Sunday - Gideon's Call - Judges 6:11-18 - 6/11/17

Gideon - A farmer - To deliver Israel from Midian

Midian, Midianites ... Person & clan name meaning "strife." Midian was the son of Abraham by his concubine Keturah (Genesis 25:2). Abraham sent him & his brothers away to the east, leading to the association of the Midianites with the "children of the east" (Judges 6:3). When Moses fled from Pharoh, he went east to Midian (Exodus 2:15). Here he met Jethro, the priest of Midian, & married his daughter.

It is also possible that as a special messenger from God, the angel had authority to speak for God. God sent a special messenger to deliver an important message to Gideon.

Threshing was the process of separating the grains of wheat from the useless outer shell called chaff. This was normally done in a large area, often on a hill, when the wind could blow away the lighter chaff when the farmer tossed the beaten wheat into the air. If Gideon had done this, however, he would have been an easy target for the bands of raiders who were overrunning the land. Therefore, he was forced to thresh his wheat in a winepress, a pit that was probably hidden from view & that would not be suspected as a place to find a farmer's crop.

Gideon questioned God about the problems he & his nation faced & God's apparent lack of help. What he didn't acknowledge was the fact that the people had brought calamity upon themselves when they decided to disobey & neglect God. How easy it is to overlook personal accountability & blame our problems on God & others.

Gideon had heard about the great miracles God had done for his people, but he hadn't seen any. It had been almost 250 years since the ten plagues & the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 7-14), & 200 years had passed since the last great miracle, the parting of the Jordan River (Joshua 3). But it was the people who had given up on God. They knew what God expected of them. They had his laws, but they chose not to obey them. God's blessings, as Moses & Joshua had foretold, came only when the people were obedient.

"Surely I will be with thee," God told Gideon, & God promised to give him the strength he needed to overcome the opposition. In spite of this clear promise for strength, Gideon made excuses. He failed to see how God could work through him.

Like Gideon, we are called to serve God in specific ways. Don't spend time making excuses. Instead spend it doing what God wants.

Reference summary used from the Life Application KJV Bible, Tyndale Publishers, Wheaton, IL

From Despair to Deliverance ... 11/17/13 Sunday School Lesson

Exodus13;14 . Psalm/Tehillim 34;78 . Genesis/Bereshith 50 . Galatians 5 . Love & Freedom . Egypt . Moses . Joseph . angel of God . east wind . Waters . pillar of cloud & fire . Tabernacles . Tribes . Asaph . David (King David) . Mount Zion . Jacob . Ham . Shiloh . Ephraim . Judah . Lamb . Pharaoh . Philistines . Canaanites .Red Sea . Succoth . Etham . Israel . Pihahiroth . Baalzephon . Migdol . Promises . morning watch . Sunday School Lesson . (Rahab?/Babylon?/Philistia?/Tyre?Ethiopia?/Psalm 87/Psalm 89:10?)

The Sunday School Lesson is shared from Exodus 14:21-30 (Devotional Reading:  Galatians 5:13-21; Background Scripture:  Exodus 13:17-22; 14) for November 17, 2013.

Red Sea, an arm of the Indian Ocean between Arabia & Africa.

Pihahiroth (place of seaweed?)

Baalzephon (lord of the north, or darkness)

Etham, desert of, Egyptian name, place on boundary of Egypt.

Migdol (tower)

Promises:  The Lord's Love & Care for HIS Children, Victory Over Enemies & Trouble, The Upright are Blessed & Prospered (Psalm/Tehillim 34:7) Prosperity means different things to different individuals ... Victory Over Enemies & Troubles (exodus 14:13)

Asaph ( a collector), a Levite. musical composer, (Psalm 50 7 73-83).

David (beloved), Kings, son of Jesse.  Regulates services of  tabernacle (I Chronicle 23:26).  His charge to Solomon to build a house for the sanctuary (I Kings 2)

Mount Zion or Sion (dry place), southwestern hill of Jerusalem, surrounded on all sides except the north by deep valleys.

Jacob (he supplants), wrestles with an angel, his grief for Joseph & Benjamin, goes to Egypt, blesses his son (Genesis 32; 37; 46; 48; 49)

Shiloh (place of rest), a city of Ephraim, prophecy concerning, site of tabernacle (Genesis 49:10; Joshua 18:1; Psalm 78:60; Judges 21:19)

Ephraim (double fruitfulness), younger son of Joseph, prophecies concerning (Isaiah 7; 11:13; Zechariah 9:10).  A city 8 miles from Jerusalem (John 11:54).  A mountain (Joshua 17:15)

Judah (praise), son of Jacob, they make David king & adhere to his house, Jews

Ham (black), son of Noah

Angela's Questions/Thoughts ... Psalm 87; 87:4; 89:10 ... Rahab/Egypt ..( poetic synonym ...  symbolic or figurative name) ... Zion ... Babylon/Persian Gulf ... Phililistia (Exodus 15:14) ... Tyre (Phoenicia/Crete) .. Ethiopia/Sudan?(Africa) ............... Acts 2:9-10; 2:8-11 in Egypt, parts of Libya, Cretes, Arabians

Exodus 1-18 ... oppression of the Israelites in Egypt, history of Moses & his dealings with Pharaoh, the plagues, the exodus, overthrow of the Egyptians & arrival of Sinai

Exodus 19-40 ... sojourn at Sinai, giving of the law (10 Commanments), directions for the tabernacle & its services, giving of the new tables, erection & dedication of the tabernacle.


Exodus 14:21-30

Verses 21-23

Verses 21,22 ... Miracles; Miracles In Water; The Division of the Red Sea ... The Hebrews; In The Wilderness; From Egypt to Sinai - Passage of the Red Sea

Verse 23 ... The Hebrews; The Exodus From Egypt; Pursuit & Deliverance ... The Hebrews; In The Wilderness; From Egypt to Sinai - Passage of the Red Sea

(Exodus 13:17-22; 14:5; 14:10-12; 14:13-18; 14:19,20 ...Reference Scriptures in the Sunday School Book)


Exodus 14:24,25; Psalm/Tehillim 34:7

Verses 24,25 ... The Hebrews; The Exodus From Egypt; Pursuit & Deliverance ... The Hebrews; In The Wilderness; From Egypt to Sinai - Passage of the Red Sea

Psalm 34:7 ... Psalm of Gratitude; of Adoration & Didactic (instructions) ... For mercies shown to the psalmist; of God's goodness & mercy & the blessings of God's people & the misery of HIS enemies.


Exodus 14:26-30; Psalm/Tehillim 78; Psalm 78:51,59,68,70,71 ... tabernacles of Ham, tabernacle of Shiloh, tabernacle of Joseph, tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, David, Jacob, Israel

(Genesis/Bereshith 14:9; Exodus 14:14; Psalm/Tehillim 106:9; Acts 7:36; Exodus 14)


Monday - November 11, 2013 - Called to Live in Freedom - Galatians 5:13-21

Veterans Day .... Love One another.  The works of the flesh.


Tuesday - November 12, 2013 - Setting Apart the Firstborn - Exodus 13:11-16

The firstlings of beasts are set apart.


Wednesday - November 13, 2013 - Guided by Pillars of Cloud & Fire - Exodus 13:17-22

The Israelites go out of Egypt, & carry Joseph's bones with them.  they come to Etham:  God guideth them by a pillar of a cloud & a pillar of fire.


Thursday - November 14, 2013 - Pharaoh's Change of Heart - Exodus 14:5-9

Pharaoh pursuit


Friday - November 15,2013 - The Lord Will Fight For You - Exodus 14:10-14

The Israelites Murmur:  Moses Comforteth Them.


Saturday - November 16, 2013 - Guarded from the Approaching Enemy - Exodus 14:15-20

God instructeth Moses.  The cloud removeth behind the camp.


Sunday - November 17, 2013 - The Lord Saved Israel That Day - Exodus 14:21-30


They (Israel) passed through the Red Sea.  The Egyptians drowned.


Scripture reference used/taken from:  The International Teacher's Handy Bible Encyclopedia/Concordance KJV Precious Promise Bible, KJV Topical Editon Bible & Merriam Webster's Deluxe Dictionary

Hot Chocolate For The Spirit: Book Review

I reviewed this book, I think before 2005.

There's nothing better than setting down with a hot cup of chocolate, especially on a cold, dreary night. It's soothing & warms the insides through & through.

May you also begin to experience the victorious life Jesus came to give you.

Remember the Israelites? It was a short journey from the Red Sea to Canaan, the Promised Land. God had delivered the Israelites from Slavery in Egypt, & in Canaan the Israelites would be free to serve & worship HIM.

Then they wandered for forty years.

Someone shared this Biblical Truth with the author, & she realized she was "wandering in the wilderness." Her book is a product of her decision to become unstuck.

Are you wandering in the wilderness?

Whatever you desire, it will take faith in God for changes in your life to happen.

Make a list of your goals & vision if you haven't already. Make a list of the tasks you do daily, weekly, monthly & yearly to reach your mission.

Keep this list handy & pray over it each day. Find a scripture that aligns with each of your goals & pray those verses daily.

John 8 reveals two sides of God's LOVE.

The chapter begins with a woman caught in the act of adultery. The Scribes & Pharisees bring her to Jesus & tell him about her sin. According to the law of Moses, she deserves death by stoning.

Jesus said ... He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her (John 8:7). One by one they walked away.

Jesus asked the woman, where are thine accusers? Jesus said unto her, go, & sin no more (John 8:10-11).

Love is tender & it is sometimes tough. Love forgives & it also confronts.

Moving higher means growing up, & in order to grow up there must be a separation.

Abraham, Issac, & Jacob all went through a separation process & reaped great rewards.

Abraham left his family & caught the vision of a Promised Land & descendants who became innumerable as the stars.

Issac, Abraham's son, left familiar surroundings & traveled to Egypt. There God prospered him in the middle of a famine.

Jacob's greed & selfishness drove him to deceive. To help him escape the wrath of his brother, Jacob's parents sent him away.

The transformation in Jacob was so great that God changed his name from Jacob(trickster) to Israel(Prince of God).

Separation is challenging & painful, but let God have HIS way.

There is a parable in Luke 18 that reveals a key to getting our prayers answered. In verse one Jesus told this parable to encourage men to keep praying & never faint.

Jesus asks if - a man who had no reverence for God & no consideration for people - will help someone because of their persistence, how much more will God respond to you, HIS very own child whom HE loves dearly?

We should never beat ourselves up. God forgives when we ask, once we repent. We should learn from our mistakes.

Jesus said in John 15:5 that without HIM we can do nothing.

Pray Psalm 150 -- Praise ye the LORD, Praise God in HIS sanctuary ... Praise him for HIS mighty acts ... Praise HIM with the sound of the trumpet ... Let every thing that hath breath praise th LORD.

The author shared she's had several opportunities to move past her comfort zone.

II Kings 7: The city of Samaria had been surrounded by the army of Syria. The prophet Elisha foretold that the city would have relief within one day.

Four lepers sat on the outskirts of the city talking among themselves.

So, they decided upon a bold plan. They would visit the Syrian camp.

When the lepers arrived at the camp no one was there! II Kings 7:6-7 tells us the LORD caused a great noise that sounded like a mighty army approaching. The Syrians had panicked & fled into the night, leaving behind their belongings.

Leaps of faith aren't easy.

Taking a leap of faith will mean different things to different people.

God has appointed you to reach out & touch the life of at least one person.

One night the author dreamed she was in prison along with several friends. Her friends decided to break out.

Terrified of the bulldogs that guarded the place, she wasn't in agreement with their plan. Her companions were not afraid.

But as they walked towards the gate that would take them beyond the prison walls, the bulldogs cleared the path for them. They walked through & were not harmed in any way.

The author feels God spoke to her through her dream -- if she responded to HIS guidance with faith & boldness, the "bulldogs" in her life would move aside.

Has a bad experience made you fearful?

Our good works should flow out from our communion with God.

Jesus said the second greatest commandment is to love others as you love yourself.

Take time to renew & refresh.

The Bible is our blueprint.

Living a Godly life is a fight, & we need every piece of information we can get our hands on.

We should strive to do a first-rate job in whatever we are involved with. Someone may be watching.

God is certainly watching. The Bible tells us to do everything as unto the LORD.

The author shares she's been through the ups & downs. And, boy have she shed a lot of tears. Through it all, she shares there has been one thing that sustained her: hope.

Karin Peavy is the author of Hot Chocolate For The Spirit. A rich, meaningful book. Shares on dealing with difficult transitions. Comfort for your heart throughout every season of your life.