linda bass

The new testament passage I chose was John 10:14-19. In this passage Jesus describes Himself as the Good Shepherd. He will willingly lay down His life for His sheep.

Isaiah 53:6 says "the Lord has laid on Him(jesus) the iniquity of us all." That means everybody including you and me. Jesus' sacriface deals with sin on a universal basis. Jesus' sacriface is ignored by those who see no need for salvation. Many are unconvicted of their sins and see no reason for repentance. Others feel that their good deeds will out weigh the bad in God's eyes. Then there are some you feel their sins are so horrible and outrageous that God can't possibly forgive them. I am thankful that God's gift of eternal life is free and that it doesn't depend on whether I am worthy to receive it or not.

Animal sacriface teaches us that sin has a price. When someone sins either the sinner or a substitute must pay for the sin. God is holy and is unable to look upon sin. Jesus is the only being perfect enough to actually atone for sin-once and for all.

God used the sacrificial system to teach the Jews lessons of sin, holiness, confession, forgiveness, sin's costliness, and sin's horror. Sacrifaces alone were inadequate to really cleanse sin. In Hebrews it states that it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin. All animal blood could do was cover up the sin for a time. Man needed someone greater than himself to actually atone for and do away with sin.

The basic elements of sacriface were confession of sin and an animal without blemish,flaw,or defect of any kind. The animal was then sacrifaced by the priest and its blood placed upon the horns of the altar. Today we still need to confess our sins to receive God's forgiveness. However, animal sacrifaces are no longer necessary since Jesus became the sacrificial Lamb for our sins.

Modern man for the most part is repulsed with the idea of killing animals. The Israelites were herdsmen while our ancestors were farmers. City people don't usually butcher animals, drain their blood, and cut them up. Most people are insulated from the killing part that is required to process their meat and get it to the supermarket in plastic wrapped styrofoam trays. Farmers and those who work in meat packing plants aren't bother as much by the killing of animals.

God is holy and righteous, separate from humans and human sinfulness. Sin is offensive to God. Capricious anger is merely acting out of anger.

Lambs were commonly used by the Jews for sacrifaces to obtain forgiveness of sin. Jesus didn't come just to deal with the sins of the Jewish people on a yearly basis. Rather He came to forgive the sin of humanity in general for all time.

A snare is a kind of trap. Not only do the Israelites worship the ephod as an idol,it also ensnares Gideon and his family. They become the caretakers of this new object of worship. Gideon's sin was that the worship, that should of been God's alone, was given to the golden ephod he had made.

An ephod was a sacred garment worn by the high priest. Usually it was a garment made of linen.

Gideon asked for the gold earrings that were taken from the plunder of the Midianite army. Gideon did nothing wrong in asking for a reward. It was the custom to reward the commander of a successful military victory. Gideon's sin wasn't in accepting the reward of the golden earrings; it was in what he did with them. He made it into an ephod which was set up as an object of worship by the Israelites.

Gideon refused to be made king over Israel. He told them that God would be their ruler. When the Israelites gathered at Mt. Sinai to receive the 10 commandments,they were entering into a relationship with God as their king. With God as Israel's king it would have been treason for Gideon to accept the kingship.

Gideon asks the Ephraimites to seize the waters of the Jordon River so the enemy can't escape across. The Ephraimites are angry at Gideon because he hasn't asked for their help before now. Gideon refuses to be drawn into an arguement. He compliments them on their capture of two Midianite leaders. By downsizing his own acomplishments, Gideon shows great wisdom and restrant.

By dividing his men into companies of 100 each, the enemy would feel like they were surrounded. Also by attacking late at night they would surprise and confuse the enemy. Trumpets are used in battle to sound the charge or retreat. By using 300 trumpets instead of just one, Gideon's men would make the enemy believe a large army was attacking them. The pottery jars hid the light of the torches until Gideon's men were ready to use them. The jars would also make alot of noise when broken which would confuse the enemy. The 300 torches appearing all around the Midianite camp would give them the impression that the were surround. The Midianites,unable to see in the dark, start killing each other. This strategy worked because God had already given the Midianites to Gideon and his army. All they had to do was act on faith.

To the man having the barley loaf dream it meant that the midianites would be attacked by Gideon and his army, and that they would be defeated by the Israelites. God allowed Gideon to sneak into the enemy camp to hear the interpretation of the barley loaf dream because God wanted to encourage him. Gideon was probably overwhelm and maybe even scared of the fact that it would be his 300 men against thousands of the enemy. Gideon could then go into battle with the confidence that in God's eyes the midianites were already a defeated foe.

The kneelers were the ones who knelt down and put their faces in the water to drink. They were in a vulnerable position because they could be easily taken by surprise while they were drinking. It would have been easy for the enemy to sneak up upon them and attack them. The lappers were the ones who cupped they hands together and brought the water up to their mouths,lapping it with their tongues. They were in a position were they were able to be alert to their surroundings. They could easily see what was going on around. It would be difficult for the enemy to sneak up upon them or take them by surprise. The lappers, who totalled 300 men, would be the men Gideon would lead into battle. With a small band of men defeating the midianite army,the people would have no choice but to give God the glory. Only by His miraculous intervention could so many defeat so few.

God believed that if the Israelites defeated the enemy with a large army that they would take credit for the victory themselves. They would think that they defeated the enemy by numbers alone. By paring Gideon's army down to a mere 300 men Gideon would have to place his faith in God alone whether than the size and strength of his army. As a new leader Gideon might be reluctant to release all his men with the exception of the 300. However, Gideon has learned that God is directing him. The test with the fleece has shown him this. Gideon has also learned to obey God even when he doesn't understand the reason for God's command.

God told Gideon to tear down the altar to baal and the asherah pole because they represented idols or false gods. They were an abomination to Him. Gideon was told to build a proper altar to the Lord in the place where baal's altar was. He was to then sacriface a bull as a burnt offering upon the altar using the wood from the asherah pole. Gideon risked getting caught in the act of tearing down the altars. By doing it at night there was less of a chance of him getting caught. I believe Gideon's night mission was a sign of weakness. He was afraid to stand up for his beliefs. He was probably more afraid of what would happen to him if he was caught than publically taking a stand against the false gods Israel was worshipping at the time.

One should always obey ones parents unless they tell or ask us to do something illegal or immoral. God's laws are to be obeyed even if it means going against the wishes of a parent.