April 27 – The Patience of the Lord

TODAY’S BIBLE READING CHALLENGE:
Judges 7:1-8:17
Luke 23:13-43
Psalm 97:1-98:9
Proverbs 14:7-8

Judges 7:3 — Deuteronomy 20:8 says to let the fearful and fainthearted go home. Gideon had to wait for God to reiterate this command.

**English:** Gideon and His Three Hundred; as in Judges 7:9-23; illustration from a Bible card published by the Providence Lithograph Company

Judges 7:10 — If thou fear … ever notice how merciful God was as He orchestrated this victory?

Israel did evil (Judges 6:1)
Israel cried unto the LORD (Judges 6:6)
The LORD allows Gideon to ask a sign (Judges 6:17)
The LORD puts up with Gideon thinking he will die (Judges 6:23)
The LORD helps Gideon even though his father has an altar to Baal (Judges 6:25)
The LORD helps Israel even though the townsmen wanted to kill the obedient Gideon (Judges 6:30)
The LORD helps Gideon even though he asks for a second sign (Judges 6:37)
The LORD helps Gideon even though he asks for a third sign (Judges 6:39)
The LORD helps Israel even though 22,000 of them were fearful and afraid of trusting in the LORD (Judges 7:3)
The LORD helps Gideon even though he’s still scared (Judges 7:10)
The LORD was patient and victorious – all Israel did was sin and cry

Luke 23:14 — Notice the contrasts:

The man who was charged with perverting the people is found with no fault at all (Luke 23:14)
Bar-abbas (“son of the father”) was desired instead of the Father’s Son (Luke 23:18)
The rebel to authority was traded for the King of the land (Luke 23:19)
The typically bloodthirsty Romans (Luke 13:1) wanted to release a prisoner (Luke 23:20)
The priests of mercy (Hosea 6:6) want death (Luke 23:23)
The governor obeys the governed (Luke 23:24)
The guilty murderer was released, the innocent victim was punished (Luke 23:25)

Luke 23:42 — The guilty malefactor did what the Israelites did (Judges 6:6) and cried to the LORD.

Psalm 97:9 — The LORD who puts up with Gideon and Israel, who humbles Himself to accept the judgment of His Creation, is the same LORD who is high above all the earth.

Proverbs 14:8 — Deceit blinds your eyes to the truth. Understanding opens your eyes to the truth. Not all truth is immediately visible (Proverbs 25:2).

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