Doing it Right

[Paul]

After Gideon led his small “army” to a resounding victory over the Midianites, the Israelites wanted to make him their king. The Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us—you, your son and your grandson—because you have saved us out of the hand of Midian.” But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The LORD will rule over you” (Judges 8:22-23).

It is obvious that Gideon did not do everything right. He wasn’t perfect by a long shot. But when he made this declaration he revealed that he did indeed have a sense as to what the Lord wanted for his people and the nation of Israel. God did not want men to rule, with their sons ruling after them. God wanted a people who would recognize his reign in their personal and corporate lives. This was too hard for the people to understand at that time. So in the New Testament era, the Lord once again returned to this theme. Jesus talked about the Kingdom of God being among us. That’s why he gave his Spirit to live in us, so that finally there would be a people who followed the Lord, who recognized his reign in every aspect of our lives, both personal and corporate.
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Paul Linzey