Gary Gleans

All of us want to be strong.  We like to think of ourselves as strong and able to be powerful and take care of ourselves.  However, there is a different kind of strength that is even more valuable than physical strength; that is spiritual strength.  When we are strong spiritually, we have the ability to withstand strong temptations and live in a way that is pleasing to God.  Samson was a man who had great physical strength, but was spiritually weak.  God had blessed him with a strong body and his parents had consecrated him to the Lord from his conception; but he was still unable to face the temptations of his flesh and lived a careless and sinful life. SAMSON WAS WEAK IN OBEYING THE LAW: As a Nazirite, there were some very specific laws that Samson was to follow.  He was not to marry outside of the children of Israel, he was not to cut his hair, he was not to eat certain foods and he was not to touch anyone or anything that was dead.  In this chapter we see that this strong man

God is a God of promises and He graciously makes promises to His people in order to give them hope in the midst of difficult circumstances.  Israel has once again strayed from the will of the Lord and has begun to be oppressed by the Philistines.  Despite the fact that they have been through this cycle over and over again, they find themselves in difficult times due to their own sinfulness.  God, once again, steps in and brings them hope by announcing the birth of a prophet whom He plans to use to set Israel free.  God has continually revealed promises to us so that we can have hope in the midst of the difficult circumstances in which we live.  God begins to prepare the life of Sampson through his parents and He reveals to them part of God’s plan for them and their son. MANOAH’S WIFE RECEIVES NEW INFORMATION: This couple was barren and seems to be older in years to the point that they had lost hope of being able to have children.  God always seems to use people who are in situation

Jealousy is a very dangerous thing.  The people of Ephraim seem to have a great problem with this and they rose up against Jephthah because they claimed that they had not been called to be a part of the battle against the Amonites.  They had done the same thing with Gideon and now they were at it again only threatening to attach Jephthah and his family for having overlooked them.  When people become jealous and they begin to care more about who gets the credit than they do about what was done it reveals a corrupt heart before the Lord.  I must be very careful to protect my heart from jealousy and pride.  It is easy to slip into the desire for recognition and begin to care more about “my” ministry than the kingdom of God as a whole. THE CONSEQUENCES OF JEALOUSY: Ephraim’s jealousy led them to threaten violence against Jephthah, but unlike Gideon, Jephthah called them on their treacherous ways and reminded them that he had called them to the battle, but that they had refused to help.

Israel faced the invasion of the Amorites with much fear, but this was really the hand of God bringing them to Israel in order to free Israel from the oppression that they faced.  Israel had repented of the idolatry that had brought on this domination in the first place so God began to liberate them.  We do not normally think of an army invading Israel as God’s plan for liberation, but that is exactly what it was.  Israel may have been content to simply pay tribute and be oppressed for many years, but when they cried out to God and put away their idols; God responded by bringing the army of the Amorites against Israel in war so that Israel could be set free.  The path to freedom is usually always through conflict and battle.  We must begin to view the difficulties in our lives as God’s means of bringing us freedom from the sin that constantly oppresses us. JEPHTHAH BECOMES AN UNLIKELY VICTOR: Jephthah was driven from his own home by his brothers because he was the son of a prostitu

The Lord uses various judges to call the children of Israel back to the worship of the Lord.  Some of these men were more effective than others, but invariably, when these judges died; Israel would fall back into the worship of Idols.  Tola and Jair both judged Israel for over twenty years and it appears that they were able to maintain the focus of Israel on the Lord.  However once they died Israel once again began to worship idols and follow the gods of the nations that were surrounding them.  In their mind they must have thought that they were be more secure if they were more like the other nations around them.  The reality was that as they capitulated to these nations they were left vulnerable and were soon overrun, dominated and oppressed by these nations.  The attitudes and actions of Israel were met with corresponding reactions from God. REJECTION OF GOD RESULTED IN INVASION: When Israel rejected God and went seeking after idols in order to be more like the nations around t

When men thirst for power and position for themselves apart from the fear of the Lord, the results can be absolutely devastating.   Gideon did not seem to have a thirst for power but was careless in his life and family as well as his worship of God.   His sins paved the way for the devastation that followed in his family.   His illegitimate son, Abimelech, was hungry for power and ended up gaining a power and a following that brought nothing but pain and hardship to the people, Gideon’s family and even himself.   The path of man apart from God will bring pain.   We must recognize that we are under divine direction and power and that we must serve Him with every aspect of our lives. ABIMELECH DECEIVES THE PEOPLE: Abimelech was hungry for power and was able to convince the people that making him the ruler over all of them would be far better than being under the rule of the other 70 sons of Gideon.   He presents himself as an understanding brother and the people fall for his act.  

The Bible is always very faithful to tell us about the history of Israel and its leaders in a clear and complete way.  It does not just record the good things that they did; it also tells of their failures.  Gideon continues to pursue the kings of Midian, still at a huge disadvantage, but once he is successful he creates an idol and marries many women.  It is a wonderful privilege to be used by God and to see Him do amazing things through our lives and ministries.  However, we must constantly guard our hearts from the sins that commonly follow these types of success.  We must never see ourselves as more than instruments and recognize that all of us are prone to pride so that we can protect ourselves from this sin that so easily fills our hearts. GIDEON PRACTICED RECONSILIATION: One of the most impressive things that I see in Gideon as a leader is that he encourages his people and does not allow his own pride to become divisive.  The tribe of Ephraim was called in at the last moment

God’s glory is always the priority in every aspect of our lives.  Israel deliverance from the nation of Midian was done in a way that all men would clearly see that this was the work of the Lord and He would receive all of the glory.  Gideon was an instrument in the hands of the Lord and he led the people into battle but the victory was won in such a way that all would clearly see that God was the one who won the victory.  The army of Midian was far greater than any army that Israel could hope to put together, but God is not concerned with the size of our problems or the circumstances that we face.  He is in control and now matter how desperate things may become, He really just wants us to trust Him. GOD REDUCES THE SIZE OF THE ARMY:  There were 32,000 men in Israel who came out to fight an army that was likely more than double that size.  The odds of victory were almost nothing, but God says that it is too many and tells all the men who are afraid to go home.  Two thirds of the

Gideon is a prime example of how God loves to show Himself strong by using the weak of this world to do extraordinary things.  Gideon was not the strongest, bravest or even the most faithful man in Israel.  Yet in God’s sovereignty, He called Gideon to be a powerful leader and empowered him to do some of the most amazing things as a leader in Israel.  When God gives us an opportunity to serve Him, we should not be so concerned about our own abilities; rather we should focus on the greatness of the One who has called us.  Here are a few principles that stick out in my mind from this chapter. GOD KNOWS AND CARES ABOUT OUR NEEDS: The children of Israel once again found themselves in desperate conditions because of their unfaithfulness.  Because they had followed idols the Midianites had overpowered them and were taking all of their crops.  The people would work hard to plant their crops only to see them taken by this powerful nation.  Israel ended up having to harvest their crops ea

I believe that God loves to see us celebrate, especially when we celebrate His work in our lives.  This chapter is a song of celebration that Deborah and Barak wrote and sang as an act of worship to the Lord.  When God does great things, we should not simply go on normally with life as if nothing has happened; we should celebrate.  God is glorified when we recognize and remember His greatness.  God is glorified when we rejoice in His works on our behalf.  We must be faithful to praise the Lord for the amazing things that He has done in our lives and we must constantly trust Him when the circumstances of our lives become difficult.  God is glorified as we live our lives in dependence upon Him. THEY SING OF THE CALL TO BATTLE: Israel had been oppressed by the nations of Canaan and the people were suffering under a heavy load.  In the midst of this suffering the people begin to call on the Lord for deliverance.  The Lord responds to the people calling by calling on leaders within the

The children of Israel continue on the “yoyo” their obedience and disobedience.  They are once again in a period of twenty years of enslavement to a king that should have been removed from the land generations earlier.  Since they allowed the people to stay in the land they were drawn away to follow their gods and now they were being used as God’s means of judgment.  The consequences of our sins are always much greater than any of the passing pleasures that our sins may bring us.  After twenty years, God sends Deborah as a judge and prophetess who is used to challenge the people to rise up and be victorious.  Perhaps a good theme for this chapter would be “girl power” as we see God using two courageous women to deliver Israel. DEBORAH DIRECTS THE PEOPLE:  Deborah provides us with an interesting dilemma about the position of women in leadership.  As with most things, it seems to me that most people seem to go to one of two extremes on this issue.  On one side of the pendulum, we hav

Israel was given very clear instructions as to what the Lord expected from them.  They were to take possession of the land and remove all the other nations from within the land and they were to remain separate from all the other nations.  God did not expel all of the other nations at once, but called Israel to systematically eliminate these nations with time.  This was a test of their obedience as well as an opportunity to teach the children of Israel about war and give them an opportunity to experience God’s power for themselves instead of just hearing the stories of the previous generation.  The children of Israel failed the test and began to marry from within these other nations and they quickly were drawn into the idolatry that was a part of these perverse cultures.  Today we are surrounded by sinful cultures that reject God and worship idols of man’s own making.  We must be willing to stand firm and not allow the tide of the culture to pull us away from obeying the Lord.  We are

Since the children of Israel refused to continue to fight against the people of the land as God had commanded; God decides to use these people as a test for the people and now He refuses to drive the other nations out.  Sin always has consequences.  We are free to choose to sin if that is what we want to do.  However, we are not free to choose the consequences of our sin.  Very often the punishment for sin is more sin which becomes a very slippery slope for believers.  We must learn to be zealous in our fight against sin and never become tolerant of it or it will begin to dominate us.  The children of Israel end up being caught in a cycle of sin and the consequences of sin.  Only Christ can set us free from this cycle.  We must be submissive to Him and His messengers. ISRAEL REFUSES TO FIGHT IN ORDER TO REMOVE THE PEOPLE: Israel’s problems started when they refused to remove the other nations from the land as God had commanded.  God punishes this refusal on their part by deciding t

After the death of Joshua, the people continued to inquire of the Lord, but there does not seem to be a national leader established to take the place of Joshua and Moses.  God tells the people to continue to fight and conquer the land that He has given them.  God has promised to fight with them as long as they obey and continue to press on towards driving the other nations out.  It is a long process, but one that should have been the priority of the people.  We all have areas of our lives that are difficult for us to be victorious.  We must never become weary in our fight against sin in our lives but we must trust the Lord to impact our hearts and constantly draw closer to Him. THE PEOPLE COOPERATE IN THEIR BATTLES: The lands have been divided and enough territory has been conquered in every region that the individual tribe is not expected to finish the job.  We see that the tribes begin to cooperate with one another and promise to help one another with the conquest of the land.  I

As we close out the book of Joshua today, we see one of the few men in Scripture about whom we really see very little sin recorded.  In fact the only things that the Scripture reveal about him that could be considered as sinful are: that he did not consult God prior to attacking Ai or before making a treaty with the Gibeonites.  He is now ready to die, but before he goes he wants to challenge the people one more time and urge them to live faithfully before the Lord.  Joshua was a great leader who was used by God to conquer the land that God had promised to His children so many generations ago.  In this last act of leadership Joshua does three things that are important for every leader to do as a service to the people over whom God has placed him. REHEARSE THE WORKS OF GOD BEFORE THE PEOPLE: As one of Joshua’s last acts on this earth, he calls the people together and rehearses all of the works of God before the people.  He starts with the call of Abraham and goes quickly through all

Finishing well is a goal that each of us must maintain as a priority in our lives.  Joshua is now an old man and He has been leading the people for many years.  As he realizes that he is about to die he calls the leaders of Israel together so that He can challenge them one more time.  Joshua was a servant all the days of his life in that he was deeply concerned about the spiritual well being of the people he was leading.  He was not about promoting himself or getting rich off of the other people in the land.  He was genuinely concerned that his people be prepared to continue to trust and follow the Lord after his death.  Even now, in his old age, he is not concerned about himself and his impending death; his focus is on repeating the Word of God to the people so that they would know and recognize the will of God in their lives.  This is the way to go!  Joshua trusted God and spent his life proclaiming God’s Word to the people right up to the very end.  I pray that this will be true o

Misunderstanding can be a very dangerous thing.  There are times in our relationships with one another that we misunderstand the actions and attitudes of each other.  We may look at a situation that seems so clear to us because we can only interpret actions through our own viewpoint.  Often times, the truth is not what we think it is when it comes to interpreting one another’s attitudes and actions.  This is why open and direct communication is so vitally important.  When we believe that a brother in Christ has sinned, it is our responsibility to quickly confront that person in order to either bring him to repentance or clarify our understanding or confirm disobedience that requires further steps of discipline.  Relationships are difficult enough without jumping to wrong conclusions about one another.  We must commit ourselves to open and honest communication as well as confrontation. JOSHUA COMMENDS THE TRIBES ON THEIR FAITHFULNESS: The two and a half tribes who settled on the oth

When the Lord liberated the children of Israel from Egypt, He made them promises as a nation and gave them clear instructions as to how they were to divide the land and make provision for the Levites who were not given a division of the property.  God had revealed His will through Moses and told them how He wanted to provide for His people and how He expected His people to serve and worship Him.  Though the people were unfaithful at many times along the way, God was always faithful to bring the people into the fulfillment of His promise.  It is a tremendous blessing and assurance for us to know the character of the God that we serve.  He always remains faithful to do just as He says He will do.  We mail fail but He will not.  Our failures may led to very difficult hardship and discipline from the hand of God that could have been avoided through obedience; but that discipline is God’s means of bringing us to a place where He can faithfully and justly fulfill His promises. GOD IS FAI

Just as God had instructed Moses, God now calls Joshua to designate cities of refuge in the different regions of Israel for the purpose of protecting those who accidentally killed another person.  These cities were to be a place of safety where a person could flee in order to gain protection from the person’s family who might be coming to avenge the blood of their loved one.  This was God’s means of providing for the protection of those who were truly innocent of premeditated or hateful murder but had taken the life of another purely by accident.  God is faithful to make provision for His people and to help them in times of desperation.  The principle of cities of refuge, demonstrate a couple of truths about the person of God. THE PRECIOUSNESS OF HUMAN LIFE: Even in the case of accidental death, the family of the victim was permitted to avenge that death because the loss of life was a tragedy before both God and man.  However, since life was precious and the person was truly not gu

Joshua continues to distribute the land to the remaining seven tribes that still had not been given their lands. The first five tribes that have been discussed were assigned to specific locations that God assigned through both Moses and Joshua.  These designations provided a framework around which the remainder of the nations would be given their lands.  Levi was not given a land so the land was divided into twelve portions since the land of Joseph was divided into two between his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh.  We continue to see God’s challenge for the people to move forward and His order in the distribution of the Promised Land. THE DESCRIPTION OF THE LAND: For the seven remaining tribes, Joshua told each tribe to choose three representatives to come forward.  These twenty-one leaders were then given the task of coming up with a description of the rest of the land and then a division of that land in seven logical portions.  The lands of five had already been settled, so the othe