Author: God Presented by: Megan Lincoln

12 Once again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and because they did this evil the Lord gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel. 13 Getting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join him, Eglon came and attacked Israel, and they took possession of the City of Palms. 14 The Israelites were subject to Elgon king of Moab for eighteen years. Judes 3:12-30

15 Again the Israelites cried out to the Lord, and he gave them a deliverer-Ehud, a left-handed man, the son of Gera the Benjamite. The Israelites sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab. 16 Now Ehud had made a double-edged sword about a foot and a half long, which he strapped to his right thigh under his clothing. 17 He presented the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was a very fat man.

18 After Ehud had presented the tribute, he sent on their way the men who had carried it. 19 At the idols near Gilgal he himself turned back and said, “I have a secret message for you O king.” The king said, “Quiet!” And all his attendants left him.

22 Even the handle sand in after the blade, which came out his back. Ehud did not pull the sword out, and the fat closed in over it. 23 Then Ehud went out to the porch; he shut the doors of the upper room behind him and locked them. 20 Ehud then approached him while he was sitting alone in the upper room of his summer palace and said “I have a message from God for you.” As the king rose from his seat, 21 Ehud reached with his left hand, drew the sword from his right thigh and plunged it into the king’s belly.

24 After he had gone, the servants came and found the doors of the upper room locked. They said, “He must be relieving himself in the inner room of the house.” 25 They waited to the point of embarrassment, but when he did not open the doors of the room, they took a key and unlocked them. There they saw their lord fallen to the floor, dead.

26 While they waited, Ehud got away. He passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah. 27 When he arrived there, he blew a trumpet in the hill country of Ephraim, and the Israelites went down with him from the hills, with him leading them.

28 ”Follow me,” he ordered, “for the Lord has given Moab, your enemy, into your hands.” So they followed him down and, taking possession of the fords of the Jordan that led to Moab, they allowed no one to cross over. 29 At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all vigorous and strong; not a man escaped. 30 That day Moab was made subject to Israel, and the land had peace for eighty years.

The Rhetoric of the Book of Judges By: Robert H. O’Connel “The compiler/redactor’s strategy was to show how the grand reversal of Israel’s fortunes, which Ehud initiates by assassinating Eglon, redounds to the credit of YHWH, who raised up a savior.”

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Authorship: God Presented by: Megan Lincoln

Again, Israel did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and He gave them over to the Midianites for seven years. Because the Midianites were so oppressive, the Israelites had to hide themselves, their livestock, and their food. When the Israelites cried out to the Lord, He sent them a prophet who said, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. I snatched you from the power of Egypt and from the hand of all your oppressors. I drove them from before you and gave you their land. I said to you, 'I am the LORD your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.' But you have not listened to me."

An angel appeared to Gideon and told him that the Lord was with him. He was confused and said that he was the weakest of his family (tribe), which was the weakest of Israel. He then tested the Lord. He put out a fleece and told God that if in the morning the fleece was wet and the ground around it was dry, he would know that he was supposed to save Israel. The Lord did as Gideon requested. Gideon then told God to make the ground around the fleece wet, and the fleece dry. Again, God did so.

Gideon then gathered an army and God told him that the army he had was too large. If the Israelites defeated the Midianites, Israel would claim God’s glory. So, God told Gideon to let anyone who was scared go home. Twenty-two thousand men left leaving Israel with only ten thousand men.

The Lord told Gideon that his army was still too great. God to Gideon to go down to the water and let his army get a drink. He told him to separate the men who lap the water up like dogs and those who use their hand to drink. With the three hundred men that used their hands to drink, He would deliver the Israelites out of the hands of the Midianites.

God then told Gideon to go down to the Midianite camp and spy on them. There Gideon heard two friends talking about a dream that round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed. This meant that the barley bread (Israelites) was going to overthrow the Midianites.

Gideon divided the army into three parts and gave each man a trumpet, a clay pot, and a torch. 17 ‘”Watch me,’ he told them. ‘Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. 18 When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, 'For the LORD and for Gideon.’”

The Israelites did as they were told, and when they blew the trumpets, God made the Midianite army turn against their own. They killed most of their fellow soldiers and the rest fled out of the camp. The Israelites captured the Midianites leaders, and once again God had delivered His people.

God uses whoever is willing even if they are weak and low on the social ladder.

No matter your situation, God can and will deliver His people if they trust in and turn to Him. Look for God to use you, no matter where you are or what kind of oppression you have.

It doesn’t matter where you are or what kind of pressure you are under, you are still expected to serve God in whatever way He calls you to serve Him.

The “Gideons” (producers of the “hotel Bible”) are called “The Gideons” because after special prayer of what to call their association a gentleman suggested to name them Gideons after the man in Judges 6-7

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