📖 Judges Chapter 6 – 8
GIDEON – The Idol Breaker turned to Idol Maker .

🌈 GOD’S COMMISSION : The angel of the Lord met Gideon and gave him a word of Encouragement, Assurance and Commission :
📌 The Lord is with you (6:12)
📌 Called him a mighty warrior (6:12)
📌 Go and save Israel out of Midian’s hand (6:14)
📌 I will be with you (6:16)
📌 You will strike down all the Midian’s hand ( 6:16 )

✳️ GIDEON – THE IDOL BREAKER
📌 He tore down the Baal’s altar ( 6:25 ; Ex 34:13 ; Deut 7:5 )
The phrase your father’s altar to Baal suggests that Gideon’s father was a patron / priest / promoter of a pagan shrine
📌 He cut down the Asherah pole ( Jdg 6:25 ; Ex 34:13
✅ Build a proper kind of altar to the Lord (6:26a ; Ex 20:25 )
✅ Offer a burnt offering ( 6:26b )

🔖 In God’s perspective Israel’s problem was not the oppression under the Midian but the bondage to Baal ➿

✳️ Gideon carried out the task (6:27-28 )

✳️ GIDEON’S VICTORY OVER MIDIANITES
God deliberately limits the number of Gideon’s army (300 out of 32,000) so that the Israelites would not boast and take the credit to themselves ( 7:1-2 ) . The Midianites were defeated by God’s intervention.

✳️ GIDEON – THE IDOL MAKER
📌 He accumulated gold ( Seventeen hundred shekels ) from the Israelites (8:2426).
📌 It is not clear why Gideon made the Ephod out of gold .
📌 This object had led the nation into idolatry and it became A snare to Gideon and his family ( 8:27,33 ).
📌 He acquires a harem of wives and a concubine ( 8:29-31 ).

✳️ GIDEON STARTED WELL BUT THE END WAS FUTILE : After Gideon’s death his son’s came in power ; the people turned away from the Lord , and finally they rejected Gideon’s family ( 8:32-35 ) . Later on his 70 sons were murdered ( 9:5 )

💕 Beloved Church, a consistent and godly leadership was expected from the leaders then and is true even today.

🌈 Jesus said,
“..he who stands firm to the end will be saved ” Mark 13:13
“By standing firm you will gain life ” Luke 21:19

LET US STAND FIRM IN OUR SPIRITUAL PILGRIMAGE 🙌

Glory to God 🙏
✍🏽 Mark Boje, ArP 🇮🇳