Day Two--The Defeat of Gaal (Judges 9:34-41)

1/27/2010 8:20 AM

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY

 

My Worship Time                              Focus:  Day two—the defeat of Gaal

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                        Reference:  Judges 9:34-41

 

            Message of the verses:  “34  So Abimelech and all the people who were with him arose by night and lay in wait against Shechem in four companies. 35  Now Gaal the son of Ebed went out and stood in the entrance of the city gate; and Abimelech and the people who were with him arose from the ambush. 36  When Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, "Look, people are coming down from the tops of the mountains." But Zebul said to him, "You are seeing the shadow of the mountains as if they were men." 37  Gaal spoke again and said, "Behold, people are coming down from the highest part of the land, and one company comes by the way of the diviners’ oak." 38  Then Zebul said to him, "Where is your boasting now with which you said, ’Who is Abimelech that we should serve him?’ Is this not the people whom you despised? Go out now and fight with them!" 39  So Gaal went out before the leaders of Shechem and fought with Abimelech. 40  Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him; and many fell wounded up to the entrance of the gate. 41  Then Abimelech remained at Arumah, but Zebul drove out Gaal and his relatives so that they could not remain in Shechem.”

            I think that even though Zebul was Gaal’s enemy Gaal though that he was his friend because he listened to Zebul when he told him that these were not men but just the morning shadows on the mountains. 

            As Dr. Wiersbe puts it Gaal had to “put up or shut up” and so he went to battle against Abimelech and Abimelech and his men who has set at trap for Zebul sprung it and so they routed his men and eventually Zebul chased Gaal and his men out of the city of Shechem forever.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  My wife always says that I am to trusting of men and at times are star struck by people that I meet, which is something that I must have gotten from my dad.  She is the opposite for it takes a long time for her to trust anyone and so we kind of complement each other.  I need to learn to be lest trusting, something that Gaal also needed to learn, and Sandy needs to be more trusting.  This work has to be done through the Holy Spirit as He gives direction to both of us.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1. Through the work of the Holy Spirit in my life I need to be more discerning of people.

 

1/27/2010 9:20 AM