The Lord Is Peace(Jehovahshalom)

 Judges 6:11-24

The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”

“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.”

So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace(Jehovahshalom). To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

Gideon is forced to thresh his meagre grain harvest secretly, in the confines of the winepress.

Why?

When Gideon saw the angel, he did not know who he was, so he asked him to give me a sign. For Gedepm is the least in his family, and his tribe is small.

Gideon is kind to treat the visitor, and he found he is the Lord so he afraid before the Lord, and God forgives his. So Gedeon calls the Lord, Jehovahshalom, God is peace.

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神有責備，管教，也有指出一條道路。

神要施行恩典要神參與祂的工作。

酒榨內打麥子，比較隱密，同時量也是少的，躲起來打麥子，這是沒有辦法的是事。

基甸是不願意放棄機會的人，即使環境惡劣。基甸想再看到神奇妙的作為，我們不是也一樣期望經歷神的大能。看到神蹟奇事

我們在禱告中求神復興教會，團契，神願意，神說要派我們去，我們願意去，把問題轉為我們的負擔，我們不能只是看別人做。

神使用我們有的，不是使用我們沒有的。神要使用他在沒有辦法的辦法。再怎麽平庸的人也有他的用處。即使只能躲起來打麥子的膽小，平庸的能力給神差遣。

面對呼召，謹慎求證。13節第一個主啊，是一般稱呼先生，15節的主是稱呼神的名字。在極窮乏的情形，拿取22公斤細麵，一頭羊，是很慷慨的奉獻，來求證，以免冒然行動。後來他得到平安的保證，耶和華沙龍。不再躲躲藏藏。我們不能只求神行大事，自己卻不參與。

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How?

The Lord is Peace, with his people and God gives us peace when we follow his decrees.