Geoff B

I have been struck by the number of replies that have quoted from Matt 28: And I wonder if part of God's answer to my low self-image is simply, "Go ...". Any thoughts, anyone?

Mighty warrior was not how Gideon saw himself, as he was down in his hole in the ground threshing wheat. I wonder if God waited for a moment when Gideon was really low to say these words. Gideon wasn't a mighty warrior, but he started becoming one when he believed God's word, 'Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?' For Gideon, he started becoming a mighty warrior when he began to get hold of a bigger picture of who God is. May the same happen to us as we do this study!

The Israelites hadn't listened to God's instructions. The particular instruction was a warning not to do what the people around them did, and worship false gods. I don't think the Israelites deliberately abandoned God, they probably just drifted away from him. God gave them this instruction to act like a boundary, something they knew they shouldn't cross. But it was no use to them if they'd forgotten it, or if they heard it but didn't measure themselves against it; it could only help them if they listened. I think this passage makes me see why it is important not just to listen with our ears, but also to apply God's word to our lives.

Hi I'm Geoff and I live near Cambridge in England. I'm an Anglican who attends a Baptist church. I've really enjoyed the study on Luke. It has made me read the whole gospel with a new understanding. I think I will find plunging into Judges quite different, and I'm really looking forward to it.