Judges 6:11-24 ~ The Lord is with you

 

Judges 6:11-24

11 Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. 

12 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, 

“The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” 

13 And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His wonderful Deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 

14 And the Lord turned to him and said, 

“Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; 

do not I send you?” 

15 And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.” 

16 And the Lord said to him, 

“But I will be with you, 

and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” 

17 And he said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me. 18 Please do not depart from here until I come to you and bring out my present and set it before you.” And he said, “I will stay till you return.”

19 So Gideon went into his house and prepared a young goat and unleavened cakes from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought them to him under the terebinth and presented them. 

20 And the angel of God said to him, 

“Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and put them on this rock, and pour the broth over them.” And he did so. 21 Then the angel of the Lord reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes. And fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. And the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight. 

22 Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord. And Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.” 

23 But the Lord said to him, 

“Peace be to you.

 Do not fear; you shall not die.” 

24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord Is Peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.  

Today, many altars are found in Israel, often based on Bible passages. 

We can locate Ophrah, the town.  The same way David's Palace was discovered by Professor of Archaeology in Israel, Prof. Eilat Mazar. Finding where the Bible location tells us.

Bible Atlas org tells us : A town in the territory allotted to Benjamin in Joshua 18:23. About 1200 B.C. 

Again in 1 Samuel 13:17. 1000 B.C., Philistines encamped at Michmash sent out marauding bands, one of which went westward, another eastward, down "the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness"; the third "turned unto the way that leadeth to Ophrah, unto the land of Shual." This must have been northward, as Saul commanded the passage to the South. 

Bishop Eusebius, 400 A.D., Onomasticon places it 5 Roman miles East of Bethel. A site which comes near to fulfilling these conditions is eT-Taiyebeh, which stands on a conical hill some 5 miles Northeast of Beitin. This is possibly identical with "Ephron" (2 Chronicles 13:19), and "Ephraim" (Jn. 11:54). (2) A city in the tribal lot of Manasseh West of Jordan. It is mentioned only in connection with Gideon, whose native place it was, and with his son Abimelech (Judges 6:11, etc.). 

It was, indeed, family property, belonging to Joash the Abiezrite, the father of Gideon. It was apparently not far from the plain of Esdraelon (Judges 6:33), so that Gideon and his kinsmen smarted under the near presence of the oppressing Midianites.

Why can't we find the altar as in Shiloh? Or Mount Gerizim, the altar, and the papyrus from 1200 BC, thought to possibly have Moses' handwriting. The oldest fragment of the Old Testament. 

There is a possibility. In John's 4th Gospel, Jesus decides to declare Himself as the Messiah to a mere woman outside the culture of Samaritans, through a series of bad choices. And Jesus tells her:

John 4:21-24

21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and Truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him 

must worship 

in 

Spirit and Truth.”

Love the possibility the altar has vanished, stressing the similarity between the weakness perceived in Gideon and the Samaritan woman.

And the Chapter of Judges 6 is the reality of frail mankind dealing with the intricacies, the power and the deeds of The Lord God Almighty. Sending His messengers exactly as He tells us.

Psalm 104:4 

He makes His messengers winds, His ministers a flaming fire

Hebrews 1:7 

Of the angels He says, "He makes His angels winds, 

and His ministers a flame of fire."

The Lord God Almighty identifies this passage as correct within His Nature. His ID remains the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. 

Our Father tells us He is Help, Helper, Comfort and Comforter. Gideon is so far off the mark of a plaster halo saint, the questions and the story of God's expectations and His Mercies are for today. For us. 

It is the Lord who goes before you. 

He will be with you; 

He will not leave you or forsake you. 

Do not fear or be dismayed.

Deuteronomy 31:8   

But they who wait for the Lord

shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings like eagles;

they shall run and not be weary;

they shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31 

  

Therefore encourage one another 

and build one another up, 

just as you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:11  

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;

and 

through the rivers, 

they shall not overwhelm you;

when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,

and the flame shall not consume you.

Isaiah 43:2

  

Have I not commanded you? 

Be strong and courageous. 

Do not be frightened, 

and 

do not be dismayed, 

for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9  

 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 

Who comforts us in all our affliction, 

so that we may be able to comfort those 

who are in any affliction, 

with the comfort with which we ourselves 

are comforted 

by God.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4   

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, 

and 

I will 

give you rest.

Matthew 11:28   

I lift up my eyes to the hills.

From where does my help come?

My Help comes from the Lord,

who made Heaven and earth.

Psalm 121:1-2  

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, 

knowing 

that in the Lord 

your labor is not in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:58   

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

Psalm 32:8  

Be strong, and let your heart take courage,

all you who wait for the Lord!

Psalm 31:24 

  

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love

 and good works, 

not neglecting to meet together, 

as is the habit of some, 

but encouraging one another, 

and 

all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Hebrews 10:24-25   

Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, 

be strong.

1 Corinthians 16:13   

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. 

In the world you will have tribulation. 

But take heart; 

I have overcome the world.

John 16:33   

In all toil there is profit,

but mere talk tends only to poverty.

Proverbs 14:23   

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. 

Not as the world gives do I give to you. 

Let not your hearts be troubled, 

neither let them be afraid.

John 14:27  

For this light momentary affliction is preparing

 for us an eternal weight of glory 

beyond 

all 

comparison.

2 Corinthians 4:17   

Because you are Precious in My Eyes,

and Honored, 

and I Love you,

I give men in return for you,

peoples in exchange for your life.

Isaiah 43:4 

John 10:28-29 

 Jesus says, 

"I give them Eternal Life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My Hand. 

My Father, who has given them to Me, 

is greater than all, 

and 

no one

is able to snatch them 

out of the Father's Hand."

Abba, Father,

Who redeems your life from the pit

and crowns you 

with love and compassion

With Your Help, 

believing Jesus walks on water.

Praying for the healing

of the entire Kirk Family,

both of Charlie's parents,

his wife Erika

and their 2 small children.

Charlie's sister,

his extended family.

And HIS Extended family

in

The God of All Salvation.

Healing, Lord Jesus.

God Bless you

and The Lord

Keep you.

The streams of

political 

freedom

lead to

The Source

of Life

Jesus Christ. 

Dwell in me,

Dwell in us,

Dwell in those we Love,

Help us to seek You first.

And we will finish well, in Jesus Christ. 

HEAL OUR NATION

For Children in their Schools, all safety.

For those who protect and defend the USA,

protect us from evil.

Let evil and practicing evil

depart far from us

and our children.

Thank You, Father,

for Your Good Will.

And hearing our prayers.

Keep our food supply safe.

Support the Police.

For Worldwide Peace.

And the Peace of Israel. 

Those who protect

and defend

All The Word of God.

Freedom in our Churches.

Wholeness

Holy.

Goodness.

And the Nations of the world,

Your Good Creation,

Calling upon You.

Lord Jesus Christ,

Worldwide Peace

Prosperity and

Peace.

We pray that as a Nation,

as a Community,

as a Church,

as a Neighborhood,

we share what You would have us share.

And in this communal sharing,

Your Good Creation would see

better weather.

Rain shared instead of flood.

Removing drought.

Warmth shared

instead of unusual cold

storms.

Prayer does work,

Prayer does work,

Thank You, Lord

 for hearing us.

Today, Texas  had a gentle rain today.

Bless this

Good Creation,

Father,

let the storms of

destruction

pass us all by.

And prayers

for my health

have helped,

Thank You.

We ask in the Name of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 3:17

Now the Lord

 is the Spirit, 

and 

where the Spirit of the Lord is, 

there is freedom.

And in Jesus - this Hope, 

Faith and Love - we will rise up believing Jesus. 

Amen.

♔ Lord Jesus Saves †

Yes The Lord Fulfills His Purpose

Thank You, Jesus

†