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Our message for today November 8th 2020.
From The Book Of Judges.
Preamble :
Listen to me earnestly brethren. This a preamble to the message of this day which is titled “Domination Of the Righteous”. You cannot have victory over satan so long you hold what belongs to Satan.Israel had built altars for Baal.
The Midianites held Israel captive seven years. Gideon was appointed by God to deliver Israel. He first destroyed the temple of Baal as a launching pad and he then fought the Midianites and defeated them.
I do not know how long you have been under a stressful situation. We have to get out today to blow the trumpet of victory over the land to drive away the Midianites in our lives. I hope you know where we are coming from and where we are going to. Get you ready!
Background Reading :
6:1 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.
6:2 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.
6:3 And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them;
6:4 And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. (Judges 6:1-4).
Reason For The Domination Of The Land.
THE DEATH OF JOSHUA.
24:29 And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old.
24:31 And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the LORD, that he had done for Israel. (Joshua 24:29,31).
NEED FOR SUCCESSORS OF A GOOD CAUSE.
After Joshua the elders that followed after him continued, until all of them also died and raised no people to continue. The issue is that the children failed to learn from their fathers. So the leadership fell to Judges from time to time.
MOST OF TRIBES DID NOT DRIVE AWAY THE CANAANITES FROM THEIR REGIONS.
If you read Judges 1:1-end, you will discover that most of the tribes cohabited with the Canaanites. Judah, Benjamin and Caleb drove those in their region of inheritance. They obeyed God.
Others did not drive those in their region and lived with them against the commandment of the Lord to them. They also brought in idolatry to thier kand and displeased God.
ISRAEL SINNED AS THEY TOOK THE GODS OF THE LAND.
The Bible recorded that Israel SINNED and God delivered them to the hands of the Midianites. Therefore when Israel sowed, the Midianutes , the Amakekites and people of the east came and destroyed their crops.
Even the children of Israel made the dens and caves,,which were in the mountains a habitation. They had to hide in the land, which God gave them. Are some parts of Nigeria not passing through this kind of experience. But God is using this message to tell us the root cause of our problems in our country today. We have sinned and fallen short of the protection and awe of God. Individuals also have their own personal dimensions.
Israel was under this domination by the Midianites for seven years.
Joshua was the last leader that led Israel to the promised land. When Joshua died he left no successor and Israel was then governed by judges, who came as interveners from God. Israel lived like sheep without a shepherd.
What caused the fall of Israel to the people they met in the land was SIN. They did not follow the rules left for them to follow by God. And the height of their sin was IDOLATRY.
THEY NEEDED A LEADER.
The call of Gideon was God’s intervention to deliver Israel.
6:14 And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?
6:15 And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.
6:16 And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. (Judges 6:14-16).
God assured Gideon that he shall not die as he feared that the Midianites will kill him.
JEHOVAH SHALOM:
6:23 And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.
6:24 Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. (Judges 6:23-24)
THE CAUSE OF EVIL MUST BE REMOVED.
God used Gideon to destroy the temple of Baal which his father had built and cut down the grooves. Many people who are in trouble today, are calling men of God to deliver them, yet they live in the temple of Baal. Gideon had to destroy the temple of Baal to make a way for vjctory over the Midianites.
When Gideon did this the woke up to see what Gideon had done and asked his father Joash to bring him out to be killed. And Joash replied :
Read this:
6:30 Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it
.6:31 And Joash said unto all that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal? will ye save him? he that will plead for him, let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar.
6:32 Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar. (Judges 6:31-32).
So much of high street Christianity today: people talk about their faith, but still keep the altar of Baal. Gideon had to destroy the altar of Baal to be prepared to conquer the Midianites. How can Gideon defeat them, if he worshipped their god against the will of God?
GIDEON’S VICTORY OVER THE MIDIANITES.
After this Gideon fought the Midianites and defeated them.
Read this :
7:1 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.
7:21 And they stood every man in his place round about the camp; and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.
7:23 And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites.
7:25 And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan. Judges 7:1 , 21, 23, 25).
And you will have victory. Amen.
outreach.mvgm@yahoo.com.
www.mvgmng.org.