King James Daily Bible Study: Jehovahshalom
Date: Thursday March 24, 2011
Chapters: Judges 6-7
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-march-24
Details of Today's Reading: More apostasy in Israel, Gideon is called to judge Israel, Gideon’s three hundred men and the victory over Midian and Amalek.

Hello My Friend/Guest,
As Christians we have one thing going for us that no one in the world can ever understand and that is our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. Now, the strength of our faith and trust in Him go up and down like a roller coaster, mostly upon the circumstances in our lives. I my church choir we sing a song titled, “Lord I need you” it's about times that we unintentionally forget that God is with us when things are going well, only to fall into tribulation because of it. 95% of the time tribulation comes from forgetting to acknowledge God. God does not bring upon tribulation to punish us, it's to keep us faithful to Him. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” - Proverbs 3:5,6.

Have you ever been praying and praying and praying, doing what seems right, yet wonder where is God, why He has not answered you, or will you ever get through this? This is the same response that Gideon had when his people were forced to live in caves in fear of the Midianites.

“And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds...And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD because of the Midianites,..And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.” - Judges 6:1,2,7,11-13.

Even if we are not living in sin, ignoring God when things are going well is like turning your back on Him. Sooner or later, if you do not keep God in your sights, one sin will creep in, turning into another and before you know it tribulation comes, just as it did with the Israelites. Then the first thing people do is question why God is doing it to them. Over the past few years I have learned a valuable lesson, when things start falling apart it means that I am losing my sight of God. You know, even when serving God, we can lose sight of Him? That is why it is important to pay attention to the warnings before things really start to fall apart. God does not want to see us suffer, but the sufferings are what bring us closer to God. “For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.” - II Corinthians 1:5,6.

God assured Gideon that He was with him and He would lead them to victory over the Midianites, after a few tests to prove God, Gideon was ready to do the work God called him to do.

“And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O LORD God! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face. And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die. Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it: And build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down. Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night.” - Judges 6:22-27.

Sometimes God just needs us to prove Him, nothing pleases God more than proving to His people and especially the world that He is the one and only Almighty God. The angel of the Lord is none other than Jesus Christ Himself, the word Jehovahshalom, means Jehovah (God) of peace. Jehovahshalom comes through our tribulations through one person and one person only and that is our Lord, Jesus Christ. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope:” - Romans 5:1-4.

While God has the power to do and make anything happen at any time, including give us what we ask instantly,

He rarely gives them to us right away. Why? He wants the recognition. Thirty-two thousand men showed up to help Gideon defeat the Midianites, which were about a hundred-fifty thousand men, out of those thirty-two thousand only three hundred were used by God to defeat the Midianites.

“Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley. And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go...And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.” - Judges 7:1-4,7.

Had the Israelites used the thirty-two thousand men in battle the Israelites would have been boasting about their victory. If God was going to prove to the Israelites and Midianites that He was the one who lead the Israelites to victory than it would have to be with less people. God wants prepared men to fight God’s battles with God’s weapons in God’s way. Why? This would inspire the Israelites to serve Him with confidence and the Midianites would fear Him as well. The whole purpose for trials and tribulations is that we all acknowledge the Almighty God and come to repentance. “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” - II Peter 3:9.

Jehovahshalom only comes through Christ, He is our peace and when He is with us no matter what we are going through we will have peace. Trials and tribulations come and go, faith and trust is dependent upon trials and tribulations, we must go through them to realize that God is the Jehovahshalom. As we endure the trials and tribulations we can say with Job, “Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” - Job 23:8-10.

Jesus Christ Revealed: Today Jesus is revealed through the Sword of the Lord, (7:18-20) Jesus is the Sword of the Lord, which is the Word of God made flesh. “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:” - Ephesians 6:17. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” - John 1:14.

Thanks and God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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