Q2. Blaming God for our troubles.

[Hobie]

As I was pondering this, all of the logical and reasonable answers popped up. Then I started to ask myself, how much of Gideon's whining is really from him, and how much is from his parent, elders, peers, etc. So often we don't take responsibility for our actions (worshipping other God's like e.g. money, fame). But often we just ride the train with other folks. And the vicious circle continues. It's the government. The company. The...

God sees through all of this and sees what we can truly be.

A question that is off topic a bit: Is the Angel of the Lord the preincarnate Jesus? I have been doing some research and I would like to hear what others think.

Faith Alone,

Hobie

[Judie Suda]

Why do we blame God?

It all started with sin. In the Garden of Eden, Eve blamed the serpent, Adam blamed Eve and so it has remained with our fleshly nature ever since. It is easier to blame others or God or even the devil ( the devil made me do it!) than to admit our OWN shortcomings, weakness and failures.

What's the danger?

The danger is that we cannot grow closer to God or mature in our Christian walk. Instead we leave ourselves wide open to the attacks of the enemy & he loves to lure us away from God & the truth.

How can we stop short of this in the future?We need to discipline ourselves in daily prayer (confession) & study of God's Word (just like we are doing with this Gideon study). Then we can discern truth from error. We will develop and ear to hear God's voice and a passion to please Him in all our ways.

[Casey]

I can't begin to understand what it was like living in that time period. Perhaps like it was in the Wild West or in Afghanistan. Fear was the

prevailing emotion for the tribes of Isreal. How was God revealing himself to His people at this time? He never leaves or forsakes, so He was revealing.

Was it just through prophets ? I know they didn't have all the revelation we have.

Gideon was hiding in the winepress - a sign of retreat on the one hand, and courage (threshing the wheat under seige) on another.

Maybe that is why God saw strength in him.

The scripture doesn't say he was complaining before God introduced Himself. Why did he think he could talk to God like that?

He didn't have a continuing relationship like Abraham had when he bartered with God.

Is he blaming God or wanting to understand better?

And a big thanks to Hobie and all the U S servicemen in Afghanistan.

Casey

[Bettye]

Hi--My name is Bettye, and I am from Mississippi. I have participated in numerous Bible studies in my hometown, but this is my first with Joyful Heart. I am anxious to learn more about Gideon and I look forward to hearing your comments re the daily questions. May God bless all of you richly.

[Christopher Smith]

Gideon blames God for his troubles and the troubles of his nation because he makes an error in logic--that if God is with one, no harm or evil may befall that one. However, God has not promised us a Disneyland, as Campus Life magazine used to point out. And it is also necessary to define "harm or evil," as God views those things from His perspective: if something brings discomfort but results in glory to our God, He may be quite willing to permit it to proceed.

Gideon's assessment is not accurate, because God had not abandoned the Israelites. He had temporarily given them into the hands of the Midianites because He loved them and chastened them, but He was still with them.

We blame God because we want things to go "well" for us or other people, but we judge what is "well" from our own perspective. We want things our way.

The danger in blaming God is not in bringing down His fierce judgement and revenge, but in permitting a seed of bitterness to take root in our heart. Then, the enemy can water that seed, and everything "bad" which happens to us will "prove the validity" of our harbored assessment of God: that He doesn't love us anymore, has left us, and is bent on our destruction. We are then caught in the lie of the serpent in Eden--God does not have your best interests in mind, which in turn gives us license to sin. We stray or run further from God, He allows us (in love) to suffer the consequences of our sin, and we (suffering more) judge God as our enemy.

To avoid this downward spiral, we must refuse to allow that seed of bitterness against God to come into our heart. Throw it out, quick! As we go through trials of our faith, and insist on trusting Him and declaring to Him our faith in His love for us, we grow in our ability to accept "bad" things as good when they come from His hand.

[Anita Fetzer]

Gideon just out right tells God if He was with them the bad things wouldn't of happened to them. I think of the Footprints in the sand poem. It was God that carried them through. They had their lives yet. He spared them that. It was a wake up call to them.

It is never right to blame God for the things that happen in our lives. We bring it on ourselves. God loves us and he will punish us when we are wrong.

[Wanda]

I think Gideon's assessment was accurate; of the Lord was with them why had all this happened to them? However, I think, like myself sometimes, he had not examined the 'why'...the fact that God had instructed His people to not worship other gods. We fail to realize that our sins and iniquities bring suffering on innocent people sometimes. We disobey God and bring suffering which is not because of anything that someone has done, but because of something I have done.

We need to carefully examine our lives and be sure that we have cleared all things with God and our relationship with Christ has to be clear and clean.

[Paula]

Gideon blames God by making a comparison between what he sees in the present to what he had heard about in the past and deciding that he and his people are not getting a fair shake.

His assessment is not accurate because he is not comparing apples to apples. I guess he wasn't thinking about the times that his forefathers had also faced God's judgment as a result of disobedience, unbelief, etc., i.e. forth years of wondering in the wilderness because they listened to the bad report of the spies who went into the promised land, a month of quail for complaining, the promise of terror, disease, and cursing for those who violate his covenant (Lev. 26:14-17). Surely Gideon had heard about the hard times his forefathers had experienced like he had heard about the blessing of God. Had Gideon compared what happened to his forefathers when they broke covenant to what was happening in the present, he would have seen the similarities.

If we, in some fashion, are not experiening the provision of God, and we blame God for that, it is because we do not or will not examine our hearts. The danger of this is the risk of sin taking root in our lives, growing, and bearing bad fruit. We can stop this from happening by examining our hearts, being honest, uprooting sinful tendencies, living in an attitude of humility, and so on. It is easier said than done--humiltiy is a key.

[Linda Hoffman]

Even though the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Midianites, because of the evil they did ,He was just waiting for them to realize that even though they had done evil in His sight ,all they had to do was cry out to Him and He would answer. Like Gideon sometimes it is hard to understand if the Lord is really on our side, why are we sometimes overwhelmed with circumstances that we can't seem to see a way out. Yes He saw something in Gideon, the same as He sees in us. We can do nothing in ourselves, but with God all things are possible. If we could only trust Him and know in our heart that He has the final Word.

[Linda Stanley]

Gideon believes the Lord has abandoned them and put them in the hand of the Midian,seeing all the bad that has been happening to them,just as it was in Moses time ,people murmuring and complaining and worshiping other Gods.Gideons assessment was not accurate as he questioned God which showed lack of faith,fear of what was happening to them.At times I would blame God,because I felt He was in control of everything.The danger is we have the freedom to do right or wrong,if we choose wrong,we suffer from that sin.We should pray and seek Gods guidance before we take any action.

[Don Woodhull]

1. Gideon questions whether or not God is with him and he feels abandoned by God; he feels that he will have to fight against his enemy in his own strength but that's not true at all because, at the same time, he is hiding from them and not fighting them. The Lord appears to him here because He is calling Gideon to fight as a "mighty warrior" against his enemies. Sometimes we have a tendency to blame God for when times go bad for us, but there's really no one else to blame but ourselves. The danger lies in this that we will grow bitter and cold to the Lord and not want to trust in Him again so we need to stop far short of this in the future by praising and praying to Him instead, and trusting Him in all areas of our lives, and especially in the areas where we're having the most problems and troubles in them.

[Cath'rine]

Gideon does not understand how it can be that if the Lord is with them then how can all these bad things happen to them. He does not take into consideration what his people have done to deserve God

[Helen Williams]

Hi I'm Helen and I am excited about the study. This is my first time.

Gideon blames God for all the trouble they were having because he said God did not care. He was not accurate in his assessment. Their problems were due to their disobedient to the word of God. We blame God when we fail to take responsibility for our actions. The danger is we damage our spiritual walk with God and we can stop short of this in the future by having faith and trusting God. He always knows what is best for His Children.

I am going to enjoy this study

[kay graves]

Gideon, as with many of us, finds himself in the midst of circumstances that are not always of his choice, but we understand that GOD chose him for that exact reason. He stood above the crowd, yet was also caught up in the midst of punishment because of his relationships. Who better to lead the people of Israel than one who understands their plight. GOD does not abandon us in times of trouble, but neither will HE condone the sin we commit. Thus we must understand that justice comes when we reap the consequences of our behavior. The LORD wants us to turn from our wicked ways just as he wanted the people of Israel to return to their first love. GOD will always leave the choice to us, and we must live with the decision... good or bad. We must remember that our lives are blessed by a GOD who has established HIS laws and precepts that will guide us and direct our path. Can we blame HIM? Hardly! Who can blame GOD for upholding the law that HE established. We are blessed to know that HE walks each step with us.

[Bernard Baker]

I believe there is a whole lot of Gideon in most of us, it's hard to see how we can be wrong. Although an older student this is my first attempt at anything like this. Did take sort of a free ride on the Luke series of lessons. Thanks for the material, perhaps I will be able to figure it out before lessons are over.

Thanks, Bernie

[Omie]

Gideon questions the Angel, calling him "Stranger," he feels that miracles have ceased because God is on the side of the Midianites. He feels ignored even "thrown away."

It is easy to feel as Gideon does, for when we ask in confidence and we see no evidence it does seem as if the Lord is not listening or even helping our enemies.

It is easy for us to look at Gideon and place blame on him, because we see the whole picture. Gideon can't and in the same way God sees the whole picture that we ourselves can't see.

[Audrey Hill]

Gideon wanted to know where were the miracles that they had heard about. They had not seen any and wanted to know why they were slaves to the Midianites. It was their choice to turn their backs on God. They did not obey him when He told them to have no other gods but Him. They would do good for a while - but then they would turn to other gods. We blame God because we can't see our own faults. The danger is - if we turn from God - He no longer protects us or hears us. The sin is in the way and keeps us from God.

[Donna J. Smith]

I have grown to learn that sometimes we don't see the entire picture on things that we either judge or become opinionated. Gideon didn't realize that the people of Israel were under punishment for their idolatry (disobedience). What he also didn't realize that while Israel was going through their seven-year oppression, God was trying to tell him that in spite of that, He was going to be with him to accomplish the plan and purpose that He had intended for his own life. The Angel told him that the LORD is with him. God told him to go in the strength that he himself had. God was telling him that His grace, His provision for him was sufficient for him.

[Andrew]

I think that Gideon not so much blamed God but was confused as to what God was doing for Gideon and his people. If Gideon blamed God then I would think his heart would have been turned away from God and therefore God wouldn't have called Gideon to be His servant. God knew Gideon's heart and moved in God's way not man's to help His people.

[Pamela]

Gideon was blaming God for what had happened to their land and how it got destroyed by the Medians. He saw what was happening in the flesh instead of trusting God in the Spirit. He didnt' understand God's ways of doing things

just like we don't understand God's ways. We see everything falling apart around us in our circumstances but instead of trusting God we blame Him.

[Rhonda]

Gideon believes God abandoned them because they are under oppression from the Midianites.

Gideon's assessment is wrong. They disobeyed God & worshipped other gods, so God let the Midianites oppress them. We don't see what we bring on ourselves or want to accept the responsibility.

The danger is God will let the enemy use our disobedience against us. We can stop short of this by asking for forgiveness and repenting or we could just obey God in the first place.

[leo]

Whenever we are beset by problems and challenges that seem too overwhelming, we tend to point our finger and blame everybody - including God - as long as that same finger is not pointing to us. We usually fail to look at the fact that we may also be at fault which is why we're experiencing a problem. This, I think, is one of the main reasons why Gideon was blaming God. I think Gideon blamed God out of desperation. He didn't like seeing his people in the state they were in and yet he failed to see the reason why they were suffering.

Of course this kind of assessment is highly inaccurate because we know that God never turns his back on His people. Rather, as history has proven time and time again, it is the other way around. People turn their back on God's good grace and then, amazingly, wonder why they are suffering.

I think this is a very dangerous idea to even entertain because once we start blaming God, we are in grave danger of running even farther away from His grace because we think we are running away from the source of our problems.

[Pieter Botes]

1. Gideon directly implies: God where are You? You have left us!

2. Absolutely incorrect

3. Isreal left God, when Joshua asked the people in Josh 24:15 "Choose today whom you will serve", and they answer Our God, he replies in saying to them, "you will not be able to", and then calls a stone as witness. So interresting that Gideon and his people are using exactely that "stones ---> caves, dens" to hide them!)

4. Why do we blame God? For me personally a very hard question to answer: The rebellion of the heart of man, no wonder that Romans 8:7 decales "[That is] because the mind of the flesh [with its carnal thoughts and purposes] is hostile to God, for it does not submit itself to God's Law; indeed it cannot." (Amplified Bible) If we do not see ourselves through the Word of God, and compare our actions and motives to the Word of God, THEN we will always see ourselves as righteous.

Judges 21:25 gives me some insight when it states "In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did what was right in his own eyes."

As Joseph Parker said ""What is the meaning of this?... There was no king [or counselor] in Israel because in Israel there was no God. The Lord is King. You cannot have a [true] king if you have not a God. There was no nominal renunciation of God, no public and blatant atheism, no boastful impiety; there was a deadlier heresy--namely, keeping God as a sign but paying no tribute to Him as a King, worshiping Him possibly in outward form but knowing nothing of the subduing and directing power of godliness. That is more to be dreaded than any intellectual difficulty of a theological kind... Dead consciences, prayerless prayers, mechanical formalities--these are the impediments which overturn... the chariots of progress. This was the case in Israel. Where God is, the king is not [merely] a man with a crown on, but a king in the sense of kingliness, sovereignty, authority, rule--the spirit of obligation and responsibility... You find the right monarch where you find the right God" You don't have to be against God to be AGAINST GOD!

6. The above answers: PUT GOD FIRST IN ALL! (Mat 6:33"

Glory to God

[Diana Erbskorn]

Gideon is focusing on his present circumstances. He sees the difficult circumstances the Midianites have brought upon the Israelites. For 7 years they have been afflicted, persecuted and beaten. They fear the strength of the Midianites and hide in caves in the mountains. Gideon as well as all the Israelites know the stories of their heritage of how God had taken them from slavery in Egypt and brought them into the promised land. Here they are now, in the promised land expecting peace and what do they have but conflict and persecution. They are blinded by the truth of what God has told them. They have been disobedient. They are worshiping other gods. Yet, they are expecting the God of their fathers to save them from their enemies. The blame falls on God. It is his fault that they are in the situation that they are in. They are blinded by their own humanity, their own lusts and passions.

I think that the reason God appears to Gideon is that he is pondering these things over and over again in his mind. He does not have answers but he is searching and God choses him to be his "Mighty Warrior."

Gideon's assessment is incorrect in that though he has faith, his faith is weak because he does not see the big picture like God does. He doesn't like the pain and discomfort that suffering and fear bring. He has shown himself human. No human likes to suffer and face the fear of not knowing what lies ahead in the future, in sickness or in health. Blaming God is a cop out a form of weakness.

The danger is that without God we will struggle and suffer without inner peace. There is a lack of understanding and there is hopelessness.

With God we will still struggle and suffer but we have that inner peace that only God gives. He gives us the Holy Spirit within that gives us the knowledge of himself and we are able to see beyond the inevitable to an eternal reward. We have hope. we have peace.

[COLIN MC DONALD]

GIDEON, WAS AS ALOT OF US ARE AT TIMES, HE SEEMED TO THINK THAT BECAUSE THINGS WERE'NT GOING RIGHT THAT GOD DID NOT LOVE THEM, A WRONG TURN CAN TAKE US AWAY FROM GODS GRACE, ALSO SOMETIMES WE LOOK FOR THE MIRACLES INSTEAD OF THE GIVER OF THEM.

NO HE WAS NOT RIGHT IN HIS ACTIONS, GOD WANTS THE VERY BEST FOR US, SOMETIMES WE END UP FURTHER FROM GOD BECAUSE OF BAD CHOICES.

I'M SURE WE ALL HAVE BEEN THERE, MOST TIMES IT'S LACK OF FAITH ON OUR PART, WE BOUBT THAT GOD WILL COME THROUGH.

REGARDS COLIN