Posted on 03/17/2015 6:16:52 AM PDT by left that other site
7 When the Israelites cried out 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 rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors; I drove them out 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.:
11 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 Pardon me, my lord, Gideon replied, but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt? But now the Lord has abandoned us and given 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 Midians hand. Am I not sending you?:
15 Pardon me, my lord, Gideon replied, but 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, leaving none alive.:
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 inside, prepared a young goat, and from an ephah[a] 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 Then the angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of the staff that was in his hand. 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, Alas, 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. :
25 That same night the Lord said to him, Take the second bull from your fathers herd, the one seven years old.[b] Tear down your fathers altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole[c] beside it. 26 Then build a proper kind of[d] 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[e] 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 townspeople, he did it at night rather than in the daytime. :
28 In the morning when the people of the town got up, there was Baals 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 people of the town demanded of Joash, Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baals altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.:
31 But Joash replied to the hostile crowd around him, Are you going to plead Baals 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 because Gideon broke down Baals altar, they gave him the name Jerub-Baal[f] that day, saying, Let Baal contend with him.:
33 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 on 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 dewa 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, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew. 40 That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew. :
Footnotes:
a. Judges 6:19 That is, probably about 36 pounds or about 16 kilograms
b. Judges 6:25 Or Take a full-grown, mature bull from your fathers herd
c. Judges 6:25 That is, a wooden symbol of the goddess Asherah; also in verses 26, 28 and 30
d. Judges 6:26 Or build with layers of stone an
e. Judges 6:26 Or full-grown; also in verse 28
f. Judges 6:32 Jerub-Baal probably means let Baal contend.
New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
(Judges)
Dear Father, as we look around us,
We See Desolation and Despair.
It is so easy to become discouraged.
Yet, You encourage us with This Scripture
Remind us, LORD, of Your Provision of a Remnant,
Like Dormant Stumps of trees,
That can sprout and burst forth at Your Command!
We Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem,
According to Your Will and Promise.
We Pray For the People and Leaders of Israel,
that They Will Look to You for the Protection
and Prosperity of their Nation.
We Also Pray For Revival in our own Beloved USA.
We Pray For The Swift and Sure Coming of Messiah,
Blessed Be He,
To Establish His Kingdom,
and Make All Things Right.
Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.
Hallelujah and Amen
ML/LTOS
Prayers
Praying for the Peace of Jerusalem, looking to the Will of God for the outcome of their elections, as to our own. Praying for our families and friends, for our persecuted, and for our nations.
Praying with you for the Peace of Jerusalem, our FRiends in need and our beloved Nation.
Blessings, etabeta
(Looking forward for our new chapter of lessons)
Amen, left that other site, for our God, who sees us as He means us to be
Joining in lifting up in prayer, Israel, all God’s people, and our beloved America.
May God Bless and Protect Israel and make known the plans of the enemy.
Heavenly Father, hear our cry, our leaders seem to work for the end of America’s leadership and the turning away from our FAITH in Thee, forgive us LORD, we know not what we do. The loss of our former direction has been changed without our intention or agreement. How do we stop it? Thou can do anything, nothing is too hard for Thee. Direct out feet, and minds in the way to go. We look to Thee, LORD, Help us LORD, in Jesus name we pray. Amen
Prayers for the peace and protection of Israel, We love Thee and desire to serve Thee always. Forgive us. Amen.
prayers up
I join in prayer for Israel, Jerusalem and all God’s beloved.
Dear Father, as we look around us,
We See Desolation and Despair.
It is so easy to become discouraged.
Yet, You encourage us with This Scripture
Remind us, LORD, of Your Provision of a Remnant,
Like Dormant Stumps of trees,
That can sprout and burst forth at Your Command!
Amen and Hallelujah
Amen.
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