Commentary

Revelations
by LOVBON 08/05/08
"Heavenly Worship or Earthly Pride"

Dear reader I know you have heard the saying "Pride before a fall".
I am not sure where that saying came from but I believe it should have come from the Bible. How many examples of pride do we find in the Bible? The story I am thinking of now is of a man named Gideon. The Lord called him to lead the army of Israel against the Midianites. We find his story in the Book of Judges.
Judges 6:11-12
11 And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abi-ezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. KJV
Wow isn't that a great beginning to this story. Gideon was a farmer and while working he was visited by and angel. At the same time he is addressed as a mighty man of valor, and he is told that the Lord is with him.
Judges 6:14-15
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?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. KJV
Dear reader you would think that Gideon would run to his house get his sword and shield and be ready for orders from the Lord. But no Gideon is a wimp. I know the angel called him a man of valor, but so what, Gideon needed excuses.
Judges 6:17
17 And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me KJV
So Gideon asked for a sign from the angel, well the angel touched his sandwiches lying on a rock, and when He touched them with his staff, fire burned them up. A very good sign wouldn’t you say. But not good enough for Gideon.
Judges 6:22-24
22 And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face. 23 And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die. 24 Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites. KJV
Gideon worshiped the Lord and built an alter to him, For that alter he was sought after to be punished, because he was not authorized to build an alter to the Lord. Now you would think he is ready to go to battle? No, he still has excuses. He was still a wimp and afraid. So he tested God one more time. God was patient and let Gideon test Him two more times.
Judges 6:36-40
36 And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, 37 Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said. 38 And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. 39 And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. 40 And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground. KJV
Now at last Gideon believed God and began to prepare for a battle. Gideon called all of Israel to come to him and he would lead them into war against their enemies. When God saw all the Israelites He said to Gideon their are to many send some home.
Judges 7:3-7
3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. God was dealing with a proud nation . He knew they would believe when they won against their enemies that they themselves deserved the glory and not God. 4 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. 5 So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. 6 And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. 7 And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place. KJV
We are talking about three hundred Israelites against thirty thousand enemy soldiers. One hundred soldiers to one Israelite that was God odds. Also God had a very special plan that no man would ever have thought of.
Judges 7:16-21
16 And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers. 17 And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do. 18 When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. 19 So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands. 20 And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. 21 And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled. KJV
God confused the enemy and they turned on each other and killed each other so that the Israelites won the battle and chased them out of Israel. Then Gideon and his faithful three hundred men slew all their enemies on all sides of their land. Gideon was a great leader and loved by the people.
Judges 8:22-23
22 Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian. 23 And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you.
KJV
After all the battles and after Israel was liberated from her enemies the people wanted to make Gideon their ruler, their king. This farmer that was so humble when the angel first spoke to him and now he had successfully led his nation to victory and was asked to be their king. Gideon replied neither my sons nor I will rule over you. Only the Lord will rule over us. That was a good reply, you might say it was a humble reply. So why wasn’t God pleased with Gideon after that? Gideon wanted some of the booty and he was deserving of it, don’t you think?

As I said dear reader I am not writing all the verses down. The story goes on like this. Gideon asked for all the gold errings and necklaces. He took them and made himself a fine garment like a kings robe and the rest he but in his vault. Gideon did not want to be king with the responsibility that a king must have to govern his people but he wanted a king’s ransom and a fine house and bank account.
In other words he wanted his share of the booty to sustain him for life. So where was God in all this? Way back when he had built an altar to God before he was so glorified of the person. Before he was a hero. That altar was still in use for special religious sacrifices according to the laws of Moses. But Gideon never thanked God with a sacrifice or a party or singing and dancing. That is the way Moses and the people thanked God when they had won over their enemies. Gideon didn’t even hold a holiday to give God thanks. Gideon was only aware of his position now and his wealth.
Judges 8:28-32
28 Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon. 29 And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house. 30 And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives. 31 And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose name he called Abimelech. 32 And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites. KJV
Well Gideon had his day and Israel was at for peace forty years.
Gideon father many children and one of his sons he called Abimelech, which meant "my father the king". How could he name his son that? Gideon was not a king except in his own eyes. So sad that because Gideon 's pride ruled his life instead of God, he no longer did anything rewarding for his people. He could have been their ruler serving the great Jehovah and the nation of Israel. But he had too much self-pride to share any of his achievements with God. He just fathered many children was rich and died. Gideon died without a blessing from the Lord. The Lord made no covenant with him or over his household. How sad.
Prov 16:18-19
18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud . KJV
Gideon's pride destroyed the mighty man of valor that the angel once addressed him as. If Gideon only had given God thanks for the victories or displayed a sign of heavenly worship to the Lord, that would have made Gideon a great man also in God's eyes. But because of his pride and lack of heavenly worship God had no more earthly good for him or his family.
James 4:6-7
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud but giveth grace unto the humble. 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. KJV
Dear reader God has given you life and he offers you the abundant life. Remember always to give Him heavenly worship every day and to resist your earthly pride. God Bless you dear reader. Amen & Amen.

Meet your writerBonnie.
Bonnie is a born again believer who love's the Lord Jesus Christ. Bonnie comes from Spain. All of Bonnie's writings
are from God through the Holy Spirit of God. As she works around the house God will give her a
revelation and she will stop and write it down. All of Bonnie's writings are a revelation from God.....

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