We were walking early this morning and noticed our shadows in the meadow below.

This Bible passage about Gideon is really about God (not Gideon- he’s but a shadow in comparison to God’s great light and glory). Have you ever wondered at something amazing God accomplished even when the chips were down or the odds stacked against you?

I was talking about something yesterday and realized for the first time that the only reason it was wildly successful was because God was “literally” behind it. My lack of understanding at the time didn’t allow me to see it fully, but I described it like this, “He put key people in a ‘headlock’ (so to speak) so that His will was accomplished.”

Not to mention one of those key people was me! (So I wouldn’t interfere with His great outcome and glory)

Enjoy the reading of this passage and remember, God chooses the right people for the job at hand. People who don’t think much of themselves.

If you can’t figure it out, remember God’s plans are not always conventional.– Teresa #faith #obedience #worshipHim #everythingwillbeok

Judges 7:1-8:17English Standard Version*

Gideon’s Three Hundred Men

7 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian was north of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.

² The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ ³ Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained.

⁴ And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.” ⁵ So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.” ⁶ And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water. ⁷ And the Lord said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.” ⁸ So the people took provisions in their hands, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the 300 men. And the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

⁹ That same night the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand. ¹⁰ But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant.¹¹ And you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outposts of the armed men who were in the camp. ¹² And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the East lay along the valley like locusts in abundance, and their camels were without number, as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance. ¹³ When Gideon came, behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade. And he said, “Behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.” ¹⁴ And his comrade answered, “This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp.”

¹⁵ As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the Lord has given the host of Midian into your hand.” ¹⁶ And he divided the 300 men into three companies and put trumpets into the hands of all of them and empty jars, with torches inside the jars. ¹⁷ And he said to them, “Look at me, and do likewise. When I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. ¹⁸ When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’”

Gideon Defeats Midian

¹⁹ So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch. And they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands.²⁰ Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow. And they cried out, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” ²¹ Every man stood in his place around the camp, and all the army ran. They cried out and fled. ²² When they blew the 300 trumpets, the Lord set every man’s sword against his comrade and against all the army. And the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah,^[a] as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath. ²³ And the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali and from Asher and from all Manasseh, and they pursued after Midian.

²⁴ Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and capture the waters against them, as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they captured the waters as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan. ²⁵ And they captured the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. Then they pursued Midian, and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon across the Jordan.

Gideon Defeats Zebah and Zalmunna

8 Then the men of Ephraim said to him, “What is this that you have done to us, not to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they accused him fiercely. ² And he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer? ³ God has given into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. What have I been able to do in comparison with you?” Then their anger^[b]against him subsided when he said this.

⁴ And Gideon came to the Jordan and crossed over, he and the 300 men who were with him, exhausted yet pursuing. ⁵ So he said to the men of Succoth, “Please give loaves of bread to the people who follow me, for they are exhausted, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” ⁶ And the officials of Succoth said, “Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your army?” ⁷ So Gideon said, “Well then, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will flail your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.”⁸ And from there he went up to Penuel, and spoke to them in the same way, and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered. ⁹ And he said to the men of Penuel, “When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.”

¹⁰ Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army, about 15,000 men, all who were left of all the army of the people of the East, for there had fallen 120,000 men who drew the sword. ¹¹ And Gideon went up by the way of the tent dwellers east of Nobah and Jogbehah and attacked the army, for the army felt secure.¹² And Zebah and Zalmunna fled, and he pursued them and captured the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and he threw all the army into a panic.

¹³ Then Gideon the son of Joash returned from the battle by the ascent of Heres. ¹⁴ And he captured a young man of Succoth and questioned him. And he wrote down for him the officials and elders of Succoth, seventy-seven men. ¹⁵ And he came to the men of Succoth and said, “Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me, saying, ‘Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna already in your hand, that we should give bread to your men who are exhausted?’” ¹⁶ And he took the elders of the city, and he took thorns of the wilderness and briers and with them taught the men of Succoth a lesson. ¹⁷ And he broke down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city..

Footnotes

1. Judges 7:22 Some Hebrew manuscripts Zeredah
2. Judges 8:3 Hebrew their spirit

Judges 6Judges 9

*OneYearBibleOnline

We enjoyed this rich flavored dish for dinner last night. Even while I was making it, I felt certain it would “fill me up”. The fresh-grated Parmesan, cilantro and jalapeno-infused stewed tomatoes made it extra satisfying (for those who enjoy a spicy twist).

When Jesus perceived the craftiness of some “religious followers”, he was not tricked by the twist to their language. They appeared to elevate Jesus but in fact they were hoping he would slip up and say something bad about those who ruled over them, politically.

In their heart was murder but on their tongues were smooth truths. After all, Jesus’ popularity with the people was due to his ability to stand with them, not above them.

This was something the “religious rulers” feared.

Their silence after hearing his answers showed that Jesus Christ the LORD was teaching the right way to God the Father.

Whether or not we can be satisfied with our own twist on things depends on the way we stand in his presence.

Being reduced to silence may be just what is needed to recognize His Lordship.- Teresa #fillmycupLord #truesatisfaction

Luke 20:19-26 (ESV)*

Paying Taxes to Caesar

¹⁹ The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. ²⁰ So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor. ²¹ So they asked him, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality,^[d]but truly teach the way of God. ²² Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?” ²³ But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them,²⁴ “Show me a denarius.^[e] Whose likeness and inscription does it have?” They said, “Caesar’s.”²⁵ He said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” ²⁶ And they were not able in the presence of the people to catch him in what he said, but marveling at his answer they became silent.Read full chapter

Footnotes

1. Luke 20:1 Greek he
2. Luke 20:10 Or bondservant; also verse 11
3. Luke 20:17 Greek the head of the corner
4. Luke 20:21 Greek and do not receive a face
5. Luke 20:24 A denarius was a day’s wage for a laborer

*TheOneYearBibleOnline

God’s glory needs no embellishment. He exudes power, presence and perfection.

In fact, He does not need our wealth to be impressive. When Moses was awe struck by God, it was through a burning bush. (Exodus 3:2,3) With Gideon, it was a wet fleece covered with dew and a dry fleece when the rest of the ground was saturated. (Judges 6:38,39) For King Hezekiah, it was the movement of the shadow backwards up the stairs. (2Kings 20:10)

In this parable below, we learn that serving God should be undertaken with as much diligence and precision as a manager for a wealthy employer.*

What the world values is reflected by the time taken and where honest (or in this case dishonest) effort is afforded.

“Unrighteous” wealth may be a good teacher but it is not the beautiful destination we truly desire.

My first somewhat official job was working for our neighbors (along with my sister). We were excited to muck out the horse stables, feed, brush and water the 5 beauties. Not because it smelled like a barn in our “shed” or mud room when we came home but because on Saturdays we could ride them.

I barely remember the money I earned, but I’ll always remember the time we were allotted to ride around our acreage, cantering through the fields.

In the same way, we are faithful in worldly occupations to learn valuable life lessons. God is refining us to care for ourselves, our families and to also care for those who need a helping hand.

We are required to learn much so that we can reach the beautiful destination of being part of God’s glorious kingdom.

Keeping God as the focal point of our wonder (in contrast to the myriads of “not so amazing” human achievements), we can run unhindered in the race He has set before us. – Teresa #treasureinjarsofclay

Luke 16:1-13 English Standard Version**

The Parable of the Dishonest Manager

16 He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. ² And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ ³ And the manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg.⁴ I have decided what to do, so that when I am removed from management, people may receive me into their houses.’ ⁵ So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’ ⁶ He said, ‘A hundred measures^[a] of oil.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’⁷ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ He said, ‘A hundred measures^[b] of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’⁸ The master commended the dishonest manager for his shrewdness. For the sons of this world^[c] are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light. ⁹ And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous wealth,^[d] so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.

¹⁰ “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. ¹¹ If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? ¹² And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? ¹³ No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”

*MatthewHenry’sCommentary

**TheOneYearBibleOnline

Deceitful hearts belong to those devising evil. In contrast, joyful hearts belong to those planning peace.

How much more do truthful lips endure forever. Whereas, a lying tongue is but for a moment.

When we value peace and truth, not only is our life significant in time but our existence is marked by joy.

Thinking of those who have lived before us, who do we talk about the most?

For my husband and I, we find ourselves recounting the influence of those “saints” who blessed our young married lives significantly. (My dad, Bapoo, Uncle Karl, Aunt Lee)

They not only showed love and affection but they always spoke the truth and had so much joy.

When we determine how to live our lives-especially in our golden years- I feel it’s important to stay connected to younger people in significant ways. They bless us by welcoming, including and taking time for us and we really don’t know what type of legacy we can encourage in them. #generosity

That’s pretty much a nugget of wisdom that is weightier than gold.- Teresa

Proverbs 12:19-20English Standard Version*

¹⁹ Truthful lips endure forever,
    but a lying tongue is but for a moment.
²⁰ Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,
    but those who plan peace have joy.

*OneYearBibleOnline

Listen to this lovely kid’s song by Steve Green A Joyful Heart is Good Medicine