Gideon’s Fleece

64 – Gideon’s Fleece

Judges 6:1-40

For seven years, the Midianites came into Israel like a swarm of locusts. They moved across the land, taking everything off it—all the crops and farm animals. They left nothing for the Israelites to eat. The people became desperate and had to find places to hide in mountain caves.

A man named Gideon was also hiding from the Midianites. He had to thresh his wheat in a wine vat instead of an open threshing floor. The Angel of the Lord came and sat under an oak tree nearby. He said, “The Lord is with you, oh mighty warrior.”

Gideon said, “Oh my Lord! If God is with us, why is he allowing all these bad things to happen to us? Where are all the wonderful miracles our fathers told us about? God is no longer fighting for us.”

The Angel said, “I’m sending you to deliver Israel from the Midianites.”

Gideon was shocked. “Lord, how can I deliver Israel? I’m a nobody.”

The Lord said, “Yes, but I’ll be with you, and you’ll have victory.”

Gideon said, “Lord, I need a sign that you’re really talking to me. Please, stay here while I prepare a sacrifice.”

The Lord said. “I will stay here until you return.”

Gideon rushed off and prepared a sacrifice for him. When it was ready, he put it on a rock. The Angel of the Lord reached over and touched the sacrifice with the tip of his staff. Fire came up from the rock and burnt it up. And then the Lord vanished.

Gideon yelled, “Lord God! I’m about to die! I’ve seen the Angel of the Lord face to face!”

The Lord said, “Don’t be afraid. You’re not going to die. Do what I say. Your father has an altar of Baal. Tear it down and build an altar to God. Then offer a burnt offering to the Lord.”

Gideon obeyed, but he did it at night. He was afraid of his family and the men who lived in his city.

In the morning, people found Baal’s altar torn down. They saw the altar to the Lord built in its place, and the ashes of the burnt offering on top of it. Soon they learned Gideon had done this.

The men of the city went to his father’s house and said, “Give us your son! We’ll kill him because he tore down Baal’s altar.”

Gideon’s father said to them, “Show me the man who is defending Baal. He’ll be dead by morning! If Baal is really a god, let him defend himself.”

Once again the Midianites came into Israel and camped in a valley. The Spirit of the Lord filled Gideon, and he sent out messages for people to come, ready to fight.

Then Gideon prayed, “Lord, give me a sign.” He then put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor and said to God, “I’ll know you’ll deliver us if the morning dew is only on the fleece, and all the ground is dry.”

He got up early in the morning and found that the fleece was soaking wet, but the ground was dry.

Gideon said, “Lord, don’t be angry with me. Allow me one more test. This time let the fleece remain dry, and the dew be all over the ground.” In the morning, the fleece was dry, and dew was all over the ground.

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Joshua’s Farewell

60 – Joshua’s Farewell

Joshua 14:1-15 15:1-63 23:1-24:33

After Joshua cleared many of the nations out of Canaan, the land was divided among the various tribes. Caleb went to Joshua and said, “I was forty years old when you and I spied out this land. We brought back an honest report, but our brothers put fear in the hearts of the people. You remember, Moses promised that we would inherit the land we saw that day.

“I am now eighty-five years old, but I’m as strong today as I was forty-five years ago. I still go into battle and do my daily chores. Now give me these hills. The Canaanites still live there, but I’ll drive them out.”

So Joshua gave him the region around Hebron. Caleb organized his people and drove the Canaanites out of each city. When he came to one city, he said, “Whoever conquers this city may marry my daughter.”

A man took the challenge and conquered it. So Caleb sent for his daughter. As soon as she arrived, she said to her future husband, “Ask my father for that field. It has a natural spring of water.”

She got off her donkey and faced her father. He said, “What do you want?”

“You gave us this city, now give us the spring of water as well.” So he gave her what she wanted.

Years later, Joshua knew he was about to die, so he called the people of Israel to come to him. When they were gathered he said, “You have seen all that the Lord has done for you. You have land where your families can live because he fought for you.

“Be strong and continue to obey the Law of Moses. Don’t turn away from it. Don’t start worshiping the gods of the people who still live in this land. Instead, remain true to the Lord your God. If you don’t, he will take you off this land.”

Joshua then reviewed the entire history of Israel. He finished by saying, “God sent hornets ahead of you and drove out the people who lived on this land. He gave you fields you didn’t buy, houses you didn’t build, and vineyards you didn’t plant.

“Choose today who you’re going to worship. You can serve the idols your fathers bowed down to. You can worship the gods of the people who live in this land. Or you can worship and serve the Lord who brought you here with his mighty hand. As for me and my family, we’ll serve the Lord.”

The people said, “We won’t worship the gods of this land. We’ll remain true to the Lord our God. We’ve seen his mighty works, so we too will serve the Lord.”

Joshua said, “I don’t believe you. You’ll turn your back on the Lord, so he’ll have to destroy you. How could you do that after he’s been so good to you?”

The people shouted, “No! We’ll worship and serve the Lord.”

Joshua said, “You’re witnesses to what you’ve said. These stones are also witnesses to what you’ve said. Get rid of all the stupid idols and fully trust in the Lord your God.”

Soon afterwards, Joshua died at 110 years old. The people worshiped the Lord throughout the time he led them in the land. They also served the Lord throughout the lifetime of the elders who served with Joshua.

But then another generation grew up that didn’t know the Lord. They hadn’t seen what he had done.

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Speak to the Rock

51 – Speak to the Rock

Numbers 20:1 – 21:35

The Israelites traveled to a place where there was no water. The people went to Moses and said, “We wish we would have died with our brothers under God’s hand. You brought us here with many promises, but we don’t see any farms, fig trees, or vineyards. On top of that, there’s no water for us or our livestock.”

The Lord said to Moses, “Gather the people together and stand in front of them with your staff. Speak to the rock, and it will give you water. There will be enough for the people and their livestock.”

So Moses stood in front of the people. He said, “You’re a bunch of rebels. Do I have to provide you water from this rock?” With that, he hit the rock two times with his staff. Water came gushing out, and everyone had enough.

But the Lord wasn’t pleased with Moses and Aaron. He said, “You didn’t trust my power. These people saw you disrespect my command. Therefore, you won’t take these people into the land I promised them.”

As the people of Israel moved on, they came to the border of Edom. Moses sent a message to their king asking permission to pass through their land. He assured the king that they wouldn’t disturb anything, and they would pay for any water they drank.

The king refused to let them pass through the land. He even sent his army to their borders and threatened war if the Israelites crossed into their land. So Moses turned away.

Shortly after that, the Lord said to Moses, “Aaron is about to die. Therefore take the high priest’s garments off of him and put them on Eleazar, his son.”

Moses did this, and Aaron died soon afterwards. The people of Israel mourned his death for thirty days.

As the Israelites moved around Edom, the people started to complain again. They said, “We didn’t have to come here to die. We could’ve done that in Egypt. We have no water, and we hate this awful food!”

So the Lord sent poisonous snakes into the camp. People were bitten, and many died. They rushed to Moses and said, “We’ve sinned! We shouldn’t have spoken against you and the Lord. Please talk to God and ask him to take away these snakes.” So Moses prayed for the people.

The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake out of bronze and put it on a pole. People will be healed from their snake bites if they look at the bronze snake.”

As the people of Israel traveled they came to the border of the Amorites. They sent a message to the king asking if they could travel through his land. They assured him that they would not take anything and would do no harm.

The king of the Amorites refused. Instead, he took his army and attacked Israel. So the people of Israel fought them and totally defeated them. They took over all their cities and lived in them. They controlled all the land right up to the Ammonite border.

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Twelve Spies

49 – Twelve Spies

Numbers 13:1 – 14:45

When the Israelites arrived at the border of Canaan, God said to Moses, “Send twelve men to search out the land.” So Moses selected one man from each tribe of Israel. He told them to go into the land and bring back information about the people and their cities. He also told them to bring back some of the fruit that was growing in the land.

The men stayed in Canaan for forty days. When they came back, two of them were carrying a large cluster of grapes on a pole between them.

When the men gave their report, ten of the men said, “It’s true, the land is great and flows with milk and honey. But, the people are big and powerful and live in cities with high walls.”

The other two men were Caleb and Joshua. They gave a different report. They said, “We must go up and take this land. We can do it!”

The other ten yelled, “No, we can’t attack these people! They are stronger than we are. We felt like grasshoppers next to them!”

The Israelites were afraid when they heard this report. They turned against Moses and said, “Did God bring us here to be killed? We could’ve died in Egypt! The men of this land will kill us and make slaves of our wives and children. We’re going to select a new leader and go back to Egypt.”

Joshua and Caleb ran out in front of the people and tore their clothes. They cried out, “This land is very good, and the Lord is about to give it to us! Don’t rebel against him because you’re afraid. The Lord is with us. We’ll swallow up these people!”

The people of Israel attacked Joshua and Caleb, but suddenly the glory of the Lord appeared at the Tabernacle. God said to Moses, “How long will these people refuse to believe in me? They saw the wonders I did in Egypt. They saw the many miracles I did among them. Yet they still test me.

“Therefore these people won’t see the land I promised their fathers. I’m sending them back into the wilderness, and they’ll stay there for forty years until they’re all dead. Everyone who is twenty years old or older will not see the land, except for my servants Caleb and Joshua. They’ll go into Canaan because they followed me without hesitation. Since these people worried about their children, I’ll take their children into the land of Canaan, and give it to them.”

Moses told the Israelites what the Lord had said, and they broke down and cried. The ten men who brought back a bad report were suddenly stuck by a plague and died. Early the next morning the people said, “We now realize we’ve sinned. We’ll go into the land as the Lord commanded.”

Moses said, “No! The Lord is sending you back into the wilderness. Don’t disobey him again. If you go into the land, you’ll be defeated because God is not going with you.”

Nevertheless, they went into Canaan against God’s will. And just like Moses said, they were defeated in battle. Many were killed and the rest came back in disgrace.

So the people of Israel turned back into the wilderness where they remained for the next forty years. All of the adults who came out of Egypt would die there. Still, the Lord was with them and met their needs. Their clothes and shoes didn’t get old, and God provided their daily food.

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The Golden Calf

44 – The Golden Calf

Exodus 32:1-35

Moses stayed with God for forty days and forty nights. The people grew restless, and finally they went to Aaron and said, “We don’t know what’s happened to Moses. Make us a god we can see, one that will be with us.”
So they gave Aaron their gold earrings, and he melted them down. He then formed the gold into the shape of a calf. The people were happy with this and said, “This is the god who brought us out of Egypt!” They sacrificed to it and had a feast. Afterwards they celebrated with a wild party.

On the mountain, God said to Moses, “Go down to your people, the ones you brought out of Egypt. They’ve corrupted themselves and turned away from what I told them to do. They’ve made an idol and bowed down to it with sacrifices. Step aside and don’t stop Me. I’ll destroy them and make your descendants into a great nation.”

Moses pleaded with God, “Don’t be so angry with your people, the ones you brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. If you destroy them now, the Egyptians will laugh and say you brought them here to kill them. Remember your promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. You said their descendants would inherit the land, and become as numerous as the stars in the sky.” So the Lord listened to Moses and didn’t destroy the people.

Moses then went down the mountain with the two stone tablets God had given him. He got angry when he saw the calf and the dancing. He threw the two tablets down and shattered them on the ground. He burned the golden calf in the fire, ground it to powder, put it in water, and made the Israelites drink it.

Then Moses said to Aaron, “Why did you make this golden calf? Look at the people! See how it has caused them to go into deep sin.”

Aaron said, “Please don’t be angry with me. You know how wicked these people are. They said, ‘Make us a god.’ I told them to give me their gold. I threw it into the fire and … out came this calf!”

Moses then stood at the gate of the camp. He saw how the people were still out of control. He shouted, “Those who are on the Lord’s side, come and stand with me!” The sons of Levi separated themselves from the rest of the people and stood with Moses. The Lord then commanded them to strap on their swords and fight against those who refused to stand with Moses. Three thousand men died that day.

Afterwards, Moses called the people together and said, “You have committed a great sin. I’ll go before the Lord, and maybe I can make an atonement for you.” With that, he went back up the mountain.

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Two Camps

26 – Two Camps

Genesis 32:1 – 33:20

Jacob and his family were going back to his homeland. Suddenly God’s angels met him. With that, he knew he was not alone, so he called the place “Two Camps.”
From there he sent messengers to his brother Esau saying, “I’m coming home with all my possessions, and I’m hoping you’ll accept me.”

The messengers came back and said, “Your brother is coming with four hundred men.” This struck fear in Jacob’s heart. He immediately divided everything into two camps, saying, “If Esau attacks one camp, the other can escape.”

He prayed, “Oh, God of Abraham and Isaac, You told me to come back to my country. You said I’d prosper here. I’m not worthy of the kindness you’ve shown me. I left this land with only my walking stick. Now I’m two camps.

“Please rescue me from my brother. You said my descendants would be as hard to count as the sand on the seashore.”

He then prepared gifts for his brother, which included goats, sheep, camels, cows, and donkeys. He divided them into three groups and sent them ahead. He told his servants, “When Esau comes to the first group, say to him, ‘Your slave Jacob is sending these to you. Look, you can see him back there.’” He told the second and third the same things. He was hoping these things would help Esau be more forgiving.

He then spent the night waiting for his brother’s arrival in the morning. Since he couldn’t sleep, he went off to be by himself.

Suddenly a man appeared and grabbed him. Jacob fought back, and the two of them wrestled all night. At daybreak the stranger saw that Jacob was determined not to lose this fight. So the man struck Jacob’s side and dislocated his hip socket.

He said, “I’ve got to go. It’s daybreak.” Jacob said, “I won’t let you go until you bless me.”

The man said, “What’s your name?”

“I’m Jacob!”

The man said, “No, that’s no longer your name.

You’ll be called Israel, which means ‘wrestled with God.’ You’ve fought with God, and have lived to tell about it.”

Jacob said, “What’s your name?”

The man said, “I’m not telling you my name.” With that, he blessed Jacob.

Jacob called the place “God’s Face.” He said, “I’ve seen God’s face and I’m still alive.”

Jacob limped back to his camp. Off in the distance he could see Esau and his four hundred men coming. He put each of his families into different groups, and then he went out front. He bowed seven times as he hobbled toward his brother.

Esau ran up to him and gave him a hug. Both men cried. Esau then pointed to the people standing behind Jacob. “Who are these people with you?”

After Esau met Jacob’s family, he said, “Why did you put all those animals along the way?”

“Oh, I gave those to you in hopes of winning your forgiveness.”

Esau said, “No, no. I have enough. You keep them.”

But Jacob insisted. “Please, accept my gifts. It would make me very happy.” So Esau agreed.

Then Esau and his men went home that same day. Jacob went to an area near a city called Shechem. There he built an altar and called it “God, the God of Israel.”

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She’s My Sister

14 – She’s My Sister

Genesis 20:1-18

Abraham traveled to an area where Abimelech was king. He told the people there, “Sarah is my sister.” So Abimelech sent people to get Sarah and bring her to his household. Once she was there, the Lord prevented the king from having sex with her.
God came to Abimelech in a dream and said, “You’re about to die because that woman you brought into your house is married.”

The king said, “Lord, I’m innocent! The man told me she was his sister, and she said the same. Lord, you must believe that I did this with a clear conscience. Besides I haven’t touched her.”

The Lord said, “Yes, I know you’re telling the truth. I kept you away from her. Now here’s what you’re to do. The man is a prophet. Take his wife back to him and ask him to pray for you. If he does, I’ll let you live. But be careful. If you don’t do this, you and your entire family will die.”

Early in the morning, Abimelech called in all of his servants. When he told them what God had said, terror fell on all of the men. Suddenly the women of the household realized they were unable to bear children.

Abimelech sent for Abraham. When he arrived, the king said to him. “Why did you do this to us? What did I do to you that caused you to treat me this way? My whole kingdom is going through tremendous guilt. Never in the world should anyone treat another person like this! What were you thinking of?”

Abraham said, “My wife and I have the same father. So she really is my sister. We just don’t have the same mother. When we came to your land, I didn’t know the fear of God was here. I was sure I’d be killed so you could get my wife. So she agreed to show her loyalty to me by telling people that I’m her brother.”

Abimelech gave Sarah back to Abraham, along with sheep, cattle, slaves, and a thousand pieces of silver. He said, “You may freely go anywhere in my kingdom. Settle where you want. No one will bother you.”

Abraham then prayed for the king. So the Lord healed Abimelech, and allowed all the women to have children once again.

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The God Who Sees Me

9 – The God Who Sees Me

Genesis 16:1-16

After Abram had lived in Canaan for ten years, Sarai became concerned that she hadn’t yet had a child like the Lord promised. She said to her husband, “I have a solution to this problem. Go to bed with my slave Hagar. When she delivers a child, it’ll be the same as if I had the child.
Abram agreed and did as she said. But as soon as Hagar became pregnant, she started acting like she was better than Sarai.
This made Sarai angry. She said to Abram. “You’re the one who has caused all my problems! You got my slave pregnant, and now she thinks she’s better than me.

Abram said, “She’s your slave. Do whatever you want with her.”

So Sarai started beating Hagar and humiliating her in any way she could. Finally, the slave ran away. She came to a spring of water and collapsed next to it.

The Angel of the Lord said to her, “Hagar, where are you going?”

“Oh Lord. I’m running away from Sarai, my mistress.”

“No, no, you shouldn’t do that. God has heard your crying out in pain. Go back and submit to Sarai, even if she beats you. You’ll have a son, and you’re to call him Ishmael. He’ll be a fighting man, and be at odds with everyone. I’ll multiply your descendants so much that you wouldn’t be able to count them.”

Hagar was amazed and said, “I have seen the God who sees me. So she named the spring, “The Well of the Living God who Sees Me.”

She then went back and submitted herself to Sarai. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar gave birth to her son. He named the child Ishmael, which means “God Hears.”

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We have been listening to stories of Abram for a while now. What are some of his strengths; what are some of his weaknesses?
Watch the video The God Who Sees Me.
Refer to Gen 16 and for each of the following – Abram, Sarai, and Hagar – explain each person’s problem, the cause of the problem, the solution, and the consequences of that solution.

Person	Problem	Cause	Solution	Consequence
Abram
Sarai
Hagar

What is missing in each person’s attempt to solve problems?
How has this story brought you to a better understanding of God?
Retell The God Who See Me as a group.

Melchizedek

8 – Melchizedek

Genesis 13:10 – 15:24

Both Abram and Lot were prosperous. Soon their herdsmen started arguing over grazing rights. Abram said, “We shouldn’t be fighting. After all, we’re family. There is plenty of land here. You choose. You go one way and I’ll go the other.”
Lot knew which direction he wanted to go. The Jordan valley had plenty of water, and it reminded him of Egypt. He’d often say to himself, “It’s like the Lord’s garden.” So he chose the entire Jordan Valley. He set up his tent near Sodom, even though the men there were extremely wicked.

Then the Lord said to Abram, “Look to the north and to the south. Look to the east and the west. I’m giving it all to you and your descendants. Get up! Walk over all this land. It’s yours.”

Some time later, an alliance of four city-kingdoms made war with the five cities around Sodom. The alliance won the battle and took all their possessions, food, and many of the people, including Lot.

When Abram heard about this, he took his 318 trained servants and chased after the alliance. He attacked them during the night and totally defeated them. He then took Lot, all the people, and their possessions back to Sodom.

Abram met Melchizedek when he got there. Melchizedek was the king of Salem, but he was also a priest of the Most High God. He said, “Abram is blessed by the Most High God, who created the heaven and earth. Give praise to the Most High God, because it is he who has given you victory over your enemies.”

Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything.

The king of Sodom said to Abram. “Give me the people and you keep all the possessions.”

Abram said, “No, I’m not taking any of it. I’m giving it all back to you, except what the servants ate during the campaign. I never want you to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ ”

With that, Abram and his servants went home. Soon afterwards, the Lord came to him in a vision and said, “I’m your shield and exceeding great reward.”

Abram answered, “Lord, I still don’t have a son, but I have a servant that is like a son to me. Let him inherit your promises to me.”

“No! You’ll have a son, and he’ll be your heir. Abram, look at the stars in the sky. Your descendants will be as hard to count as those stars.” This seemed impossible to Abram, but he believed it, and God was pleased!

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What does it mean to be blessed by God?
Watch the video Melchizedek.
Why do you think Abram gives everything back to the King of Sodom?
Refer to Gen 13:8-18: How are Abram and Lot different?
Why do you think Abram has such great faith in God’s promise of more descendants than stars in the sky?
When and where can you build altars to God?
Retell Melchizedek as a group.

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The Worries of Love – 2 Corinthians (a)

247 – The Worries of Love – 2 Corinthians (a)

2 Corinthians 1:1-6:18

The church at Corinth didn’t respond well to Paul’s first letter, so he sailed across the sea and met with them. That didn’t go well either. He then sent them a very harsh letter—one that’s not included in the Bible. Titus returned with encouraging news on how they took it to heart and repented of their sins. Paul then sent this letter. He said:

May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

As you know, I planned to come to you first before visiting the churches in Macedonia. I changed my mind because I wanted to spare you another painful visit. I felt that when I did finally come, I wanted it to be a source of joy and not tears. So instead of coming, I wrote that last letter, not to hurt you, but to show my great love for you.

That man who was behind all of this trouble has hurt you as well as me. I praise God he has repented. Brothers, this isn’t the time to overwhelm him with guilt. Decide the proper punishment, and then forgive him. Show him you love him and don’t let Satan get the advantage in this situation.

After I wrote that harsh letter, I needed to know how you responded. I sent the letter with Titus, and told him to come back and report on your reaction. The plan was for us to meet in Troas. I went there, but he hadn’t arrived yet. The Lord opened doors for sharing the Gospel in Troas, but I was totally focused on you. I left and took a ship over to Macedonia, hoping to find him there. With you on my mind, this trip was lonely and I was overcome with concern for you. In my despair, God revealed several truths to me.

First, I realized that our life on earth is like a Roman victory march. People burn incense along the road, and the smell reminds the soldiers of their victory. But that same smell is repulsive to the captives because it reminds them of their execution once they get to Rome.

We’re the ones burning along the road as Christ marches along triumphantly. This world follows behind him. To the victors in Christ, we’re the smell of triumph. The world finds us repulsive because of their coming judgment.

Next I thought about how people in this world are so proud of their letters of recommendation. My thoughts were on you, and I realized that you’re the letter of Christ, produced by us, written by the Spirit, and read by everyone. Because of it, I have confidence to continue on. It’s not my work. It’s the Spirit of God that brings life.

Compare this to the letters of stone that were given to Moses. Temporarily, his face shone like the sun, so he put a veil over his face. Because he did that, the people didn’t notice when the shine faded. That veil is still there! It covers their hearts whenever the Law is read, so they can’t understand it.

When a person turns to Christ, this veil is removed. The Spirit of God brings freedom, and we reflect the glory of the Lord.

As I thought on the veil and the light of the gospel, I was moved with urgency. God’s mercy shines through us! It is important that we press on. We need to put aside anything that would hold us back. Our message should be plain to see.

Oh, but the god of this world has put a veil over the eyes of those who won’t believe. They aren’t rejecting us, because Jesus is the Light of the world, not us. They’re rejecting him.

As I travelled to Macedonia, all these thoughts were going through my mind. I felt weak and unable to accomplish anything. But then I realized that it’s God who has given us this ministry. He uses weak people to accomplish eternal work. We can easily be pushed around and crushed, but that doesn’t change a thing. It’s exactly what happened to Jesus. As it was with him, so it is with us. Our trials and our death will bring life to others.

I didn’t know about your situation. But I realized that our encouragement doesn’t come from what happens here on earth. It comes from God! Because of that, we don’t give up!

Besides, what happens to us here can’t compare to what God has waiting for us in heaven. He gave us his Spirit, but he’s just a down- payment of what lies ahead. While we’re in this body, we’re not at our heavenly home. But once we leave our body, we’re finally with the Lord. It doesn’t matter if we’re here or there. Our purpose is the same. Therefore, let’s work together to prepare people for the day when they’ll stand before God. Christ died for us, so let’s live for him.

Think of the ministry that has been given to us. Everyone who comes to Christ becomes a new creation. Their old life flows away and a new life appears. God is allowing us to be a part of this! We’re working together with Christ.

This is why God wants us to be free from anything that would hold us back. That’s why we should be careful not to get tied together with a non-believer. That’s why we keep ourselves pure, so we can work together and get the job done.

Continued in the next story