Old Testament - Judges 8 - June 1, 2022

 6/1/2022 – Judges 8

The Israelites now enjoy peace for many years. They wanted to make Gideon their king, for that is how other peoples organized their countries. Gideon refused to be their king, and explained to the Israelites that the Lord should be their king. They accepted that and there was peace for 40 years.

After Gideon and his 300 men had conquered the Midianites, they didn’t stop there. They chased them out of their country. He and the men were then exhausted and hungry even as they continued to pursue other wicked peoples: Zebah, Zalmunna, and the kings of Midian. He asked the men of Suecoth to give them bread as they were faint. Gideon and his men survived and prospered. The peoples who failed to help Gideon and his men later met with terrible times.

The men of Israel once again asked Gideon, or even his son, to rule over them. Once again Gideon told them that “the Lord shall rule over you”. He went on to confirm to them: “I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the Lord shall rule over you.” (V’s 22-23)

In v’s 25-27 we see that Gideon slipped in his standards. He asked all his soldiers to bring him the jewelry that they had taken from the conquered Midianites. Gideon took all the gold his men had taken and made an ephod—which was a very, very large gold medallion—and displayed the medallion in the city. “…and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gedeon, and to his house.” V 27 Gideon had shifted from giving thanks to the Lord, to giving all the glory to his men and himself. There are always possible snares in our lives, it’s up to us to place a great distance between those snares and ourselves, for that will make a huge difference in our lives, and in our companionship with the Lord.

In v 33-44, we learn that “…as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Ball-berith their god. And the children of Israel remembered not the Lord their God, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side.”  

Then in chapter 9, we learn that Gideon’s son WAS made king, and in his reign he slayed his 70 of his brothers to strengthen his position as king. Once we fall into a snare, and then allow ourselves to stay there, it seems that we start a downward slant in our lives. For with each step down, we distance ourselves yet further from the Lord. He holds His hands out to us, just waiting for us to make the effort of coming back to Him and His ways. We control our lives, but we do that so much better when we keep ourselves daily in close contact with the Lord.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pearl of Great Price - Moses 7:16-47 - January 29, 2022

  1/29/2022 - Moses 7:16-47 I didn’t realize I was repeating Moses 6 until I was finished with it the 2nd time. But what was beautiful to me is that studying the same scriptures a second time simply brought more thoughts and understanding and desires to be sure to return to my Father in Heaven….to finish my earthly life with the same goals that I started it. I LOVE studying the scriptures! There were now so many people on earth who had chosen not to follow the ways of the Lord. V 16: And from that time forth there were wars and bloodshed among them; but the Lord came and dwelt with his people, and they dwelt in righteousness.”  V 18: “And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.” V 19: “And Enoch continued his preaching in righteousness unto the people of God. And it came to pass in his days that he built a city that was called the City of Holiness, even Zion.”  Zion was est...
Read more

Pearl of Great Price - Moses 6:24-52 - January 19, 2022

 1/19/2022 – Moses 6:24-52 The Old Testament tells us just a little about Enoch, but the Book of Moses greatly increases our understanding of his life, his ministry and his teachings. Enoch was the seventh generation from Adam. In those seven generations, many had left the teachings of the Lord. It was when Enoch “journeyed in the land among the people” (v 26) that “He heard a voice from heaven, saying, Enoch, my son, prophesy unto this people, and say unto them—Repent, for thus saith the Lord: I am angry with this people, and my fierce anger is kindled against them; for their hearts have waxed hard, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes cannot see afar off.” (v 27). I read this and I feel the warning to us that we are not to rely only on our ‘earthly vision’. The Lords rewards are not always immediate. But if we keep the commandments, keeping our eyes focused on the ultimate reward that the Lord holds in store for us, THEN we will be able to “see afar off”.  In v...
Read more

Pearl of Great Price - Moses 7:48-69 - January 31, 2022

 1/31/2022 – Moses 7:48-69 In v’s 48-49 Enoch “heard the earth mourn” over the “wickedness of my children” and the “filthiness which is gone forth out of me”. Elder Joseph Fielding Smith, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, wrote: “The Lord here [in Doctrine and Covenants 88] informs us that the earth on which we dwell is a living thing, and that the time must come when it will be sanctified from all unrighteousness. In the Pearl of Great Price, when Enoch is conversing with the Lord, he hears the earth crying for deliverance from the iniquity upon her face. . . . It is not the fault of the earth that wickedness prevails upon her face, for she has been true to the law which she received and that law is the celestial law. Therefore the Lord says that the earth shall be sanctified from all unrighteousness”  Enoch sees the flood that Noah and his family survived, and Enoch pleads with the Lord to help and bless Noah and his children and their children. And then th...
Read more