Old Testament | Judges 6:11-24 (with Nick Locke)

About this Episode

Opening Song: 

Battle Belongs by Brian Johnson and Phil Wickham

Lyrics:

When all I see is the battle

You see my victory

When all I see is a mountain

You see a mountain moved

And as I walk through the shadow

Your love surrounds me

There's nothing to fear now

For I am safe with You

 

So when I fight I'll fight on my knees

With my hands lifted high

O God the battle belongs to You

And every fear I lay at Your feet

I'll sing through the night

O God the battle belongs to You

 

And if You are for me

Who can be against me

For Jesus there's nothing

Impossible for You

When all I see are the ashes

You see the beauty

When all I see is a cross

God You see the empty tomb

 

Almighty Fortress You go before us

Nothing can stand against

The power of our God

You shine in the shadows

You win every battle

Nothing can stand against

The power of our God

 

O God the battle belongs to You

Passage: 

Judges 6:11-24 

Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” 13 And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 14 And the Lord[a] turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” 15 And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.” 16 And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” 17 And he said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me. 18 Please do not depart from here until I come to you and bring out my present and set it before you.” And he said, “I will stay till you return.”

19 So Gideon went into his house and prepared a young goat and unleavened cakes from an ephah[b] of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought them to him under the terebinth and presented them. 20 And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and put them on this rock, and pour the broth over them.” And he did so. 21 Then the angel of the Lord reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes. And fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. And the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight. 22 Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord. And Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.” 23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.” 24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord Is Peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.

Musical Reflection:

Harp Meditation No. 3 by Gretchen Kirby

Reflection Notes: 

This harp reflection features rich, full chords with a strong melody. The tension between major and minor chords reflects the challenges and triumphs of life. 

Prayer:

This is another day, O Lord. I know not what it will bring forth, but make me ready, Lord, for whatever it may be. If I am to stand up, help me to stand bravely. If I am to sit still, help me to sit quietly. If I am to lie low, help me to do it patiently. And if I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly. Make these words more than words, and give me the Spirit of Jesus. Amen.