People of the Bible: Gideon

Book of the Bible: Judges 6-8

After Deborah’s death, Israel began to sin again. This led God to hand them over to the Midianites for seven years. The Israelites prayed to God to be rescued from Midianite control, and God sent an angel to speak to a man named Gideon. The angel told Gideon that he was a mighty hero and that God was with him. The angel also told Gideon that God was sending him to rescue Israel from the Midianites.

But Gideon didn’t believe he could do it because he was from the weakest tribe in the whole nation of Israel. But God reassured Gideon and told him that he would certainly destroy the Midianites very easily because He was going to be with him. But Gideon still didn’t fully believe, so he asked God to show him some signs that He would be with him.

Gideon asked for 2 signs. Gideon placed a fleece outside and asked God to allow the fleece to be wet with the morning dew but the ground around it to be dry. And God did it. The second sign was like the first, but the opposite. This time Gideon asked for the fleece to be dry and the ground to be wet. And God did it.

After these signs, Gideon knew that God was with him. So, Gideon gathered an army of 32,000 people and headed to battle. But God told him something very strange, He said that the army was too large and it would have to be made smaller. God told Gideon to let anyone that was afraid go home, and 10,000 people left. But God said the army was still too big. God told Gideon that whoever drinks water from the stream like a dog should be sent home. After all these tests, Gideon was only left with 300 men in his army.

Gideon had heard that the Midianites were afraid of God and Gideon so he was eager to attack them. Gideon gave each of his 300 men a ram's horn and torch and at night surrounded the camp. Once they had the camp surrounded they blew their horns and raised their torches. After seeing and hearing all of this, the people in the camp panicked and started to fight each other.

The people that didn’t fight tried to escape but Gideon and his small army were able to run them down and Gideon defeated the Midianites. Gideon, with an army of 300 was able to defeat over 100,000 Midianites not alone, but with God’s help.

The story of Gideon shows us that God wants to use all kinds of people. Gideon didn’t think God would want to use him because his family was small and weak. But God used Gideon in a great way and it led to a lot of people being saved. The story also shows us that God wants all the glory. There’s no way 300 people could have beaten 100,000 by themselves. But with God, all things are possible.

We even see that with Jesus. Jesus grew up in a small little town called Nazareth. No one expected anything good to come out of Nazareth, but God was with Jesus and Jesus listened to everything God told him. And because of his relationship with God, Jesus was able to offer everyone salvation if they would just believe in him.

Key Takeaways:

• God can do a lot with a little

• God’s plan may seem strange

• With God, all things are possible

Parents, 3treesKIDS will be covering “Gideon", both in-person and online this week. Be sure to check out their lesson at www.3trees.com/kids.

To find service times and locations, visit https://www.3trees.com/planyourvisit.

People of the Bible: Samson

Book of the Bible: Judges 13-16

Who was Samson?

• He was a judge of Israel

• He was a Nazarite meaning:

  • He couldn’t drink alcohol, eat unclean food, or cut his hair

• God had given him super strength

Before Samson was born, an angel appeared to his parents and told them that they would have a son and he would begin to deliver the nation of Israel from the hands of the Philistines. When Samson was born he was dedicated as a Nazarite and God blessed him as he grew. God gave Samson superhuman strength that he used to save himself in many situations.

Cool Things Samson Did:

• Killed a lion with his bare hands

• Caught 300 foxes, tied their tails together, and set them on fire to destroy the Philistines’ crops

• Killed 1,000 Philistine men with a donkey jawbone

• Constantly broke free after the Philistines tried tying him up

• Broke the doors of a metal gate that the Philistines had trapped him in

During this time, the Israelites were under heavy oppression from the Philistines. But, God used Samson to fight back and he began to free the people from the Philistines. However, Samson started hanging out with the wrong people and it got him in trouble.

Samson became friends with a Philistine woman named Delilah. Samson liked Delilah, but he didn’t know she was secretly working with the Philistine army. Delilah’s job was to find out how Samson received his super strength and if it was possible for him to lose it.

Delilah begged Samson over and over again how he received his strength and he eventually told her. He told her that if his hair was ever cut then he would lose all his strength. Delilah then told the army that if they cut his hair, they could defeat him. So they snuck in his room while he slept and they cut his hair and captured him since he had no strength.

The Philistines gouged Samson’s eyes out and they made him their slave. One day when Samson was tied up, he prayed that God would give him strength one last time. God answered Samson’s prayer and he tore down the whole Philistine temple, killing 3,000 people. In this act, Samson killed more Philistines than he ever did in his life, but he also died when the temple came down.

We can learn many things from Samson, but what we learn most is the consequences of having bad friends. God was using Samson in great ways, and God wanted to continue to use him. But Samson chose a bad friend and that relationship got in the way of his relationship with God and it caused him to lose his strength, be captured, and eventually die.

Samson reminds us of another guy God used in the Bible, Jesus. But unlike Samson, Jesus chose good friends and never let anyone get in between his relationship with God. Jesus was able to fulfill everything God had called him to do because he stayed focused and always listened to what God was telling him to do.

Key Takeaways:

• Choose Your Friends Carefully

• Stay Focused

Parents, 3treesKIDS will be covering “Samson", both in-person and online this week. Be sure to check out their lesson at www.3trees.com/kids.

To find service times and locations, visit https://www.3trees.com/planyourvisit.

Clearing Out the Clutter

You have a space that you’ve intended to clean… it’s been on your to-do list for a while now. Maybe you’re waiting for spring?

For me, it's my spice cabinet. It’s where I keep spices, oils, sauces, and flavors. But, unfortunately, it's cluttered and difficult to find what you’re looking for.

Recently, my husband Jared mentioned that I need to clean out the cabinet. I agreed with him and had purposed in my heart to do so, but if I’m honest, I procrastinated because I didn’t know where to begin.

The other night, Jared opened the cabinet, and as he reached for a spice, a glass of vanilla fell from the second shelf, landed on my new phone screen, and shattered it. I finally saw the need to clear out the clutter.

After my phone had broken, I sat down and looked at the damage the clutter had caused and made it a priority to MAKE SPACE.

Our hearts are a sacred space that we are responsible for tending to. Scripture states, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23 NKJV). Another translation states, “Above all else, guard your heart…” (NIV).

What are the things we find important?

It differs for everyone. For many, it’s faith, family, friends, career goals, good financial status, etc. For many, it is enjoying life, being a good person, having a good reputation, and feeling good about how we live.

All of these things are great! I would even say these are all very positive things. So we aren’t bad for investing some time into these things.

However, scripture says, “Above all else, guard your heart…”

WAIT. That means that you must pay attention to what is in your heart, not just what you do... It means ABOVE ALL ELSE, make sure your heart is guarded.

The passage of scriptures goes on to state that we shouldn’t gossip or speak of corrupt things, we should fix our eyes on what’s ahead, give careful thought to what we do, keep from evil, and BE steadfast in all our ways.

What if started paying more attention to what is in our hearts? What if we made sure our hearts are pure?

Based on what I am learning in scripture, a guarded heart looks like this: loving, selfless, kind, generous, caring, gracious, compassionate, noble, good, faithful. A heart devoted to God’s Truth and His Presence. What if THIS is our highest priority?

If all we do flows from our hearts then our actions and our words truly show what’s in us… the schedules we keep and the lives we lead are a mirror of what our hearts value.

If we want to know the “pulse” of our hearts, we can listen to what we talk about: do we gossip? Do we try to make others look bad? Do we complain? Do we hold grudges? Do we envy? These things can clutter up our hearts so much that we cannot find what matters most.

If we want to know the status of our hearts, we can look at our actions: are we kind to people? Are we forgiving? Do we give generously? Do we serve faithfully? Do we live a life devoted to PRAYER and God’s WORD? Do we care for others EVEN IF they don’t deserve it?

Here is the truth straight from scripture: “…For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (I Samuel‬ ‭16:7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬)

There is no shortage of things to fill up your heart. No shortage of distractions from what matters most. There is no deficit of things to take the eyes of your heart off of Jesus.

The Lord longs to fill us with more of him. Based on His word, he wants to work IN us and THROUGH us, but there has to be SPACE for Him. No one can clean out the cabinet of your heart but YOU.

Today, I encourage you…

Ask God to show you how to clear out any clutter in your heart. Take time and LISTEN to what He speaks to you.

What needs to be laid down on the altar to make space for more of His Presence? Maybe it means less social media, a more-focused prayer time, and more time in His Word. Perhaps it means forgiveness and laying down fear.

As you clear out the clutter, you will find that there is MORE SPACE for Jesus… and where He is, everything changes.