March 11, 2014 - Tuesday

Start Time: 5:48 A.M.

End Time: 6:19 A.M.

Title: Zebah and Zalmunna

Scripture: Judges 8:1 – 33

God’s Message / God’s Promise / God’s Commands:

→ 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. 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? 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.  Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan and crossed it. 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.” 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?” 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.” From there he went up to Peniel^[a] and made the same request of them, but they answered as the men of Sukkoth had. So he said to the men of Peniel, “When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower.” 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. Gideon went up by the route of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah and attacked the unsuspecting army. Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian, fled, but he pursued them and captured them, routing their entire army.  Gideon son of Joash then returned from the battle by the Pass of Heres. 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. 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?’” He took the elders of the town and taught the men of Sukkoth a lesson by punishing them with desert thorns and briers. He also pulled down the tower of Peniel and killed the men of the town.  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.” 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.” 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.  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.

NOTES:

Ø God does not use people who are proud and those who desire to boast of their skills!  The Ephraimites came to Gideon and were a little hurt why he didn’t ask for their help (clearly, the emphraimites already thought that their help is necessary for Gideon to succeed).  When God moves, He wants the glory to Him and not to the instruments so He seeks a humble heart.  Again this act is an act of love towards the boastful; God does not want to put them in a situation that will make them sin by thinking of themselves better than others or being prideful.  Thank You Lord for truly You have a purpose for everything including in Your chosen and appointed leaders.

Ø God does not forget those who turn their backs to His people!  God remembers everything and though He chooses to forget our sins, He does not forget those who decides to turn their backs on us in times of needs.  For this reason, Gideon, spoke in faith and declared to the Sukkoth that He will tear down the flesh with desert thorns and briers and that he will tear down the tower of Peniel.  When we have the opportunity to help a brother, do not hesitate for the same way that God never forgets when we turn our backs on our brothers and sisters, He does not forget those who offer help and support to His children too.

→The Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you, your son and your grandson—because you have saved us from the hand of Midian.”But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you.” And he said, “I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder.” (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings.) They answered, “We’ll be glad to give them.” So they spread out a garment, and each of them threw a ring from his plunder onto it. The weight of the gold rings he asked for came to seventeen hundred shekels,^[b] not counting the ornaments, the pendants and the purple garments worn by the kings of Midian or the chains that were on their camels’ necks. Gideon made the gold into an ephod,which he placed in Ophrah, his town. All Israel prostituted themselves by worshiping it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and his family. Thus Midian was subdued before the Israelites and did not raise its head again. During Gideon’s lifetime, the land had peace forty years. Jerub-Baal son of Joash went back home to live. He had seventy sons of his own, for he had many wives. His concubine, who lived in Shechem, also bore him a son, whom he named Abimelek. Gideon son of Joash died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. No sooner had Gideon died than the Israelites again prostituted themselves to the Baals. They set up Baal-Berith as their god and did not remember the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the hands of all their enemies on every side. They also failed to show any loyalty to the family of Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) in spite of all the good things he had done for them.

NOTES:

Ø God is our ruler!  Many times, God raise leaders that will lead us to certain victories in our lives but we often get blinded to the fact that the person is just an instrument and we end up wanting the person to rule and lead our lives all thru out.  But we only have one Ruler and that is God, our Lord!  He is the only One capable to rule over us!  So let us not put the instruments greater than the One using the tools or the creation better than the Creator!  We need to set our minds right!  Or else we will be like Gideon who in the end, his action became a snare to him and his family.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for You have a purpose and a plan for everything You do.  Thank You because even Your choice of leaders have significance and many times we fail to see it.  But ultimately it is for our own good.  Even Your choice of appointing the humble as leader is made out of love for everyone.  Love for the humble and the proud.  Not appointing the proud as leaders is again an act of love because You know that the proud will have the tendency to boast and then end up sinning.  So You ensure that they don’t fall on that trap.  Thank You Jesus.  Thank You because You never forget those who help and support Your people but at the same time, those who also turn their backs and surely, curse and punishment are that fate of those who turn their backs on You and Your children.  Help me Lord to never turn my back on opportunities like this, opportunities to help my brothers and sisters.  And always remind me that You are my Ruler!  When You appoint someone to lead us, they are just tools or instruments and nothing more!  The ultimate leader is still You, Jesus!  Please keep that in my mind Lord that I may not forget.  Thank You for everything especially Your love, favor and grace that You pour out on me every day.  In Jesus’ Name, amen!