Prosperity without purpose

I have never paid much attention to Gideon, then I discover in the Hall of Faith (Hebrews 11)  that he precedes Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and all the prophets.. "By faith these people overthrew kindgoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight."

Picture a hoop which reveals the cycles of history. Start with a nation which served God. ...like ours, for instance. Move right on your hoop.  Evil sets in. (What a terrible blight on our history was the enslavement of innocent people who would be used to satiate the greed of the cotton plantation owners.)  God has never settled that score. ...or is He doing that now? Keep moving on your hoop to the right. Then after evil sets in and man becomes prosperous, God is forsaken and every man "does that which is right in his own eyes". Then comes depression and war, then slavery, servitude (which is where we are now: serving the government which was given us through God's grace to be "of the people, by the people and for the people.". Now we exist to serve the government.); then people cry out to God who may or may not grant mercy and the cycle begins again.

Israel had sinned. Again. The Lord delivered them into the hands of the Midianites. They had just been sprung from being crushed under the heel of the Egyptians; now they are fleeing for their lives from the Midianites, living in caves and dens. Israel had become weakened because they did not drive out every Canaanite as God told them to do. They intermarried and worshipped their spouse's idols. God had given them the Promised Land but not one tribe was able to  possess the land because they compromised with the devil.  Every time the nation hit bottom, God raised up a judge to deliver them. All had some defect, but God used them. What does this say? ...that God can use any man who is willing to be used. ...but Israel elapsed into a period of apostasy.  God sold them into slavery for eight years. (Judges 3:8)

Fast forward to Judge Deborah. What a woman! I am eager to meet her and wonder if my Ted and Doug already have! She rejected the godless crowd and that takes courage. Obviously she was not willing to play their political games. ...and don't forget  sweet-appearing Jael who drove a stake into the skull of Sisera. Down through history, God has used women of faith to influence and act at the risk of their own lives. Augustine's mother, Monica, prayed that he would cease being a proud college professor and come to the feet of Jesus. He did. ...and Susanna Wesley who was booted out of the Church of England because she dared to teach Bible classes that grew into the hundreds in her own back yard!  She prayed for her sons, John and Charles, and you know the rest of that story.  Never underestimate the influence of a woman who is on our knees in desperation before our God, worried half to death that our children will be deprived of their right to worship Christ in freedom.

Oh, yeah, back to Gideon, this coward that God chose to judge, calling him in Judges 6:12 a "mighty man of valour". Does God have a sense of humor or what? If you miss that about God the Bible won't be nearly as much fun for you as it could be.  This man has an inferiority complex.  Remember Moses? Ditto.  He called in Aaron to help him.  Big mistake. Aaron headed up the committee that decided to melt down the gold that God had graciously given the ex-slaves of the Egyptians, built a calf out of it and they danced their fool heads off  (...naked, as I recall)  while Moses was on the Mountain with God Almighty receiving the Commandments that would give necessary parameters to the people who couldn't discern good from evil.

...back to Gideon again. His whine to the Lord: " Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? ...and where be all His miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, 'Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?'  but now the Lord hath forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites". ( Judges 6:13)  Translated: "Lord, we could use some miracles here. There are  a whole lot more of them than there are of us." Why did God call Gideon, the last man in Israel I think He should have called, but He has yet to ask me for one opinion. ...and I have so many.  Note I Corinthians 1:26, 27. "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things that are mighty."

Well, here we are. ...watching our blood-bought freedoms slithering away. We may die for serving Jesus,  the Author and Finisher of our Faith, but whataway to go! ...OR, maybe weak men will get on their knees, repent of being suckered into apathy by prosperity, pull their heads out (which isn't a very ladylike thing to say, I've been told), and by God's power and strength be righteously angry enough not to go down without a fight!  Could our nation wake up?  Sure it could. God insisted that Gideon's army be whittled down to 300! What were their weapons? Pitchers, lamps and trumpets. No swords.  Oh, well, you read it. Judges 6. ...and remember, "Our citizenship is in Heaven..." but we've got stuff to do here before we get to go.

        GOSPEL HYMN THAT COMES TO MIND: "THIS WORLD IS NOT MY HOME"

This world is not my home; I'm just a passin' through.
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue
The angels beckon me from Heaven's open door and I can't feel at home in this world anymore.
O LORD, YOU KNOW, I HAVE NO FRIEND LIKE YOU
IF HEAVEN'S NOT MY HOME, THEN LORD WHAT WILL I DO?
THE ANGELS BECKON ME FROM HEAVEN'S OPEN DOOR
AND I CAN'T FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE

Love, Jo