Judges 7:22-8:35, The dangers of leadership

NOTE: I'm not completely satisfied with this study. I think the issue is leadership: criticism, diplomacy, ruthlessness, servanthood, power, and greed. I did not do a good job of integrating them into the study.

Judges 7:22-8:3 (NIV) When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. 23 Israelites from Naphtali, Asher and all Manasseh were called out, and they pursued the Midianites. 24 Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, "Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth Barah."

So all the men of Ephraim were called out and they took the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth Barah. 25 They also captured two of the Midianite leaders, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was by the Jordan.

8 Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, "Why have you treated us like this? Why didn't you call us when you went to fight Midian?" And they criticized him sharply.

2 But he answered them, "What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren't the gleanings of Ephraim's grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer? 3 God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?" At this, their resentment against him subsided.

• This is a pretty amazing response of the Ephraimites to Gideon, after 7 years of oppression, why?
• Could be his low status in Mannesseh, or even that he was from a different tribe
• Jealousy is a possibility
• People like to complain even when good things happen
• Phil 2:14-15 (NIV) Do everything without complaining or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe
• APPLICATION: Is my normal reaction to events to start by focusing on the negative? Or do I try to see the positive things or what God is doing in the event?
• Possibly they misunderstood the rumors of only having 300 men ("well, if the men of your tribe are scared, you should have called on us")
• How do most people respond in a situation like Gideon's? Secondly, what does Gideon do?
• Justify themselves (God told me what to do, in fact, we only had 300 men)
• Emphasize accomplishments and attack the other person
• (Minority) Defuse the situation
• Accept the response. ("Please forgive me. I called up Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh, and forgot to call any other tribes.")
• Accentuate the positive contributions of the other person (the diplomatic response)
• On the negative side, Gideon uses psychology versus theology to answer his critics
• Gideon fails to mention God
• Build the other person up
• APPLICATION: Even when you are perfectly in the will of God, you can face criticism and rejection from other people (to include other believers)

Judg 8:4-21 (NIV) Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan and crossed it. 5 He said to the men of Succoth, "Give my troops some bread; they are worn out, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian."

6 But the officials of Succoth said, "Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your troops?"

7 Then Gideon replied, "Just for that, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with desert thorns and briers."

8 From there he went up to Peniel and made the same request of them, but they answered as the men of Succoth had. 9 So he said to the men of Peniel, "When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower."

10 Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with a force of about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of the armies of the eastern peoples; a hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had fallen. 11 Gideon went up by the route of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah and fell upon the unsuspecting army. 12 Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian, fled, but he pursued them and captured them, routing their entire army.

13 Gideon son of Joash then returned from the battle by the Pass of Heres. 14 He caught a young man of Succoth and questioned him, and the young man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven officials of Succoth, the elders of the town. 15 Then Gideon came and said to the men of Succoth, "Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me by saying, 'Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your exhausted men?'" 16 He took the elders of the town and taught the men of Succoth a lesson by punishing them with desert thorns and briers. 17 He also pulled down the tower of Peniel and killed the men of the town.

18 Then he asked Zebah and Zalmunna, "What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?"

"Men like you," they answered, "each one with the bearing of a prince."

19 Gideon replied, "Those were my brothers, the sons of my own mother. As surely as the Lord lives, if you had spared their lives, I would not kill you." 20 Turning to Jether, his oldest son, he said, "Kill them!" But Jether did not draw his sword, because he was only a boy and was afraid.

21 Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Come, do it yourself. 'As is the man, so is his strength.'" So Gideon stepped forward and killed them, and took the ornaments off their camels' necks.

• Who are the men of Succoth and Peniel? They are Israelites who lived on the other side of the Jordan (part of the 2 1/2 tribes)
• Why do they not support Gideon?
• Regionalism had developed in Israel. The two and a half tribes saw themselves as separate (national disintegration is occuring). This is exactly what Moses warned would happen when they separated themselves from the main part of the nation
• They were not convinced Gideon and his 300 men would be successful
• Why does Gideon act as he did against his own people? Was he justified?
• They did refuse to help their own nation
• They aided and abetted the enemy
• Buy, Gideon's action are somewhat in contrast to God's attitude toward Israel
• Gideon is impatient and ruthless
• God is patient and full of grace
• What could have Gideon done?
• He could have left the judging of God's people to God
• Or, as judge of Israel, he was required to judge them
• ANSWER: I don't know what the best response. We have no editorial from God whether the actions were right or not. The story only tells us what happened, not how God would have commanded
• As Gideon faces the two kings, what is on his mind? The death of his brothers
• Why does Zebah and Zalmunna answer as they do?
• Might be a true statement
• They might have been hoping for mercy by using flattery
• Why does Gideon command his son to kill the kings?
• It is a disgrace to be killed by a woman or a youth
• Therefore, he is trying to disgrace them. Unlike the Ephraimites where he shows diplomacy, he does not show it to the two kings or the two cities
• Why the change and what is missing in this section?
• God is not mentioned
• It is as if that Gideon has allowed the victory to go to his head
• APPLICATION: Don't let victories bring you down. Maintain a humble attitude in all situations. Don't let power over people think that you can do as you please. Think of others. Act gracefully

Judges 8:22-35 (NIV) The Israelites said to Gideon, "Rule over us — you, your son and your grandson — because you have saved us out of the hand of Midian."

23 But Gideon told them, "I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you." 24 And he said, "I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder." (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings.)

25 They answered, "We'll be glad to give them." So they spread out a garment, and each man threw a ring from his plunder onto it. 26 The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels, not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains that were on their camels' necks. 27 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.

28 Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. During Gideon's lifetime, the land enjoyed peace forty years.

29 Jerub-Baal son of Joash went back home to live. 30 He had seventy sons of his own, for he had many wives. 31 His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also bore him a son, whom he named Abimelech. 32 Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

33 No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They set up Baal-Berith as their god and 34 did not remember the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. 35 They also failed to show kindness to the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) for all the good things he had done for them.

• This passage is really emblematic of the problems in Israel that Judges highlights. The first request is to make Gideon king, but Gideon refuses, why?
• Gideon believed that the current arrangement of Judges was sufficient
• This is the first time that we see the idea of a king come up. At this point, why and what are the advantages of a king?
• We see disintegration regionally
• There is no single integrating factor
• The spiritual leadership has failed to lead and teach God's word
• They do need God as king but they also need a leader who will seek God (it could be that the idea of a king is from God and not from the people, that is, the people have already rejected God as their ruler. God knows that they need an earthly king (possibly))
• So Gideon is probably correct to reject the kingship but what does he do? He creates a religious symbol, an ephod
• What is an ephod? It is used to talk to God, to get direction
• Who wears an ephod in Israel? The high priest
• So Gideon rejects kingship but he (almost) assumes priesthood, why is he so foolish?
• Possibly, his power has gone to his head
• Israel really needs teachers of the law. People have forgotten what is true
• Gideon both leads Israel out of oppression and idolatry and back into idolatry
• APPLICATION: Good leadership is critical. It can help people to flourish and grow. Bad leadership can cripple a nation. Where is the spiritual authority in your life? Are you involved in a church? Are you committed to spiritual fellowship?

Judges 6:33-7:22, A man of faith is a person who shares his life honestly with God in prayer

REVIEW:
Gideon was a man threshing wheat in a winepress
Gideon was a man who questioned the power of God
Gideon called himself the youngest man in the weakest clan
God called Gideon a mighty warrior
God told Gideon that he would be with him


Judges 6:33-40 (NIV) Now all the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples joined forces and crossed over the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel. 34 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him. 35 He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, calling them to arms, and also into Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, so that they too went up to meet them.


36 Gideon said to God, "If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised— 37 look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said." 38 And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew — a bowlful of water. 


39 Then Gideon said to God, "Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew." 40 That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.


• The size of the force is estimated at 135,000 (based on 8:10)
• The last time the Spirit of the Lord came upon a man is Judges 3:10. After reading the verse, what happens? What is different here?
• Othniel immediately goes to war and overpowers the king of Aram
• Gideon immediately calls out the men of the land, and then pauses …
• In other words, it is not just the Spirit's power, but the participation of the human
• Spirit empowerment does not seem to mean one does not have doubts
• Gideon has already seen a miracle (possibly two if you consider his still being alive after destroying his father's idol), why does Gideon ask for another miracle or sign?
• Clearly, he is having second thoughts
• He is reluctant
• He is fearful
• He still isn't sure he is the right person for the job
• The scriptures tell us not to test God
• Deut 6:16 (NIV) Do not test the Lord your God as you did at Massah.
• Is Gideon testing God? It is a legitimate fear (will be confirmed in 7:10)
• How does God respond to Gideon's legitimate fear?
• God is patient
• God answers his requests
• But, God does not teach us to use fleeces
• God will provide what you need
• Gideon knows that what he is doing is not right, why?
• He expects God to be angry
• But God is not angry, but patient
• APPLICATON: Nowhere in scripture does it encourage or teach us to use fleeces to determine God's will. But I can find many passages of fearful men who laid out their worries and concerns to God in prayer. What are you worried about? Do you ever pray about it, talk it over with God?


Judges 7:1-8a (NIV) Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. 2 The Lord said to Gideon, "You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, 3 announce now to the people, 'Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.'" So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.


4 But the Lord said to Gideon, "There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. 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."


5 So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, "Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink." 6 Three hundred men lapped with their hands to their mouths. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.


7 The Lord said to Gideon, "With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place." 8 So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others.


• First of all, what are the odds like with 32K troops? About 1:4.2 -- not very good odds
• Why does God want to reduce the numbers? Apparently, Israel will think that they saved themselves
• Why is that bad?
• If Israel wins they will be proud
• Israel will not turn back to God -- they will not realize that God saved them
• APPLICATION: How many times do we view a situation from a naturalistic point of view, rather than seeing God's hand in it? The problem is threefold. 1) We are not thankful. 2) We think that we accomplished the task in our strength. 3) We forget God's involvement in our lives
• The first reduction is actually specified in the law, Deut 20:8. Why does God use this?
• Deut 20:5-9 (NIV) The officers shall say to the army: "Has anyone built a new house and not dedicated it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else may dedicate it. 6 Has anyone planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else enjoy it. 7 Has anyone become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else marry her." 8 Then the officers shall add, "Is any man afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his brothers will not become disheartened too." 9 When the officers have finished speaking to the army, they shall appoint commanders over it.
• To show Israel that they can win by obeying God's word, even when it doesn't make sense
• The odds are now 1:6.1
• The second reduction is not clear in the reasoning, except in the goal. What do you think?
• Unclear
• Whatever the reason, it reduces the force to only 300 men
• The odds are now 1:450
• APPLICATION: When you are in the will of God, even the ridiculous is possible. The problem is many people do not have the clear will of God and so they do the ridiculous and expect God to bail them out. How do you tell the difference?
• Clear word of God (command, a moral issue, etc)
• Scriptural counsel
• Be careful:
• Circumstances
• Feelings


Judges 7:8b-22 (NIV) Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. 9 During that night the Lord said to Gideon, "Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. 10 If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah 11 and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp." So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp. 12 The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.


13 Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. "I had a dream," he was saying. "A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed."


14 His friend responded, "This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands."


15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped God. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, "Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands." 16 Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside.


17 "Watch me," he told them. "Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. 18 When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, 'For the Lord and for Gideon.'"


19 Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands. 20 The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, "A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!" 21 While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled.


22 When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath.


• If Gideon felt he was vulnerable when he asked for the fleece sign, I wonder how he feels now with odds against him at 450 to one?
• This time it is God who initiates the fourth miracle or sign, why?
• God knows he is scared
• God graciously gives him an opportunity to build up his courage
• Apparently, Gideon is willing to go through with it but very unsure of himself. He probably doesn't feel he has what it takes
• The dream is significant with a lot of meaning. What do the various aspects symbolize?
• The loaf of barley bread is an insignificant item of a poor person
• The tent symbolizes the entire Midianite forces
• The small loaf collapsing the huge tent is a completely improbably event
• The interpretation of the shoulders shows the fear in their hearts
• Obviously, there is more going on than just surprise and fear, what happens?
• The Lord causes the men to turn on each other
• God provides the victory in a supernatural way (although he didn't have to do it that way)
• Ultimately, Gideon is included in the hall of fame of faith (read Hebrews 11:32-33), why?
• Because faith is not stoicism
• Faith is believing God exists
• Faith is believing God is a rewarder of those who seek him
• Gideon had a lot of fears but he went to God with those fears and God was gracious to him. God took a man who didn't think much of himself and used him for his glory and purpose
• APPLICATION: Faith is built in a relationship with God. We need to seek him and spend time with him. We are not unimportant -- he can use anyone. There is no one too small, too unimportant, or too weak for God to use
• APPLICATION: Gideon is a microcosm of Judges, people who don't know God and are too fearful to walk with God

Judges 5:31b-6:32, You are never too weak to do what God has called you to do

REVIEW:


Judges 5:31b-6:10 (NIV) Then the land had peace forty years.


6:1 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. 2 Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. 3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. 4 They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. 5 They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it. 6 Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord for help.


7 When the Israelites cried to the Lord because of Midian, 8 he sent them a prophet, who said, "This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 9 I snatched you from the power of Egypt and from the hand of all your oppressors. I drove them from before you and gave you their land. 10 I said to you, 'I am the Lord your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.' But you have not listened to me."


• Again, we see aspects of the cycle on display, what are they?
• Peace
• Doing evil
• Giving them over to their enemies
• Oppression
• Israel cry out
• God sends a prophet
• Also, what is different about the oppressors?
• They do not stay, the repeatedly invade
• They wait until after harvest and like locusts, destroy the land and steal the harvest
• These are Bedouin nomads. They would attack, strip, and leave. This is the earliest instance of the domestication of camel recorded in the bible. It had occurred earlier in the south and east and now spread to the region of Palestine. The Israelites had probably never seen such mobility before (Bright)
• The reason Israel hid their crops in caves and strongholds was to protect them
• What is different about God's response?
• Initially, the God's messenger only corrects them rather than saves them
• Why is God's response different?
• God chastens them with words and explains why they are being disciplined
• It could mean that things were getting worse in Israel
• For some reason, the people needed to hear God's argument. Previously, people understood. Now, God repeats the argument given at the beginning of the book
• In the last section, we had women leading because none of the men would stand up
• Now no one is leading, nor does anyone understand why God is doing this
• APPLICATION: There is a broader cycle happening in the book. The sin is worse. The discipline is worse. Men have forgotten their role of leadership. Men and women have forgotten God's word (probably no one is teaching it)


Judges 6:11-24 (NIV) The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior."


13 "But sir," Gideon replied, "if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, 'Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the Lord has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian."


14 The Lord turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?"


15 "But Lord," Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."


16 The Lord answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together."


17 Gideon replied, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. 18 Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you."


And the Lord said, "I will wait until you return."


19 Gideon went in, prepared a young goat, and from an ephah of flour he made bread without yeast. Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and offered them to him under the oak.


20 The angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth." And Gideon did so. 21 With the tip of the staff that was in his hand, the angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the Lord disappeared. 22 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, "Ah, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!"


23 But the Lord said to him, "Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die."


24 So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.


• So first of all, where do we find Gideon?
• In a winepress threshing wheat (doesn't sound very might)
• What does the angel call him and why?
• Mighty warrior because he was a strong fighting man
• Mighty warrior because he was to become one
• Or maybe he was, but fear kept him from being effective
• What is Gideon's response to the Angel of the Lord?
• If the Lord is with us, why is this happening
• Where are all his wonders we heard about?
• Conclusion: It is God who has abandoned Israel
• It is interesting that Gideon specifically questions the wonders, because he is about to party to a number of amazing miracles
• God commands him to go and to save Israel, what is Gideon's response?
• He is the youngest in his family
• His clan is the weakest in Manasseh
• In other words, you've chosen the weakest and worst possible person to be the savior
• What is Gideon's focus as he argues against his ability?
• Gideon is looking at natural abilities while all the time arguing for supernatural presence
• What is God's response to Gideon?
• I, the supernatural one, will be with you
• Technically, God is all we really need, but most people don't see it that way
• How does Gideon then reply?
• Gideon asks for a sign
• What does Gideon do?
• He prepares an offering
• Afterwards he builds an offering (acknowledging the presence of God)
• God miraculously consumes the offering for our soon-to-be-judge (more than we know that he did for the other judges)
• APPLICATION: You may consider yourself weak or your insights not important, but a person who is available to God can be used in ways that are unimaginable. Stop thinking about what you are not able to do and start asking God what he wants you to do!
• At this point, the story always immediately goes to the person appointed by God to give his people relief, but in this case it is different ...


Judges 6:25-32 (NIV) That same night the Lord said to him, "Take the second bull from your father's herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father's altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. 26 Then build a proper kind of altar to the Lord your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering."


27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the men of the town, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.


28 In the morning when the men of the town got up, there was Baal's altar, demolished, with the Asherah pole beside it cut down and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar!


29 They asked each other, "Who did this?"


When they carefully investigated, they were told, "Gideon son of Joash did it."


30 The men of the town demanded of Joash, "Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal's altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it."


31 But Joash replied to the hostile crowd around him, "Are you going to plead Baal's cause? Are you trying to save him? Whoever fights for him shall be put to death by morning! If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar." 32 So that day they called Gideon "Jerub-Baal," saying, "Let Baal contend with him," because he broke down Baal's altar.


• So, instead of dealing with the Midianites, what does God call Gideon to do first and why?
• Destroy to areas of idol worship and build an altar to God
• The bull is used to tear down the altar and is used as a sacrifice
• The bull is seven years old
• Gideon does accomplish the task but with one proviso, what is it and why?
• He does it at night
• The mighty warrior is fearful
• But he did not do it completely in secret, did he?
• His ten servants would have probably told
• Nor does Gideon defend himself, who does and why?
• His father
• He probably told his father
• APPLICATION: Why is this story significant?
• Because idols and sin which must be destroyed first in our life before God can use us in others
• Our own house needs to be in order
• In fact, we can't worship God until we stop worshipping other things
• Also, ultimately, Gideon must take a public stand for what he believes. While his father defends him (rather well I might add), Gideon is not associated with an act against idolatry
• And, Gideon may have saved his family from idol worship as well

Gen 42, Wait on God; do the right thing

Timeline:

1899	Selling of Joseph (at 17 years old)	Gen 37:2
1886	Joseph (30 yrs old - out of prison)	Gen 41:46
1879	Beginning of famine (37 yrs old)	Gen 41:54
1878	Brothers’ first visit to Egypt (38 yrs old)	Gen 42:1-2
1877	Brothers’ second visit to Egypt	Gen 43:1; 45:6, 11
1876	Jacob's descent to Egypt	Gen 46:6; cf. 47:9
1845	Israel is enslaved
1446	Israel leaves Egypt after 400 years of bondage	Gen 15:13,16;Acts 7:6
1395	Conquest of Canaan complete (essentially)	Acts 13:19,20

Review:


Gen 42:1-9 (NIV) When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why do you just keep looking at each other?" 2 He continued, "I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die."


3 Then ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. 4 But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come to him. 5 So Israel's sons were among those who went to buy grain, for the famine was in the land of Canaan also.


6 Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the one who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph's brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. 7 As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. "Where do you come from?" he asked.


"From the land of Canaan," they replied, "to buy food."


8 Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. 9 Then he remembered his dreams about them and said to them, "You are spies! You have come to see where our land is unprotected."


• Why does Jacob not send Benjamin?
• Afraid that harm would come him
• Did he not trust the other sons?
• Was Joseph's loss affecting his other decisions?
• Appears to show favoritism
• Why does Joseph recognize his brothers but they do not recognize him?
• They were all older and so would not have changed in appearance as much as a 17 year old
• There were a lot of them (unusual)
• They thought Joseph was dead or gone
• They were dressed in their traditional clothes, Joseph was dressed as an Egyptian
• They spoke Hebrew, but Joseph spoke Egyptian
• Was this planned by Joseph, why or why not?
• The staff knew he was Hebrew (Eber)
• He kept up his Egyptian disguise without fail (he was ready)
• How would the six dreams have influenced Joseph? He has seen four fulfilled but two remain
• What were the two dreams again and how do we see them represented?
• The one dream had the sun and moon and stars bowing down to Joseph?
• Represents his position as authority
• The other dream had the sheaves of grain bowing down to Joseph's sheave?
• Represents his position as provider
• He never visits his family or even sends a message during the 8-9 years he is out of prison (he knew they were coming)
• BOTTOM LINE: we don't know if it was planned or not, but as we look at the totality of Joseph's action, we can determine his intent ...
• Why did Joseph play the game?
• He wanted to be reunited to his family, but wanted to know if his brothers had learned their lesson
• He wanted to know if they were they sorry or not
• APPLICATION: Joseph waited on God for his fulfillment of his plans. Our tendency is to move things along, but Joseph waited


Gen 42:10-20 (NIV) "No, my lord," they answered. "Your servants have come to buy food. 11 We are all the sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies."


12 "No!" he said to them. "You have come to see where our land is unprotected."


13 But they replied, "Your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more."


14 Joseph said to them, "It is just as I told you: You are spies! 15 And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. 16 Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!" 17 And he put them all in custody for three days.


18 On the third day, Joseph said to them, "Do this and you will live, for I fear God: 19 If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households. 20 But you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die." This they proceeded to do.


• Why do the brothers respond as they do to the Joseph's charge?
• When accused of being a spy, you do not want to lie (penalty for spying is death)
• Also, why would a nation send ten spies all from the same family?
• Why does Joseph make an issue of the youngest brother?
• Obviously he wants to see Benjamin, the only one not involved in the crime
• Benjamin's existence proves the veracity of the brother's statement
• It puts the focus back on Rachel's children
• The reason Benjamin is so protected is because he is the only remaining son of Rachel
• The reason he is the only remaining son is because of what the brothers did
• Why put them in prison for three days?
• Scripture doesn't say, but it does give them time to think
• APPLICATION: ??
• I wonder if sometimes when we fail, God gives us another test or opportunity to do it right
• The key to passing the second test is recognizing you failed the first test
• That requires thought, prayer, and repentance


Gen 42:21-24 (NIV) They said to one another, "Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that's why this distress has come upon us."


22 Reuben replied, "Didn't I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn't listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood." 23 They did not realize that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter.


24 He turned away from them and began to weep, but then turned back and spoke to them again. He had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes.


• What is the issue that comes to the forefront?
• Joseph.  Sin and guilt work this way.  It will never go away until it is forgiven
• Just think, for the last 20 years, every time something does not go right, they are probably saying to themselves, it is because of our brother -- how painful and how sad
• Why did Joseph turn to weep?
• He recognized that they were sorry for their sin.  It would be possible to reconcile
• His brother's sin had been eating at them for 20 years
• Why not imprison Reuben?  Why Simeon?
• In the capture and slavery story, it is Reuben and Judah who act to save the boys life (#1 and #4 oldest).  What do we know of Simeon and Levi (#2 and #3)?
• They were violent men (34:25 and 49:5-7)
• The other possibility is that Simeon is a changed man, and offers himself up (it has been 20 years)
• The final possibility is that God is working in Simeon's life and will use the year in prison to teach him a lesson
• APPLCIATION: Even as Christians, we need to deal with sin and guilt.  One of the aspects of the blood of Christ is that it has the power to wash away guilt.  Guilt destroys a person very slowly.  But we can confess our sins and be released from guilt.  Sometimes God requires that we go to the person we sinned against in order to be completely free.  I can't really offer a formula for when and why that is needed, but as you pray, you will realize what you need to do


------------ Extra Passage ----------------


Gen 42:25-38 (NIV) Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man's silver back in his sack, and to give them provisions for their journey. After this was done for them, 26 they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left.


27 At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack. 28 "My silver has been returned," he said to his brothers. "Here it is in my sack."


Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, "What is this that God has done to us?"


29 When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them. They said, 30 "The man who is lord over the land spoke harshly to us and treated us as though we were spying on the land. 31 But we said to him, 'We are honest men; we are not spies. 32 We were twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in Canaan.'


33 "Then the man who is lord over the land said to us, 'This is how I will know whether you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take food for your starving households and go. 34 But bring your youngest brother to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade  in the land.'"


35 As they were emptying their sacks, there in each man's sack was his pouch of silver! When they and their father saw the money pouches, they were frightened. 36 Their father Jacob said to them, "You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!"


37 Then Reuben said to his father, "You may put both of my sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him back."


38 But Jacob said, "My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave  in sorrow."


• What does the returning of the money do?
• It now makes it appear that they stole the grain
• It is a gracious act done secretly on Joseph's part, but it ups the ante
• Although, it could also make it appear that they sold Simeon to Jacob (doubt it)
• How does Jacob view the circumstances?
• Very emotional
• All is lost (Eeore - like) -- "Everything is against me"
• Gen 45:26-27 provides insight in Jacob's life
• Jacob has allowed a painful situation to take the joy out of life for 20 years
• Yes, it is good to grieve
• Yes, it is good to be honest with our feelings (Example as Elder at Derwood CMA and survey about being angry with God)
• But, at some point, we need to give our disappointments and hurts to God and move on with life
• Yet in reality, God is doing something very good in Jacob's life
• What do you think of Reuben's suggestion (also suggested during a very emotional moment)?
• Pathetic and poor
• Why would Jacob kill his grand-children?
• It does reemphasize the importance of what happened to Joseph, which is the reason Jacob protects Benjamin.  As a result, Jacob will not give in for a whole year, and in the meantime, Simeon sits in prison
• APPLICATION: We need to trust God and not trust our circumstances