Trapped in the Pit
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Trapped – Week #1 – March 23, 2025
Trapped in the Pit
Judges 6:1-14

Nobody likes feeling trapped

The Israelites did evil in the  Lord’s sight. So the  Lord  handed them over to the Midianites for seven years.  2  The Midianites were so cruel that the Israelites made hiding places for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds.  3  Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, marauders from Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east would attack Israel,  4  camping in the land and destroying crops as far away as Gaza. They left the Israelites with nothing to eat, taking all the sheep, goats, cattle, and donkeys.  5  These enemy hordes, coming with their livestock and tents, were as thick as locusts; they arrived on droves of camels too numerous to count. And they stayed until the land was stripped bare.  6  So Israel was reduced to starvation by the Midianites. Then the Israelites cried out to the  Lord  for help. Judges 6:1-6

Then the angel of the  Lord  came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites.  Judges 6:11

There are two metaphors for The Holy Spirit in the New Testament; Fire and Wind

As we make ourselves available to The Holy Spirit, He will sift us

The angel of the  Lord  appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the  Lord  is with you!” Judges 6:12

Jesus meets us in the pit

Jesus doesn’t speak to our past, He speaks to our potential

“Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the  Lord  is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The  Lord  brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the  Lord  has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.” Judges 6:13

Victims never walk in victory

What would happen if we made ourselves available to The Spirit of God and we allowed The Word of God to direct our steps?

Then the  Lord  turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!” Judges 6:14

When Jesus speaks to us in the pit, He’s speaking affirmation, not condemnation

Jesus… through the power of your Holy Spirit and your word remove from me what does not belong and replace it with all that you want. I am yours. Amen