Marjorie Knight

Gideon's leadership kept Isreal strong during his lifetime. They were not roubled by invasion during his lifetime.

Spiritual unfaithfullness is looked upon as adultery because we are taking our focus or first love from God and substituting our evil desires and wishes instead of doinf the perfect will of God.

A snare is a trap. What started out for a good purpose became evil. No man can serve two masters. Only God

An ephod is a holy garment. It must have been truly amazing, for the people to have worshipped it.

When Gideon asked for his share in the plunder, namely the golden earring it was typical for that period of time, but he forgot that God had already rewarded hi. His sin was in melting down the gold, and making the golden ephod.

Gideon knew that only Gof coulf rule over Israel.

Gideon slayed Zwbah and Zalmunna beacuse they had destroyed his own family. In those times it may have been appopriate, but in todays time. Justice is mine saith the Lord.

I feel that Penial and Succoth were afraid that the Midianites were not completely destroyed and would come back and kill them at a later date. It is like us not fully trusting God. They owed allegiance to God and also to Israel. It is like us only doing part of what God asks us to do.

They had to be vanquished because there was always the threat that they would return at a later date and try to defeat them . It is like Satan in our lives, he never gives up trying to destroy us.

Gideon asked the Ephraimites to help him because he had a small army of people and needed their help. The Ephramites were angry because they felt they should have been included from the start, but this was not God's plan. God wanted the people to realize it was not through their own strength that they were able to defeat their enemies.

Gideon's plan was to confuse the Midianites, thinking there was a large crowd attacking them, when in fact they were attacking one another.

I feel the dream was to show God's almighty power, and instill fear in the Midianites, and also to encourage Gideon.

I'm not sure what the signifigance is, but I feel that the kneelers would have been ill prepared for any danger. Only God knows.

We do not see the big picture of God's will in our lives. We have a limited concept of what God can do in our lives. We can ask other praying Christains that we trust, to pray with us in certain situations< and ask God to reaffirm His directions in our lives.

If God had allowed Gideon to have that largearmy of men, they would have felt they won because of their own strength and not God's power. God told Gideon to sneak into the enemy camp and listen to their conversations. What an amazing way to be reassured.