Judges 15:1 says, But it came to pass within a while after, in the time of wheat harvest, that Samson visited his wife with a kid; and he said, I will go in to my wife into the chamber. But her father would not suffer him to go in.  After a period of time, Samson decided to visit his wife, but his father-in-law wouldn't let him go in.  Samson had brought with him a kid. a young goat.  Samson had been wronged, but he had cooled off and brought a gift, though it may have been but a token, but he was rejected.  All we can do if we have been wronged as followers of Christ, is to cool off if we are angry and do our best to restore broken relationships.  Verse two states, And her father said, I verily thought that thou hadst utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to thy companion: is not her younger sister fairer than she? take her, I pray thee, instead of her.  Samson's father-in-law said he thought that Samson hated his wife, so he gave her to another man.  He then offered her younger sister to Samson instead. It was really not a good time to be a female.  Of course, the attitude of the father-in-law would imply that he believed any woman was pretty much the same as the other and that there could be no real feelings involved.  Verse three declares, And Samson said concerning them, Now shall I be more blameless than the Philistines, though I do them a displeasure.  Samson said that even though he was wrong in being angry that the displeasure that he was about to bring to the Philistines was because of their doing a greater wrong to him.  Though as Christians we are not to be in the getting even business, there comes a point where we must take a stand, even if it makes those around us angry.  Verse four says, And Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took firebrands, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midst between two tails.  Samson caught three hundred foxes and tied them by twos tail to tail, and tied a fire brand between their tails.  Verse five adds, And when he had set the brands on fire, he let them go into the standing corn of the Philistines, and burnt up both the shocks, and also the standing corn, with the vineyards and olives.  Samson then turned the foxes loose in the cornfields of the Philistines, and burned the cornfields and the vineyards up.  Now, I know that many people today would say that Samson was abusing the foxes, but I don't believe this is the point.  Verse six states, Then the Philistines said, Who hath done this? And they answered, Samson, the son in law of the Timnite, because he had taken his wife, and given her to his companion. And the Philistines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire.  The Philistines asked who had done this, and were told Samson, and then were told why he had done it.  The Philistines did not go against Samson, but burned his wife and father-in-law to death.  Though they may have been somewhat responsible for Samson doing hat he did, the Philistines should have gone after the one who had burned their crops.  If someone has wronged us today, that does not allow us to seek to punish those who may have had a role in their actions.  Verse seven says, And Samson said unto them, Though ye have done this, yet will I be avenged of you, and after that I will cease.  Samson said that he would avenge what they had done, and then he would cease.  He was not looking for anything greater than to avenge his wife's death.  Though she may have betrayed him, though not necessarily by her choice, he still felt a responsibility toward her evidently.  Verse eight declares, And he smote them hip and thigh with a great slaughter: and he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam.  Samson killed many of the Philistines, and then he went to live in the top of the rock Etam.  Samson then waited to see what the Philistines would do.  He did not seek to do more than he felt was necessary to avenge the death of his wife.  We are not called on to be avengers in the world today as followers of Christ, but we still must stand up to the evil in the world.

Judges 14:11 says, And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him.  Samson had a group of men with him before his wedding.  We today might call them groom's men.  Verse twelve states, And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle unto you: if ye can certainly declare it me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty change of garments:  Samson proposed sharing a riddle to them, and if they could answer it they would be rewarded with thirty sheets and thirty changes of garments, which would be one of each per person.  Matthew Henry says that doing such a thing for entertainment was common in that day.  It might be like a bachelor party today, where many times much worse things are evidently often done.  Verse thirteen adds, But if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets and thirty change of garments. And they said unto him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it.  The riddle was now proposed as a wager, and if the men couldn't solve it, they would owe Samson the same thirty sheets and thirty changes of garments.  Still, Samson was wagering more, since he would have to come up with the entire thirty sheets and garments, and they would each only have to come up with one of each.  They accepted the wager.  Verse fourteen says, And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle.  Samson shared the riddle, and after three days the men could not solve it.  For people of the world, salvation is like a riddle, unsolvable by their own abilities.  It is only as faith in God enables us to understand it that the gospel becomes clear.  Until a person puts their faith in God, the gospel will remain like an unsolvable riddle, but the loss if one does not come to understand the gospel is much worse then any earthly possession.  The cost is everlasting separation from God.  Verse fifteen declares, And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson’s wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father’s house with fire: have ye called us to take that we have? is it not so?  After a week of not being able to solve the riddle, the men came to Samson's wife and told her to get the answer to the riddle or they would burn her father's and her house, because they didn't intend to lose the bet.  People today may threaten us if they cannot find the answer to salvation and feel that we are somehow costing them something by knowing the answer.  Verse sixteen states, And Samson’s wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not: thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, and hast not told it me. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell it thee?  Samson's wife accused him of not loving her because he hadn't shared the answer to the riddle with her.  He said he hadn't even shared it with his parents, and asked why he should share it with her.  She played the you don't love me card, but still he should have at this time put his wife ahead of his parents.  When we are married, our spouse should become the most important person in our life, but our spouse should never attempt to manipulate us by claiming we don't love him or her when .he or she doesn't get what they want.  Verse seventeen adds, And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she lay sore upon him: and she told the riddle to the children of her people.  Samson's wife cried for seven days, then he told her the answer to the riddle, and she told the men the answer.  She should have been loyal to and have put her faith in her husband instead of giving in to fear of the men of her nation.  Likewise, we should put our faith in God instead of giving into threats from the people of the world.  Verse eighteen declares, And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.  The men came to Samson with the answer to the riddle, and he told them that if they had not gotten the answer to the riddle from his wife they would not have solved it.  Verse nineteen adds, And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father’s house.  We are told that the Spirit of the LORD came upon Samson and he went to Ashkelon and killed thirty men and took their garments and sheets and gave them to the thirty men who had claimed to solve the riddle.  Verse twenty adds, But Samson’s wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his friend.  Samson's wife  was given to one of his companions.  She had put the others ahead of him.  While Samson was gone, his wife was given to another man.  I am not sure how much of this God was directly responsible for and how much was Samson just acting on his own, but I do know that as followers of Christ we must  always make sure that we are following His guidance.

Judges 14:1 says, And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.  After Samson was grown, he went to Timnath and saw a woman who was the daughter of a Philistine.  This does not seem to be what one who was to be the deliverer of Israel and one whoso was set aside to be a Nazarite before he was even born would do.  Samson would have seemed to be following worldly temptations instead of Godly guidance, and too often today those who are God's people can be led astray by the temptations of the world.  Still we cannot know how God may be working in the lives of other believers.  Verse two states, And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.  Samson did not seek God's guidance, but sought his earthly fathers help in making the woman his wife.  Our first step in anything, especially after we are grown, if we are a follower of Christ should be to seek God's guidance in everything we do.  Verse three says, Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.  Samson's parents asked him if there wasn't a woman among the Israelites who would make him a good wife, and he said that he only wanted the woman of the Philistines, who were an ungodly people.  We should never allow the things of this world that may look appealing to us to lead us away from God.  Verse four declares, But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.  Now, though we are not told that God had led Samson to this decision, we are told that God was working through it.  Samson was making himself a part of the Philistines by marriage.  Matthew Henry says that the sin was not so much as marrying outside the Jewish faith, but being led to worship false gods by that marriage, and Samson was not tempted to do that.  Matthew Henry also says that the Philistines had not defeated Israel by a great military conquest, but clandestine excursions into Israel.  Verse five declares, Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him.  On their way to Timnath with his mother and father, a young lion attacked Samson.  Verse six adds, And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.  We are told that the Spirit of the LORD came on Samson mightily, and he killed the lion with his hands as easily as he would have killed a young goat.  He did not tell his parents what the had done.  Samson was not bragging on himself, possibly because he recognized that God was behind his success.  Verse seven says, And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well.  Then, Samson went and talked to the woman, and she pleased him well.  There may be things in this word that please us well, but that does not mean that they are always what are best for us.  In this case, we are told that God was behind Samson's actions, and we must make sure that He is always behind ours.  Verse eight states, And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion.  Some time later, Samson returned to take the woman as his wife, and he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion, and it was full of honey bees and honey.  Evidently at least some time had passed since he killed the lion.  Verse nine adds, And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion.  Samson took some of the honey and ate it and gave some to his parents, but the did not tell them where it came from.  Verse eleven states, So his father went down unto the woman: and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do.  Samson's father then went down to the woman, and Samson made a feast for them, which was what the young men of that day did.  Samson still really had not done very much to distinguish himself as a great man of God, except kill a lion under the power of the Spirit of God, and he had told no one about that.  We may not always see the way that God is working in the lives of our fellow Christians, but that does not mean that  He isn't working in their lives.

Judges 13:1 says, And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.  The cycle repeats once more.  After a period of peace, the people of God do evil in His sight.  It mat be that periods of peace and prosperity are more dangerous to us spiritually than periods of war and suffering.  In times when things are really bad, we tend to look to God for help, but when life is going along smoothly, it seems that we sometimes forget our need for Him to guide us.  Once more, God allowed them to be defeated, this time by the Philistines.  Verse two states, And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.  We are told of a certain man named Manoah whose wife was barren.  Manoah was of the tribe of Dan, who was born to one of the handmaidens of Jacob.  Still, Jacob had said that Dan would judge his people.  The descendants of Dan, and the children of the other handmaidens were just as much a part of the children of Israel as were those born to Jacob's wives.  Verse three adds, And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.  An angel of God appeared to Manoah's wife and told her that even though she had been barren that she was going to bear a son.  This had to be exciting news to her.  Verse four continues, Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing:  The angel then gave Manoah's wife some prenatal care instructions we might say.  She was to drink no wine or strong drink or eat any unclean thing.  This had not only to do with physical health, but it also had to do with spiritual health.  If we are follower of Christ, we are to do our best to keep things that are spiritually unclean from coming into our lives, and I also believe that we are to do our best to maintain a physically healthy lifestyle.  Verse five concludes, For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no rasor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.  The angel also told the woman that after her son was born that his hair was never to be cut, because he was to be a Nazarite unto God and that he would begin to deliver his people from the Philistines.  This was all promised by God even before the child was born.  God has a plan for our lives even before we are born, whether we ever look to Him to show us what that purpose is or not.   Of course, in order to fulfill that purpose, we must first accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse six declares,Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name:  Manoah's wife came to him and told him that she had met a man of God who looked like an angel of God, very terrible.  We don't normally think of angels appearing terrible, but I believe that his appearance was such as to strike awe into the woman, and in that sense it was terrible to her.  She also said that the angel did not tell her his name.  If an angel were to appear to someone today, his name would not be important, but his message would.  Verse seven adds, But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death.  Manoah's wife told him what the angel had told her.  She was to bear a son, and he would be raised as a Nazarite from birth.  It would be nice if we knew from birth what we were to do in life, but we don't get that clear calling from birth.  Verse eight declares, Then Manoah intreated the LORD, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born.  Manoah asked God to send the angel again to teach them how to raise the child.  Even if we know what God wants us to do, we must rely on Him to teach us and empower us to do it to the best of our ability.  We do not really need an angel to come to us and teach us though since as believers in Christ we have the Holy Spirit indwelling us to guide and empower us.

Judges 12:1 says, And the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and went northward, and said unto Jephthah, Wherefore passedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn thine house upon thee with fire.  The people of Ephraim were angry with Jephthah because he hadn't asked them to go with him to fight, and threatened to burn his house down.  They had the same quarrel with Gideon earlier, all brought about by hurt pride.  It is too bad that God's people often allow pride to cause them to have disputes with each other.  Verse two states, And Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out of their hands.  Jephthah then tells them that he did invite them to join him, but they didn't send even one man to help.  Sometimes, the people who become upset by the success of others, even the success of fellow believers, are those who refused to help to start with.  Verse three adds,  And when I saw that ye delivered me not, I put my life in my hands, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the LORD delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?  Jephthah states that when they didn't help, that he took on the battle without them, and that God delivered him.  If they had a problem with his victory, it wasn't with Jephthah but with God.  The same is  true today.  As followers of Christ, our success is due to God and He should be given the credit, then no else should be upset by our success.  Verse four declares, Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of Gilead smote Ephraim, because they said, Ye Gileadites are fugitives of Ephraim among the Ephraimites, and among the Manassites.  The men of Gilead fought with the men of Ephraim.  It is a sad situation when those who are called God's people fight among themselves.  The people of Ephraim evidently saw the people of Gilead as being less worthy than they themselves were.  We cannot afford to look at fellow Christians the same way and fight amongst ourselves.  Jephthah and his forces, by God's power, had already defeated the real enemy, and the people of Ephraim should have been celebrating with them instead of fighting against them.  Verse five states, And the Gileadites took the passages of Jordan before the Ephraimites: and it was so, that when those Ephraimites which were escaped said, Let me go over; that the men of Gilead said unto him, Art thou an Ephraimite? If he said, Nay;  When the men of Ephraim had been defeated, Jephthah cut off their way to escape back across the Jordan.  Matthew Henry says that maybe this was excessive, but that Jephthah evidently felt it was necessary in order to preserve the peace.  Verse six adds, Then said they unto him, Say now Shibboleth: and he said Sibboleth: for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him, and slew him at the passages of Jordan: and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand.  If they denied being from Ephraim, they were asked to pronounce a particular word which they couldn't do, probably because of differences in dialect among the tribes.  Forty-two thousand men of Ephraim were killed, all because they were angry with Jephthah because they said he didn't call on them to fight with him against the Ammonites.  Jealousy can lead to great destruction if we allow it to rule us.  Verse seven concludes, And Jephthah judged Israel six years. Then died Jephthah the Gileadite, and was buried in one of the cities of Gilead.  Jephthah ruled Israel for six years, and then he died.  No matter how successful people are in God's kingdom today, they will ultimately die if Christ does not return first.  Verse eight says, And after him Ibzan of Bethlehem judged Israel.  We are told that the next ruler was Ibzan,  Verse nine adds, And he had thirty sons, and thirty daughters, whom he sent abroad, and took in thirty daughters from abroad for his sons. And he judged Israel seven years.  Ibzan had sixty children, thirty sons and thirty daughters, whom he arranged marriages for.  He judged, or ruled, Israel for seven years, though he had evidently lived a long life.  Verse ten states, Then died Ibzan, and was buried at Bethlehem.  Verse eleven adds,  And after him Elon, a Zebulonite, judged Israel; and he judged Israel ten years.  After Ibzan died, Elon from the tribe of Zebulon became the ruler of Israel.  Not all the judges, or rulers, were from the same tribe.  Verse twelve says, And Elon the Zebulonite died, and was buried in Aijalon in the country of Zebulun.  We are told even less about Elon than we were about Ibzan, but he ruled Israel for ten years, then he died.  Verse thirteen states, And after him Abdon the son of Hillel, a Pirathonite, judged Israel. Then verse fourteen adds, And he had forty sons and thirty nephews, that rode on threescore and ten ass colts: and he judged Israel eight years.  Abdon was of the tribe of Ephraim, and he had forty sons and thirty nephews that we are told rode on seventy donkeys, either as judges under him or as men of distinction.  Verse fifteen concludes, And Abdon the son of Hillel the Pirathonite died, and was buried in Pirathon in the land of Ephraim, in the mount of the Amalekites.  Like the others, Abdon died.  We are not told much about Israel during this time, and Matthew Henry points out that we are told nothing about the high priest.  He says that the priesthood was looking forward to the eternal priesthood of Christ.  We do know that the priesthood today is not an office, but a relationship with Christ.  Through our faith in Christ, we are all a part of the royal priesthood.

Judges 11:12 says, And Jephthah sent messengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, saying, What hast thou to do with me, that thou art come against me to fight in my land?  Jephthah sent messengers to the king of Ammon to ask him why he was coming to the people of Israel in war.  The best way to react to those who oppose us as followers of Christ is to first attempt to ask them what they have against us.  Verse thirteen states, And the king of the children of Ammon answered unto the messengers of Jephthah, Because Israel took away my land, when they came up out of Egypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan: now therefore restore those lands again peaceably.  The king of Ammon said the people of Israel took away his land when they came out of the land of Egypt, and demanded that they return it.  There are people today who feel that Israel took away their land when it was established again, and they likewise want it restored.  This has been a centuries old problem.  Verse fourteen says, And Jephthah sent messengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon:  Then verse fifteen declares, And said unto him, Thus saith Jephthah, Israel took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon:  Jephthah sent messengers once again to tell the king of Ammon that Israel had not taken away the land of Moab or the land of Ammon.  He gave a direct answer to the claim that the king of Ammon made, and included the land of Moab with it.  We need to be able to answer people honestly today as Christians if they accuse us of taking something that is theirs and be able to say that it isn't true.  Verse sixteen adds, But when Israel came up from Egypt, and walked through the wilderness unto the Red sea, and came to Kadesh;  Jephthah had the messengers tell the king of Ammon what had really happened.  Verse seventeen continues, Then Israel sent messengers unto the king of Edom, saying, Let me, I pray thee, pass through thy land: but the king of Edom would not hearken thereto. And in like manner they sent unto the king of Moab: but he would not consent: and Israel abode in Kadesh.  Jephthah said that when the people of Israel came up from the Red Sea that they asked the king of Edom and the king of Moab to allow them to pass through, and they wouldn't allow them to, so they abode in Kadesh.  Verse eighteen adds, Then they went along through the wilderness, and compassed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the east side of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other side of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab: for Arnon was the border of Moab.  Jephthah said the people of Israel went by way of the wilderness around, not through, the land of Moab and Ammon, to the other side of the land.  Then verse nineteen continues, And Israel sent messengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Heshbon; and Israel said unto him, Let us pass, we pray thee, through thy land into my place.  Jephthah said the people of Israel had asked Sihon, the king of the Amorites to allow them to pass through his land.  There were still no demands, but only requests.  Verse twenty declares, But Sihon trusted not Israel to pass through his coast: but Sihon gathered all his people together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought against Israel.  Jephthah said that Sihon did not trust the people of Israel, so he not only didn't allow them to pass through his land, but he went to war against them.  Sihon, not the people of Israel, was responsible for the conflict.  Then, in the war, Israel had defeated Sihon and taken the land.  Israel was not the aggressor, but Sihon was, and in a war, the victor takes the spoils.  If we do engage in war against anyone in the world today as followers of Christ, we need to be sure that they initiate the war.  Of course, we are to live in peace with all people to the best of our ability and are never to covet what others have.  Israel did not covet the land of Sihon, but they did defend themselves and take his land when attacked.  Verse twenty-one says, And the LORD God of Israel delivered Sihon and all his people into the hand of Israel, and they smote them: so Israel possessed all the land of the Amorites, the inhabitants of that country.  The credit for Israel's victory over Sihon did not go the people of Israel, but to the LORD.  If the king of Ammon now wanted to fight Israel for the land, he needed to know that he would be fighting against God.  As followers of Christ today, if we are living by His guidance, if we are in a war with people of the world, we need to rely on God for the victory and give Him the glory.  Verse twenty-two states, And they possessed all the coasts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and from the wilderness even unto Jordan.  Because of Sihon's coming against Israel in battle and losing, the Israelites took possession of all his land.

Judges 11:34 says, And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his house, and, behold, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances: and she was his only child; beside her he had neither son nor daughter.  When Jephthah returned home successfully, his daughter, his only child, was the first to come out of his door to meet him.  He had made a vow to God to sacrifice the first thing out of his door to God, as a burnt sacrifice.  This had been done basically as a bargaining tool, to help ensure God's giving Jephthah the victory.  We need to be careful what we promise to God as a bargaining tool.  If God does give us the victory over whatever problem we are facing, then we must be prepared to live up to our end of the bargain.  Verse thirty-five states,  And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes, and said, Alas, my daughter! thou hast brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me: for I have opened my mouth unto the LORD, and I cannot go back.  His daughter was celebrating, but Jephthah said she had brought him low and was one of the ones who was causing him trouble because of his vow to God, which he couldn't take back.  We need to realize that when we make a vow to God that we cannot take it back without consequences, therefore we should know for sure what we are promising before we make the vow.  Verse thirty-six declares, And she said unto him, My father, if thou hast opened thy mouth unto the LORD, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth; forasmuch as the LORD hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, even of the children of Ammon.  Jephthah's daughter told him that whatever he had vowed to the LORD concerning her to do it, because God had fulfilled His part by giving Jephthah victory over the Ammonites.  Though she wasn't sure what the vow was, she recognized the importance of fulfilling it.  We must also recognize the importance of fulfilling our vows to God, because He will always fulfill His part if we have truly made a vow to Him.  Verse thirty-seven adds, And she said unto her father, Let this thing be done for me: let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my fellows.  His daughter did ask for two months before the vow was fulfilled.  Verse thirty-eight declares, And he said, Go. And he sent her away for two months: and she went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains.  Jephthah allowed her to go with her companions for the two months.  I have to wonder what they both might have been thinking during this time.  Verse thirty-nine adds, And it came to pass at the end of two months, that she returned unto her father, who did with her according to his vow which he had vowed: and she knew no man. And it was a custom in Israel,  When she returned, Jephthah fulfilled his vow.  I cannot believe that this is something that God really wanted, but it was done because of the faithfulness of Jephthah to God.  I likewise believe that we may sometimes make vows to God that may not even be something that He would want us to do, but if we believe that God has given us success because of the vow, we cannot just suddenly change our mind about fulfilling our part of the vow.  That is why it is very important that we make sure that what we promise God is in accordance with His will.  Verse forty concludes, That the daughters of Israel went yearly to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.  The daughters of Israel went yearly to lament Jephthah's daughter for four days.  She had told Jephthah to fulfill his vow to God, and it had cost them both dearly.  We need to make sure that if we make a vow to God that it is not going to cost someone else even more than it costs us.

Judges 11:23 says, So now the LORD God of Israel hath dispossessed the Amorites from before his people Israel, and shouldest thou possess it?  The question was if the LORD God of Israel had given the land to Israel, dispossessing the Amorites, should the Amorites now possess it again.  The things of this earth that God gives us may be taken away by other people, but the one gift that is important, salvation through Christ, can never be.  Still, just as Jephthah said, Israel had not defeated the Amorites by their own power, neither will we defeat the forces of the world by our own power.  Verse twenty-four states, Wilt not thou possess that which Chemosh thy god giveth thee to possess? So whomsoever the LORD our God shall drive out from before us, them will we possess.  Jephthah then asked the king of the Amorites if their god gave them a land to possess, would they not possess it.  Jephthah then said this is what Israel had done.  Matthew Henry says that what God gives us to possess we have a responsibility to possess.  Verse twenty-five asks, And now art thou any thing better than Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab? did he ever strive against Israel, or did he ever fight against them,  Jephthah then asks if the king now is any better than Balak was when he fought against Israel.  Balak had acknowledged that he had lost the land to Israel and did not attempt to reclaim it.  Verse twenty-six adds, While Israel dwelt in Heshbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that be along by the coasts of Arnon, three hundred years? why therefore did ye not recover them within that time?  Jephthah then said that Israel had possessed the land for three hundred years and asked why the Amorites had not attempted to reclaim it during all that time.  If we have been a follower of Christ for a long time, then we should be able to say to the people and things of this world that there is no reason for them to even attempt to reclaim us now.  Of course, this should be true no matter how long we have followed Christ.  Verse twenty-seven declares, Wherefore I have not sinned against thee, but thou doest me wrong to war against me: the LORD the Judge be judge this day between the children of Israel and the children of Ammon.  Jephthah said that he had not sinned against the people of Ammon, and that they should let the LORD judge between them.  This is what we will ultimately all do.  Verse twenty-eight states, Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him.  The king of the Amorites would not listen to what Jephthah had to say, and we should not be surprised of the people of the world today do not listen to us when we tell that God has blessed us in a particular way.  What God gives us, others may feel that they should have, and we can only hope that they listen to us when we tell them that God is the reason we have whatever it is that they feel should be theirs.  It would be nice if people felt the need for salvation as much as they sometimes feel the need for our possessions.  Verse twenty-nine declares, Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon.  Jephthah was moved by the Spirit of God to go to battle against the Amorites.  He had tried to reason with them, and did not just go against them by his own decision, but was led by God's Spirit, just as we must be today.  Verse thirty adds,  And Jephthah vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou shalt without fail deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands,  Then verse thirty-one continues, Then it shall be, that whatsoever cometh forth of the doors of my house to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, shall surely be the LORD’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.  Jephthah makes a vow to God, that if God brings him back successful from battle, that the first thing coming out of the door of his house would be given to God as a burnt offering.  Verse thirty-two states, So Jephthah passed over unto the children of Ammon to fight against them; and the LORD delivered them into his hands.  Jephthah was successful in his battle with Ammon because God gave him the victory.  If we truly go into battle with the world today under God's leadership and power, we can be certain of success, even if it doesn't look like it immediately.  Through our faith in Christ, the victory is ours.  Verse thirty-three concludes, And he smote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, even twenty cities, and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great slaughter. Thus the children of Ammon were subdued before the children of Israel.  Jephthah and his forces fought the Amorites in twenty cities, and defeated them completely.  We today can likewise defeat all the forces that come against us if we are followers of Christ and are acting under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

Judges 11:1 says, Now Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, and he was the son of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah.  We are told of a man named Jephthah, who was a son of Gilead, and was known as a man of great valor, but he was the son of a harlot.  His mother was evidently not even a concubine, which would have made him acceptable.  Still, a child should not be judged by the sins of his or her parents.  Verse two states, And Gilead’s wife bare him sons; and his wife’s sons grew up, and they thrust out Jephthah, and said unto him, Thou shalt not inherit in our father’s house; for thou art the son of a strange woman.  When Gilead's sons by his wife grew up, they threw Jephthah out of the household and told him he would not inherit any of their father's estate.  They had done nothing more to inherit their father's estate than had Jephthah.  No matter what our status is in the world, we have done nothing more than anyone else to deserve to inherit everlasting life.  We all inherit it by accepting the gift of the Heavenly Father, salvation through Jesus Christ.  Verse three says, Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him.  Matthew Henry says that these vain men were men that had lost their inheritance or had squandered it in some way, but that they were making their way honestly.  Verse four states, And it came to pass in process of time, that the children of Ammon made war against Israel.  In time, the people of Ammon made war against Israel.  There always seemed to be an enemy ready to challenge Israel, just as there will always be enemies ready to challenge us today as the followers of Christ.  We will never have to go out looking for enemies, because they will find us.  Verse five declares, And it was so, that when the children of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob:  When the people of Ammon made war against Israel, the elders of Gilead sent for Jephthah, who was living in the land of Tob.  Remember, Jephthah was know as a man of great valor, and now the people Israel needed him.  We may be rejected by the world as followers of Christ, but we must still remain people of great valor for the Lord, and even if they never realize it, the people of the world need us.  Verse six adds, And they said unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of Ammon.  The elders of Gilead asked Jephthah to come be their captain.  Suddenly, they were not concerned about who his mother was.  Verse seven asks, And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, Did not ye hate me, and expel me out of my father’s house? and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in distress?  Jephthah asked a legitimate question, and that was if they were not the ones who had driven him out of his father's house, so why were they now coming to him in their time of distress?  We might be able to ask the same question of those who reject us as Christian until they need something from us, but I don't believe this is what God expects from us.  Verse eight states, And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayest go with us, and fight against the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.  The elders said that they turned to him because they needed him, and that they would make him the head of the people of Gilead.  I have to wonder how his half brothers felt about this.  Verse nine says, And Jephthah said unto the elders of Gilead, If ye bring me home again to fight against the children of Ammon, and the LORD deliver them before me, shall I be your head?  Jephthah asked if he returned, and the Lord delivered them from the Ammonites, would they make him the ruler of Gilead.  He did not say if he delivered them, but if God did.  No matter how great we may be in the eyes of the world, any victory that we achieve will be by the grace and power of God.  Verse ten declares, And the elders of Gilead said unto Jephthah, The LORD be witness between us, if we do not so according to thy words.  The elders of Gilead called on the LORD to be their witness that they would make Jephthah their ruler.  If we make a promise based on our relationship with God, and any  time we make a promise as a follower of Christ we do so, then we better be prepared to follow through on it.  Verse eleven states, Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them: and Jephthah uttered all his words before the LORD in Mizpeh.  The elders of Gilead made Jephthah their ruler, and he uttered his words to God.  Jephthah might have been looked down on by people until he was needed, but he evidently kept his relationship with God.  This is the only relationship that we should be concerned with today.

Judges 10:10 says, And the children of Israel cried unto the LORD, saying, We have sinned against thee, both because we have forsaken our God, and also served Baalim.  Once again, the people of Israel called out to God.  They confessed their sin of having deserted God and serving Baalim.  This only happened when things got bad for them.  If we are a Christian and turn away from God's guidance, things will get bad for us, spiritually if not materially, and we must confess our sins and ask God to forgive us once more if we do.  Verse eleven states, And the LORD said unto the children of Israel, Did not I deliver you from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines?  God asked the people of Israel if He had delivered them many times before when they had been defeated by other nations.  The answer was yes.  God has  already delivered us from all our enemies if we put our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, so if we fall back under the power of sin, this is a question that He will ask us today.  Verse twelve adds, The Zidonians also, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did oppress you; and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand.  God reminded the people of Israel of other times that they cried out to Him and He delivered them.  Verse thirteen declares, Yet ye have forsaken me, and served other gods: wherefore I will deliver you no more.  God told the people of Israel that since He had delivered them so many times and they had continually forsaken Him that he was not going to deliver them again.  This would be a very sad place to be.  As followers of Christ, we will never be in a place where God will not forgive our sins, but we might reach a point where He removes His protective hand from our lives if we continue to allow sin to come back into our lives.  Verse fourteen adds, Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen; let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation.  God told them to call to the gods that they had worshipped in the good times and let them deliver them in the time of tribulation.  It is often easy to ignore God when things are going well in life and allow other things to become more important than Him, but these things will never be able to deliver us when tribulation comes.  Verse fifteen declares, And the children of Israel said unto the LORD, We have sinned: do thou unto us whatsoever seemeth good unto thee; deliver us only, we pray thee, this day.  The people told God once again that they had sinned, and told Him to do whatever He wanted to do to them, but to deliver them that day.  They were basically saying to God get us out of our current situation and You can do whatever You want to do to us after that.  Of course, God could have done whatever He wanted to do to them anyway.  They really had no bargaining power, and neither do we.  They had to rely on God's mercy and grace, as does everyone.  Verse sixteen adds, And they put away the strange gods from among them, and served the LORD: and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel.  The people of Israel put away the strange god's and began to serve the only true God, and God was grieved by their suffering.  They didn't wait for God to change their situation before they started to serve Him again, and neither can we afford to.  When we know we have sinned before God, we must repent and return to Him, whether things change physically or materially for us or not.  Verse seventeen states, Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Israel assembled themselves together, and encamped in Mizpeh.  Then verse eighteen adds, And the people and princes of Gilead said one to another, What man is he that will begin to fight against the children of Ammon? he shall be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead.  The Ammonites and the people of Gilead were facing each other, and the people of Gilead said that whoever would lead them in a fight against the Ammonites would be their ruler.  The people were ready to fight after returning to God.

Judges 10:1 says, And after Abimelech there arose to defend Israel Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar; and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim.  After Abimelech died, there was another ruler named Tola who arose to defend Israel.  We are told very little about him, except that he was of the tribe of Issachar, or the people of Israel during this time  Verse two adds, And he judged Israel twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.  Tola ruled for twenty-three years, and he died.  Verse three states, And after him arose Jair, a Gileadite, and judged Israel twenty and two years.  The next judge, or ruler, of Israel was Jair, a Gileadite, who ruled for twenty- two years.  Again, we are told little of what was happening in Israel during his rule.  Verse four adds, And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havothjair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead.  We are told that Jair had thirty sons who traveled on donkey colts and they were the judges of thirty cities that they under their fathers rule.  Verse five concludes, And Jair died, and was buried in Camon.  Evidently, during these forty-five years that Tola and Jair ruled, Israel was at peace and these two rulers served with the best interest of Israel at heart and followed God's guidance.  Though it doesn't specifically say so, I believe we can assume this because nothing bad was said about the people at this time.  The times when God's people are following Him faithfully may not be noted in history for any particularly significant facts, but it will be a time of peace and security for them.  Verse six declares, And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD, and served Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines, and forsook the LORD, and served not him.  After the death of Jair, we are told about the people of Israel.  They did evil again in the sight of God.  The pattern begins to repeat itself once again.   God's chosen people began to serve false gods once more.  We, as followers of Christ, God's people today, must never allow ourselves to put anything, any other god, between God and us.  Verse seven proclaims, And the anger of the LORD was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the children of Ammon.  God was angry with Israel, as He had a right to be.  He allowed them to be defeated by the Philistines.  Verse eight says, And that year they vexed and oppressed the children of Israel: eighteen years, all the children of Israel that were on the other side Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which is in Gilead.  The people of Israel on the one side of the Jordan were under the rule of the Philistines for eighteen years.  Verse nine adds, Moreover the children of Ammon passed over Jordan to fight also against Judah, and against Benjamin, and against the house of Ephraim; so that Israel was sore distressed.  The people of Israel on the other side of the Jordan were at battle with the Ammonites at the same time.  Though divided by the Jordan, all of God's people had turned away from Him and all suffered because of it.  No matter where we live in the world today, if we are God's people through our faith in Christ as our Savior and Lord, we cannot afford to turn away from Him.  We must always keep God first, or we will suffer spiritually, if not physically.

 Judges 9:42 says, And it came to pass on the morrow, that the people went out into the field; and they told Abimelech.  Verse forty-three adds, And he took the people, and divided them into three companies, and laid wait in the field, and looked, and, behold, the people were come forth out of the city; and he rose up against them, and smote them.  Being told that the people of the city were going to come out, Abimelech got ready, and he defeated them.  Verse forty-four states, And Abimelech, and the company that was with him, rushed forward, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and the two other companies ran upon all the people that were in the fields, and slew them. A third of Abimelech's forces blocked the way back into the city and the other two-thirds killed those who had come out to defy him.  Sin is the same way in a persons life.  There is no safe place that we can go to and it will lead to everlasting spiritual death wherever we are unless we accept forgiveness through faith in Christ.  Verse forty-five says, And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.  Abimelech completely destroyed the city.  Though he was successful, I don't believe it was by the power of God that he was.  Abimelech may have been leading God's people, but from his actions with Gideon's other sons, there is no evidence that he was following God's guidance.  Someone today may call himself or herself a Christian, but their actions may say otherwise.  Verse forty-six declares,  And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith.  When the men of the tower of Shechem heard what had happened, they went into the hold in the house of the god Berith.  They were looking for safety from a false god, just as many people do today.  Verse forty-seven states, And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.  Then verse forty-eight adds, And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an axe in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and laid it on his shoulder, and said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done.  Verse forty-nine continues, And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.  Abimelech cut wood and piled it around the hold that the people were in and had his men do the same, then he set it on fire.  This killed around a thousand men, women and children that were inside.  This was a cruel action on the part of Abimelech, and again I don't believe that it was done by the leadership of God.  Verse fifty states, Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.  Verse fifty-one adds, But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut it to them, and gat them up to the top of the tower.  Abimelech then went to Thebez and took it, but there was a strong tower there that the men and women fled to.  Verse fifty-two says, And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire.  Abimelech fought against the people in the tower and went to the door to burn it.  Verse fifty-three declares, And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech’s head, and all to brake his skull.  A woman in the city attempted to kill Abimelech by dropping a piece of millstone on his head.  The people did not give up easily, and at least one of the women was still willing to fight.  Verse forty-four states, Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.  Abimelech asked his armor bearer to kill him so it would not be said that he was killed by a woman.  He was still vain even at the point of death.  People today are often more concerned with how they will be viewed by the world than they are about how they will be viewed by God.  Abimelech should have been concerned more about his relationship with God than how the world would view his death, and so should we today.  Verse fifty-five declares, And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place.  When the men of Israel heard that Abimelech was dead, they went home.  Their leader was dead, so they lost heart in the fight.  Verse fifty-six adds, Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren:  We are told that the death of Abimelech was caused by God as a judgment of his wickedness.  No matter how we die in this world, we need to ultimately be concerned with how God will judge us.  Verse fifty-seven concludes, And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.  God also held the men of Shechem accountable for their sins.  Just because one sinner dies in his sin does not make others exempt from being held accountable for theirs.

Judges 9:35 says, And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from lying in wait.  Gaal was standing looking out of the city, and then Abimelech and his army rose up out of hiding.  Verse thirty-six states, And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, there come people down from the top of the mountains. And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as if they were men.  Gaal told Zebul that he saw people coming down from the mountain, and Zebul basically told him that he was just seeing things.  Since Zebul was working with Abimelech, he was attempting to keep Gaal from continuing to notice Abimelech, while at the same time ridiculing Gaal.  We should not be surprised when the people of the world who are supposedly allies are secretly working against each other.  They might just be looking out for themselves.  We as followers of Christ cannot afford to be that way.  We must always try to be honest with others and do our best to help them.  Verse thirty-seven declares,-And Gaal spake again and said, See there come people down by the middle of the land, and another company come along by the plain of Meonenim.  Gaal once again said he saw the people coming down in two companies.  It would be unlikely that he would mistake the shadows of the mountain for two groups of people.  Verse thirty-eight states, Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou hast despised? go out, I pray now, and fight with them.  Zebul asked Gaal if he had not questioned the power of Abimelech and despised him, and told him to now go out and fight him.  Basically, Zebul told Gaal that it was time to put his words into action.  It is easy to be brave as long as we don't really face the enemy, but it is sometimes a different story when we actually do face them.  Verse thirty-nine declares, And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech.  To his credit, Gaal led the men of Shechem out to fight with Abimelech.  He at least attempted to live up to his boasts.  Of course, just be willing to live up to a boast does not ensure success.  Verse forty states. And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the gate.  Though Gaal went out to fight Abimelech. he was soon running from him, and the people with him suffered many who were overthrown and wounded, all the way to the gate of the city.  Verse forty-one continues, And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah: and Zebul thrust out Gaal and his brethren, that they should not dwell in Shechem.  Abimelech defeated Gaal and his forces and returned to Arumuh, while Zebul drove Gaal out of the city.  The people of the city might have still opposed Abimelech, but they had lost faith in Gaal, maybe partly because of his big talk.  We should never be surprised when people of the world turn on each other, even those who had seemed to be allied together.

Judges 9:22 says. When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel,  Verse twenty-three adds, Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech:  After Abimelech had ruled for three years, we are told that God sent an evil spirit to come between Abimelech and the men of Shechem.  Again I have to believe that it was more God allowing an evil spirit to come between them than His actually sending one, since I don't believe that God leads people to evil.  Verse twenty-four states, That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren.  There was now a time for accounting for the cruelty in the killing of Gideon's other sons.  Both Abimelech and the men of Shechem who had backed him were guilty of their deaths.  All who participate in evil actions will be held responsible for their actions by God, even if they never are by the people of the world.  Verse twenty-five says,  And the men of Shechem set liers in wait for him in the top of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and it was told Abimelech.  The men of Shechem had men lie in wait for Abimelech at the top of the mountain and they robbed people who came along.  Verse twenty-six states, And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.  Gaal and his brothers came to the men of Shechem, and they put their confidence in him.  When the people of the world have given up on one ruler, they will always be looking for someone else to help them.  Verse twenty-seven adds, And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech.  Having made Gaal their leader, the men of Shechem partied and cursed Abimelech.  These were the same men who had supported Abimelech when he had seized power.  Their own jealousy and ambition had caused them to now despise Abimelech, just as those traits, those evil spirits, will cause the people who do not follow God today to have disputes, even if they have been allied at times.  Verse twenty-eight declares, And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him?  Gaal questioned why they should serve Abimelech.  He asked who Abimelech was that they should serve him.  He was bold in his defiance of Abimelech.  Verse twenty-nine adds, And would to God this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out.  Gaal challenged Abimelech, but he also attempted to give his challenge God's endorsement.  Gaal told Abimelech to increase his army and come meet him.  People often get caught up in their own sense of power and at times also attempt to give their actions God's endorsement without really seeking God's guidance.  Verse thirty states, And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled.  Then verse thirty-one adds, And he sent messengers unto Abimelech privily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren be come to Shechem; and, behold, they fortify the city against thee.  Zebul, the ruler of the city heard Gaal's plans and sent word to Abimelech.  Gaal should not have assumed that everyone was going to agree with what he was doing.  Verse thirty-two continues, Now therefore up by night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in wait in the field:  Zebul advised Abimelech to come by night and lay in wait in the field near the city.  Verse thirty-three concludes, And it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early, and set upon the city: and, behold, when he and the people that is with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find occasion.  Zebul then told Abimelech to come against the city early in the morning and when Gaal and the men of the city came out after him, Abimelech could do to them whatever he chose to do.  Zebul not only sent word to Abimelech, but the told him how to defeat Gaal.  Gaal had put too much faith in his own ability to get everyone to side with him against Abimelech.  Verse thirty-four declares, And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies.  Abimelech carried out the plan.  The people that had been with him might have turned against Abimelech, but he was still the ruler.  Getting rid of those who come to power through evil ways may not be as simple as those who have enabled them to come to power think.

Judges 9:7 says, And when they told it to Jotham, he went and stood in the top of mount Gerizim, and lifted up his voice, and cried, and said unto them, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you.  When Jotham heard what had happened, he went to the top of  Mount Gerizim and cried out for the people to listen to him, so that God might hear them.  What they had done was not what God would have had them do.  We should always proclaim God's word and ask others to listen to us.  Verse eight states, The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them; and they said unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us.  Jotham spoke in an analogy about trees.  The other trees wanted the olive tree to reign over them, much as the people of Israel wanted a leader.  Verse nine adds, But the olive tree said unto them, Should I leave my fatness, wherewith by me they honour God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?  The olive tree said there was nothing to be gained by leaving its fatness to rule over them.  Verse ten says, And the trees said to the fig tree, Come thou, and reign over us.  The trees next asked the fig tree to be their ruler.  Verse eleven adds, But the fig tree said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be promoted over the trees?   Once more they were rejected.  The fig tree said it wasn't worth its time to give up what it already had.  Verse twelve adds, Then said the trees unto the vine, Come thou, and reign over us.  Then verse thirteen adds, And the vine said unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the trees?  The trees next asked the vine to rule over them.  They seemed to be looking for just any ruler.  We cannot look to just anyone to be our spiritual leader, but must look for the person that God has chosen for us.   The vine asked why it should leave its making of wine simply to rule over the trees.  This was not God calling these various plants to rule over the others, but if God calls us to a place of service, whether great or small, we cannot say that it would cost us too much or that it doesn't fit in our plans.  Verse fourteen states,
Then said all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, and reign over us.  The trees now went to the bramble, which would have been nothing but a  pest to them and asked it to be their ruler.  The trees really didn't even need a ruler, but they were determined to have one no matter how unqualified that ruler might be.  We cannot be the same way.  Verse fifteen adds, And the bramble said unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow: and if not, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon.  The bramble told the trees to put their faith in it, or else it would destroy them.  The trees now had something willing to rule over them, but only if the put all their faith in it to avoid being destroyed.  Verse sixteen declares, Now therefore, if ye have done truly and sincerely, in that ye have made Abimelech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubbaal and his house, and have done unto him according to the deserving of his hands;  Then verse seventeen adds, (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and delivered you out of the hand of Midian:  Then verse eighteen continues, And ye are risen up against my father’s house this day, and have slain his sons, threescore and ten persons, upon one stone, and have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the men of Shechem, because he is your brother;)   Jotham then applies this to the people of Israel.  He asked if they had dealt honestly with the sons of Jerubbaal, or Gideon, in making Abimelech king.  Gideon was the one that God used to deliver them, and yet they had killed all of his sons except Abimelech and Jotham, who had managed to escape.  Jotham asked if they thought this was the right thing to do.  Then verse nineteen proclaims, If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you:  Jotham told the people that if that had done right by Jerubbaal and his descendants, then they should rejoice with Abimelech and he should rejoice with them and rule over them.  Then verse twenty adds, But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.  Jotham then added a but to the proclamation.  If they had not dealt honestly with Jerubbaal and his descendants, then let them be destroyed by fire.  If we are putting our faith in false gods today, or any person that stands between God and us, one day our works will be consumed by fire.   Verse twenty-one states,  And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother.  Jotham went to Beer to live, because he feared Abimelech, his brother.  He did not call on God to empower him to defeat Abimelech, nor did he call on God to immediately destroy Abimelech.  When confronted with an enemy, as followers of Christ, we must call on God to help us overcome our enemies and should never run away from them in fear.

Judges 9:1 says, And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother’s brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother’s father, saying,  Abimelech, the son of Gideon's concubine, went to Shechem, and talked with his uncles.  Verse two states, Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.  Abimelech had a proposition for them to propose to the men of Shechem.  He asked his uncles to ask the men if it were better for them to serve the seventy sons of Gideon, or to serve one man, Abimelech, who was related to them by blood.  The question is somewhat the opposite today, and that is whether it is better for a person to serve one God, or to serve all the things, or many gods, of this world.  The powers of the world will always make themselves seem the better option, just as Abimelech did.  Verse three says, And his mother’s brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother.  After Abimelech's uncles asked the men who they had rather serve, they decided on Abimelech, since he was a blood relative.  Sometimes, we might be inclined to follow our blood relatives, but if they are not following the leadership of God, then we need to follow those who are truly God's people instead.  Through our faith in Christ, we become a part of a new, spiritual family, and we must never turn our backs on them.  Verse four declares, And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baalberith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed him.  The men of Shechem gave Abimelech seventy pieces of silver, which was the same as the number of the rest of Gideon's sons.  Abimelech then hired some disrespectful men to follow him.  The people of the world are always going to be ready to spend money to defeat God's people, and it will have to be accomplished by disrespectful people.  Verse five declares, And he went unto his father’s house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: notwithstanding yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.  Abimelech and those with him went to Gideon's house and killed all of his sons, except the youngest, Jotham, who managed to hide himself.  It is not unusual in parts of the world today for leaders to kill all their relatives that they think might be a threat to their power.  Gideon had been a mighty man of God, and he left behind many sons, but somewhere along the line we quit hearing about Him asking God for guidance, and now all that was left was two sons, one of which had killed all the others except one.  All we can leave behind in this world that is of everlasting value is our spiritual legacy.  Verse six says, And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem.  The men of Shechem gathered together and made Abimelech king.  There is no reference to anyone asking God if this was His plan, which should be our first step in anything that we as Christians do today.

Judges 8:22 says, Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian.  The men of Israel asked Gideon to be their ruler, and for his sons and grandsons to follow him in ruling them.  They said that he had delivered them form the Midianites, but really God had.  Verse twenty-three states, And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you.  Gideon said neither he nor his sons would reign over them, but that the LORD would.  No matter who the earthly leader may be today, as followers of Christ we can never forget that God is in charge.  Verse twenty-four adds, And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)  Gideon then requested that the men give him the earrings that they had gotten from their enemies.  This would have been seen as some of the fruits of war.  We really shouldn't look to profit materially from defeating our spiritual enemies,  Verse twenty-five says,  And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey.  The men said they would willingly give the earrings to Gideon, and they did.  Gideon did not demand that they do this, but they willingly granted his request.  When we are asked to give up the things of this world that may come between God and us, we need to do so willingly.  God will never demand that we do this, but He will ask it of us.  Verse twenty-six states, And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels’ necks.  There was a lot of gold.  No matter how much we are asked to give up of the things of this world in order yo remain true to God, we must never feel that it is too much.  Verse twenty-seven declares, And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house.  Gideon made an ephod of the gold and put it in his city, and the people of Israel began to worship it.  This became a snare to Gideon and his house.  If we allow anything to stand between God and us, it will become a snare to us.  Verse twenty-eight states, Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon.  Israel once again had a period of peace during Gideon's lifetime, for forty years.  Verse twenty-nine declares, And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house.  Then verse thirty adds, And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives.  Gideon lived in his house, not in a palace as a ruler, and he had seventy sons, since he had many wives.  I don't believe that he would have been following God's will in this, but would have been living by his own desires.  Just because God uses us to accomplish great things in the world does not give us the right to then live by our own desires.  Verse thirty-one says, And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.  Gideon also had a son named Abimelech with his concubine at Shechem.  He not only had many wives, but he had at least one concubine, with whom he had a son.  Verse thirty-two states, And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.  After a long life, Gideon died and was buried.  No matter what we do for God, there will come a day when we die, unless Christ returns first.  Verse thirty-three declares, And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baalberith their god.  Once Gideon was dead, the people of Israel once again turned away from God and started worshipping Baal.  We cannot allow our faith to be based on any earthly leader, but it must be based on our relationship with Christ.  Verse thirty-four adds, 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:  The people of Israel, God's chosen people, once again forgot God and all that He had done for them.  We as followers of Christ cannot afford to be the same way, but must always remember what God has done for us and remain true to Him.  Verse thirty-five concludes, Neither shewed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, namely, Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had shewed unto Israel.  The people of Israel may have wanted Gideon and his descendants to be their rulers, but now that he was dead, they no longer felt any reason to honor his descendants.  If people forget God, we should not be surprised that they do not show any respect for those who serve Him and have been used by Him to do great things.

We will pause our study of the book of Judges this morning to think about Easter Sunday, the day that the world really changed.  This year, with all the change brought about by the coronavirus, we are not having a normal Easter, but neither did the world all those years ago.  Those who opposed Jesus thought He was dead and sealed securely in the tomb.  The disciples were hidden away in discouragement and felt defeated.  The women closest to Jesus were on the way to prepare His body for a regular burial.  But then, everything changed.  When the women got to the tomb, the stone was rolled away and instead of a dead Jesus, they found an angel.  Then, they got the good news that Jesus was not there, but He was risen.  He was alive, and the world has been a different place ever since.  Today, when the world seems to be a nearly hopeless mess because of the coronavirus, we as followers of Christ have good news, and that is that Jesus is alive.  Peter and John ran to the tomb when the women told them what had happened, but Jesus wasn't there.  We may feel the need to congregate at a church building today, but we do not have to be at a particular place to worship God, just as the disciples didn't have to be at the tomb to find Jesus.  Jesus is with us wherever we are as followers of Christ through the Holy Spirit, and the good news is that we can worship Him wherever we are.  So today, let's just declare, "He is risen," and because He is risen, He will be with us forevermore if we simply accept Him as our Savior and Lord by faith.  The coronavirus will pass, but Jesus lives forever and calls us to salvation through Him.      

Judges 8:10 says, Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the east: for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword.  Zebah and Zalmunna and about fifteen thousand men were all that were left as over one hundred and twenty thousand had already been killed.  The size of the opposition does not really matter as long as we are faithful to God.  Verse eleven states, And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host: for the host was secure.  Gideon went up and killed the last of the host, or soldiers.  Verse twelve says, And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued after them, and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the host.  The two kings once again fled and Gideon pursued them.  They seemed to have abandoned their men and were concerned only for a few leaders and themselves.  Those who do not follow God often look out only for themselves, and some times it seems that at times some of those who are followers of Christ are the same way unfortunately.  Verse thirteen declares, And Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle before the sun was up,  Gideon returned to the battle before the sun was up.  Nearly all the enemy may have been killed, but a few remained.  We today do not need to become less vigilant when it seems that our enemies are almost all slain, but need to realize that in this lifetime they never will be.  We need to start every day prepared to face the enemy through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Verse fourteen says, And caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and inquired of him: and he described unto him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, even threescore and seventeen men.  Gideon asked a young man that he met about the men he was pursuing, and he told Gideon about them.  Verse fifteen states, And he came unto the men of Succoth, and said, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom ye did upbraid me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thy men that are weary?  When Gideon returned to Succoth, he reminded them of his earlier request for bread for his men and their denial of it because Zebah and Zalmunna were not yet defeated.  We should not be surprised if the people of the world today look around and see the forces of the world as more powerful than Christians and ask why they should help us  Like the people of Succoth though, one day they will know, as God has already secured the victory.  Verse sixteen declares, And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.  Gideon took the leaders of Succoth into the wilderness and the  briars and taught them a lesson,  Verse seventeen adds, And he beat down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.  Gideon then tore down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.  This would be speculation, but the tower probably represented some god.  I do know without speculation that we must tear down everything in our lives that becomes more important than God.  Verse eighteen states, Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king.  Gideon asked Zebah and Zalmunna who the people they killed at Tabor were, and they said that they looked like Gideon.  Verse nineteen declares, And he said, They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother: as the LORD liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you.  Gideon said that these men that were slain bt Zebah and Zalmunna were his brothers, and if they had saved them, then Gideon would not kill them.  Their actions had consequences, just as ours do today..  The only way to be forgiven and not bear the responsibility of those consequences is through faith in Christ.  Verse twenty adds, And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth.  Gideon told his oldest son, Jether, to slay Zebah and Zalmunna, but he couldn't do it. because he was still a youth.  We as followers of Christ should not allow our age to keep us from following God's commands, whether we are very young or very old.  Verse twenty-one concludes, Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels’ necks.   Zebah and Zalmunna basically told Gideon to go ahead and kill them, and he did.  We need to spiritually slay all the enemies of God today, whether they invite us to or not.

Judges 8:1 says, And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? And they did chide with him sharply.  The men of Ephraim came to Gideon and asked why he hadn't called them to fight the Midianites.  Then, they chastised him sharply.  Gideon was God's chosen leader acting under God's authority and being very successful in leading them to defeat the Midianites through God's power and direction, but the men of Ephraim were angry with him.  We do not need to get upset when God is being victorious in some areas without us, and we certainly do not need to be angry with those that God is working through to bring success without us.  Verse two states,  And he said unto them, What have I done now in comparison of you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?  Gideon basically asked them what had he done that would compare to what they had already done.  He did not get angry and tell them that they had no right to question him because he was he was God's chosen representative.  We should never get angry with our fellow believers if they question us when we are doing something for God today, but should let them know that we realize that they are also working to advance God's kingdom.  Verse three adds, God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison of you? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.  Gideon gave the credit to God and said that God had delivered the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, into the hands of the men of Ephraim, and what could Gideon do that was greater than that, and the men of Ephraim were appeased.  We really shouldn't have to appease other Christians when we are doing what God calls us to do, but if we have to, it should never be done out of anger toward them.  Verse four declares, And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing them.  Gideon and the three hundred men with him passed over the Jordan.  They were still pursuing the enemy, though they were faint, or physically weak.  Verse five adds, And he said unto the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me; for they be faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.  Gideon asked the people of Succoth to feed the men of Israel who were following him, because they were physically weak from lack of food.  We today at times may find ourselves weak from doing what God calls us to do, and at times we may need the people of this world to offer us sustenance, but we should never stop doing what God has called us to do because we have grown tired.  Verse six says, And the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thine army?  The people of Succoth wanted to know if Gideon and his army had already defeated Zebah and Zalmunna so that they should feed  Gideon's army.  They were evidently still concerned about being seen as being disloyal to these two kings in case Gideon failed.  Even though Gideon's victory was assured, the people of Succoth had not seen it yet and were reluctant to trust in it happening.  Even though God's victory is assured today, many people cannot see physical evidence of it and are reluctant to put their faith in Him.  Verse seven states, And Gideon said, Therefore when the LORD hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.  Gideon said that when God had delivered these two kings that he would tear the flesh of the men of Succoth with thorns of the wilderness and briars.  He didn't say that he would kill them, but he did say that they would be held accountable if they didn't help.  Verse eight adds, And he went up thence to Penuel, and spake unto them likewise: and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered him.  Gideon also asked the people of Penuel to do the same as he had asked the people of Succoth to do, and they answered him the same way.  Verse nine concludes, And he spake also unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.  Gideon told the people of Penuel that when he came again in peace, which would be after he defeated Zebah and Zalmunna, he would tear down the tower of their city.  When we come to others through victory in Christ, we must tear down all their defenses if we are going to reach them with His word.  Just as Gideon was sure of victory in that day, so can we be today if we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.

Judges 7:12 says, And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.  There was a vast army opposing the Israelites, who now numbered three-hundred.  Verse thirteen states, And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.  A man told of a dream he had where a cake of barley tumbled the host of Midian.  Verse fourteen adds, And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.  Another man said this represented the sword of Gideon having the host of Midian delivered into his hand by God.  Even those that do not know God can see His work in the world.  Verse fifteen states,  And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.  Gideon heard the dream and the interpretation and returned to his people and told them to arise, because the LORD had delivered the Midianites.  We know that God has delivered us from all the power of evil in the world today, so it is time to arise and claim that victory.  Verse sixteen adds, And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers.  Gideon divided the three hundred into three groups, and armed them with pitchers and lamps.  This does not sound like a good armament for war against a vast army.  Verse seventeen says, And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do.  Gideon told the three hundred to follow his example.  We today as Christians are called on to follow the example of Christ.  Verse eighteen adds, When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.  The first thing that Gideon told them to do was that when he blew his trumpet, they were to blow their trumpets and shout the sword of the LORD and Gideon.  The Lord was put first, just as we must put Him first in the things that we do today.  Verse nineteen declares, So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands.  At the beginning of a new watch, or changing of the guard, Gideon and those wit him blew their trumpets and smashed their pitchers.  This would have only been somewhat confusing it would seem, but it was the battle plan of God.  We need never question God's methods, but must simply carry out His plan.  Verse twenty says, And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.  All three hundred did as they had been instructed to do.  God's plan will be much more successful if all His people carry it out.  Verse twenty-one states, And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.  All the enemy fled.  Verse twenty-two adds, And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.  The LORD caused the Midianites to start killing one another as Gideon and the three hundred blew their trumpets.  God's enemies often work against themselves today, and in the coming judgment each person will only have himself or herself to blame if they are guilty of not accepting the salvation of Christ.  Verse twenty-three states, And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites.  The men from many tribes of Israel pursued the Midianites.  Verse twenty-four declares, And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites, and take before them the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan.  Gideon sent word to the people of Ephraim to come down and help.  All of God's people today need to be a part of the battle against evil in the world.  We are all needed in different ways, but when we know that a call comes from God, we need to answer that call.  Verse twenty-five adds, And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan.  The people of Ephraim took two princes of Midian and beheaded them and pursued the Midianites.  God will always lead His people to victory spiritually, if they only put their faith in Him.

Judges 7:1 says, Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.  Gideon and his army rose up early and camped beside the well of Harod, with the Midianite army to their north.  They were getting ready to engage in battle.  Verse two states, And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.  God told Gideon that he had too many people with him.  God said that with that many people that the people of Israel might claim victory for themselves instead of giving God credit for the victory.  As we go into battle against the forces of evil today, we should not look for great numbers to go with us, but we should go under the power of God and for His glory.  Verse three adds, Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.  God told Gideon to tell the people that whoever was afraid should go home, and twenty-two thousand left, with ten thousand remaining.  I have to wonder how those remaining and Gideon felt, and even the Midianites who were likely watching.  We do not need to question God's methods, and the world should never underestimate the power of God.  Verse four declares, And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.  God said the army was still too big and that Gideon was to bring them down by the water and He would further reduce them.  Gideon was to keep those that God said and send the rest home.  If we are not going under the leadership of God, the size of the group does not matter.  Verse five says, So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.  The next reduction was to be based on how the people drank water, and not on some other physical trait like muscle size or athletic ability.  Verse six states, And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.  From thirty-two thousand, Gideon was now down to an army of three hundred.  By now, if Gideon was not questioning God, and I have to believe that he still had faith in Him, the Midianites must have been sensing an easy victory and questioning Gideon's leadership.  The people of the world often underestimate the power of the people of God, looking at physical facts and not the spiritual power of God.  Verse seven declares, And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.  God told Gideon that He was going to deliver Israel with the three hundred and the others could go home.  If God hasn't called us to a particular situation, then we need to just go home and see what He has for us to do elsewhere.  Verse eight states, So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.  Gideon had an army of three hundred armed with trumpets.  Verse nine adds, And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand.  That night, God told Gideon to get down to the host, the army of the Midianites, because God had delivered them into Gideon's hand.  This was stated as an accomplished fact and not a possibility.  If we are following God's guidance, we can be certain of the ultimate victory.  Verse ten continues, But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host:  Gideon was told to take Phurah his servant down to the host, or Midian army.  Verse eleven concludes, And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host.  Gideon and Phurah went to spy on the Midianites.  We must simply follow God's instructions, no matter how overwhelming the task may seem.