Two new people are introduced to us and they are from the tribe of Manasseh. Joash and his son, Gideon (the focus of the passage). Gideon was separating the wheat from the stalks in a pit that was primarily used for turning grapes into wine so that the Midianites would not see him and thus plunder his work. The angel of the Lord was prophetic towards him with his address as "brave soldier". We don't know if he was or that God was pruning him towards that goal but still he didn't object to it either. He was a humble man who knew and followed the Lord. The area known as the winepress was relatively small and was indicative of the prosperity (or lack thereof) that Gideon and the nation were experiencing. Yet still, Gideon knew his limitations and yet he still wanted to give a gift to God and thus made the angel a goat, soup and bread without yeast as a form of worship. The angel in turn proved to Gideon that He was truly a messenger of God and thus touch the food with his staff and consumed it via fire. Gideon knew that he was truly visited by the Lord and was fearful but was assured by God that He was pleased with Gideon and would bless him. Gideon then built an altar to God to mark that spot and the day.
What was truly remarkable was how generous Gideon was with his limited resources and food. The meal was a fortune in today's terms and with his lack of wealth showed true love and reverence for the Lord. Clearly great things would go through Gideon and his life.
Great weekend as we "de-Christmastized" the house and I made a roast on Saturday. Never used this particular cut of meat before but since it was very expensive and sat in my freezer for a while, I decided to make it. Came out pretty well and was enjoyed by all. Church was decent as well and I got down here with no incidents. Only regret was forgetting my gym bag so I had to improvise with another and no tunes... :(.
Prayers this week for the folks heading down to condo for Operation Donald Duck as well as helping GG through his bout with a cold. Also prayers for the Moy family as they deal with a loss of income as well, these are tough times and they are tough people.
Praise for today: For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor, no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. Psalm 84:11
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