon's hearing . . . as the Lord causing 'the sword of Gideon' to defeat the entire Midianite camp. God gave this dream because he is so Merciful and Gracious. He knew Gideon needed more encouragement to overcome any fear Gideon may still be feeling. This is especially wonderful because this time Gideon has not put out any fleeces but has chosen instead, to quietly trust In God. The Lord God knows what we need without us having to put out any fleeces. When we put our trust In The Lord Jesus Christ He gives us all the encouragement we need. And whatever else we may need. He Is Greatly To Be Praised. Amen.

Gideon Lesson 3 Question 5 What significance, if any, do you see in selecting the "lappers" from the "kneelers"? The Lord said, If I say, 'This one shall go with you,' he shall go, but if I say, 'This one shall not go with you', he shall not go.' I thought about the lappers and the kneelers. And I lean towards 'God delights to work through those too weak to act on their own'. Maybe the lappers are the ones too afraid to kneel down. God knows the real reason. Many times God chooses the most unlikely to be His own. I love Ephesians 1 where God tells us He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. Glory He knows even before we are born those who will love Him. Even before the foundation of the world ! Glory