Judges 6: 11-24

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

Judges 6: 1-10

Still after all that the Lord had done and was recorded for them through Deborah and Barak, the people were still back to their wicked ways. The new oppressors are the Midianites and the Amalekites. The rule went on for 7 years before the narrative picks up and they were basically being drained of their resources and identity as a nation. Through a prophet, God did tell them what they did wrong and that He saw their disobediance and allowed this to happen.

Back to the grind for a day down here. Heading home for a specialist appointment tomorrow and working out of P-ton on Friday. Glad that I will see Irene later when I get back and interested to hear what she had to say about the whole trip. Also happy to see GG even if it is for one night and briefly.

Praise for today: The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. Psalm 145:14

Judges 5:12-31

The balance of the song that was written probably by Deborah and Barak was recounting the events that were told in 4. What was important to note was that the 12 tribes were not united against the common enemy and did not participate in the battle. It was nature's forces (God) and not the 10,000 people army that won the battle. It also emphasized Canaan's inability to score the victory and the spoils of the victory. Jael is the next person mentioned that deserves credit. While she did kill and violated God's commandment she was more commended for her courage in this instance. The spike she used was probably metal since the Kenanites were metal forgers. The last section deals with the imaginary thoughts of Sisera's mother and her thoughts as to why her son has not come home with the spoils from their "apparent" victory. The Lord ultimately is praised in v. 31.

Very quiet days after Christmas and leading up to NYE. With Irene gone, very little in the way of activity but still went to church to usher for David (who went to Gateway/NYG game) and then dinner with the Quans and m-i-l. Monday was quiet - brunch and light shopping with David, watching a DVD and then dinner and late night church service which was very, very appreciated and needed. Nothing like ushering in the new year with God and prayer.  Today will be equally quiet since the boys will be out and I will head down to Delly in the early afternoon.  Work tomorrow and then heading home to NJ for the balance of the week.

Praise for today: So may all of your enemies perish, O Lord! But may they who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength. Judges 5:31a

Judges 5: 1-11

This is an ancient song which will tell of the battles and the Lord's victory for His people. Deborah and Barak both sang this song and it details the Lord's involvement via the rains that stopped the chariots in their tracks. The roads that were used were treacherous and full of danger. This was a primitive nation in a primitive land. It was almost second nature for the people to abandon God or "supplement" them with their own "created" gods. Her heart was with the people, whether rich or poor and was with them into battle.

Glad Irene got to her first destination yesterday. David seems ok and Daniel is coping. Still enjoying reading a chapter of Proverbs a day (to keep the stupid away). With literally nothing to watch, I started to do my Adult Ed class and hopefully will wrap it up this weekend. Glad to be home most of next week (except Wed) and should have a relatively relaxing day today. Still keeping my peeps in my prayers.

Praise for today: Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the sheep of his pasture, the flock under his care. Psalm 95: 6-7

Judges 4: 11-23

Sisera was like a bad penny that would turn up and was not content with defeat. Licking his wounds and thinking that the armies he had were sufficient and were prepared with the new iron chariots, he decided to go against Barak. Deborah, the judge/prophetess told Barak that the Lord will give Sisera and his armies to him and he should go and attack Sisera. God made the rain come down so hard that the chariots couldn't move and were useless against Barak's army who easily defeated them. Sisera, took refuge in Jael's tent who was the wife of Heber the Kenite. She duped into a false sense of security and then proceeded to drive a peg through his head to kill him. She showed Barak his corpse when he arrived. The chapter ends with the decline of the Canaanites in front of the Israelites according to the will of God and the defeat of Jabin.

Glad that the Christmas thing at my house was over and was pretty successful. Daniel came home and then left and got back to Denver successfully yesterday. The house was restored pretty much and will finish it off on the weekend. Sooo glad to have Monday off! Very happy to see so many people that I rarely see and have made new friends to boot! Prayers for Irene as she is gone until next week and for GG as he returns on Monday for a few days off. Keeping Hei and Kevin in my prayers as they bury her grandfather this weekend.

Praise for today: But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing to  the Lord, for he has been good to me. Ps. 12: 5-6.

Judges 4:4-10

We get our introduction to Deborah, a female prophet and judge who co-ruled with Barak during this time. He was more the "spiritual" than she was and he ruled the tribe of Naphtali at the same time. She needed help and had her people contact him to join forces against a common enemy. He wouldn't go into battle unless she was along side of him and thus she got the credit for the victory rather than him. He trusted in God but not in his own abilities which seemed odd since his "power" came from God. Nevertheless, they both conquered Sisera but she got the credit.

So far it has been a decent week. Got a gift card as a thank-you from work for coming in on Sandy and that was welcomed. Muddling through the week and will head home later. FW tonight and then some clean-up and gift wrapping on Saturday as well as making dinner. Looking forward to seeing the whole family on late Saturday night and then off to church on Sunday. Going to see a Nets/76ers game on Sunday and then working out of Princeton on Monday. Nice to have off on Wednesday and leisurely head back to Delly.

Praise for today: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests. Luke 2:14

Judges 3: 31 to 4: 1-3

Shamar was an isolated case according to the commentary since he was not with much history and could have been a hired mercenary whose weapon of choice was an ox-goad. The ox-goad was a 8-10 foot stick with a sharp blade attached to the end used to make the animals move. Chapter 4 follows the trend of the writer of Judges since he prepares the reader for the way the Israelites were. They slipped into the ways of evil, were punished and cried out for help. This time the oppressor had them under his rule for 20 years before the Lord responded. These events that were recorded focused on the Northern tribes. Additionally, with the mention of chariots (iron) was the age of iron versus that of bronze. The strife between Canaanites and the Israelites were also on the increase.

Over all a good few days off, with us seeing the Hobbit on Sunday and also getting the place ready for Christmas. Also getting some of our cards out as well. Still good to have seen GG even if it were for a brief time yesterday.  Not looking forward to the rest of the week but still it should go ok, next week is another story. I still have a tough time gearing up for the holidays but hopefully that will change.

Praise for today: But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds, declares the Lord, because you are an outcast, Zion for whom no one cares. Jer. 30: 17