Economic Realities & Spiritual Revivals

 

From congregational readings in Judges 6-8, Oct 12, 08 – bk@kluth.org

 

1 - Evil choices by God’s people lead to government and economic oppression

Judg 6:1, 5 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord , and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites…They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it. 

 

2 - Hard times leads to a heart cry for God to help  

Judg 6:7-8 Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the Lord  for help.When the Israelites cried to the Lord  because of Midian, he sent them a prophet.

Ps 50:15 Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.

 

3 - God frequently chooses unlikely people 

Judg 6:11-16 The angel of the Lord  came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the Lord  appeared to Gideon, he said, "The Lord  is with you, mighty warrior." "But sir," Gideon replied, "if the Lord  is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, 'Did not the Lord  bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the Lord  has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian."  The Lord  turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?"  "But Lord,"a Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."  The Lord  answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together."  

1 Cor 1:26-30 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.  He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things — and the things that are not — to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus.     

Ps 51:17AMP My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and

humbly and thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise.

 

4 - God can do a lot with a little 

Judg 7:2  The Lord  said to Gideon, "You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her,  

Judg 7:8, 19-22 Now the camp of Midian (180,000 soldiers) lay below him in the valley… Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge camp (and) blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands. The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, "A sword for the Lord  and for Gideon!" While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled.  When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the Lord  caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords.

Judg 8:28 Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. During Gideon's lifetime, the land enjoyed peace forty

years.