The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-10-05
LESSON STORY.

That Gideon, when the prophet found
him. was secretly threshing wheat IN a
wine. press, is the clue to the emergency
which called him to his mission.
Israel at this time. some two hundred
wears after the death of Joshua, was In
a pitable condition. 1t had lost its Wig
orous faith in Jehovah. 1t had found
the licentious worship of Baal and
Astarte more agreeable to it's carnal
mind than the moral worship of the I'M
seen Jehovah. AS Israel's faith de-
parted it's courage disappeared. AS a
consequence Israel had been repeatedly
nut under tribute by its enemies. A
marauding horde from Mesopotamia had
first held it in subsection eight years.
Othniel. Caleb's in law, had led the
Israelites in successful revolt. and long
period of rest ensued. But prosperity
and luxury again enfeebled Israel; it
was beaten and for eighteen years held
in bondage by the Moabites. Ehud be-
came its leader in castingoff this CALLING
yoke; and under Ehud and his success
sor Shamgar the nation had quiet eighty
wears. At the end of this period Israel
was enslaved by the Canaanites, the foes
which it, in the days of its vigor, SO con-
fidently despised. Twenty years this
bondage continued. Deborah the pro-
phetess, with Barak for lieutenant,
wrought Israel's deliverance; and Israel
now maintained its independence forty
years. In all these attacks on Israel
there had been an alliance bits enemies
under the lead of the single tribe which
for the time dominated the confederacy.
Then had finally come the assault by
the Midianites, the tribe from the south
of the Sinaitic peninsula. The attrac
ton for this Bedouin horde had been the
fruitful grain harvest of the plain OF
Jezreel. Seven years the Midianites had
been masters of Israel They had driven
the Israelites to the mountains and
caves. The oppressors came in full
force at each harvest time. bringing
their wives and children. They then
reaped from Israel's sowing. This was
the time of special hardship for the
Israelites.
This is why Gideon was secretly
threshing wheat in wine press. In fear
of the Midianites he was providing
bread for his family.
A prophet of God one day paused to
sit under terebinth or oak belonging
to Joash, Gideon's father. The prophet
soon learned the open secrets Of the
household. Joash. the head of the
family, was an idolator, and maintained
the worship of Baal. All his sons, save
Gideon, had been slain by the indian
ties. Gideon was now in mature life
with grown-up sons of his own.
But when this prophet of God,-whom
some interpreters have needlessly i'm
agined to be a supernatural being, but
who was no more supernatural than any
other prophet Of God.-became ac-
quainted with Gideon, he knew him to
be the man he had been looking for. a
man qualified to be the deliver Of Israel.
He saw him in his work exhibit extraor-
binary physical strength. He knew Of
him that, even against his fathers ex.
ample, he was worshiper Of Jehovah.
He understood what personal impulse
to patriotism had been given to Gideon
when he had been bereaved of all his
brothers by the murderous hands of his
country's robbers. 1t was therefore as
with message direct from Jehovah that
the prophet turned toward Gideon and
said, Go in this thy might, and saUe
Israel from the hand Of Midian: haze
not sent thee9
Gideon urged as an excuse for not
promptly responding to this call. that
his family was one of the most obscure
of the tribe of Manasseh, and that he
was himself obscure in his fathers
family. But the prophet interpreted the
voice of the Spirit as this personal mes
sage: Surely ioiH be Nth thee, and
thou shalt smite the Midianites as one
man.
There is in the narrative an account