The Tupelo journal., 1902-11-21

Az ASpt OA Israel every man unto MS tent,
and retained those three hundred men and
the host of indian was beneath him in the
valley.
GOLDEN TEXT.-It is better to trust
in the Lord than to put confidence in
nan.-Ps. ISIS.
OUTLINE OF SCRIPTURE SECTION.
Gideon's Judges 6.
GiqeoHs victory Z.
Gloeon's g..
TIME-B. C. 1856 and 1919.
PLACE-Ophrah. Valley of Jezreel and
Canaan.
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
God used Gideon, as He had used the
other judges, to teach a lesson to Is
rael. That lesson was that in God
was the nations help. 1t was diff
cult for the people to learn this truth,
just as it is for nations nowadays to
grasp it. Whenever the people were
faithful to Jehovah, He protected
them from their enemies; when they
forsook Him they became subject to
oppressors.
The period of the Judges has been
called Israel's Iron age" and of
course We read the stories of its bloody
deeds with horror, and yet even here
we find 4 gradual moral development.
The historian makes the accounts of
the early days of His people teach a
powerful religious lesson-the same
lesson over and over again. The chill
dren of Israel do "that which is evil
in the sight of Jehovah" He delivers
them into the hands of their enemies;
He hears their cries-for He loves
them, and raises up for them these
deliverers, during whose lives they
have peace. The events of chanters 3-5
are selected from a period of perhaps
$50 years. W
Chapter VI gives US a picture of the
way in which the rich farming country
of the valley of Jezreel was continual
ly raided in harvest time by the
Bedouin Arabs from beyond the Jor-
dan. They descended upon the fields in
hordes with their camels; the inhab-
itants fed before them, and they did
aot leave till the country had been
stripped of everything that could be
carried away. Famine could be the
only result. The situation was des-
perate. At such a time as this the
angel (messenger) of Jehovah appears
to Gideon, and commissions him 10 rid
the land of the Midianite invaders. He
is assured of Jehovah's help and bless
ing, without which he could hope to
do nothing, and the assurance is con-
irmed by a miracle (V. Ply. In verses
25-32 Gideon forsakes Baal worship
and destroys the family altar to the
local Baal. There is a rising of the
surrounding tribes at his call (33-35),
and he is assured of victory by the
miracle of the fleece (36-4O.)
Gideon's army now numbered 3d.
600 men. But Jehovah wished to do
something more important than rid
the land of the Midianites that day.
He wanted to teach the people that
their security lay not in themselves
and their might, but in faithfulness to
Him. Deliverance by 800 men would
certainly be attributed to God, while
if the victory had been won by 80, 900
it would have seemed like a purely hui
a occurrence, and Gods main OBJ
ject would not have been accom-
plished.
"Jerubbaal:" Another name for
Gideon. "Whosoever is fearful" Gd6
was going to do the work, but He
wanted good material to work with.
Two-thirds of the army were afraid.
But victory by the 10000 yet remain
ing would not seem miraculous
enough. The number must be reduced
again. At the brook it was seen that
the vast majority "bowed down upon
their knees to drink" Only 300 Tapped
of the water "as a dog lappeth," yet
by this handful of men Jehovah chose
to deliver Israel. This may have in-
dicated watchfulness and temperance,
or may have been simply an arbitrary
device for reducing the number. Those
who were rejected took part in the
pursuit (23,' 24).
PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS.
If one but has God upon his side, he
need not fear his foes however numer-
Gus they may be.
God has no use for the f~aint-hearted
in the conflict with evil. He wants
men with the courage of faith.
A few ~consecrated men become in
the hands of God a mighty force for
the overcoming of evil.
Life cannot be all sunshine if it
would be of any service.
Conscience is a good watch, but it
will not wind itself.