Jezemeg

While the nation of Israel was leading a nomadic lifestyle during their desert exile after leaving Egypt, the bread they baked was flat...there was no time to add the yeast and allow it to rise. It wasn't until they entered the Promised Land and assumed the life of farmers and shepherds that once again there was time to allow bread to rise. In those days, bread was not baked in tins, but shaped into rounds to be baked in the clay ovens of the time. God allowed Gideon to overhear the Midianites account of his dream of the barley loaf rolling down the hill and destroying the Midianites tents to further assure him of God's providence, that God would defeat the Midianites even though Gideon's army was so small in number. By this stage it seems Gideon was more assured of God's capability, but again, he was thankful that God arranged for him to overhear the Midianite's recounting of his dream, it once more assured him of the Midianite's defeat.

When a man laps water from a river with his tongue (as dogs and animals do) it renders him susceptible to attack at that precise stage. It is necessary for him to put any weapons down, and requires him to have to both rise and gather his weapons to him should there be a surprise attack. If a man lifts the water from the river to his lips by way of his hand, then he has his weapon still at his side and is more able to respond should there be a surprise attack from the enemy. The fact that they kneel to drink in this way also decreases the response time they need to rise and engage in battle if need be. While it could be said that those who did not prostrate themselves and leave themselves exposed to attack whilst drinking were less experienced than those who knelt and 'lapped' the water, the nation of Israel could still not claim that the strength of their army was what gave them victory. Of course the final choice were the more experienced of the soldiers, but the odds were still firmly stacked against the Israelites, God would be glorified as a result of the victory, confirming once more to the Israelites that were now residing in the Promised Land that God was truly with them.

We often believe that God should justify and explain Himself to us, His creation, whereas God does not do this. He requires that we trust Him, not with blind obedience, otherwise there would be a danger that we would follow false teachers and even Satan, but testing to verify that it is indeed from God. Once we have established that it is God who we are in touch with, and who is handing down directions, then we can be assured that God will be with us at all times, even when we don't understand just how the work He calls us to is possible. God always confirms His calling through others or through the Bible...but He includes the one He calls as well. Therefore if we receive a message from someone (for example) that God told them we are to do such and such a thing, but God has not communicated with us, we can be fairly certain that it is not God's agenda we are following, but that of someone else. This assurance from God gives us time to ascertain just exactly where an instruction is coming from. As I've already said in answer to a previous questions, it is possible for something to sound 'holy' but for it to be far from that. God is not restricted as we are by time, He moves above time, so He would rather we not act impulsively but wait for assurance of His calling, so that we don't run the risk of appearing to be 'religious kooks'. The task assigned by God is designed to bring glory to God, not the individual...

God is fully aware of the human tendency to claim that it was their skill rather than God's providence that resulted in success. That is why He instructed Gideon to reduce the numbers of men who'd amassed to do battle with the Midianites. To have an army that large, even though it was still much smaller than the enemy's meant that the Israelites could and most likely would claim in their folklore that it was the superior skills of their soldiers that defeated the Midianites...dismissing God's enabling altogether. Ten thousand men was still too great a number as far as God was concerned, because it was conceivable, God fully knew, for the Israelites to still claim it was their fighting skill and courage that gave the victory, again dismissing God altogether. Israel would continue to worship themselves and other gods rather than the one true God, as their forefathers learnt to do during their desert experience. The army had to be such a small number of men for God to ensure that the Israelites would truly recognise that it was only because God stood with them that they defeated the Midianites. God showed His omnipresence time and time again during the forty years wandering in the desert, but now that the Israelites had lost their nomadic life and become farmers, they began to distance themselves from the tradition that had been passed down, and God needed them to realise that He alone was worthy of their worship, the gods of the surrounding nations were nothing. Gideon would have naturally been reticent to reduce his army, but at the same time God's providence had already been proven to him...I think he may have experienced a moment of unease, but then decided to lean on God, instead of expecting an explanation from Him. God had proven His ability to do what Gideon asked of him, and so Gideon saw no good reason why he should doubt God now, even though shrinking the army to a mere 300 or so men did seem to be impossible odds against an enemy army that was so large.

In Gideon's time, the Israelites had left their nomadic lifestyle of wandering in the desert, and had settled in Midianite territory for long enough for the elders who knew of the desert experience and who had witnessed God's miracles to have died out. I believe that Gideon laid out the fleece twice to test that God was truly capable of doing what was claimed of Him. I don't regard this as an act of belief or unbelief, just one of testing that what had been passed down traditionally was in fact genuine. Yes, Gideon was 'testing' God, but he was not doing it for any personal gain or to try to prove himself superior, he was merely ascertaining that the stories he had heard throughout his life were accurate. In the New Testament Jesus Himself cautions us to always test what we hear is supposedly from God...not to try to 'catch God out in a lie' which would be impossible, but to ensure that what we have been told is genuine, is not leading us to rebel against God instead of work for Him. Many 'good works' appear to be so, but God neither backs nor has instigated them; this is why it is essential that we test that it is really God who we are communicating with, and not one of Satan's demons, or Satan himself. We must be careful that we do not demand a sign in order to glorify or benefit ourselves, it is not necessary to do God's work that we should understand all the 'why's' or even expect that there should be monetary support. God can supply all our needs without the need to increase our personal wealth, we need only to have faith in that supply, and be assured of God's providence.

God inspires Gideon to blow the shofar and summon troops to fight the Midianites. Gideon had much in common with the other judges that God selected, none were 'natural' leaders, none had strength of character, but all were able to turn and learn to depend entirely on God when they were called by Him into service. Until Gideon was called by God, he was willing to allow his fellow countrymen to engage in practices that he knew to be against God's wishes, he didn't consider that he had any right to prevent them, indeed he may even have joined others in blaming God for the predicament that Israel now found itself. But after God assured Gideon of His total support, Gideon transferred all his faith to God and leaned totally on Him without question.

Gideon's father Joash, up until this point, has been a leader who didn't want to 'make waves', he'd go along with the majority and so it was easier to allow the rest of his tribe to worship Baal than it was to contest them. Joash would have perceived Gideon as somewhat of a weakling too, if he thought otherwise then Gideon would not have gained his perception of himself. Gideon's actions spurred Joash into finally doing what was right in the eyes of God. As Joash openly defended Gideon when the rest of the tribe saw what he'd done, it would have encouraged Gideon and further strengthened his resolve to rely on God. Joash is now a follower of Yahweh because he applauded the destruction of Baal's altar and the consecration of God's altar that was erected on the remains.

God's command for Gideon to destroy Baal's altar and cut down the Asherah poles was so that it would build Gideon's confidence as well as symbolically replace Israel's dependence on Baal as any god at all, and replace it with God's altar...signifying again that God is now in control of the Israelites. Gideon does this at night because as yet he hasn't full confidence in God's ability or willingness to protect him. No this isn't a sign of weakness of faith with Gideon, to do what he did even at night took courage that Gideon didn't know he possessed. God is not worried when we do something, He just requires we do it.

God saw Gideon as a Mighty Warrior, whereas Gideon saw himself as a weakling and insignificant, born into one of the smaller tribes, certainly not leadership material. God saw what Gideon could become by relying on God. Self-righteousness and pride can prevent us from reaching the potential God sees in us because we begin to rely solely on our own thinking and ability and freeze God out...God will allow us to do this but He certainly won't be there supporting us in our personal crusade. An appropriate prayer to protect us from this influx of pride might be Dear Lord, Thank You for Your many blessings and for selecting me to serve You in the way You choose. Please protect my heart from believing I can do anything without You by my side, and allow me to discern quickly when I stray so that I can return to You fully. Amen

Gideon blamed God for the problems were having with the Midianites stealing and ruining their harvests, he didn't equate the Israelites flagrant worshipping of Baal and moving away from God as having anything to do with God abandonning them. His assessment wasn't accurate because God made it clear before they entered the Promised Land that He would be with the Israelites provided they continued to worship Him and Him alone. We often blame God rather than our own action or inaction because its easier for us to hold someone else responsible rather than accept responsibility ourselves. How often do we seek someone to blame when tragedy strikes...even atheists hold God responsible when tsunamis etc strike. There is a great danger that we move further and further from God by doing this and our 'hurt feelings' keep us from realising the true cause of why God seems so distant. To prevent this we need to take responsibility for our own decisions, realise that God has given us the gift of free will, it is not He that has turned His back, but us. We need to prayerfully repent of our actions and be diligent to make sure the trespass is not repeated.

God had warned the Israelites before they entered the promised land, not to do what the other inhabitants of the land did, but after only one generation, the Israelites had disregarded God's warnings and began to worship both God and the god Baal, who the Midians worshipped. They thus ignored the commandment that they should have no other God but our Father. They were obviously impressed by the success of the Midianites and wrongly assumed that it was because of the power of their god Baal, not because of their disobedience to God. Much the same thing happens now where people strive to be 'politically correct' and claim that all religions are the same, that all gods are the same. They hold their personal wealth, and 'success' as their own achievement, giving no honour or recognition to God's intervention. They build huge cathedrals etc supposedly to give glory to God, but in reality they bask in the applause given by others for their cleverness, their generosity and never credit what they have to God's Grace.

In this verse David is not glorifying himself by expressing his humility, I'm sure we've all fallen into the trap of bragging about our 'humility' by virtually waving placards declaring how unworthy we are...this is not the type of humility God requires; He is instead requiring us to acknowledge that without God in our lives we could achieve nothing, yet despite our own inability, God would have us in His presence, He seeks a relationship with us. Our faith is exhibited by our trust that God will not abandon us, no matter what we do...it is we humans who turn from God, because we cannot tolerate our own fallibility before God. Nor does He condemn us when we fall short of our own expectations, such is His love for us. When we are too focussed on 'humility' we are in danger of worshipping our inability, it is self worship and can only lead to separation from God. To not acknowledge our own faults as the reason why we require God to lift us once more from the pit that we've made for ourselves, is to claim that we don't need to change our behaviour, we can continue in our transgressions. This thinking stems from a misinterpretation of repentance...I hear it often from those who've just participated in confession...'it's okay now, I'm right with God' at the same time grabbing the keys to go to the casino, or beginning to drink until they reach the stage of abusing their loved ones from their drunkenness. This is not repenting...this is displaying an intent to continue sinning, in the mistaken belief that you don't have to strive to do what is right, that it is okay to remain doing wrong...because God will hear our offhand 'sorry' and forgive us. Repentance should be a turning away from what is wrong, acknowledging where our fault is and striving not to repeat it...not continuing to live in our sinful ways

I can't begin to understand how great God's Mercy and Love for me is, when He would seek to comfort me and lift me out of the pit I've so often dug for myself...when there is so much trouble in this world, and so many who are in far worse circumstances. God has no favourites; He loves each of us as if we were His Only Child. Since Creation He has never lost His love for us; despite or continued refusal to walk with Him, to truly know Him, to develop a relationship full of trust and love. It is Satan who turns our focus onto how badly we have 'stuffed' up...God would have us focus on His Love for us, His Great Mercy and Grace, forgiving us inspite of what we've done. I respond with gratefulness to this overwhelming love, as I experienced only condemnation before I truly knew my Loving Father. I revel in the knowledge that nothing I can do will make God love me more than He does already, and that if I fail all that is required is sincere repentance, for that love to be fully restored. He doesn't celebrate our inadequacies, so why should we wallow in them? None of us is worthy to be in God's family...it is by His Grace and Mercy that we are

Why do the Psalms always end in an upswing of hope and praise? It is because we are not to wallow in our own misery, God does not want us to eternally chastise ourselves for our own wrongdoing, but instead to exalt His Grace, His mercy...to praise Him for lifting us out of our sin and elevating us to join Him. When we wallow, we're not glorifying God at all, instead what we are doing is ingratiating ourselves, glorying in our sin. God does not wish this for us, if He did, He wouldn't offer us a place in eternity beside His Son, Our Lord, Jesus Christ. God doesn't wish to consign anyone to hell, He would have all of us join Him, it is we humans who choose our eternal fate, out of our own pride, our own intent to 'do it ourselves'. By praise, we express our faith in knowing that God can lift us out of any pit that we've dug for ourselves...can redeem us from the words of accusation that haunt us when we are less than expected by others. It is not through our own efforts that we rise to positions of privilege, it is by God's Grace...we should not start to worship our own effort instead of turning our praise to the One who is truly responsible. Too often we view ourselves as 'self-made' men and women...and at the peak of our praising ourselves we usually encounter the sudden cliff that appears from nowhere and casts us down, exposing us, our families and our friends to the painful words of those who glory in our downfall.[/color]

How could David dare to ask anything from God...he could ask because he already knew God intimately, David approached God not by boasting of his own good, but instead he acknowledged how much his sin with Bathsheba had cast shame onto God, and onto other members of His family. His approach to God was not one of a mighty warrior and King of Israel, instead he humbled himself completely, fully acknowledging the sin of what he'd done and its consequences to his followers and to God Himself. Our Loving Father knows of our weaknesses, we can hide nothing from Him, yet He welcomed us into His family despite our failings. None of us can approach God on our own merits, in our own righteousness...it is by God's mercy and Grace that we can come into His presence at all.

Far too often in this broken world, there is a tendency to worship the creation, rather than God, the Creator. He alone is worthy of our praise and adoration. Another problem is that we pay 'lip service' in our worship, we say the right words but contradict them with our actions. God is not interested in this type of worship, He classes it as 'empty', likening it to the mindless clashing of cymbals. In this day and age there is a tendency to think of God as a kind of 'Santa Claus', His only purpose being to fill our wants...again, this attitude shows the lack of maturity among many believers. We are here to worship God, not He us. We must remember that God alone can see the 'Big Picture', He is the only one equipped to know exactly what providing us with our wants will result in, and we must learn to trust Him that He has a reason to refuse our wants.

Psalm 150 reminds us that as we are all creations of God, we are all to worship Him, the land, the plants, animals, sea and most importantly, we humans. While this praise should be universal and constant, it should also be without feeling compelled. God doesn't want our 'mindless' worship, where we merely repeat words without actually meaning what we say. Nor does He want us being compelled by circumstance or by another, He wants us to worship Him freely and without restriction!. It is not important where we give our praise to God, there is no specific building or place, as everything is created by God, worship can happen anywhere. Neither is there any specific form of worship, we are called to worship as each sees appropriate. This means that some will feel led to dance and clap their hands, some will sing, some will praise with words, still others can praise God silently. God knows what is in each of our hearts, and this is what is ultimately important, not the way in which we choose to worship Him. This psalm causes me to celebrate my worship of God, because it recognises that there are many different ways to do it. What matters is not the ritual, but the fact that we feel led to worship and praise God, our Universal Creator.

This Psalm attracts me because it seems to emphasise that which even believers find most difficult, that is to live in a community in harmony while at the same time acknowledging that others may hold different ideals to your own. As it's been pointed out in the study, the Protestant Church is constantly in danger of eing torn apart because of differences that individual perceive in God's word. Each group claims to have the 'right' way to worship God, whereas in Truth, our interpretations each spring from the limitations of our own human worldviews and experiences...how on earth can we as humans claim to 'know' what is in God's mind? Jesus took great pains to remind us that our actions to remain pure by maintaining outward appearances were nothing to God...it was not what we did, but what came from within us, our thoughts and our words, that indicated our purity and cleanliness. Jesus reminded us constantly that as Our Father had created each of us as an individual we would each have our own way of worshipping God, one way wasn't superior to another's way, we are instructed to worship as feels right to each of us. So rituals and other man made regimen isn't important, nor are the man made tenets and doctrine that lead us to worship the method and not God. Whenever I am asked where I worship, I reply with '...I worship God at, such and such Church'. I resist the tendency to classify myself as one particular denomination. Yes, God has called me to the Church where I currently worship and when He instructs me to another Church, whatever the denomination...I will obey His call. This is because the denomination isn't important to me, it is the teaching....is it Scriptural and true to God's Word, or is it corrupted to suit a human's particular agenda? As professing believer's we are called to ensure that Scripture remains uncorrupted by man's individual agenda, but we are often distracted by minor differences in interpretation, interpretation that is spawned by our own individual worldviews. We must learn to put aside these petty differences, instead to concentrate on what remains Truth and is unchangeable, ie, GOD. When we manage to do this then we will be fulfilling our Calling.

The wisdom found in the Psalms is useful to remind us of our human-ness, that we may strive to be righteous but we will falter. However, we are constantly assured that God will not abandon us and that when we falter we have the ability to turn once again to God, repent and continue to move on, secure in His love and grace. Our greatest testimony to God's Grace in our lives contains no words whatsoever. It is presented in the way we choose to live our lives, how we reach out to our neighbours, how we react when we are wronged. We are free to preach morality, but it is our actions that will be remembered, and if our actions do not confirm what we preach, then both will be rejected by those we live with. The Psalms constantly remind us that is our actions not our words that are paramount, our words are soon forgotten, but our actions live on long afterwards. By following the wisdom contained in the Psalms, and being ready to seek forgiveness both from others as well as God when we make a mistake, we show our moral values to our children and they are absorbed much more readily than any lecture. Showing compassion to those around us who are troubled teaches our children charity instead of greed and intolerance. In this day where instant gratification is regarded as the norm, it is important for our children to realise that 'helping someone' can be just as gratifying as any monetary reward. To understand that our reward may not be received until we stand before God at the very end of our lives teaches us patience and anticipation, earthly tributes are nothing when compared to this.

I believe we need this reminder that the righteous will prosper whereas the wicked will be destroyed, because in this broken world we live in it seems that those who strive to be righteous are trodden underfoot by those who care little about the way in which they get ahead. They may indulge in violence, even murder and lie and cheat...and seemingly get away with it. Yes, they may have developed a suave manner which influences the way other broken people in this world perceive them, but God cannot be influenced by smart dress or clever speaking, He alone can view what is in the heart, and what the heart contains is what seals His judgement of us. Even those who claim they are unbelievers will eventually find themselves standing before God and have to give account for their choice of action during their lifetime; it is at this moment that their past choices will save or destroy them forever. It is important for us to rememer this and not be tempted to sin because it appears that someone else profits by doing so. I love the thought of the Lord constantly watching over those who strive to be righteous; it reminds me of a mother hen ensuring that each of her brood has sufficient and learns the art of getting through life. Yes, troubles will come undoubtedly, we do live in a broken world after all; a world that Adam willingly surrendered to Satan and that we've reinforced his ownership of it since. But God is always there watching as we work to overcome and conquer these obstacles...noting our choice as to whether we give in to Satan and resort to sin or whether we remain trusting in God to not place us in a position that cannot be overcome by righteousness.

The recognition that God loves you is the basis of faith because it means that you've surrendered any doubts that the reverse may be true. In human families, parents can fall short of the ideal, that of unconditional love of their child/ren. This can cause some who've had bad childhood experiences balk at viewing God as their 'Father'...their image of a father has been adversely affected by their childhood experiences. It is a battle for these people to accept that God is unlike any father they've ever known; that His love is indeed unconditional; that He loves you inspite and sometimes despite what you do. It is not an achievement based love, not does it matter whether you are male or female. God loves us just for being...for wanting to have a relationship with Him. A relationship with God requires time and effort on our part, but His door is never closed to us; He is waiting patiently for us to come to Him both in time of need and for just being with Him. Many make the mistake that God is somewhat of a 'Santa Claus' that everything we ask of Him will be immediately provided, sometimes God refuses because He knows that what we 'want' is not what we really 'need'. Other times our requests are not for Him to act on but for us. Do we sit doing nothing because we expect God to overcome any obstacles first, or do we begin and step out in faith, knowing that when our path is in agreement with God's then it will be made possible...obstacles may be confronted but we are given ways to overcome them, but we must make the effort to do so. God does not 'buy' our affections, nor can we bribe Him...as so many have learnt to do with their earthly parents. It is when we truly understand this, and surrender our lives totally to God willingly; instead of stubbornly holding onto doing things 'ourselves', that our lives become easier and we live more in tune with God's melody of life.

I believe that the psalmist is feeling the confusion of one who believes totally in God, but who is confused by his own emotional depression and the dark feelings they engender. He is troubled by his feelings of separation yet believes implicitly in God's eternal presence is his life, it is this confusion of emotions that causes him, in my belief, to give voice to these psalms. I have often suffered these periods of depression, being a survivor of both childhood and marital abuse...the difference now that I have handed my life to God, is that I am never without one vital factor...HOPE! The psalmist too, despite at times feeling deep in despair, shares that HOPE that knowledge that his feelings of separation stem from himself, that God has not and will never abandon him. I've learnt, as have many others, that these feelings of despair are temporary and are not to be relied on as a true indication of one's faith. Some of the best known Christian Evangelists have recorded periods of depression. As Christians we should not be hard on ourselves when we experience these darker moods, they are emotions that God has bestowed upon us after all...without the darker periods how could we truly know JOY? I believe that many Christians, including those who counsel others, place far too much guilt on their fellow Christians who confess to these natural periods of depression...and this does nothing to help the person being counselled...it can spiral them deeper and then they reject God because they falsely believe that their faith isn't 'good enough' for them to be God's child. Instead, when a person is experiencing these natural emotions, he/she should be encouraged to express them, in a similar way as the psalmist here, or in painting or in anyway they are able. In this way they can release this to God, Who isn't in the least offended by His Child's doubts and depression, instead of allowing the emotions to fester inside where they will cause illness both physical and spiritual.

This psalm is the first piece of Scripture I 'owned' as mine and was read on the occasion of my baptism in June 2003. Vs 13 was read at the moment of baptism...'I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living'...it will always be a Psalm that I hold as a stronghold, a basis of my faith in Christ, and I have constantly relied on it in times of trouble and pain. I believe David is meaning by his desire to 'dwell in the House of the LORD' and to 'seek HIS face' that he acknowledges that he is a mere human, and that while he will make mistakes and falter, his overriding ambition is to remain true to God's calling and not turn from Him despite any trouble that may come his way. David is remembered by God as a great King in God's image, not because he was faultless but because he acknowledged his mistakes and repented of them. This psalm is typical of David's acknowledgement of both his own limitations and of God's Majesty and Grace and the eternal Hope it contains.