Omie

+ The quote above is from my answer to "who is the slave." I believe that those who are babies, the very young, & mentally incapable, will not be held responsible for sin. That means some do escape being a prisoner for a time or a lifetime. I add this for your consideration and would like your response. Peace to you in Jesus name, Omie

+ #1 Every person who will be held accountable, is a prisoner of sin, Satan is the tempter. Sin is what I (we) live with daily. #2 Christ came to serve and his ultimate service for me (us) was to shed his blood as the perfect sacrifice on the horrid cross of suffering and death. + There is no reason to "pay off" Satan with ransom of any kind, it is his nature to continue to be a tempter and there is nothing that can be offered him that would stay his way. This is why God removed him from his place in heaven. He is pure evil. + Theologians do not understand this slave-ransom analogy. I like the thought brought in our lesson that Satan and his power are defeated. From an old hymn: "My hope is built on nothing less then Jesus blood and righteous . . . On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand".

+ I must remember that God's Holy Spirit lives within me. God bought me with the very highest price & I must honor the Lord with my body. To keep it from sin. Yet as Paul cried out he could not conquer sin in his body. The habit of sin is with us, this is not an excuse but a warning that we must be ever vigilant.

+ Slaves were owned, with no rights, and considered as property. A husband could be sold to one owner, his wife and children to another. Children that were born to slaves were slaves also. It was a perpetual inheritance. There was no escape. + The Jews understood slavery, Romans were aware of the horrors of it also. The analogy was that slaves could not escape, neither can we escape. Paul in Romans 7:21-25, writes how sin is a habit in him, one that can't be broken, nor is there any escape. He cries out, in his misery - then thanks God for Jesus, his and our Redeemer. + I (and you) are like Paul, neither can we escape sin's hold on us. We too are slaves to sin. Only Christ the perfect lamb's death can save us from ourselves.

This below was my answer to this question. on page 2. + I like Juanita's idea of sitting in a circle and sharing our thoughts on these topics. When I answered part one of the question I was thinking of God's anger at sin. Not the anger we have in our life situations. + In life our anger should not be hidden - it should be brought out in an approprate manner, showing the love of Christ and remembering "WWJD". Which is what I touched on when I wrote that anger should always serve a purpose for the"better good." That would go a long way in helping us to live in this world.

+ The sins of the people of the world will not be removed until the Savior comes; this will be some 740 years after this was written. Isaiah was a Messianic Prophet and in John 12:41 it is written that Isaiah "saw the glory of Christ, and spoke of him." + The prophecy about the Messiah and His sacrifice is universal when that day comes. Jesus the Messiah is only universal for those who repented and accepted Jesus before their death. + Sadly many hear of Jesus, but few accept Him and His sacrifice

+ In Leviticus we see that God centered sacrifices within the lives of the Jews. Their lives revolved around sacrifices of many sorts. Animal sacrifice seems to teach them how very serious sin is. The animals had to be the best to atone for sin. This consequence for sin was a lesson that would penetrate their whole lives. Families would have to make do with second best. + God is holiness and His nature is all that is good. To be in communion with Him or to be in His presence means I must be as God is - pure. My life must revolve around Him "to be acceptable in His sight" + Jesus was/is the "Lamb of God" - I need His sacrifice to be able to be with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, in the present life and in the much better future life.

+ If a sin was unintentional he/she was to bring a female animal to kill. This was for them to be cleansed from the corruption of sin. The priest would use the rendered animal fat for atonement. If the sin was intentional the person must confess to God the sin that was commited. + The only one of the above necessary today is to confess our sins to God and ask for his forgiveness. Christ has become the sacrificial lamb without blemish for us who accept Him as our Savior. How awed I am that when asked to die for me, Christ didn't hesitate.

+ In Leviticus we learn that God's reason for sacrifice, (from doves, to the best & purest animals) was to remind them to worship God, and for them to be aware how serious sin was and the need for forgiveness. + Animal sin sacrifices were eventually fufilled in Christ. Christ is our High Priest and in this new covenent our Mediator. (Hebrews 8 - 10) <><

+ Having grown up with grandparents who slaughtered their own animals for their needs. Having seen my mother kill a chicken if we wanted to eat chicken, none of this is repulsive. + Today the younger people have no idea what effort it takes to provide meat, fish, or chicken and prepare it. This is what living in a society where we go to the antiseptic meat and poulty department to search for what we want. No longer is everything on an animal used as it was back in the 1900's through the 1940's. We are so removed from killing of animals, except for hunting for pleasure. + I am 65 -

+ God's anger with sin is justified as He is perfect and can not accept sin in us. He sacrificed the Best so that we can be cleansed of sin and one day be with Him, the Triune God. + Justified anger is one where the anger serves a purpose for the better good.

+ John the Baptist said "he was not the Christ". John knew from Isaiah that a blood sacrifice would be needed. He says he did not know Him, but God had revealed, (in verse 33) that he would see the Spirit on the Savior when he came. When Jesus walked toward him, he must have seen The Savior; who one day would be the sacrifice for the sins of all, Gentile and Jew. + The "sins of the world" was radical to the Jewish people, in that they felt that only they had God's blessing as His chosen people and that lambs and doves were used for sin. For someone now to come and preach redemption for all was a lot to swallow for these proud people. It would take a long time even for those closest to Jesus during his ministry to understand that Jesus was the One to be sacrificed (killed) for sinful man.

To all who have been in this study - I have read your posted answers and appreciate the ideas I have received from you all. I hope to see you in the next study in March. Love in Christ to my brothers and sister in Him who died for us, Omie (diminutive name for grandmother in German) of 3 wonderful grandchildren!

+ I found that subdued could mean: "to conquer". Midianites were no longer a problem. Israel was able to have peace because of Gideon's wisdom until his death. For forty years, the peace of God reigned over the land and its' people. The principal purpose of the leaders of Israel is in Judges 2:16: "Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hands of . . . raiders. God permitted the oppressions but raised up deliverers such as Gideon.

+ The snare is a trap in which one becomes a prisoner. There many types of traps, for animals and situations in which we become imprisoned. Just as Israel was prone to build idols and didn't recognize it as a sin against God - we too become trapped in things we don't recognize as sin... + The essence of the sin is that no one can serve two masters. The tragedy is that even Gideon and his family were ensnared by the ephod. Could it have been that Gideon felt as if he "deserved" the ephod for doing God's will? Or was he hiding from the One True God at this time?

+ The exposition speaks of this being a garment. The amount of gold was about 43 pounds & would be a heavy garment to wear. Which suggests that it could have been placed somewhere and became another idol to the Israelites. (In Judges 17:5 it speaks of Micah, who made an ephod, in Exodus 28:6 it speaks of an ephrod being a priestly & grand garment made for Aaron.) As I read this I become impatient with the many idols they worship. Yet I too have my idols - not made of gold, but none-the-less an idol because it often comes between me and God. Isn't that the problem with idols?

+ Payment for leading an army was not wrong. He asked for a gold earring from each of them.The sin was that Gideon made a bad choice - as we often do. He made an ephod out of the gold he received, (the notation in my Bible says was about 43 pounds of gold).

+ Gideon knew only God could rule over Israel. This was before Kings ruled over Israel. Gideon shows wisdom & humility in refusing this dubious honor. + It might be treason, as he would put himself in the place of God! The Israelites seem to ignore once again that God is who saved them in the battles they fought over Midianites. They credit Gideon. + The Israelites worshiped idols so very often; now they see a man who has been "anointed by God" to lead them into victory. They again were ignorant or ignored "The Law" God gave Moses for their own good.. + These people don't recognize God's rule over them, just as we all too often ignore Him as Ruler in our lives.

+ Zebah and Zalmunna killed Gideon's brothers. He had shown great anger at them & punished them with whippings of desert thorns and briars before he killed them. At this point I wonder about Gideon's rational to beat them and then kill them. + Under the Mosaic Law Gideon was justified in killing them. I don't know if he had the right to ask his son to do the actual deed. + Christians are not under the Mosaic Law, but under grace. In Romans it is written that God alone can take vengence. It is difficult for us to live this, it is only with the help of my Lord can I do that. It becomes less difficult as the years pass.

+ It seems as if they want to be on the winning side, even though as Israelite cities they hedge their bets. + Gideon becomes furious. Reminding them that *he will return as the victor* for God has so ordained it. + Their sin is two-fold; first their allegiance was to God, they also owed allegiance to Israel. + Our first allegiance is to God - to remember this is our charge. I think "What Would Jesus Do" is a good proverb for us.

+ One can only depend on a victory being sustainable if the enemy is destroyed. The only way to claim victory is to be certain it will last in our personal lives as well. + We see this in the world today. We didn't destroy Iraq's army and the leaders when we could have. Today we face a greater threat, if we invade Iraq now we face a much stronger and more dangerous enemy.

+ Gideon need the Ephraimites to prevent the Midianites from crossing the Jordon River and escaping. Obviously the Jordon played a part in what was yet to come. + The anger of the Ephraim army led to the death of two Midianite leaders. Their anger seems to be that they were not part of the original group to attack the Midianite camp. + Gideon reassures the leaders that God was with them, Gideon's wisdom saves the day by downplaying his part in the plan.

+ They were divided to cause the Midianite army to be fearful of a stronger force then they expected. + The strategy was to surround them, startle them, blinding them with the torches, and to create commotion, and great fear; especially hearing that the Lord & Gideon were together in this effort. + The Midianites seeing the men surround them fled. The Lord now enters the picture; He causes the Midianites to turn on each other in panic, and in dissaray they ran away.

+ If God wanted us to understand the reason I believe the author, which may have been Samuel would have given us some indication. I have studied this before. I find no answer!