THE LORD SPOKE (April 08)

Daily Reflections from Scripture:Old Testament: Judges 5-6Israel’s enemies fight against (1) the heavenly purpose of God, (2) against the hallowed property of God, and (3) against the holy people of God. And they will fail every time! Sometimes God used those enemies to arouse, to correct, or to draw His people back to Himself.

Today’s reading deals with two such occasions. Deborah was “a mother in Israel” (Judg. 5:7) at a time when male leadership was sadly lacking. “Not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel (Judg. 5:8). Twice she praises the Lord “when the princes take the lead, when the people willingly offer themselves” (Judg. 5:2,9). Such was not happening regularly - that’s why such praises the Lord if and when it does. Instead, “the men who were left” came to her for help (Judg. 5:13). Jael, another faithful woman finally steps up to destroy the enemy.

The times of Gideon weren’t any better. The angel finds him threshing wheat in a winepress (!) and calls him a “mighty warrior” (Judg. 6:12). That’s laughable! The reason he was in a winepress was because he was hunkered down, hiding from the Midianites. Threshing wheat requires an elevated stone floor where the wind can drive the chaff away. When the angel of the Lord speaks to him, Gideon’s response is riddled with “ifs” and “buts” and whining questions (see Judg. 6:13-15). He finally asks for a sign to confirm the message and then does it all over again the next day. He probably would have tried it a third and fourth day had not God told him to get a move on.

When once “the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon” (Judg. 6:34), everything changed. He went from weasel to warrior in an instant. He went on to great victories in the strength of the Lord.

That’s the key. Gideon’s transformation and subsequent strength in leadership was the result of God’s power at work in him.

The world has yet to see what God will do with a man who is fully and wholly consecrated to the Holy Spirit. (Henry Varley - the man who led D.L. Moody to Christ)

New Testament: Acts 9Saul was converted somewhere in the middle of the phrase, “Who are you, Lord?” (Acts 9:5). A true believer can’t ask “who are you?” and an unbeliever can’t call Him “Lord”.

Saul delighted to retell this story. He became a powerful spokesman and immediately sought out the synagogues to deliver his message (Acts 9:20). His rabbinic training made him irrefutable. His conversion was an astonishment to all - believers and unbelievers alike.

Ananias had a hard time at first (Acts 9:13). The disciples in Jerusalem had a very hard time also (Acts 9:26). The Lord spoke directly to Ananias and He spoke to the apostles in Jerusalem through Barnabas (“the son of encouragement”). Paul “preached fearlessly” and “spoke boldly in the name of Jesus (Acts 9:27-28). Soon the persecutor became the persecuted and he was tucked away at Tarsus, his home town (Acts 9:30).

You may be sure he wasn’t quiet there. It wasn’t in his nature to be quiet but the book of Acts is going to take a different direction for the next couple of chapters. At this point, we’re told that the church “enjoyed a time of peace” (Acts 9:31). It was an important time of strengthening and encouragement for the task that lay ahead. That was the Holy Spirit’s doing and it resulted in yet more growth. They grew in numbers but they also grew in depth (“living in the fear of the Lord”).

Saul is brought back from Tarsus in Acts 11:25-26. Again, it’s Barnabas who goes after him. With the explosive growth of the church at Antioch, there was a desperate need for good teaching and who was better qualified than former rabbi Saul? “So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people” (Acts 11:26).Wouldn’t you like to have sat in on some of those classes? You can...if you keep reading! No doubt, a lot of Saul’s teaching notes are contained in his later epistles.