Wednesday, April 5, 2023

Judges 6:11

Judges 6:11 says, And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.  An angel of the LORD came and sat under an oak tree in Ophrah.  Matthew Henry says this was not an ordinary angel, but Jesus Christ Himself.  He observed Gideon, the son Joash, of the half tribe of Manasseh at work attempting to keep some of the wheat from the Midianites.  Verse twelve adds, And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.  The Angel appeared to Gideon, told him the LORD was with him,and called him a mighty man of valor, though all Gideon was doing at that time as thrashing wheat.  God sees us today as what we can be by faith in Him, and not as what we are as the world may see us.  Verse thirteen continues, And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.  Gideon questioned the angel, calling Him my Lord, as to why God had allowed this oppression to come on them since He was the One to deliver them out of Egypt.  We may sometimes question why God allows bad things to happen to us, but in this case it was because of the disobedience of the people of Israel.  Verse fourteen declares, And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? Here, the angel is referred to as the LORD, the unspeakable name of God.  Gideon was to go in his might and then he would save the people of Israel from the Midianites.  Of course, Gideon's might really came from faith in the LORD, and not his own might.  As followers of Christ, we go out into the world empowered by the Holy Spirit, and not by our power alone, and God has already given us everlasting victory.   Verse fifteen adds, And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house. Gideon questioned how he could deliver Israel, since his family was poor in Manasseh, and he was the least of his fathers house.  Gideon saw himself as the world saw him, and not as God saw him, and we as Christians often do the same thing today.  We need to acknowledge that if God calls on us to do anything that He will empower us to do it.  Verse sixteen continues, And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.  The LORD, not just an angel, told Gideon that He would surely be with him.  We do not need to worship or put our faith in angels, but only in Jesus Christ Himself, and when we do, the Holy Spirit will always be with us.  Verse seventeen states, And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me.  Gideon then asked that if it was the LORD that he was speaking to and if he had found grace in His sight, to give him a sign.  Too often today, we demand signs from God when He calls us to do something, instead of simply acting out of faith.  Verse eighteen adds, Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again.  Gideon asked that the angel, or the LORD really, not depart until he could bring Him a gift, and He agreed.  The only gift we can give to Jesus Christ that matters is the gift of ourself by accepting Him as our personal Savior and Lord.  Verse nineteen continues, And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it.  Gideon prepared a meal of kid goat meat and broth and brought it to the LORD.  Verse twenty states, And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.  Instead of eating the meal, the angel of the LORD told Gideon to place it on a rock and pour the broth on it.  This was not a sign of contempt for the offering, as Matthew Henry says, but the preparation of showing Gideon a sign.  God does not demand that we give to Him because we have anything He needs, but as a sign of our obedience to Him.  Verse twenty-one adds, Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight. The angel of the LORD then touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes with the end of His staff, and they were consumed by fire, then the angel of the LORD departed.  God may not always give us a definitive answer to our questions by some sign, but He will always give us an answer if we are willing to acknowledge it.  Gideon had asked for a sign, and God gave him one, and he recognized the fact.  Verse twenty-two continues, And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face.  Gideon thought because he had seen an angel of the LORD face, that he was going to die, but people did not die from seeing angels, but from seeing the face of God Himself, which implies this was more than just an angel.  Verse twenty-three says, And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.  We then read that the LORD told Gideon not to fear, because he wasn't going to die from seeing Him.  We today have never seen God face to face, but we will not die from doing so if we put our faith in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord.  One day, we will indeed see Him face to face forever.  Verse twenty-four adds, Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.  Gideon built an altar to God there and called it Jehovahshalom, or God's peace.  We are not to worship anyone but God, and building an altar was a sign of worship, so it could not have been built to just an angel and have been accepted.  When we meet God through putting our faith in Jesus Christ, we should be at peace with Him.

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