Join us on a compelling journey as we explore the biblical story of Gideon, a mighty man of valor. In this episode, we delve into the unique cyclical faith and challenges of the Israelites from the book of Judges, examining why they repeatedly turned to idol gods despite witnessing divine miracles. Discover how Gideon’s story unfolds as he is called upon by God to take a stand and lead with courage and faith.
Today we reach back and take some lessons from one of the judges of old, that being Gideon. So let’s look at something aforetime for our learning today from the International Gospel Hour. We’ll be right back.
SPEAKER 03 :
Hi, this is Jay Webb for International Gospel Hour. Welcome to our broadcast today. For over 90 years, churches of Christ have proclaimed God’s Word through our broadcasts. Just ahead is another Bible-based lesson with Jeff Archie of International Gospel Hour. Let’s begin.
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promised land well thank you to our Jay Webb for his kind words always Jay will have some more information coming up on our broadcast today and greetings to all of you you know Hebrews 11 6 reminds us but without faith it is impossible to please him for he who comes to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him So, friends, may we come to God today and may we study His Word together and see His will for our lives. In the Old Testament, the book of Judges brings forth the children of Israel and, well, shall we say, a very unique cycle of living. We find Israel, at the time known as God’s chosen people, they would slowly turn from God unto idol gods. Now, can you imagine, friends, The God and Father that delivered their ancestors, and they knew the accounts, they knew the stories, and how God always provided for them to turn to find what they thought would be a better way of living. And then the next thing you know, they’re swept off into captivity. The heathen nations around them used and abused them, if you will. And so they cry unto God to deliver them, and God does by raising up a judge. And thus they live faithful, but only for a little while. Then idolatry attracts them and they go back into the cycle following idolatry once again. And we see this about 16 times in the book of Judges. Well, one of those times God raises up the mighty man of valor by the name of Gideon. So in the book of Judges, more is said of Gideon than any other judge. So let’s look at the time of Gideon for our broadcast today. And we’ll be back in about 30 seconds.
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Our reading is from Judges 6 verses 7 through 12. Let’s listen. And it came to pass when the children of Israel cried out to the Lord because of the Midianites that the Lord sent a prophet to the children of Israel who said to them, Thus says the Lord God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you out of the house of bondage, and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you, and gave you their land. Also I said to you, I am the Lord your God. Do not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But you have not obeyed my voice. Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree, which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abizurite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress in order to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor. Well, let’s consider Gideon’s reply. We’re going to look at the reply of the mighty man of valor, the response of the mighty man of valor, and the reliance of the mighty man of valor. Let’s see Gideon’s reply. He comes in verse 13 and said to this angel of the Lord, O my Lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hand of the Midianites. Well, friends, God told them what happened. It’s because they failed to obey his voice that they, if you will, found themselves in this circumstance. But, you know, Gideon is asking a question that has long been debated and discussed. If God is for us, why do bad things happen? Or, why do bad things happen to good people? You know, that’s a most often asked question today. And let’s see if we can address this briefly. Friends, when God created Adam, Eve, and all therein, the Bible tells us in Genesis 1 and 2, over and over, God saw that it was good. The problems or the suffering or the bad things that would happen began when sin entered into the world, Genesis 3. It entered into the world because the serpent deceived Eve, he beguiled her, and in turn she gave to Adam, and he did eat. And God punished man for sin that man accepted. Romans 5.12 reminds us how, Therefore just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because all sinned. Now friends, we must keep in mind that God is love, 1 John 4 and verse 8. And the wickedness and evil in this world is spurned on by the God, that’s lowercase g, God of this world, Satan, 2 Corinthians 4 and verse 4. And in John 8, 44, he’s called a murderer from the beginning. Friends, God is not to be blamed for evil. God is the answer to the suffering that evil causes. And as God said earlier, I did all this for you. But you have not obeyed my voice. You made the decision. Thus, friends, it was the sin of Israel that all had befallen upon them. But God had their answer. And you know, today, friends, no matter what our suffering might be, please let us blame that old serpent, the father of lies, and also known as our adversary Satan, and cling to God and allow God to help us. Now the response of the mighty man of valor in Judges 6.25. It came to pass the same night that the Lord said to him, or to Gideon, Take your father’s young bull, the second bull of seven years, tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it. And of course, that’s what Gideon did. So friends, learning from Gideon, we need to destroy the things that will lead us away from God. In the Old Testament, in Exodus 20 and verse 3, to have no other gods before him. And to the new, Matthew 6 and verse 24, where we should lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven. But we’re also reminded in Matthew 6 and verse 24 that No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. So, friends, we learn of the mighty man of valor, his response, that we have to tear down those things that will lead us away from God. We must put them aside. That’s the beauty of, when one becomes a Christian, that is repentance, to turn away from the old and turn unto the new. Let’s note now the reliance of the mighty man of valor. Now we go into chapter 7. And if you remember, there were 32,000 men that would go into battle. And God narrowed it down, three verses later, to 300 men. But remember, God was their leader. You would think the numbers of 32,000 would be greater than 300, and the number is, but God was their leader. And he chose those men who did not lap water like a dog would. And he used all of the different guidelines in order to narrow down to 300 men that he knew would fight and God would be their leader. So many times, friends, we think large numbers make the big difference. You know, the Lord began with only 12 apostles, Acts 1 and verse 8. and they preached the gospel to the entire world. As a matter of fact, in Acts 1 and verse 8 there were eleven, and then they gathered together and added the twelfth. But they preached the gospel to the entire world in the first century, Colossians 1.23. Have you ever thought through one man’s seed that being Abraham all nations were blessed? Genesis chapter 12. And that seed which is Christ, Galatians chapter 3 verses 19 and 16. But it all began with one man, Abraham. Through one man’s death, Jesus Christ, all can be saved. The death, the burial, the resurrection of Christ as taught in 1 Corinthians 15, 1 through 4. And how God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son. that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. And when we believe in Christ and we believe in God, we are going to embrace all within that they teach us and move on our faith. Friends, we have learned some great lessons today from Gideon, his reply, his response, and his reliance. Friend, maybe we need to think a little bit more or be as Gideon was, obedient unto God. Maybe we’ve prompted you to think about some things and maybe you’d like to study further. I’m going to defer to our J-Web who will tell you how you can get our free Bible course by mail.
SPEAKER 03 :
Our long-time free Bible study course by mail is always available. Have you tried it yet? Just call us toll-free at 855-444-6988 and leave your name, address, and just say, Home Study. That’s it. You may also go to our website at internationalgospelhour.com, click on the Contact tab, and leave us the same information, name, address, and type Home Study in the message box. Study the Bible at your own pace. Again, it’s free from your friends here at International Gospel Hour.
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Friends, may these great lessons from Gideon encourage us, yet remind us and correct us, and how God can use individuals to do His bidding. Maybe God has plans for you, friends, and we hope that God will use you, and we hope that our studies will help you. Please take what we offer, the free booklet, Something is Wrong but the Bible is Right, we’ve added or we announced in a previous broadcast. I’ll offer that one to you again if you’d like. If you’ll call us at 855-444-6988 and just say BibleTrack with your name and address, I’ll send that to you as well along with our free Bible course. We’ll continue our studies together at another time. Thanks for joining me today on the International Gospel Hour. I’m Jeff Archie, and friends, keep listening.
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Thank you for listening to our broadcast today, and we hope you continue onward with your search and study of God’s Word. Please join us next time and visit our website at internationalgospelhour.com.
