When we last left off, Gideon was in the process of being chewed out by his Ephraim brethren.
Remember Ephraim was the top dog tribe in the Promised Land.
They wielded tremendous power and influence.
A perfect case in point is to consider that Shiloh and Bethel, the two most revered and sacred places in all of Israel were located smack dab in Ephraim territory.
Which means all those who went to worship at these religious centers were forced to indirectly pay homage to Ephraim.
However, as I’ve been harping on, it’s important to dig deep and probe for the psychological motivations behind why Ephraim chewed poor Gideon out.
Sure, deep down inside they were jealous of Gideon and the great victory he had achieved over the Midianites.
But there was an even more fleshly reason for their rebuke of Gideon.
They wanted to get their hands on some of the war booty that would have been left behind when 135,000 enemy soldiers fled to the hills with their families.
Here’s something about ancient tribal societies you’ve got to understand.
Robbery, kidnapping and acquiring the spoils of war after victory in battle were the NORMAL methods used to gain authority and power.
This was the modus operandi in those days and it lasted for centuries.
Actually, this behavior still continues today in the Middle East.
However, the Hebrews ended up traveling down a different path.
As they gradually settled in the Promised Land and learned to trust that the Lord would provide for them, their predatory behavior that was the custom of the times eventually ceased.
But for those other societies that were never exposed to the Lord’s transforming wisdom and instructions, well, they continued on with their barbaric ways.
In their minds, the only way to survive was to prey instead of pray.
Or to prey instead of produce.
It was the difference between a scarcity versus an abundance mentality.
And that really is the takeaway for today.
Those who don’t trust God are doomed to live out the rest of their days as nomads and behave as “locusts” (as they’re metaphorically called in Scripture).
You can either trust that the Lord will provide for all of your needs in every situation.
Or you can always be in a constant state of worry and distress.
There is no middle ground here.
You either fully trust God to care for you no matter what.
Or you let yourself waver and become half-hearted.
It’s either faith or fear.
So choose wisely because the time is short.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“But let him ask in trust,
doubting nothing;
for the doubter is like a wave in the sea
being tossed and driven by the wind.
Indeed that person should not think
that he will receive anything from the Lord,
because he is double-minded,
unstable in all his ways.”
-James 1:6-8
“So don’t be anxious, asking,
‘What will we eat?,’
‘What will we drink?’
or ‘How will we be clothed?’
For it is the gentiles who
set their hearts on all these things.
Your heavenly Father knows
you need them all.
But seek first his Kingdom
and his righteousness,
and all these things will
be given to you as well.“
-Matthew 6:31-33
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