11/11/12. Judges 8:1-21. GIDEON, A WISE AND DECISIVE LEADER-my devotional

Key Verse: 8:2-3                                                                              Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF

“But he answered them, “What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t the gleanings of Ephraim’s grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer? ³ God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?” At this, their resentment against him subsided.”

     Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for a wonderful Sunday of fellowship with Church members and family. Thank you for Andrew’s recital and granting us beautiful music and great Filipino food and meeting old friends. It was a great day. Thank you for your gospel. Thank you for your love and your kingdom where there is grace and truth and love abounding. Lord, I want to end my day with your word. Please plant your word in my heart. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen!

Part 1: Choose Whom You Will Serve (1-9).

Verses 1-9, “Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, “Why have you treated us like this? Why didn’t you call us when you went to fight Midian?” And they challenged him vigorously. ² But he answered them, “What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren’t the gleanings of Ephraim’s grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer? ³ God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?” At this, their resentment against him subsided.”

Ephraim’s leaders felt left out because Gideon had not called them to join in the main battle. They angrily confronted him. Gideon was humble. He promoted unity, speaking with the wisdom of God. He answered with tact and poise. Gideon assured the leaders that their accomplishments were even greater than his own. Their work behind the scenes had managed to capture the enemy generals, thereby cutting off the leaders from their army. He averted a civil war. After this incident, Gideon continued on in the strength of the Lord.

It is a lot better to answer people with respect and tack and poise. From the Familylife.com site we learn that before we speak we need to follow several principles. 1)  Think before you speak

2)      Determine what and when you want to speak

3)      Not everything you feel needs to be expressed

4)      Ask to make sure you’re understood

5)      Speak to encourage

Gideon was a wise leader. He was a great encourager. I need to learn from him. I am too emotional. When I speak I speak abruptly, out of my emotions. I don’t think too much. I am gruff and I am sure that I hurt some peoples’ feelings. May God help me to take a lesson from Gideon and be one who speaks in grace and tract and in ways that promote the expansion of thekingdomofGod.

Gideon was not so merciful to those who would not side with the people of God and the cause of God. Verses 5-9 read, “Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan and crossed it. ⁵ He said to the men of Sukkoth, “Give my troops some bread; they are worn out, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian.” ⁶ But the officials of Sukkoth said, “Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your troops?” ⁷ Then Gideon replied, “Just for that, when the Lord has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with desert thorns and briers.” ⁸ From there he went up to Penieland made the same request of them, but they answered as the men of Sukkoth had. ⁹ So he said to the men of Peniel, “When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower.”

The fact is that God is moving ahead with his cause, the expansion of thekingdomofGod. We can either be for God or against God. Jesus once said, “Whoever is not for me is against me.”  If we are not gathering with Jesus we are scattering. (Matt 12:30) There are consequences. Gideon is carrying through with the consequences. We can not do that now. We leave judgment to God. We leave room for people to fellowship with us without believing. But there could be divine repercussions for not placing both feet in Jesus’ side. These are from God himself.

Part 2: Make An Executive Decision (10-21).

Verses 10-21, “¹⁰ Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with a force of about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of the armies of the eastern peoples; a hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had fallen. ¹¹ Gideon went up by the route of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah and attacked the unsuspecting army. ¹² Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian, fled, but he pursued them and captured them, routing their entire army. ¹³ Gideon son of Joash then returned from the battle by the Pass of Heres. ¹⁴ He caught a young man of Sukkoth and questioned him, and the young man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven officials of Sukkoth, the elders of the town. ¹⁵ Then Gideon came and said to the men of Sukkoth, “Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me by saying, ‘Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your exhausted men?’” ¹⁶ He took the elders of the town and taught the men of Sukkoth a lesson by punishing them with desert thorns and briers. ¹⁷ He also pulled down the tower of Peniel and killed the men of the town. ¹⁸ Then he asked Zebah and Zalmunna, “What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?” “Men like you,” they answered, “each one with the bearing of a prince.” ¹⁹ Gideon replied, “Those were my brothers, the sons of my own mother. As surely as the Lord lives, if you had spared their lives, I would not kill you.” ²⁰ Turning to Jether, his oldest son, he said, “Kill them!” But Jether did not draw his sword, because he was only a boy and was afraid. ²¹ Zebah and Zalmunna said, “Come, do it yourself. ‘As is the man, so is his strength.’” So Gideon stepped forward and killed them, and took the ornaments off their camels’ necks.”

After the victory, Gideon revealed himself to be a man of decisive action when dealing with the two captured kings and the citizens of the unsupportive cities. In any great work, someone has to make the difficult choices. As Christians, we will never do what Gideon did, but there will be numerous times where we will be called to make executive decisions that require commitment and sacrifice.

Gideon wanted his oldest son to be leader in his generation. It was a time of constant war. It was a unique time. But the principle remains. Gideon wants his son to be a leader who can make an executive decision in very tough times. We too need to have hope for our kids. They need to make decisions that require faith. They need to be spiritual leaders for their generation. I pray that I can have wisdom to help my kids. Right now our relationship is healing. But one day I can help them with the wisdom and the love of Jesus.

Prayer: Lord how often I respond with anger and vengeance toward others. Grant me the wisdom that you gave Gideon so that I may promote love and unity among your people.

One Word: Encouraging words go a long way