April 27 - May 2 Gideons 300 Destroys Many

In Judges this past reading Gideon and his army fought with the help of the Lord. The Lord said to Gideon "You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength. Therefore, tell the people, 'Whoever is timid or afraid may leave this mountain and go home.'" So 22,000 of them went home, leaving only 10,000 who were willing to fight.
But the Lord told Gideon, "There are still too many! Bring them down to the spring, and I will test them to determine who will go with you and who will not." Gideon took his warriors down to the water, the Lord told him, "Divide the men into two groups. In one group put all those who cup water in their hands and lap it up with their tongues like dogs. In the other group put all those who kneel down and drink with their mouths in the stream." Only 300 of the men drank from their hands.
The Lord told Gideon, "With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home."
With Gideon and these 300 men the Lord conquered throughout the land. The Israelites said to Gideon, "Be our ruler! You and your son and your grandson will be our rulers, for you have rescued us from Midian."
But Gideon replied, "I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The Lord will rule over you! However, I do have one request_that each of you give me an earring from the plunder you collected from your fallen enemies." Gideon mad a sacred ephod from the gold and put it in the Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping it, and it became a trap for Gideon and his family. Throughout the rest of Gideons life, about 40 years, there was peace in the land.
As soon as Gideon diet, the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping the images of Baal, making Baal-berith their god. They forgot the Lord their God, who had rescued them from all their enemies surrounding them. Nor did they show loyalty to Gideons family. Gideon's son Abimelech sales pitched the people on having him their leader rather then the other 70 sons of Gideon. Then he went to his father's home at Ophrah and killed all seventy of his half brothers, the sons of Gideon. But the youngest, Jotham, escaped and hid. Then he came out of hiding and put a curse on the citizens of Sechem and Abimelech.
Abimelech ruled over Israel for 3 years then God sent a spirit that stirred up trouble between Abimelech and the leading citizens of Shechem, and they revolded. God was punishing Abimelech for murdering Gideoon's seventy sons. Abimelech eventually had his head crushed by a stone a woman dropped from a roof and he died. All his followers returned to their homes. God punishe Abimelech for the evil he had done and the men of Shechem so the curse of Jotham was fulfilled.
And again the Israelites did evil in the Lord's sight. They served the images of Baal and Ashtoreth and the gods of Aram, Sidon, Moab, Ammon and Philisria. They abandoned the Lord and no longer served him at all.
So then over the next 18 years the Israelites were being oppressed. They again cried out to the Lord saying, "We have sinned against you because we have abandoned you as our God and have served the images of Baal."
The Lord replied, "Did I not rescue you from the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the Sidonians, the Amalekites, and the Maonits? When the oppressed you, you cried out to me for help and I rescued you. Yet you have abandoned me and served other gods. So I will not rescue you anymore. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen! Let them rescue you in your hour of distress!" They continue to plead and the Lord eventually was grieved by their misery.
This continues to go on and on generations celebrate and live with the Lord and then fall away from the Lord once He's no longer helping them they start getting destroyed and apologize and the Lord comes back and helps them and so on.
Sounds familiar to a lot of what's happening today. We always return to the Lord when things are at their absolute worst. It takes a steady relationship, staying plugged into a bible believing church, hanging out with the right group of friends, prayer and reading of God's word to keep focused on Him. Praise Him in the good times and the bad. It's not easy especially with everything that's going on in this world right now but I can tell you from experience that it's an incredible way to live when the Lord is on your side:)

In the new testament we go from Luke 23 all the way through to John 2. In Luke Jesus is crucified with two criminals. One mocked him and the other criminal protested, "Don't you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die? We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn't done anything wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom."
Jesus replied, "I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise."
I like this because it just shows that when you ask you shall receive from the Lord.
It was noon and darkness fell across the whole land until 3 o'clock. The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle. The Jesus shouted, "Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!" And with those words he breathed his last breath.
A good and righteous man named Joseph asked Pilate for the body then he took it down form the cross and wrapped it in a long sheet of linen cloth and laid it in a new tomb that had been carved out of rock. It was late Friday. Very early Sunday morning the women from Galilee went to the tomb with spices they had prepared. They found the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn't find the body of the Lord Jesus. Two men suddenly appeared clothed in dazzling robes.
"Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn't here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day."
So they rushed back and told the disciples but they didn't believe them. Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. He went home again wondering what happened.
That same day two of Jesus' followers were walking to the village of Emmaus as the walked they were talking about everything that happened. Jesus appeared to them but God kept them form recognizing him. Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Jesus then broke bread with them and suddenly their eyes were opened and they recognized him and he disappeared.
How cool would that be! Now we break bread with Jesus every meal but to have him seriously sitting there at the table.
On their way back to Jerusalem the two followers ran into the 11 disciples and told them the story of what happened. While they were telling the story Jesus himself was suddenly standing there among them. "Peace be with you," he said. But the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost! Jesus calmed them and explained that he told them everything while he was alive "it was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem:'There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.'" then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
"And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power form heaven."
Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting his hands to heaven, he blessed them and was taken up to heaven.
In John We start of with "In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it."
It goes on to tell how God created John the Baptist to tell about the light but John was not the light.
"The true light came into the very world he created, but the world didn't recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn-not with a physical birth resulting form human passion or plan, but a birth that comes form God."
"So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father's one an only Son."
John testified about Jesus when he shouted to the crowds. "Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me."
John testified "I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon him. I didn't know he was the one, but when God sent me to baptize with water, he told me, 'The one on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' I saw this happen to Jesus, so I testify that he is the Chosen One of God."
Jesus is talking to a man named Nathanael when he says "I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth."
I LOVE that! Before Jesus it was all about burning in cents and slaughtering goats...etc. Lots of ceremonies and festivals from the law of Moses to please the Lord and be kept from being destroyed. Now all the ceremonial stuff is gone. We have a direct connect with God through our relationship with Jesus! Does this mean we believe any less or care any less because we don't have to do all of the old testament rituals. Absolutely NOT! We believe just as strongly and love the Lord just as much, and appear to be just as wishy washy as the Israelites:) Now salvation is for the Jews and Gentiles...thankfully:)
Jesus goes on to talk about the Temple will be destroyed and in 3 days he will raise it up again. Now everyone is confused thinking he is talking about the rock Temple that took forty-six years to build but he was talking about his own body. After he raised from the dead his disciples remember he had said this and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said.