Judges 7 – 11
Verse 7:2 is one of those verses we have to consider in everything we do:
You have too many warriors for Me to allow you to defeat the Midianites. As it is now, the people of Israel would just deny Me the credit and claim they had won the victory on their own.
So often we start taking credit for what God has done in our lives we stop giving thanks. I know I tend to get a case of the “I”s when talking about things that have happened in my life. It quickly goes from look what God has done to look with I did, with God’s grace, to just I did. It is easy to do since giving God glory in today’s culture is difficult. Sure when we are talking with our friends at Church, giving Him credit is easy; it’s going to work and doing the same with your “Flying Spaghetti Monster” friend (an atheist).
This was the same for Gideon; He wanted the people of Israel to know it was God who conquered the Midianites. Even then as you continue in the readings the people drifted from God quickly after Gideon died. Verse 8:33 shows this change:
As soon as Gideon died, the Israelites turned away from the Lord, and they began to prostitute themselves again to the Baals. They made Baal-berith their chief god.
Notice how often Baal comes up in the writings. Often we look at Baal as a false god, or none existent. But think of this, could Baal be one of the fallen angels when Satan (and/or Lucifer) was cast out of heaven? They would want to be worshiped like God and could do some amazing things to get the people on board. Notice how debauchery and “the flesh” seems to be the theme of Baal worship throughout the Bible.
Today Aleister Crowley, an occultist and author, preaches “do as thou wilt” giving everyone into just having fun. Those of us who followed that path in life and now follow Jesus know the lack of fulfillment one gets just having “fun”. Real joy is not found in Satan, Baal, Asherah or whomever, but rather in Jesus.
It’s interesting to watch God perform public miracles; bring the people back only to drift again within a generation. Has me think of the people I debate in science asking for proof of my God and me only being able to give evidence that they can explain away as chance. Now I know that “chance” is one thing, but “chance” over and over is proof, but that does not work.
As story from a friend is enough for me, but not for them. In a nutshell the family had been trying for 2 years to have children. They had been prayed over and the like from their friends and small group. One week, some visitors from Africa” who had the gift of praying for fertility came to their small group. One had a “prophecy” that they would be holding a son in 9 months. In 9 months they were holding a son … note they had just been giving the bad news two weeks earlier from their doctor that this was most likely not going to work.
How many generations will that story build faith before it is forgotten? No wonder God gets so upset with us, since He is doing this over and over.