What Can Happen to Society, Pt 3

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective

Listen to this article here

We dealt with part of Judges 6 in our last installment of this series, so we’ll continue on in that chapter for this part as well. We learned last time that God sent a prophet to Israel after the people moaned and groaned about the Midianites. The prophet told them God’s mind, which included all the things God had done for the nation of Israel, yet in the end, time and time again, the nation did not obey God’s voice.

The scene goes from that prophet to a man named Gideon who was busy trying to sift wheat to be able to feed his family. Interestingly enough, the Angel of the LORD (most likely a preincarnate Jesus), got Gideon’s attention and literally called Gideon a mighty man of valor. This was in spite of the fact that Gideon was trying to keep things on the down low to avoid the Midianites sweeping in and taking the wheat he was sifting to feed his family.

This is how far the Israelites had fallen because of their continued rejection of God and His truth. They didn’t want to do things His way, but their way, much like the way global society today is doing things, even within Christendom. God out. Self in. They thought because there had been no immediate reckoning, that God either didn’t hear, or worse, didn’t exist. This is the type of thinking that Israel entered into and because of it, got themselves in serious trouble time and time again.

We are at the point with Israel in Judges 6, where they had been conquered, though not occupied by the Midianites. The people of Israel were deathly afraid of the Midianites and had no response when they came to them and repeatedly took their harvests. Because of this turn of events, Israel bemoaned their fate and the fact that God seemed to be doing nothing about it. It was really on them though.

In Judges 6:13, Gideon asks why all these terrible things had been happening to Israel, which means he was apparently clueless as well, not understanding that the reason things were like they were was solely due to the fact that the people of Israel overall, had turned away from actively following God. That is the only reason God ever sent judgment or wrath onto Israel and it’ll happen for one last time in the coming Tribulation period still ahead of us.

What is interesting in Judges 6 though, is that the Angel of the LORD doesn’t really answer Gideon’s pointed question. Instead, He simply commands Gideon to go in the “might” that was within him to rescue Israel from the Midianites because God Himself was telling him to do it (v14).

Because of Gideon’s mental state, he didn’t have any faith in himself. He needed convincing so he asked more questions (v15).

“Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”

Moses did the same thing and I would do the same thing too, because sometimes, my faith in Him and what I perceive to be His direction in my life is not as strong and confident as I would like it to be. That’s simply a fact of my walk with Him, where I fail time and time again in not being as faithful as I should be after being a Christian for over 45 years.

An example is of the situation with our newest dog, Scooby. Hindsight tells me I should have adopted him immediately, without waiting. Instead I waited until he got hurt so we ended up taking him to the vet. He healed nicely though and after we got home with him, I knew we had to adopt the boy. Did I make a mistake or was God simply giving me more of an obvious push to do what He wanted me to do? Was I being like Gideon? As soon as I knew the Lord’s will, I grabbed onto it.

I know some folks – usually those who’ve never had pets at all – look at this situation and consider it silly. Why would God push you to adopt a puppy at all? Absurd. Well, the truth is that God cares about the sparrow, doesn’t He (Matthew 10:29)? Why would He not care about a puppy that someone threw away onto the road to survive on its own? Why would He not care that our first dog, Buster, needed a buddy so that he would be more active and live longer and healthier? Dogs need a pack. I believe God directs us in these things, if we are willing to listen and obey.

At any rate, Gideon needed convincing and God provided it for him, just as He provided convincing for me where Scooby was concerned and to this day, I’ve never had a smarter, more loving, loyal dog. Our first dog, Buster, is also intelligent, loving and loyal, but as a lab mix, he’s much more affable and easy going. Scooby has more to be loyal and appreciative about because he knows what we saved him from. Buster was way too young when we adopted him to understand his previous situation.

What is interesting regarding Israel and the Midianites is that it is completely different from let’s say, Babylon and the way they dealt with the Israelites. Babylon’s armies entered and destroyed Jerusalem. Much was taken back to Babylon during Nebuchadnezzar’s conquest of Israel, including most of the people of Israel. There was little to nothing left for any Israelite that was allowed to remain in Jerusalem and surrounding area. The people of Israel were, for the most part, under Nebuchadnezzar’s heavy hand in the Babylonian Kingdom.

But with the Midianites, the Israelites were not conquered then occupied in the same sense. They remained in Israel and had to deal with the constant threat of Midianite incursions into Israel and Jerusalem to take whatever they wanted to take; normally food. Basically, the Midianites simply came and went as often as they wanted to do so. Nothing could stop them.

It’s similar to being bullied. The bully might live a few blocks away from the person he is bullying and every time the bullied person sees the bully coming his way, he tends to freak out a bit and even tries to run for cover. The bully knows this and laughs. In fact, the fear in the bullied person empowers him further. That fear really ramps up when the bullied sees the bully coming his way.

This is the position the Midianites were in where Israel was concerned. They knew they had their way with Israel and so far, there had been no one to stop them from their bullying raids and thievery. They clearly believed their gods were far more powerful than the God of Israel because Israel had become such easy pickings for the Midianites. The God of Israel was powerless (to the Midianites).

However, we know the reasons behind this. God turned the Israelites over to the Midianites because of Israel’s constant waywardness and rejection of God. The Midianites were being used by God as a lesson in what happens with continued disobedience. The Midianites never understood this until it was too late.

This situation occurred for roughly seven years where the Midianites would come into Israel and take the harvest that Israel had grown each season. In essence, the people of Israel had become fully humiliated because of it. They had no place to look except up because they were at their wit’s end.

Gideon ultimately asked the Lord for a sign that He was really with Gideon and had indeed chosen him for the purpose of leading Israel to victory over the Midianites (Judges 6:11–24). After proving to Gideon it was really God and that He was in fact calling him to rescue Israel from their Midianite oppressors, God had a job for Gideon. It involved destroying the altar to Ba’al and the Asherah pole that, incidentally, was on his own father’s property.

Gideon was afraid so he, along with several other men, took care of it at night, under cover of darkness. Interestingly enough, the darkness was not enough to keep his actions a secret and the men of the town learned fairly quickly who had destroyed the altar. Of course, they were incensed and wanted Gideon put to death.

While I don’t understand why Gideon’s father Joash had an altar to Ba’al and Asherah pole on his property, I do appreciate his response to the men of the town who wanted Gideon executed.

31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Would you plead for Baal? Would you save him? Let the one who would plead for him be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead for himself, because his altar has been torn down!”
32 Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, “Let Baal plead against him, because he has torn down his altar.”

We have a religion today which has the same tendency to fight their god’s battles. Islam believes they must do everything they can to destroy all Jews and Christians as well; essentially anyone who does not convert to Islam. It’s as though Allah is incapable so he needs puny human beings to do his bidding. Of course, we continue being told that Islam is a religion of peace…

Yet, there are so many incidents in Scripture where God Himself fights for Israel. Yes, He has often used people too, but He does so for their benefit and increased faith. God does not need anyone to fight His battles. He gets things done with or without us.

It’s just interesting to realize that thousands of years ago, people believed they had to physically kill people who supposedly blasphemed their gods and the same thing continues today within the mentality of Islam. We see this in Hamas and Hezbollah et al in the Middle East all the time. In fact, according to Amir Tsarfati, “One of the founders of Hamas, Jaber Amar ‘Abu Ali,’ has been eliminated in an IDF strike in Gaza.” This particular individual fully believed that it was Allah’s will for Islamic soldiers to destroy every last Jewish person from the face of the earth. He now knows the truth and understands that what he believed while alive were all lies, foisted on him by the deceptions of Satan, willingly embraced. Joash called the men of the town’s bluff and they relented.

All of this occurred just in time, because soon afterward, the Midianites came down and set up camp in the Valley of Jezreel. Imagine seeing the hordes of army men hanging out, gathering for the purpose of attacking and taking. However, Gideon was given strength against the Midianites.

34 But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him.
35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, who also gathered behind him. He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.
36 So Gideon said to God, “If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said–
37 look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said.”

Because of the power of God’s Spirit having come upon Gideon, he gained strength to gather the troops behind him and they accepted him as their leader. He sent messages to other tribes of Israel to come and fight with him. God raised Gideon up to lead the Israelite troops against an enemy who had overcome them for at least seven years.

Gideon – whether in a moment of fear and doubt or simply seeking more affirmation – sought the Lord by literally putting an actual fleece before God. In this case, he asked that the dew from the ground would be only on the fleece and the ground dry all around.

He went to sleep that night and when he woke up, the Lord had done as Gideon had asked. Gideon then asked for the opposite to happen; that the ground would be sopping wet while the fleece itself would be completely dry. The next morning it was so. With this new evidence of God’s promise to be with him in victory, Gideon and all the warriors gathered with him went out against the Midianites. But even at this point, something very interesting happened.

Jonathan did something similar (1 Samuel 14:8-12). Some commentators believe Jonathan sinned by using a form of “divination.” I’m not so sure. It seems he was reaching out to God and trying to trust the Lord to provide direction to him. I think God sees the heart and goes from there for each believer. Yes, there can be problems if Christians go by feelings to determine God’s will. But asking for Him to open or close a door is not based on a feeling. It’s based on seeking direction.

1 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the well of Harod, so that the camp of the Midianites was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley.
2 And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’

God decided to thin the ranks of warriors from Gideon’s men. Notice why in Judges 7:2 (above). God said that there were too many warriors going up against the Midianites, which would tempt the men to think, “…My own hand has saved me.” This was another test of faith for Gideon and for the men who followed him.

We see in Judges 7 that God goes through the process of eliminating many warriors from the ranks until only 300 fighting men remained (Judges 7:8). Interesting isn’t it? The old adage – there is strength in numbers – is often what people go by, but as far as God is concerned, it’s not by might, not by power, but by His Spirit (Zechariah 4:6). God gets things done His way.

These are wonderful lessons for believers today. Do we trust God enough? Probably not. Fortunately, He is very gracious and works even within our doubts. Have you ever said to Him to show His will by opening or closing a door?

Is Gideon ready to go? Not quite. There’s one more thing God does to help Gideon rest within himself, assured in the victory that God says He will provide and we will go over that next time! It starts the process of remaking Israelite society toward what God wanted them to be. Ultimately though, this will not occur until the Millennial Kingdom when Jesus is physically here to rule with a rod of iron.

Theology and Politics from a Conservative, Biblical Perspective