Bible Connect (Week 15 Day 1)

7 - Chapter 7 records the defeat of the Midianite army. God takes great pains to make certain He is credited with the victory (verse 2). The people need a spiritual lesson more than just a military triumph! Once again Gideon’s faith wavers and God encourages him (verses 9-15). Verse 22 makes certain we recog- nize that it was God who gave the victory, not brilliant military tactics.

8 - Chapter 8 finishes up the Gideon story. In verse 2 he uses a soft answer to turn away wrath and avoid a civil war. The towns of Succoth and Penuel refuse to cooperate with Gideon, lest they be implicated if Midian regrouped and defeated Gideon. The crazy nature of these times is indicated in verses 22-27 when Gideon sins. Gideon is to be commended in verse 23 because he knew that he was not Israel’s real king. However, in verse 27 he made an ephod, an apron like garment used to seek God’s will. Even if this was done with good intentions it became an idol and Gideon and his family participated in wrongful worship.

Luke 22

22 - Verse 15 highlights how important the Last Supper was to Jesus. He took great pains to make cer- tain He was not arrested prior to this Passover because what He instituted here was and is so vital. The Passover feast featured several cups of wine (verse 17), but the order of the Supper is to be bread, then cup (verses 19-20). Verse 36 warns the disciples to prepare for opposition instead of widespread acceptance as before. Want to defeat temptation? Verse 40 shows prayer to be a powerful tool in the war against dark- ness (verse 53). We may wonder how Jesus saw Peter as he spoke (verse 61) but as Jesus was shuttled from fake trial to fake trial He could easily have been going right through the courtyard at the crucial mo- ment.