Thursday, February 23, 2012

Genesis 1-4: God: Creator, Governor, and Preserver of All Things.

Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army 26 Feb 2012
By Captain Michael Ramsay
  
Creator.
Genesis 1: The first chapter of Genesis reads like a love story of sorts or like a wonderful little children’s book. It shows a loving God who carefully prepares an environment for his newborn creatures just as a mother bird carefully lines her nest in anticipation of the advent of her little ones. Let us read this story (to view it in picture book format click HERE): [1]

 It was the first day and God the Father made a wonderful room for His creation and it was good. On day one, He made in this room, light and He made the darkness; He made the day and He made the night.

And then it was morning. So God the Father, on the second day, made another wonderful room for His creation.  On day two, He made this room, separating the waters. He made the sky and then it was evening.

And then it was morning. So God the Father, on the third day, made another wonderful room for His creation.  On day three, He made this room, gathering the waters. He formed the land, and placed trees and vegetation upon the land and then it was evening.

And then it was morning. And God had finished making His rooms so He now gave life to His creation and He placed them each in their own room that was especially made for them.  God the Father, on the fourth day created the stars, and the moon, and the sun and He placed them in the room that He had lovingly prepared for them – the room of light and of darkness and then it was evening.

And then it was morning. God the Father, on the fifth day created the sea creatures, and every bird, and winged creature and He placed them in the room that He had lovingly prepared for them – the room of the separated waters and of the sky and then it was evening.

And then it was morning. God the Father, on the sixth day created the land creatures, and every animal that walks upon the ground, and God created humankind in His own image and He placed them in the room that He had lovingly prepared for them – the room in which He had gathered the waters, made the land, and planted the vegetation and then it was evening.

And then it was morning. God the father, on the seventh day, He rested from His work. The rooms were finished. Creation was finished and it was good. God blessed the day, making it holy and then He rested. That is Genesis 1 (cf. also Psalm 33:6, Psalm 93; Isaiah 45:12; John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:15-17; Hebrews 11:3).[2]

            Genesis 2 is thought by some to be a separate creation account.[3] At the very least, it expounds upon this creation story a little more, specifically relating to the role and responsibilities of humanity.[4] Picture this with me if you will. God has made for His children this wonderful garden to take care of and to watch grow. He has made them this beautiful land out of nothing.

Do you know what this reminds me of? Hank (maybe with some help of some others, I don’t know) made this beautiful little garden by the Sunday entrance to the corps here. You can see it again in the summertime. He and Ray and others faithfully tend to it each year as it grows into a great blessing for all who come here during growing season. It always amazes me that this wonderful garden now blooms in season where there once was nothing. Hank created it out of an area of concrete and gravel – basically out of nothing and Hank and Ray on summer days take great pleasure in tending to it by even doing simple things such as Ray ensuring the water is just the right temperature for watering the plants. This reminds me – like a real life parable or object lesson - of God’s creation.

Governor.

            When God made this wonderful garden out of even less than gravel and concrete, out of nothing at all for Adam and Eve to tend to, He – as the governor of all things – just asked something very simple in return. God made the world for His people and He just told them to take care of it and obey Him in two or three simple ways.

  1. Genesis 1:28a: “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it…”
  2. Genesis 1:28b: “Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’”
  3. Genesis 2:16-17: “And the LORD God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.’”
God says 1) populate the earth, 2) take care of everything in it and 3) in doing this I’ll let you eat anything you want in the garden – but just not the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, it’s not safe. I’m saving that for something.
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This is like if you, as parents, are going out for the first time on a Saturday night leaving your older children to baby-sit their younger sibling all on their own. “Be good and take care of the house”, you say. “I want you to unload the dishwasher and you can have whatever treats you want before bed but just don’t touch the cupcakes; they’re for church on Sunday, so don’t eat the cupcakes or there will be real trouble.” Then you come home, very pleased with your children that they are now old enough to be left alone, you look in the kitchen for something to eat and you notice that where the cupcakes should be… they are gone. The disappointment, the sadness and anger must be a reflection of the disappointment God felt when He came back to the garden and saw that – even though there was only one fruit that He was saving – He came back and it was gone. As parents, of course, if our children ate the cupcakes we would realize that they are not quite ready for the responsibility of being left alone at home and so we would wait awhile before we would trust them to take care of the house again. The children would certainly have a time-out from that responsibility. It was the same with God. He wasn’t about to leave his children in the garden by themselves when they betrayed His trust, letting Him down in exactly the same way. Adam and Eve couldn’t be trusted to take care of the garden. Adam and Eve couldn’t be trusted. Humankind couldn’t be trusted. That responsibility was thus removed from us until we are more able to handle it (Genesis 3).[5]

There is more still to this story in Genesis 1-4 of God as governor. We mentioned how well humanity did in keeping God’s third command to abstain from eating the one forbidden fruit in the garden. How did we do with the first two of His commands? God told us to, Genesis 1:28 ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it…’ After we messed up by eating his fruit, how did we do with scattering and filling the whole earth?[6] Let’s take a look at Genesis 11 and the story of the tower of Babel, shall we?[7]  Genesis 11:1-3:

 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, ‘Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.’ They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and NOT be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’

Here we are just a couple of chapters and a few generations later and if we haven’t messed things up enough by eating God’s fruit that He was saving; now, He has told us to go and fill the whole earth and we say, “Thanks anyway God, but I think we’ll just stay here and make a name for ourselves instead of going and filling the whole earth like You said.” How well do you think that goes over?[8]

That’s like telling your children to get their boots on because its time to go to school, then heading out to warm up and scrape off the car and upon coming back into the house, seeing them all still just sitting around in their pyjamas. And when questioned they answer you, “we decided not to go to school today.” How’s dad going to react? How’s dad going to feel? Our earthy fathers are going to  - in maybe not their most gentle, inside voices – tell their children to get ready right now! Dad is not happy. The children are going to school whether they like it or not! The children are none the better off for this little stunt because a loving father is still going to send his children to school because he cares what is best for them. And a generation and a Supreme Court ruling or two ago, they might just have had a sore backside to show for their disobedience as well. The children’s stunt didn’t help their cause at all because they still have to go to school, just maybe now they are a little less happy about it then they would have been if they had done what they were asked to do in the first place.

It is the same with God, the governor of all things, and humankind’s decision to disobey His command to fill the whole earth.[9] We still had to do what we were told – scatter over the whole earth – but now we just have something extra to remind us about it. Genesis 11:8-9: “So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel—because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.”

The Lord is the governor of all things. You would think that humanity would have learned this by now after blatantly defying God in breaking the first and the third rule of His government but no. We still hadn’t completely learned our lesson and later in the Pentateuch is recorded the penalty His people experience for breaking the second governing rule: Genesis 1:28b: “Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’” Now we must note first that, as The Salvation Army Canada’s Position Statement articulates, “God’s instruction to ‘subdue’ the earth and ‘rule’ over every living thing (Genesis 1:28) cannot be interpreted to justify abuse or disregard for any life, not only human life. The privileges granted require our accountability to Him and one another.”[10]

Leviticus 25 records that we are directed that the land itself shall enjoy its Sabbath rest (Leviticus 25:2, 26:34,35) just as man was commanded to (Exodus 20: 8-11, Deuteronomy 5:15), and just as God did (Exodus 20:11, Genesis 2:3). If we, as ‘tenants’ of God’s land (Leviticus 25:23), fail in our responsibility to carry out this duty to take care of the land, then the owner of the land -who cares about His land- may remove us from it, like He did with Adam and Eve.[11]

This is exactly, according the scriptures, what happened to Israel as well. God removed Israel from the Promised Land as it neglected its responsibilities to take care of that land. 2 Chronicles 36:20-21: “He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power. The land enjoyed its Sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfilment of the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah.”

God, as the governor of all things, gave us just three rules of His government in Genesis Chapters 1 and 2 and before the conclusion of the books of Moses, it was apparent that we would disobey them all and presumably break God’s heart in the process (cf. Job 34:14-15; Psalm 65:9-13, 104:24-30; Isaiah 65:17-25; John 19:11; Romans 8:18-25; Colossians 1:17; Revelation 21:1-4).[12] And this brings us to the third attribute of God we are looking at in our passage today: God as preserver.

Preserver:
God is the preserver of all things. Job 12:10 records that, “In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” Job 27:3 refers to the life within us as “the breath of God in my nostrils.” Job 33:4: “The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” And Psalm 104:29 warns us that “When You [God] hide Your face, they are terrified; when You take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.” God is the preserver of all life. If He were to withdraw His spirit from us, we would perish (cf. also Job 32:8, 34:14; Psalm 33:6; Ecclesiastes 3:19).[13]

            Back to Genesis 1-4: We know the story of the Fall, of course, which we touched on briefly earlier, when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit and were removed from Eden. Even when Adam and Eve disobeyed God so that they deserved even death, God provided for them. As He led them to their new life beyond the garden it records in Genesis 3:21 that, “The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” He preserved their life and He provided for them, even as they suffered the consequence of their sin.

            He then extends that same grace to their children, preserving the life of Adam and Eve’s eldest son, who murdered his own brother in cold blood (Genesis 4).  We remember that story, don’t we? Here we have two siblings with more than a little bit of sibling rivalry: some kids just don’t stop fighting. I don’t know if any parents or children here can identify with that at all. Here we have two brothers fighting for the attention of their Heavenly Father. One gets so upset that his offering isn’t as pleasing as his brothers that he actually kills him and then denies that he knows anything about his brother’s disappearance. God calls Cain on it and as a consequence -like his parents before him and like Israel after him- God removes Cain from the land. He removes him from the ground where his brother, Abel, was killed (Genesis 4:11,12). But even in this, where Cain has killed his own brother and tried to deceive God about it, though there are grave consequences for his actions, God has mercy on his soul and preserves his life. Genesis 4:15, “But the LORD said to him, ‘… if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over.’ Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.” Like with his parents before him and Israel after him, the Lord preserved Cain. He still suffered the natural and logical consequences of his rebellion, because God loves him too much not to rebuke him but God preserved Cain.

Psalm 104:29, again reminds us that God is the preserver of all life. If He were to withdraw His Spirit from us, we all would perish. But John 3:16-17 tells us that God loves the world so much that He sent His only begotten Son so that whosoever of us believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life for God sent His son into the world not to condemn the world but to save it.

And this brings us to our very lives here today for, when all is said and done, “there is only one God, who is infinitely perfect, the Creator, Preserver, and Governor of all things, and who is the only proper object of religious worship” (TSA doc. 2). And this God of the universe and beyond loves us, you and I so much that He has provided “the privilege [for] all believers to be wholly sanctified, and that their whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (TSA doc. 10). The LORD created us, He governs us and He loves us and he has provided for us so that we all may be even preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us pray.
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[1] To see this in picture book form click here:  http://www.sheepspeak.com/Room_for_Creation_Web_Ramsay.pdf  For more story books by Michael Ramsay (and other writings) click here: http://www.sheepspeak.com./Michael_Ramsays_opinion.htm
[2] Cf. The Salvation Army, Salvation Story: Salvationist Handbook of Doctrine, (The Salvation Army: London: 1998), pp. 27-28.
[3] Cf. Derek Kidner, Genesis: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, Il.: InterVarsity Press, 1967 (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries 1), S. 58
[4] Captain Michael Ramsay, Reading Report on Charles Darwin, "Recapitulation and Conclusion" [The Origin of the Species, Akron, Ohio: Werner, 1872), chapter 15, pp. 267-306]. Presented to William and Catherine Booth College (February, 2009). Available on-line: http://www.sheepspeak.com/Michael_Ramsay_History_TSA.htm#Darwin
[5] Cf. Alan Hausser, “Genesis 2-3: the Theme and Intimacy and Alienation,” in Art and Meaning: Rhetoric in Biblical Literature, ed. David J.A. Clines, David M. Gunn and Alan Hauser. (Sheffield, England: Department of Biblical Studies, The University of Sheffield, 1982).
[6] Cf. Josephus, Antiquities I.iv.1. Cited from Terence E. Fretheim, The Book of Genesis, (NIB I: Abingdon Press: Nashville, 1994), p. 412.
[7] Cf. Captain Michael Ramsay, ‘Genesis 11:1-12:4: A Very Moving Covenant’, Journal of Aggressive Christianity, Issue 70, December 2010 – January 2011, pp. 32-35. Available on-line: http://www.armybarmy.com/pdf/JAC_Issue_070.pdf
[8] Cf. Terence E. Fretheim, The Book of Genesis, (NIB I: Abingdon Press: Nashville, 1994), p. 412 where he argues that the primary sin here is the unwillingness to move and the‘making a name for themselves’ is secondary.
[9] Cf. Walter Brueggemann, Interpretation: Genesis,(John Knox Press: Atlanta, Georgia), 1982, pp.97-104 and Michael K. Chung , ‘The Narrative of the Tower of Babel in Dialogue with Postmodern Christianity’, Presented to Fuller Theological Seminary (Fall 2005), p. 7.
[10] The Salvation Army Ethics Centre, ‘Responsibility for the Earth’ (December 11, 2011), The Salvation Army, Canada and Bermuda 2009, Available on-line: http://www.salvationarmyethics.org/position-statements/responsibility-for-the-earth-2/
[11]Cf. Captain Michael Ramsay, Leviticus 25 1-23 in the Context of the Holiness Code: The Land Shall Observe a Sabbath, presented to William and Catherine Booth College  (Fall 2006), available on-line at http://www.sheepspeak.com/OT_Michael_Ramsay.htm - Leviticus 25 1-23   
[12] Cf. The Salvation Army, Salvation Story: Salvationist Handbook of Doctrine, (The Salvation Army: London: 1998), pp. 27-28.
[13] Andreas Schuele, 'The Spirit of YHWH and the Aura of Divine Presence', in Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology vol. 66 no. 1, (January 2012) pp. 16-28; cf. also Debra Reagan, ed. Creation Groaning issue of Interpretation: a Journal of Bible and Theology 65 no.4 (October 2011).


Saturday, February 4, 2012

Judges 7:1-9: Gideon’s Soldiers’ Call and Commitment.

Presented to Swift Current Corps, 04 Feb 2012.
By Captain Michael Ramsay.

Today is Super Bowl Sunday in the US so I actually got a bit of an inside tip about the most significant part of the game if anyone is interested. I found some previews of commercials. Here are a couple favourites that I found.
 
 
 
The ads are sometimes the best thing about the Super Bowl. This week we are looking at Gideon’s team in his Super Bowl. He, with his team, is actually in the fight of his life with a lot more meaning than the Super Bowl. Starting next week here, we are going to be looking at the doctrines of The Salvation Army[1] and Susan is coordinating some people to share testimonies about how the Lord has used the Army in their lives, not unlike what Ron was coordinating for us before Christmas. God has called each of us here to The Salvation Army. The Salvation Army is a select part of the Christian Church. We are, like our name suggests, an army for Salvation. We have many things that set us apart from other movements within the Church.[2] We will be looking at some of the things that set us apart, some of the blessings for which the Lord has set us a part.

Today we are looking at Gideon one more time. We are looking at how God selected Gideon’s team for the Bowl game against the defending champions, the Midianites (Judges 7:1-8). We are looking at how God narrows down Gideon’s forces and chooses his roster, his soldiers. Over these the next few weeks for those of you who haven’t already signed up as soldiers, we will be facing not entirely dissimilar tests. Let’s see if we all can pass them (or still pass them as the case may be), make the team, become soldiers in The Salvation Army. This training camp of the next few weeks is a good reminder for those of us who have already earned our uniforms as well. Let us take a look at Judges 7.

Judges 7:1-2a: Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal  (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands…

You have far too many men; many are called but few are chosen: Matthew 22:14 (cf. also Deuteronomy 20:8, 1 Samuel 14:6).[3] This is reminiscent of the parable of the wedding feast that Jesus, generations later, will tell, Matthew 22:2-14. Jesus says,  “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son” (Matthew 22:2). Remember that story.  The king sends his servants to invite people to a banquet but they don’t come. Then he sends more servants and they still don’t come. Then the king invites in everyone he can find and they come except that one fellow does not come appropriately; he does not bother to even meet the minimum dress code and so he is tossed out. He who rejects the Lord’s offer of Salvation even after being admitted to His banquet is no better off than those who rejected the Lord right off the bat (TSA doc 9). Jesus says this is what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. Matthew 22:14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

This is what it was like with Gideon. He called many people and the many came to join his battle for salvation but they didn’t all fight and experience the victory (Judges 6:35, 7:23).[4] This is what it is like with us Christians. John 3:16: Jesus died for everyone so that whosover believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life – but sadly, not all do. This is what it is like with Gideon’s soldiers and this also what it is like with Salvation Army soldiers. God is calling many of us here to serve Him in battle. The question is will we join Him in the battle or will we be sent home?

Judges 7:2: The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her.”

In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her: The battle belongs to the LORD: 1 Samuel 17:47.[5] It is important that we remember that this Salvation War is not won or lost by you or I or anyone else (cf. Deuteronomy 8:17; Psalm 115:1). We have our part to do but it is important to remember that the war, the battle belongs to the Lord.[6] This reminds me of the story of David and Goliath. Do we remember that story? There is this giant veteran Philistine soldier who is defying God and challenging the Israelites to fight him. Let me read from 1 Samuel 17:43-45&47 here as David faces off against Goliath with one of Israel’s most powerful weapons, the sling which can shoot a missile at about a hundred miles an hour or so (cf. Judges 20:16, 2 Kings 3:25, 1 Chronicles 12:2, 2 Chronicles 26:14).[7] David faces off against Goliath and it seems that the Lord conceals this weapon from the enemy:

He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.  “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”
 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. …All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

We need to remember that it is not by our strength that we win people to the Lord for eternity; it is not even by our strength that people are liberated through the churches and through The Salvation Army. It is the Lord who provides salvation. We cannot be conceited enough to think that it is anything that we can do. We did not die on the cross and rise from the grave, fulfilling history and defeating sin and death. As this is true…

Judges 7:3: “announce now to the people, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead’” So twenty-two thousand men left – that is more than the population of Swift Current – twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.

Two thirds of those gathered for battle were not fit to fight. Two thirds of those who had gathered in this army at the behest of the Lord through the encouragement of Gideon left because they were afraid.  These are warriors who had already committed. They had already left their homes and families behind them, willing to die if need be. They were given the opportunity to leave and even though they had committed to a point when faced with a real challenge they backed out. Reminiscent of some of those in the Parable of the Sower that Jesus will later tell of seeds that go up but are later choked by weeds (Matthew 13:3-8; Mark 4:3-20; Luke 8:5-8).[8]

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, Proverbs 1:7[9], but that fear is not a spirit of timidity, 2 Timothy 1:7. Remember when we looked at 2 Timothy 1.[10] Deference or fear is quite different from being timid and we are called not to be timid at all but rather, as God through Paul tells us in Philippians, we are to be bold for the Gospel (Philippians 1).[11]

What are some of the things we are afraid of when it comes to our Christian faith? Are we afraid of our adversaries? Are we afraid that those who don’t like Christians may mock us or that it may cost us our jobs? Are we afraid that we might be embarrassed or humiliated? Two thirds of Gideon’s warriors are afraid. Now these aren’t two thirds of the general population, these are two thirds of those who had volunteered for military action (cf. Parable of the Sower; TSA Doc 9). Along the lines of Salvation Army Soldiership that we are going to be talking about in the next few weeks, as an expression of our Christian faith, how many of us here today who are already saved, how many of us who come here on a regular basis are afraid of serving 100% in the Salvation Army as a Soldier? I am definitely not saying that you have to be a soldier to join us in the Salvation War on this front but if indeed God is calling you to be a full member of the Army I would hate for you to miss out on that opportunity.

Even more importantly than Salvation Army Soldiery are there any here who afraid of serving in the Lord’s army. When the enemy is at the gates as he is now, how many of us will stand strong like the 10 thousand minority and how many of us will melt away like the 22 thousand majority. Secular humanism and democracy are both wrong: the majority is not right the majority of the time (cf. Judges. 21:25, 1 Kings 1:18)

Judges 7:4: But the LORD said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”

Gideon, as we have read up to this point in his story, was struggling with his faith in God. His family hosted the local pagan idols (Judges 6, 8). Gideon tested God on more than one occasion – most famously with the fleece, which was like tossing a coin in the air and asking God, best two out of three (Judges 6:36-40)?[12] Without faith it’s impossible to believe (Hebrews 11:6, James 1:5-7). It is here in our pericope today that Gideon does act in faith and listens to the LORD as God handpicks Gideon’s fighting force for him this day.

Judges 7:5-7:
So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the LORD told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink.” Three hundred men lapped with their hands to their mouths. All the rest got down on their knees to drink. The LORD said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place.”  

The Gospels tell us to keep alert for you don't know when Jesus is coming back. Mark 13:32-33: “‘No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come….”[13]

We need to be alert. We are all called to be Christians. Don’t take your eye off the ball. The ball has already been thrown between the cross and the empty tomb and we can either hit it or it can hit us and bowl us over (cf. 2 Corinthians 2:15,16). We need to pay attention. For all of us servants of the Lord, this is important. We don’t want to miss the pitch. For those of us who have been called here to serve the Lord in The Salvation Army we can either accept the task He has given us to serve the Lord fully where He has placed us or not; the choice is ours. The ones in Gideon’s battle, who are not keeping alert, they are asked to go home. The ones who do not keep their eyes open and looking, miss out on this opportunity to serve the Lord and experience the joys of His victory (cf. TSA doc 9).[14]

Judges 7:8: So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others. Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. During that night the LORD said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands…”

This is the same with us today. Everyone here, the Lord has brought here on this day and at this time. Some of us He may just want to be adherents, to guard the luggage while the soldiers are marching off to war but some of us here today, the Lord is calling us into battle as Salvation Army Soldiers or even Officers. We are all kneeling down at the waters and now is our opportunity, we can keep our eyes on the Lord and follow Him into the Salvation battle or we can go back to our homes and guard our provisions. I invite us all to follow the Lord to where He is leading us. Some of us the Lord may be calling into a first time or a renewed relationship with Him; some of us the Lord might be calling to fight whole-heartedly for Him in the Salvation War as a warrior of His or even as a Soldier of His in The Salvation Army. Over the next few weeks we will be listening to testimonies about how God is blessing people who have indeed accepted God’s invitation to follow Him as covenanted soldiers; after the meeting each week for those who wish to ask more questions, we will be here; and hopefully at the end of this session we will see more covenanted soldiers enrolled in our ranks pressing on, shoulder to shoulder with us, towards the goal of the salvation of the whole world beginning with those right here, right now, where the Lord has placed us.

Let us pray.
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[2] THE SALVATION ARMY IN THE BODY OF CHRIST: AN ECCLESIOLOGICAL STATEMENT: A statement issued by the International Headquarters of The Salvation Army by authority of the General, in consultation with the International Doctrine Council and the International Management Council (Salvation Books: London, UK: 2008), 9: "The Salvation Army, under the one Triune God, belongs to and is an expression of the Body of Christ on earth, the Church universal, and is a Christian denomination in permanent mission to the unconverted, called into and sustained in being by God."
[3] Cf. Herbert Wolf, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:Judges/Exposition of Judges/II. The Rule of the Judges (2:6-16:31)/F. The Victory of Gideon Over the Midianites (6:1-8:32)/7. Gideon's army reduced (7:1-8a), Book Version: 4.0.2
[4] Denis T. Olsen, NIB II: Judges, (Nashville, Tenn.: Abingdon,, 1998) 803: Gideon’s original fighters came from Manassah, Ashur, Zebulun, and Naphtali. See Judges 6:35, 7:23
[5] Cf. Captain Michael Ramsay, 1 Samuel 17:46 – 47: The Battle belongs to the Lord, presented to Nipawin and Tisdale Corps on 06 July 2008 and to Swift Current Corps on 02 May 2010. Available on-line: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2008/07/1-samuel-1746-47-battle-belongs-to-lord.html
[6] Cf. Arthur E. Cundall; Morris, Leon: Judges and Ruth: An Introduction and Commentary. Downers Grove, IL.: InterVarsity Press, 1968 (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries 7), S. 108
[7]  John J. Davis and Herbert Wolf, note in Judges 20:16 in NIV Study Bible (Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA: Zondervan: 2002), p. 361
[8] Cf. Captain Michael Ramsay, Jesus use of Parabolic and Metaphorical Methods to Affect the Listeners of the Parable of the Sower. Presented to William and Catherine Booth College (Fall 2006). Available on-line at: http://www.sheepspeak.com/NT_Michael_Ramsay.htm#Sower
[9] Cf. Captain Michael Ramsay, Proverbs 1:7, 9:10: Yir’ah, The Fear of the LORD.
Presented to the Nipawin Corps of The Salvation Army, 17 May 2009. Available on-line: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2009/05/proverbs-17-910-yirah-fear-of-lord.html
[10] Cf. Captain Michael Ramsay, 2 Timothy 1:3: Let Us Pray, presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 09 October 2011. Available on-line: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2011/10/2-timothy-13-let-us-pray.html
[11] Cf. Captain Michael Ramsay, Philippians 1: Be Bold! Be Prepared! Are you Ready?  Presented to Nipawin and Tisdale Corps on 06 January 2008. Available on-line: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2008/01/philippians-1-be-bold-be-prepared-are.html
[12] Captain Michael Ramsay, Judges 6:36-40: Best 2 out of 3, Presented to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 22 January 2012. Available on-line: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2012/01/judges-636-40-best-2-out-of-3.html
[13] Cf. Captain Michael Ramsay, Mark 13:32-37: Hope for a Happy New Year!
Presented to each the Nipawin and Tisdale Corps 30 November 2008 and to Swift Current Corps of The Salvation Army, 27 November 2011. Available on-line: http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2008/11/mark-1332-37-hope-for-happy-new-year.html
[14] Cf. Herbert Wolf, The Expositor's Bible Commentary,  Pradis CD-ROM:Judges/Exposition of Judges/II. The Rule of the Judges (2:6-16:31)/F. The Victory of Gideon Over the Midianites (6:1-8:32)/7. Gideon's army reduced (7:1-8a), Book Version: 4.0.2: 7-8a Possibly the 300 displayed a greater alertness in staying on their feet, but in actuality they may have been no more courageous than the 9,700 others. When v.8a says that Gideon "kept" (heheziq be lit., "to take fast hold") the 300, it implies that they too had a strong urge to vanish with their colleagues. This idiom is used again in 19:4, where a man is detained against his will, and in Exodus 9:2 Pharaoh forcibly "held on to" (NIV, "continue to hold") his Hebrew slaves. The idiom occurs also in Job 2:9, where Job's wife asks, "Are you still holding on to your integrity?" If these 300 men were beginning to tremble, the need for God's intervention became even greater.