37- Gideon’s amazing changed life

Gideon

Gideon


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How God appeared to Gideon? why did he fear? why did he destroy the altar of Baal? how could he defeat Midianites? why did he refuse to be a king? what are the different symbols, lessons and benefits for, all of us?

(Thus, says the Lord God of Israel: ‘I brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of bondage; and I delivered you out of the land of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you, their land. do not fear gods of the Amorites.) (JUDGES 6:8,9,10)
Thus, God reminded Israel with all his great doings with them, and this may be a simple message for everyone far from God and feels pains and humiliation since, anyone became far from God, may forget all the good doings that God made to him.
Also, God ordered them not to be afraid, so, many times the fear makes us behave wrongly such as, fearing from pains, fearing from people, fearing from tomorrow, fearing future and fearing the unknown and fearing on money. Since the fear from anything but God makes us behave wrongly far from God.

Gideon

(Then the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree, which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites.) (JUDGES 6:11)
(And the angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”) (JUDGES 6:12)
(So, he said to Him, “O My Lord, how can I save Israel? indeed, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I’m the least in my father’s house.”) (JUDGES 6:15)
So, when we feel frustration, sometimes God the Lord resorts to make a dialogue with us. Although Gideon was brave and strong, he was feeling some sort of humility regarding his clan, his house and also himself.
(Gideon said to Him. “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about.) (JUDGES 6:13)
Gideon was not doubting in God, but asked him in a loving function blaming, “if the Lord is with us”, explaining why his generation in this matter. So, he tried to blame God to have his mercies for, his generation.
(Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel. Have I not sent you?”) (JUDGES 6:14)
So, God felt joyfulness toward him and invited him to work with Him. And it seems that he was feeling humble as anyone really working in God’s circles, feeling their weakness while, feeling strongly with the power of God working in them. 
(Now Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the Lord. So, Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face.” Then the Lord said to him, “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.”) (JUDGES 6:22-23)
So, during the disappearance of the Lord, Gideon perceived that this was Him, so he felt fear, but the Lord reassured him, since that was from His Godly divine condescension as this happened to him in a revelation affordable to him so that, he shall not die.
As Saint John Chrysostom says in his article “Not perceiving the nature of God.”, “I do not announce My Godly divine essence, but I might condescend in a revelation because of, the weakness of those who might see Me.”

Destroying the Altar of Baal

(Now it came to pass the same night that the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s young bull and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has and cut down the wooden images that’s beside it.” And build an altar to the Lord your God. So, Gideon did as the Lord had said to him.) (JUDGES 6:25,26,27)
Behold, God appeared to Gideon, it was not possible that Baal remains with the Godly divine appearance so, the Lord ordered Gideon to do so.

We also, should know God and worship Him with a complete heart since, no one can worship two lords. 

(Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring your son, that he may die, because he has torn down the altar of Baal.” But Joash said, let him Plead, for himself.) (JUDGES 6:30,31)
Gideon’s father was impressed by his son’s courage mocking the people saying, (If he is a god, let him plead for himself.) (JUDGES 6:31)

Behold, Gideon took a positive action, in destroying evil, the weak souls have been hardened as his father and realized the invalidation of the disabled pagan worship.

(Then all the Midianites and Amalekites, the people of the East, gathered together. But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, then he blew the trumpet. And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh. He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali and they came up to meet him.) (JUDGES 6:33,34,35)
Behold, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, he blew the trumpet resulting in his disappearance in the Lord as the flesh does in the robe and became, a tool used by God. And the resistors for him became, strugglers with him.
Even Asher who did not participate with Deborah, participated with him, in the war.

Gideon defeats Midianites

(And when Gideon had come, there was a man telling a dream. He said, “I have had a dream: To my surprise, a loaf of barely bread tumbled into the camp of Midian; it came to a tent and struck it so that it fell and overturned. Then his companion answered, “This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon.”) (JUDGES 7:13,14)
Barely is the cheapest bread in Phalestin, the food of the poor and animals so, God wanted to announce that, he can defeat Midianites by Gideon, who seems poor and weak!

So, at the time of narrow, not only believers experience the work of God with them but also, the resistors, stand amazingly before it.

(Then all the men of Ephraim gathered together and seized the watering places. And they captured two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb.) (JUDGES 7:24,25)
Watering places refer to the gifts of God and His graces so, if the Devil could use them to his account, then when we would return to the Lord, and withdraw from Satan with all our energies and talents. Hence, our enemy perish completely with no return to us or having any room inside us.

Oreb and Zeeb are referring to, Satan for his love to corruption (Oreb) and his love to predation (Zeeb), but behold, we are connected with the real Gideon, Jesus Christ our Lord we kill every longing inside us for, impurity and for violence.

(Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, both you and your son, and your grandson also. But Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the Lord shall rule over you.”) (JUDGES 8:22,23)
This is the first time Israel asks to establish the royal inherited system, but Gideon uncovered his deep heart that he does not have any desire for authority and just to remain an honest servant to the Lord.
Tawfik, S. (2023). Gideon’s amazing changed life. www.orthodox-beliefs.com
Source is THE HOLY BIBLE NKJV. Arabic New van Dyck text C. The Bible Society of Egypt. Fifth Edition Third print2019. ISBN 978-1-84364-188-9. Printed in China.
Reference: – Book of Judges for the Egyptian Fathe Priest Tadros Jakob Malti printed in Arabic.

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