The Book Of Judges Part 7

We have seen through out this book that the Book of Judges is like a Manuel for Spiritual Warfare.

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Ephraim as you should know by now, represents the gentiles who came into Israel through faith in Y’shua the Messiah. They asked Gideon why they were excluded from the battle and why they were not chosen. This is a true representation of what is happening in the Body of Messiah today; people are envious of other people’s Anointing and they want to be in the limelight and be part of the action. Gideon and his men went through a lot of pruning and they were tested by YHVH and found worthy of the task because they had certain criteria and experience the others did not have. As you can remember; the first pruning took place where the people chose not to fight because of fear. 32 000 reduced to 10 000. Those who fear were not worthy of being part of YHVH’s army. The second round of pruning took place where YHVH asked them to drink and He chose 300 from the 10 000. YHVH qualified each man on how they drank water (consume the Word) and this disqualified another 9 700 because they did not bear their own fruit. As you can see, fear is the biggest problem in fighting for YHVH, and it is normally the fear of man; what will the people say and think of me? I belief that these men that accused Gideon in Chapter 8 fell out on the second round, those who ride on other’s relationship with YHVH. Only YHVH can see inside of man and only He knows who has the right relationship and the strength in His Word to stand for Him in battle. If your relationship is right with YHVH you will not have a problem with your brother’s anointing and be envious of the task YHVH gave him. People who have a ‘shallow’ relationship with YHVH will easily be envious of people who operate in the Gifts of the Spirit and will cause problems in the Assembly. They will speak against YHVH’s anointed people and cause disputes. This will classify them as being like the enemy (Median) and they are moving on dangerous ground and will be removed by YHVH. Don not be envious of your brother or sister if they are being used by YHVH, look at your own life and focus on your relationship with YHVH and in due time, YHVH will elevate you and use you mightily. Hang on to the fruit of patience and do not covet the anointing of others. This is where you have to ask YHVH for the fruit of the Spirit so that you can be safe while you grow up spiritually. Your job now is to grow spiritually and focus on your relationship with YHVH and to learn His Word and to gain wisdom, not to lead! Humility is the key to a good intimate relationship with Him, not pride and envy.

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Gideon answered them and said it is better to glean the grapes or gather them after the reapers than to have all of the Harvest at once. We see here that you will not be able to handle the whole of the harvest but only the few that is allocated to you as you grow and be trained up to handle more. This shows us that the ‘family’ of YHVH in the Assembly is just as important as the reapers. This is where you will help and love new believers as they come in, so that they will be accepted in a family environment and feel loved and at home. They need to be ‘gathered’ into the ‘House’ of YHVH and nurtured until they are mature and spiritually grown so that they might also be used by YHVH later in their lives. Do not envy those on the front line, the reapers, who bring in the souls. You are just as important to fill the gaps inside the Assembly, helping these people to follow YHVH and develop a relationship with Him.

The Sins of the Brothers - Envy, Fear and Pride. #

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" This is a very strange passage and we see three main issues between Gideon and His people: 1. Envy: Sometimes your worst enemy is among you, within the Assembly. Look at the life of Joseph where his brothers wanted to kill him and later sold him as a slave. The same happened with Y’shua where His brothers and countrymen persecuted Him and handed Him over to the Romans in the end, where they killed Him. We see that envy and hatred was the motive why Joseph’s brothers did what they did and we saw the same in Judges Chapter 8 where people of Israel rebuked Gideon because they were not chosen. 2. Fear: The same thing happened with the people at Succoth, but this time their motive was not envy, but it was fear. The people of Succoth feared the enemy and did not want to help Gideon and his men in case it will be made known and the enemy will persecute them for doing that. We get people in the Body of Messiah today that have the same problem; they rather stay passive because they do not want to upset Satan and His followers because of fear of what he might do to them.

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They have more trust in the power of Satan than they have in the power of YHVH and His people. This caused the men of Succoth’s refusal to help Gideon and his men and to stay out of the fight. 3. Pride: Gideon went from Succoth to Penuel to ask for water and food but these people gave him the same answer as the men of Succoth. Penuel means “face or vision of Elohim”. The people of Penuel had a tower that Gideon threatened to throw down. Tower is the Hebrew word “migdal” that means ‘elevated stage, tower’, and ‘raised bed’. It has the root that means ‘excellence’ and this shows us that the Tower was a symbol of their spiritual pride. They have elevated them selves because of their knowledge and of the gifts of YHVH. They are people who do not want to get their hand dirty and would rather sit on the side and criticize what you are doing because they know better. We all make mistakes and the only way to be flawless is to be passive, but this is wrong! Help the people of YHVH who are fighting the battle, those whom you can see are anointed and give them your support as far as it is in your power. Do not sit at the back and criticize their work, that is Satan’s work, the accuser of the brethren. [Rev 12:10]

YHVH will Judge these “Brothers” with the Curse of Thorns *

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1. Fear: Fear is a weakness and is one of the first enemies to overcome in your life, especially the fear of Satan. Gideon came back and did what he went out to do without their help. YHVH deals the same with us, if we chicken out because of fear, He will still accomplish what He planned to do, with or without your help. This fear will not go unpunished, as we have seen here, because this fear is rooted in a lack of understanding and knowledge of YHVH’s Character and His Word. These men stayed in Succoth that means ‘tents’ and these people like to hide within their ‘tents’ (comforts) and do not want to offer themselves or their support for bigger cause. They have just enough faith for themselves and do not care about others to help to overcome the enemy. They fear man and Satan more than they fear YHVH and do not want to make a statement of faith because they do not want to ‘upset’ the enemy or make the people in the world uncomfortable. The elders of this city were punished (taught) with thorns and briers. Thorns are mentioned in Gen 3 where YHVH cursed the ground and it brought forth thorns and thistles. In agricultural terms, thistles are the enemy of the seed and can cause you a lot of problems during harvest time. Thorns are also mentioned earlier in the Book of Judges as the enemies you allow in the land, making deals with them, but they will become like thorns in your side and cause you pain. Briers are also a type of thorn and both these are found in Isa 5:6. ( 0 $3 4 2

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This is a prophecy of Isaiah describing the future House of Israel consisting of Judah and Ephraim. Israel is like a Vineyard, planted by YHVH, and they were to produce fruit or grapes, but they produced ‘wild grapes’ instead. Wild grapes are also translated as poisonous stinking berries that can kill people or drive people away by their odour. Gideon and His men experienced this ‘stinking’ attitude from their brothers in the midst of a very important battle; driving out division and disunity from the people of YHVH. ( 0 0$1 ( ! - 6& 77 48+2 /9:4 6 (

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No more Blessings: A hedge is the wall around a garden that separates it from the field. Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden (blessings) into the world that was cursed. This implies that YHVH will destroy the “garden” that brought forth blessings in these people’s lives and they will migrate into the field (world). In other words, these people will no longer experience YHVH’s blessings. No more Torah: YHVH will also break down the wall. A Wall is always associated with a City that gave protection against their enemies. The Wall we have around us is the Torah that protects us from the enemies (sin) on the outside. In other words, He will take away His Torah of protection from them and they will be exposed to the ‘elements’ and be ‘devoured’ by the wolves (false teachers / prophets who are without Torah). ; 33 3<$3

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! No more Pruning: He also said that He would no longer prune them. To be pruned is grace from the Father Who is the Gardener. He prunes us if He sees signs of spiritual death in our lives, so that it will not corrupt our whole life, and that we may bear good fruit and not stinking poisonous barriers that causes death. We see that these people will not be pruned and it seems like YHVH does not care about their fruit any more and left them unto their own destruction. It is not as if He does not care, He only delayed the consequences of sin and they will be cut off in the last days. We see this today where there seems to be no justice and people do whatever they want without real consequences and they ‘get away with it’ and this cause them to be even more wicked. YHVH allows that and is part of His plan for the wicked in the last days to separate His sheep from the goats, the gray areas will be removed. 9

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2. Pride: The people of Succoth had fear and this is a weakness but the people of Penuel suffered from pride, which is a more serious sin and they had far greater consequences. Gideon came and cast down their Tower (pride) and killed them all. Pride is a more serious sin and this was the sin that caused Satan to fall and pride is also the basis for most other sins. Pride is the opposite of humility and springs forth from rebellion, which is the sin of witchcraft. That is why the consequences for pride, rebellion and witchcraft are death. '

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People who rebelled back in the day, were stoned outside the City (even rebellious children – Deut 21:19-21.) Those who are proud and who elevate themselves above others and above the Commandments of YHVH, they will receive the same punishment as what Satan will get. As we have seen in verse 17, Gideon beat down the tower and slew all the men of Penuel. Does this relate to Matt 5:17-23 where Y’shua told the people who operated in His power and authority to go away from Him because of their rebellion against His Commandments and practiced lawlessness? I do belief so.

Don’t let the Vision Die Gideon and his men caught the leaders of the Medianites and he commanded his oldest son to kill them, but he could not do it. YHVH is asking of us to kill the enemies in our lives, will you do it? 3@$3 C2

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Be Humble and Serve: Zebah means ‘victim or sacrifice’ and Zalmunna means ‘image, idol, and forbidden’. Sometimes you might feel you have to sacrifice so much by being the least to make Unity work in the Assembly. If you refuse to be the least every time, you are the opposite and are elevated, expecting others to ‘get their hands dirty’ to nourish unity. This is a form of selfishness; idolising one self, being more important than others, wanting them to do it. Kill the “leaders of Midian” (disputes and differences) in your midst, be humble and serve one another in love. Fear not and Follow: Gideon’s first job was to throw down the image at his father’s house and to sacrifice two bulls on the altar. By asking his son to kill the two leaders of Median is the first step he had to take to get rid the enemy from his house. The boy refused because he was afraid, which was also his father’s greatest problem. Gideon had to overcome his fear and it is disappointing to see that his son did not follow in his footsteps. Y’shua defeated the enemy for us and we have to

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follow in His footsteps to conquer the enemy in our own lives. Fear not because YHVH will provide all you need, even the strength to stand and eliminate all the enemies from your life. If the ‘young’ or ‘new’ people in the Assembly fail in these two things; not being humble and teachable, and not being fearless, the vision will die and the Assembly will decay and will not maintain to produce fruit (sustain momentum and growth). We see this in the life of Gideon’s son, and he did not become the new Judge over Israel.

People want to choose their Leaders To be a Leader is not like a family business or democracy, YHVH chooses whom He wants and you cannot inherit your father’s anointing as you would with possessions in the physical world. 33$3?

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Gideon knew that it was not YHVH’s will to use his son to rule over Israel and YHVH will choose the next leader. This show us that people cannot vote leaders in, it is YHVH’s choice and He chooses the Leaders through the Gifts of His Spirit and His Anointing determines who will lead. You cannot lead His people even if you have the desire or ability. No, He will lead His people only through His Spirit and this is exactly what Gideon told them when He said; “…YHVH shall rule over you…” This is why YHVH did not want a king over Israel because the kingship will be inherited from the father to the son and YHVH will not have a say in the matter.

Not taking YHVH and His Commandments Seriously ??$?#

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After Gideon died Israel turned again and went whoring after Baal called Baal-berith that means “Baal of the Covenant” or “Lord of the Covenant”. Sounds familiar? If you read Baal from left to right, it gives the word “law-ab” -

that means – ‘to joke, jest’.

People today do things that they think is right and they serve YHVH the way it fits them, but is it the way He prescribed? They hang on to grace and do not take His Commandments seriously and some even say that it is ‘ridiculous’ and ‘worth laughing about’. They break down His Commandments as if it is nothing, and make jokes about it and emphasize that a civilised modern person in his right mind will not do something as stupid as that. They believe in the Lord of the Covenant, Jesus Christ, who died for their sins and to abolish the Law, and they refuse to follow Him as the Hebrew Y’shua Who is the Torah. Are they serving another god? We should not mix with these people who scoff YHVH and His Word or His people:

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These are the people we have met in the First Section known as the First Giant – close relationships with religious people who differ from you and who can corrupt your mind and lead you away from the things of YHVH. If they are neutral and accept you and what you believe, you can still influence them by living out Torah, but if you have to compromise your life to make them more comfortable, you will be the one who will change. It is not bad to have friends that differ from your faith, but if they scoff the things of YHVH and do not have room for your way of serving YHVH, withdraw from them for their and your own benefit. They might bring a curse upon them selves and you may backslide. We also learn a second thing here, not to make jokes of YHVH’s Holy things and not to bring it in a conversation where His things are used to make fun of, even within the Assembly. His Word is Holy and should be treated with respect at all times. It is not wrong to laugh and to make a joke, as long as you keep it set apart from YHVH’s things. As we see in the Book of Judges, the people went astray after the death of their leader and this shows us that we all live in a time where people choose to follow their own ways, not following anyone. A coal cannot stay hot and keep on burning if it is out there on it’s own. It is better to be part of a fellowship or an Assembly so that you can stand together and support one another to keep the flame (passion and zeal) alive and burning inside of you. Allow yourself to be discipled and learn from others who have been on this Path for a long time. The ‘University’ of Spiritual Learning is called Discipleship and if you want to learn, you have to enrol. You can only lead if you have followed and you can only learn if you have been taught. Fear not and Follow, be Humble and be Teachable so that you can become a mighty man or woman for YHVH. + ? $3 /

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