TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
Judges 6:1-40
Luke 22:54-23:12
Psalm 95:1-96:13
Proverbs 14:5-6
Judges 6:1 — Twenty times in the Old Testament the phrase “did evil” occurs. Seven times is in the Book of Judges. As a result of their evil, God delivered them into the hand of their cousins, the Midianites.
However, the relations between the Israelites and the Midianites began to sour when the Midianites joined forces with the Moabites in order to hire Balaam to curse Israel (Numbers 22). Later, when Israel fell into idolatry and sexual sin with the Moabite women (Numbers 25), we find that a prominent Midianite woman was also involved (Numbers 25:6). The Lord then told Moses to wage war against the Midianites (Numbers 25:17-19).
Judges 6:17 — John MacArthur examines if Gideon’s request violates Deuteronomy 6:16:
Though the Lord graciously consented to his request (as He had to a similar one by Moses in Exodus 33:12ff), Gideon’s actions should not be viewed as a pattern for believers to follow. As Christians, we do not ascertain the validity of God’s Word by asking Him for miraculous confirmation. Instead, we live according to His will by believing Him and being obedient to His Word. The Lord had already told Gideon that He would be victorious over the Midianites. That revelation should have been sufficient. By asking the Lord not to be angry with him before his request, Gideon, driven by his doubt, showed that even he knew he had overstepped his bounds. He acknowledged his faith was weak, but that he was in danger of sinfully putting God to the test (cf. Deuteronomy 6:16). The Lord could have punished Gideon for his lack of faith, but He didn’t.
Judges 6:25 — Gideon joins a small group of people who destroyed the false altars in the land in accordance with Exodus 34:13 and Deuteronomy 7:5.
- Asa (2 Chronicles 14:3)
- Jehoiada (2 Kings 11:18, 2 Chronicles 23:17)
- Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 30:14)
- Josiah (2 Kings 23:15, 2 Chronicles 34:4)
Luke 22:61 — This is the only gospel to record that the LORD looked at Peter.
Psalm 95:5-6 — Note the increasing emphasis on the creation by the Creator. It starts out that the sea is His, then the land, but even more so we are made by Him!
Proverbs 14:5 — I was just listening to a radio preacher who said that he knew someone who wasn’t able to speak for 6 months due to a surgery. He said their opportunity to sin dropped almost 50%.
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