In the book of Judges we learned concerning Gideon how, “the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why have you served us thus, that you called us not, when you went to fight with the Midianites? And they did chide with him sharply. And he said unto them, What have I done now in comparison of you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?”, and in chapter eight and verse three of Judges, we learn how Gideon told the people of Ephraim, “God has delivered into your hands the princes of Midian”, where we read,
God has delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison of you? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.
The verse reads, “God has delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison of you?” The writer began with the words, “God has delivered into your hands” which means “the Supreme Deity has granted, bestowed and assigned over to your, the men of Ephraim’s, power, might and strength” “the princes of Midian” or “the rulers, leaders, chiefs, chieftains and officials belonging to Midian whose name means ‘strife’”, “Oreb” whose name means “raven” and was one of the chieftains of the Midianite army defeated by Gideon, “and Zeeb” whose name means “wolf” and was “one of the two princes of Midian mentioned in the conquest; brought to bay in a winepress:” “and what I able to do” or “and in which act or deed was I, Gideon, capable of performing or producing” “in comparison of you” which means “in estimation pertaining to you, the men of Ephraim”? The writer shared how the Supreme Deity Jehovah God gave to the “men of Ephraim” the rulers belonging to the “Midianites” whose names were “Oreb and Zeeb”, and Gideon asked how his acts and deeds had any value compared to those deeds.
The verse continues, “Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.” The writer added the words, “then their anger was abated toward him” which means “at that time their, the men of Ephraim’s, wrath that wrinkles the nostrils or nose existed as relaxed, dropped down and forsaken”, “when he had said that” which means “ at the time and moment that he, Gideon, uttered, declared and proclaimed that the men of Ephraim captured “Oreb and Zeeb””. The writer shared how the wrath of the “men of Ephraim” was relaxed after “Gideon” referred to their conquest of the “princes of the Midianites”.
When we think through the words in this verse, we learn what “Gideon” said to the “men of Ephraim” to calm their frustrations. Jehovah God gave the rulers of “Midian” over to the “men of Ephraim”, and “Gideon” wondered how his exploits compared to that acts. The idea was that Jehovah God gave “Gideon” and the “men of Ephraim” responsibilities, and they were to be obedient to His directive for them. God wants all of us to be involved in His Kingdom work, and this begins when we receive His Son Jesus who died on the cross for the sins of all mankind and rose from the grave after three days. When we yield to Him as our personal “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put His Holy Spirit within us to guide us into all truth and give us the ability to carry out the work in His Kingdom that He has assigned to us. This should keep us from worrying about what anyone else does for Him. (See Matthew 6:33)
Next time we learn how, “Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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