Evening star., 1926-11-27

Only one lesson has been selected
from the book of Judges, which is our
source for the history of Israel dur
ing the transitory period, when every
man did that which was right in his
own eyes" 1t reveals the fact that
Joshua had not driven completely out
of the land the conquered inhabitants.
They had remained in the country and
continued to occupy important loca'
tions. Nearly the whole Of the sea
coast all of the strongholds in the
rich plain Of Esdraelon, and, in the
heart Of the country, the invincible
fortress of Jerusalem were controlled
by enemies of Israel. Their presence
had weakened the faith of the He
brews during the rule of Joshua and
was the source of the nations peril:
then he renewed their covenant pre-
ceding his death. Following his death
the insidious influence of false faiths
made such headWay that Israel did
evil in the sight of the Lord and
license. anarchy and disorder marked
the DAYS when the nation had no king.
During the several hundred years Of
the period Of the judges God taught
Israel by events that they should
serve Him. They learned that the
way Of the transgressOr is hard, but
that the fear of Jehovah was the
pathway of blessing. Idoiatry brought
disaster. Prosperity, peace and power
resulted from trusting in God and try
ing to do His will. During the trying
experiences that developed from the
centers of dsaffection between con-
uuered people and themselves, or from
the invasionS that swept over PaleS-
tine from different sources, the in
III loo Il I7n
necessity of repentance for their sins
and reliance upon God for deliverance.
It was in such an hour that God
called Gideon to save his countrymen
Gideon Called.
Israel had suffered the invaSions Of
the Midiani for seven successive
years These wild hordes of the desert
had been attracted by the fertility OF
the plain of Esdraelon, that has been
coveted by men of all nations. A mis-
sionary, whose work causes him to
cross it every few months, quotes Sir
Herbert Samuels, the first high COM
missioner for Palestine. as his au-
fhority for the statement that the
greater part of the land has been
bought in trust for the Jewish people.
What was once a SWampy,
ynalarious wilderness has been turned
into a prosperous countryside, already
the home of thousands of healthy and
happN people" This fertile plain with
its harvest was sought by the Midian-
ites, who knew that there was no
strong centralized government to op-
pose their expeditions. Their repeated
raids forced the Jewish farmers to
seek protection in "the dens which are
in the mountains and the caves and
the StronghOIdS" Israel had been re-
luced to want and sought protection
from Jehovah against the people OF
Midian. In answer the Lord sent a
prophet, who pointed out the nations
sin.
God found in Gideon, the youngest
son Of poor and obscure family in
Manasseh, a humble. spiritual, pa
triot, whose soul was distressed by the
trend of the times. He was brooding
over the perilS Of his countrymen and
the cause of their suffering, while en-
gagged in doing the menial work of the
family. He was threShing wheat "by
the winepreSS to hide it from the Mid
ianites." Poverty and peril had forced
him to do the task there, but it was
while busy in an effort to assist his
own family that this modest man
heard Gods salutation. He recognized
that possibly it was from the Lord
and sought a sign, which when given
removed all doubt.
The call to conquer the Midianites
demanded that Gideon first show his
courage by cleaning up his own house.
He had to remove the idolatry in his
fathers home by destroying the altar
Of Baal, which belonged to his father,
and the sacred post that stood beside
1t. He was then to erect an altar tC