Judges 6-7: How Soon They Forget (con't)

It's one thing for the world to prosper.  It's another for God's people to abandon him in order to achieve prosperity.  The latter often results in being forced hide out in order to avoid your enemies.  That's what happened to Israel whenever they forgot God.  They were overrun by their enemies. 

God's was still watching over his people and Gideon saw that in the form of the angel that sat down under the oak where he was threshing wheat in a winepress.

 “But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.”
 The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
 “But Lord,” Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” - Judges 6:13-15  NIV

As is always God's way, he chose the weakest link to be Israel's savior.  As we cast around today for answers to the seemingly hopeless situation in our country and the world as a whole, we need to remember that it will not be power of any sort that brings us through.  It will not be some televangelist, promising that we can expect great things, who will show us the way. It will be those who are weak enough to know that they are powerless who will lead us out of our oppression.

2010 Post - Judges 6-7:  The Lord is Peace