April 26
Judges 6:1-40
Luke 22:54-23:12
Psalm 95:1-96:13
Proverbs 14:5-6
Judges 6:1 – 20 times in the Old Testament the phrase “did evil” occurs. 7 times is in this book of Judges. As a result of their evil, God delivered them into the hand of their cousins, the Midianites.
However, the relations between the Israelites and the Midianites began to sour when the Midianites joined forces with the Moabites in order to hire Balaam to curse Israel (Numbers 22). Later, when Israel fell into idolatry and sexual sin with the Moabite women (Numbers 25), we find that a prominent Midianite woman was also involved (Numbers 25:6). The Lord then told Moses to wage war against the Midianites (Numbers 25:17-19).
Judges 6:17 – John MacArthur examines if Gideon’s request violates Deuteronomy 6:16.
Like Moses (Ex. 33), Gideon desired a sign when the Lord directed him to rise up and lead a deliverance (v. 17). In both incidents, revelation was so rare and wickedness so prevalent that they desired full assurance. God graciously gave it. In vv. 18–23, the fire from God brought the realization of the presence of God to Gideon, filling him with awe and even the fear of death. When he saw the Lord, he knew the Lord had also seen him in his fallenness. Thus he feared the death that sinners should die before Holy God. But God graciously promised life (v. 23).
Judges 6:25 – Gideon joins a small group of people who destroyed the false altars in the land in accordance with Exodus 34:13 and Deuteronomy 7:5.
- Asa (2 Chronicles 14:3)
- Jehoiada (2 Kings 11:18, 2 Chronicles 23:17)
- Hezekiah (2 Chronicles 30:14)
- Josiah (2 Kings 23:15, 2 Chronicles 34:4)
Luke 22:61 – This is the only gospel to record that the LORD looked at Peter.
Psalm 95:5-6 – Note the increasing emphasis of the creation of the Creator. It starts out that the sea is His, then the land, but even more so we are made by him!
Proverbs 14:5 – Was just listening to a radio preacher who said that he knew someone who wasn’t able to speak for 6 months due to a surgery. They said their opportunity to sin dropped almost 50%.
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