April 26, Reading Notes

Judges 6

V. 1 Notice that it was the hand of the Lord that moved first.

V. 6 Notice that the people had to be brought very low before their crying out was genuine and unified.

Vs. 7-10 I’m not sure, but it seems to me that the Lord might have sent a prophet first, to see if they would respond with remorse and obedience to a human messenger. If they had said, “Who is he? He’s just a guy like us,” I think God would have let them sit a while longer. Apparently the people were humble.

Vs. 11-24 It is interesting that it is the Angel of the Lord who came.

Note also, that Gideon had heard the stories of God’s working in delivering Israel from Egypt and was struggling with God’s inactivity. Of course, if Gideon had understood enough of the stories, he would have known exactly why they were in such a bad situation.

From this account and what we find later, Gideon was a fearful follower who needed lots of encouragement and direction. But, the Lord is OK with that. That’s something to give us hope as we follow Christ in the harvest.  We don’t have to fit into any mold.

Vs. 25-32

God gave Gideon very specific instructions. Although Gideon was afraid of the people, so that he obeyed God at night, he did it, and he did it with 10 men to help and witness against him. Again, the Lord works with Gideon on all of this.

I love the response of Gideon’s father.

I wouldn’t have liked a nickname like that. At least it wasn’t a tattoo.

Vs. 33-40

V. 34 is interesting. It says the Spirit clothed Gideon, which is literal from the Hebrew.

One thing you see with Gideon in the case of the altar, and now in facing Midian, Gideon sought help.

V. 36 I think that when a person has the right heart, the Lord doesn’t mind us asking for confirmation of His will. It might depend too, on what the Lord has already done in our lives up to that point. If He has already shown us great acts of kindness and guidance, we might not need to ask for confirmation in continuing to do what He has already shown us. In this case with Gideon, there hadn’t been a sign of the Lord’s working for some time.  And again, the Lord shows a lot of understanding toward us.

Luke 22:54-23:12

Luke 22:54-62

What is notable about this account of Peter’s denial is that Luke mentions that when the cock crowed the last time, Jesus heard it and turned, and across the distance, met eyes with Peter.

Luke 23:6-12

This incident is also only recorded in Luke. Jesus frustrated the entire situation by just saying nothing. It is interesting that Pilate and Herod became friends after this. That gives you a view of Pilate that makes you feel less sympathetic to him because he was forced to hand over Jesus to the Jews. Apparently Pilate’s remorse passed quickly.

To me, it is interesting that Jesus held to what He taught His disciples. He didn’t cast pearls before swine.  Herod interrogated Him at length.  I’m sure it wasn’t easy for Jesus to be taunted as long as He was.

Psalms 95-96

Well, these are two “psalmy” psalms. You know; these are what people expect when you read the psalms, because they are exuberant, exalting and positive. These are two great psalms and very positive for the day after Easter.

Psalm 95

My only observation here is that the psalm seems written to Israel. It encourages the people to worship the Lord with openness and abandon. The end of the psalm is a warning against not freely and openly accepting the Lord. These verses, seven and eleven particularly, sound like Hebrews.

Psalm 96

This psalm seems to address the people of the world.

Proverbs 14:5-6

With the pairing here, it is almost as if you could read that a lying false witness will always seek wisdom in vain, but a person who tells the truth will find it easy to gain understanding.

If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link Every Day in the Word. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.” 

I'm writing these comments to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and interested in growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see the growth of a discipleship culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples, meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out and make disciples who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal manual we have and key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us more focused on why we are here or what we are to be doing. My comments are only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are designed to keep us focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples, disciples making disciples in the harvest.

If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is, the commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.

I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible; in fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.

Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it.