For the answer to this question we will look at several scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments:
Judges 7:13 HEB: ק) לֶ֤חֶם שְׂעֹרִים֙מִתְהַפֵּךְ֙ בְּמַחֲנֵ֣ה NAS: a loaf of barley bread KJV: and, lo, a cake of barley bread
לֶ֤חֶם שְׂעֹרִים֙
barley
שְׂעֹרִים֙
Strongs # 8184
seorah: barley
Original Word: שְׂעֹרָה Part of Speech: Noun Feminine Transliteration: seorah Phonetic Spelling: seh-o-raw’ Definition: barley
לֶ֤חֶם
Strongs # 3899
lechem: bread, food
Original Word: לֶחֶם Part of Speech: Noun Masculine Transliteration: lechem Phonetic Spelling: lekh’-em Definition: bread, food bread (188), food (87), fruit (1), loaves (3), meal (7), meal* (1), meals (2), prey (1), provision (1), showbread* (4), something (1).
Greek:
Strongs #740 artos: bread, a loaf
Original Word: ἄρτος, ου, ὁ Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: artos Phonetic Spelling: ar’-tos Definition: bread, a loaf Usage:bread, a loaf, food.
740 ártos – properly, bread; (figuratively) divine provision; all the sustenance God supplies to yielded believers scene-by-scene to live in His preferred-will (2307/thélēma).
bread, loaf.
From airo; bread (as raised) or a loaf — (shew-) bread, loaf.
(The shew bread that was in the tabernacle)
The common bread was made of
barley –seorah
שְׂעֹרִים֙ –
and was eaten by the very poor and unfortunate folks
and by everyone in times of famine.
The sons of the prophets in the days of Elijah & Elisha ate
barley bread.
42 HEB: עֶשְׂרִֽים ־ לֶ֣חֶם שְׂעֹרִ֔ים וְכַרְמֶ֖ל בְּצִקְלֹנ֑וֹ NAS: loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain
… tomorrow, a seah of the finest flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barleyfor a shekel at the gate of Samaria.” Elisha replied, “Listen to this …
… and added, “He gave me these six measures of barley, saying, Don’t go back to your mother-in-law empty-handed.” and she added, “He gave me these six scoops
... Eat the food as you would a loaf of barley bread; bake it in the sight of … Prepare and eat this food as you would barleycakes. While all the people are watching,
There was famine in the land in the days of Second Kings.
We are told In verse six that they brought Elijah bread and flesh each morning and evening; meanwhile, he drank of the brook. Birds were used by God to provide food and water!
Later, God told Elijah to go to Zarephath.
He commanded a woman there to sustain him. Interesting to note that she only had
a handful of meal in a barrel and a little oil in a cruse
for her and her son,
and was gathering sticks for the fire.
Elijah, the man of God, instructs her to not only make a cake, but to make it for him FIRST.
The cakes the widow of Zarephath made for Elijah with a handful of meal, (l Kings 17:13), were baked on hot stones and covered with hot embers.
Thin wafers of dough spread with oil (Exodus 29:2), sometimes strewn with seeds, were baked in an earthenware oven.
Sometimes cakes would be baked with honey,
Ezekiel 16:13, 19
and these tasted so good that the manna of the desert was compared to them. Exodus 16:31; Numbers 11:8.
The dough was kneaded in a stone mortar or it would be rolled.
It was not uncommon for the people to complain that their oppressors had left them nothing but barley bread to eat. The Bedouins often called their enemies “eaters of barley bread.”
The diet of the East has always been plain, light and simple. The contrast between their diet and that of the west is the very small amount of animal food they consume and the variety of things used with bread; but the most important thing to note is the huge consumption of bread. This reference would immediately mean something with those listening and no doubt this is one reason Jesus/Yeshua used bread in many of His parables and miracles. He also included it in His instruction concerning prayer, when His disciples asked how to pray; He said,
give us this day our daily bread.
Preparations of their bread were simple yet varied; sometimes after being carefully picked, the fresh grains were roasted in a pan over a fire, and eaten as “parched corn” This was and still is part of an ordinary diet.
In Syria women make bread by first, making a fire of dried dung and vine branches which have withered, they are then laid on the hearth; the bread is spread out with the hands like a pancake, and baked over the hearth. Each flat cake was very thin, and could then be rolled up and placed in the mouth.
Many times unleavened wafers were made, smeared with olive oil, they were then baked in a plate or pan. Genesis 18:6 tells us that Sarah made upon the hearth for the three angels, and it is very likely the cakes she made were of this type.
Genesis 18:6 KJV
And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
Sometimes the grain was bruised and then dried in the sun; it was eaten, either mixed with oil, or made into soft cakes. This was the dough of the Old Testament scriptures. The common people who were poor by western standards did not, and still don’t, have much other food than durra bread, this durra bread, is made of a sort of coarse millet, it is kneaded with camel’s milk, oil, butter, or grease.
The best bread was always made of wheat, it was ground and sifted and formed the fine flour, such as was used in the sacred offering.
Leviticus 2:4 (KJV) » And if thou bring an oblation of a meat offering baked in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil.
The ground but un-sifted wheat would answer to the “flour” and “meal” of Judges 6:19.
Judges 6:19 KJV
And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it.
Gideon prepares food (a young goat, and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour) for the angel. Judges 6:19-20
Another reference to barley cakes and Gideon is in Judges 7:13-15
“Gid‘on got there just as a man was telling a comrade about a dream he had had: ‘I just now dreamt that a loaf of barley bread fell into the camp of Midyan, came to the tent and struck it so hard that it overturned the tent and knocked it flat.‘ His comrade answered, ‘This can only be the sword of Gid‘on son of Yo’ash, a man of Isra’el. God has given Midyan and all its army into his hands.’ When Gid‘on heard the dream and its interpretation, he fell on his knees in worship. Then he returned to the camp of Israel and said, ‘Get up! because Adonai has handed Midyan’s army over to you.’”
Why would a Midianite soldier see
a barley cake as symbolizing Israel?
In those days, bread made out of barley was considered the food of the poor people which is what Israel was during their time of oppression.
It was also the season when the nomad tribes came to attack Israel.
In Judges 6:11, it is recorded that Gideon was given his divine assignment by the Angel of the Lord, when he was threshing wheat in a wine press.
The invaders came during the wheat harvest and not the barley harvest. In general, wheat tends to ripen slightly before barley. Most translations in English Bibles read as a
loaf of barley
that tumbled into the camp.
Maybe this is not the best translation, because the original word being used here in Hebrew is:
tselilor צְלוּל.
Strongs 6742
Literally it means a: round loaf.
The word tselil not referring to a typical squared shaped loaf of bread which is the image most people have.
The barley cake most likely looked similar to those in the picture below:
It was a flat bread that was cooked on a griddle and was round like a thick pancake or Middle Eastern pita bread.
This was the main food of the Bedouins in the ancient Middle East.
There is also an interesting play on words, that can only be seen in the original Hebrew.
It seems the wordtselil
was meant to be paired with the Hebrew word
haphakor הָפַךְ.
Strongs 2015 happek or hapkehu as indicated below.
According to Strong’s concordance,
haphak
means: to turn or overturn.
The word tumbled is also a correct translation.
The image being suggested here is of:
a round barley cake tumbling into the enemy tent.
After Gideon overheard what the soldier had dreamt, he was greatly strengthened and he fell to his knees in worship to the Lord.
Gideon was now ready to place all his faith and trust in God’s promises to him and to Israel.
Shouldn’t this be our response too when our Heavenly Father sends us an encouraging message? Just as the widow in 1Kings our Fathers promises can always be relied on.
What possible significance can of
a lump of barley bread
have?
Obviously by itself, nothing, however for Gideon and the armies of Israel, it won the victory!
Gideon was an unassuming, humble and unpretentious man. Exactly the kind of individual our Father looks for, through whom He can perform great exploits. However like all humans, Gideon did have some issues.
He had doubts concerning God’s power and ability to work in his life. We know this, because Gideon was a sign-seeker and asked God to give him signs, not once, but three times… to prove to him that He, God, was really going to use him to destroy Israels’ enemies.
And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me.
Finally Gideon didn’t ask for another dream…
because he knew what the
barley bread meant.
Barley bread – A weak and contemptible thing, and in itself as unable to overthrow a tent as to remove a mountain; but, being thrown by a divine hand, it bore down all before it. ~ Benson
That barley bread,
the bread of the poor,
the least of all breads,
was Gideon.
He said,
My family is poor in Manasseh, and
I am the least in my father’s house.
This is very encouraging to all of us, that our Heavenly Father would choose to use someone of such low standing.
Little is much
when the Creator of the universe is involved in it!
Truly God will exalt the humble…
Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you. James 4:10
and He hasn’t changed.
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: (1 Corinthians 1:26-28)
We are not to serve simply because we see with physical eyes but, with the eyes of our heart, the eye of faith.
a wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign.
Matt. 16:4.
We have our sign, Messiah Jesus was resurrected and He lives…we need no other sign to trust in and have faith in than our Heavenly Father and His Messiah!
In those days there were no kitchens. Food was cooked in the open in front of the tent, in the closed courtyards of houses in the cities or in the communal living room. In villages the bread is either baked on cakes of dried dung, or by means of clay ovens, built on the floor of the house.
Except for the very poor, each household had an oven, and one oven often served for several families.
It was heated with dried twigs and grass and thorns.
The bread to be baked was placed both inside and out.
A team from the Tell Halif archaeological excavation made their own tannur,
a traditional oven referenced in the Hebrew Bible, and baked bread in it.
An Iraqi woman baking with a tannur.
J. Gordon [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.
The bread dough in the picture below, was made from stone ground wheat, barley, oat, and rye flours, mixed with whey, honey, and nuts.
The dough would then be flattened and cooked on a flat pan over the coals of an open fire (below).
The bread would have been eaten warm, since such loaves turn rock hard when cooled.
Pancakes made of a sour dough and filled with a tasty mixture were fried in oil (2 Samuel 13:8)or baked on hot stones pulled out of the embers of a fire. (1 Kings 19:6).
Many baking pans have been found on which the dough of bread and cakes was laid and cooked.
Providing bread for Israel in the wilderness—is reminiscent of God’s supernatural feeding of the Israelites with manna in the wilderness in the days of Moses. Jewish tradition had come to expect the Messiah to repeat this miracle of provision. Messiah/Jesus was revealing Himself as the spiritual redeemer of Israel to all who would accept Him.
The people were as “lost” as their ancestors who wandered in the desert during the Exodus, when God provided manna to feed them.
Messiah/Jesus was superior to Moses because He not only provided physical food but also spiritual food, as the bread of life.
When Messiah Jesus/Yeshua, miraculously fed 5000, it is the only one recorded in all 4 Gospels.
He fed the hungry multitude with five barley loaves which belonged to a small boy.
For 5,000 Matthew 14:13-21;
Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1- 15.
Some scholars believe that the crowd could have been between 15,000 and 20,000 people to include all the women and children.
Matthew 15:32-39 features the feeding of the 4,000
& Mark 8:1-10 the 4,000.
John 6:8–13) One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, There is a lad here, which has five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?
Everyone, men, women and children ate as much as they wanted! Jesus/Yeshua miraculously multiplied the loaves and fishes so there was more than enough.
Then He told His disciples/talmidim to gather the leftovers so nothing was wasted.
The disciples collected enough broken pieces to fill 12 baskets; which some believe may symbolize the 12 tribes of Israel. This event tells us that our Heavenly Father is not only an extremely generous provider, but that His resources are limitless.
Possibly over 20,000 on 2 separate occasions ate their fill.
There were baskets of food left over that no one could eat.
Do you still not understand?
Do you not remember the five loaves for the 5,000 and now many basketfuls you gathered or the 7 loaves for the 4,000 and now many basketfuls you gathered?
There were 12 basketfuls of broken pieces from the 5000 and in
Mark 8:20 And when I broke the seven loaves for the fourthousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did … pick up?” They answered, “Seven.” also in John 6:12
There was abundance but nothing was wasted!
This was because according to halakhah, traditional Jewish law, (shabbat 50b), the destruction of food was prohibited, in feeding the multitudes, Messiah honors the edicts of Judaism by stating,
Gather the leftover pieces, so that nothing gets wasted.
This is a timely reminder for us as shortages are on the rise, along with prices, that we are to good stewards of the resources and daily provision that we receive; and to be mindful of the true source of every provision in our lives.
In all these biblical accounts, the individuals were
eaters of barley bread
for one reason or another. They all had needs that only our Heavenly Fathers intervention could supply. When they yielded in humble obedience to Jehoveh Jireh, they A:LL received miracles. Provision in abundance yet with no waste!
If we remain humble and obedient, we too can be counted among
the eaters of barley bread
and be included with Gods’ mighty men and women!
In Matt. 4:4. He reminds us that
we cannot live on bread alone.. and later tells us:
I am the bread of life.
If we eat of Him we will not perish but have everlasting life…
see alsoMatt. 14 :17,19and15:34,36.
We are so very blessed when we simply go to the nearest store and buy a loaf, of which ever bread we desire. We don’t have to plough the ground, plant the seed, grow the wheat, harvest it or process it by grinding the grains. Nor do we have to prepare the flour or cook the dough – we just eat the bread of our choice….
May we not ever take for granted what our Heavenly Father supplies as we continue to thank Him for our daily bread…let’s remember the eaters of barley bread and learn to put our faith and trust in the only One Who is the Bread of Life everlasting. The Bread Who came down from Heaven for each and every one of us.
Eat of Him today and live forever in His presence. Meanwhile we are still on earth where He promises to supply all our needs…not desires so it’s possible that what we don’t have right now we don’t need today!
and when youNEED that Miracle,
be like a
Barley Bread Eater –
simply receive it by faith!
Shalom, shalom mishpachah/family
and cheverim/friends!
It’s all about Life and Relationship,
NOT Religion.
You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.
NOT SURE?
YOU CAN BE..
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.
In Matt. 3:16 clearly recorded the spirit of His Father/ Yehoveh, coming upon Him so it would seem He put on Yeshua/Jesus.
In Ps. 22
There was a prophetic description of the moments on the cross which were fulfilled according to Matt 27:46 when Yeshua/Jesus quotes the Psalm
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
There was a brief time when
Our Heavenly Father left Him on the cross.
Literally His Father was not wearing Him for those moments
– no wonder He felt it.
The robe of righteousness is our wedding garment
and He clothes us with it.
He was filled with YeHoVeH
His Father wore Him!
I and the Father are one
if you have seen me you have seen the Father
I in you and you in Me
It makes one wonder whether in Revelation
if John knew who He was talking to?
I and the Father are one
We are to seek Him early before the day begins.
In Hebrew terms it is as the dusk falls in the evening!
Genesis 1:3-5
and this is where we are to be sure that we have
put on the Lord
Ps 27:8
and will wear Him throughout the night and the day.
The same way we put on clothes suitable to the task ahead, so the sooner we affirm that we have put the Lord on by communicating with Him, the better prepared we are for whatever the day brings.
Like the Eph. 6 armor –
don’t ever take it off –
and we should never remove our robe of righteousness
we must wear it at all times
together with our garment of salvation.
Without the helmet in place, to garrison guard and keep our minds on Messiah, we are not in the best position to co ordinate and direct the rest of the armor.
Our brain and mind must be in the helmet and protected by it.
This is the most likely location of our spirit and of His Ruach dwelling in us.
Which enables us to walk in the spirit and
not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
In a practical way, it’s eventually to have His mind,
the mind of Jesus/Yeshua;
to think His thoughts
by asking His spirit of Holiness
to control our thinking and
thereby renewing our minds
as our thoughts are transformed to His.
Whose mind is stayed on Him
and here is true shalom/peace
Is 26:3
Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,
whose mind is stayed on thee:
because he trusteth in thee.
So what are we wearing today?
Clothed in humility, harmony and wholeness.
1 Peter 5:5-6
Being a disciple means being clothed in Messiah/Christ as Paul says in Galatians 3:26 and Romans 13:14:
Every one of you that has been baptized
has been clothed in Christ and
Let your armor be the Lord Jesus Christ.
This being clothed in Christ is much more than wearing a cloak that covers our wretchedness.
It is referring to a complete transformation
that allows us to say Gal. 2:20 with Paul:
I have been crucified with Messiah/Christ and yet I am alive; yet it is no longer I, but Christ living in me.
To be clothed with humility means you have put on
Messiah/Christ and leave Him on:
Are we a worldly fashion statement based on and reflecting satans’ kingdom; or are we the image and likeness of our Heavenly Father? And if we are like Gideon – as the Lord put him on – we too will be the mighty people of valor.
If He is in us, it is His light that shines out through us,
this phrase appears for the first time in Joshua 1:14
Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan; but ye shall pass before your brethren armed, all the mighty men of valour, and help them.
Our dictionary today states that
valor is
great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle.
The conventional Hebrew means more of a force,
especially of an army,
but can also mean a force of might, power, riches, or virtue.
Here the mighty men of valor are the armed men of the army of Israel.
Is there anything about these men in the picture letters in Chayil?
Chayil is spelled
Chet, Yood, Lamed.
חָֽיִל
Reading from right to left above:
Chet
is the
picture of the fence
and indicates a place of protection,
a sanctuary, or a place of security.
Yood
is the picture of the hand or arm
and points to a mighty deed.
Lamed
is the picture of the shepherd’s staff
and demonstrates the voice of authority or control.
It could be said that in the paleo pictograph letters of
Chayil/valor
these warriors in Israels army were…
Lamed, under strong leadership
Yood, performing a mighty work,
and
Chet, providing a place of protection, a sanctuary for their people, especially for their wives and little ones.
Does our Heavenly Father view us like the warriors of Chayil/valor?
Gideon in Judges 6:11
Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites, and the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.
We already read that Gideon was hidden from his enemies in a winepress threshing wheat when YeHoVeH’s angel appears to him and calls him
a mighty man of valor.
Gideon didn’t see himself that way and in verse 15 he replies:
And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is poor in Manasseh,
and I am the least in my father’s house.
the reply in verse 16 is an indication of how our Heavenly Father sees us even when we are hiding from our enemies, feeling totally unworthy because we are afraid and anxious:
And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.
for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth,
that he may establish his covenant
which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.
The word translated
wealth here,
is
Chayil.
Here again it is to show that, the Chayil –
the force of might, power, or riches
comes from Our Heavenly Father YaHoVeH
and is provided to us for serving His purposes.
It is important we remember that.
These references all point to mighty men of valor.
We know we are neither male nor female in the spirit.
Gal.3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
But is there such a thing as
a woman of valor,
a woman of Chayil?
In Proverbs 31:10, Solomon writes
Who can find a virtuous woman?
For her price is far above rubies.
Here the word in
the virtuous woman
in Hebrew is
הֶחָֽיִל
pronounced kyell
Chayil,
the woman of valor,
the force for virtue.
Solomon says about her that she is invaluable.
Why?
Solomon gives a long list of her accomplishments and her character, and in verse 29 and 30:
Many daughters have done virtuously,
but thou excellest them all.
Favour is deceitful, and beauty vain!
but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
The word
well/ virtuously is Chayil/hayil
so we find the
outstanding woman of valor
begins with the fear of the LORD.
This kind of fear is reverence,
not terror as in being afraid.
She follows His voice of authority
and does a mighty work
to provide a sanctuary for her family!
The numbers represented by the letters in chayil
seem to show a connection to Jesus/Yeshua.
The letter Chet is also the number 8
which is a new beginning.
The letter Yood is the number 10
and stands for something ordained in Heaven.
The letter Lamed is also the number 30
and points to the blood of Messiah and His sacrifice.
So the numbers could be telling us that
Our Heavenly Father will give us a new beginning
that was ordained in Heaven
and that was made possible
through the blood sacrifice of Yeshua Ha-Mashiach.
The result being that We have
freedom from sin through His blood sacrifice
and the promise of a new beginning with Him.
There is one more place where the scripture uses the word Chayil. In Habakkuk 3:19 His Word speaks this truth:
The LORD God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places.
The word strength is again Chayil or valor;
so the meaning of the pictographs could apply once again as
Our Heavenly Father/ The LORD God, or Yahweh/YeHoVeH Adonai,
is our ultimate man of valor.
He is the voice of authority who by the
mighty work of
His blood sacrifice
provided an eternal place of sanctuary for us
with Him in Heaven.
When we place our trust in Him, He sees us as He saw Gideon hiding in the winepress;
the Creator of the universe the source of Faith
calling those things that were not as though they were
and describing the woman in Proverbs 31:
Chayil, mighty men and women – people of valor.
Can we be clothed with humility and strong at the same time?
Yes because
we are told in
Eph. 6:10.
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the the wiles of the devil.
It’s the power of
His might
not our own.
Is God wearing us?
If not why not?
And if He is…
then as David said,
of whom shall we be afraid?
Ps. 27:1 Jehovah is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? Jehovah is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid?
Ps. 31:24 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart: all ye that hope in the Lord.
John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer;
I have overcome the world.
Reading the accounts of Gideon shows us he was an excellent example of modesty in action.
When the Angel of the Lord first came to him he readily acknowledged his background and abilities in a modest manner. Then after he accepted the will and plan of the Lord, Gideon made certain he understood thoroughly what he had to do and constantly looked to the Lord for guidance for each step of the way.
Gideon became
bold and courageous
acting with shrewdness and caution
when
the Lord put him on.
Furthermore, Gideon didn’t use this opportunity to self promote or gain any personal advantage and as soon as he was able, he happily resumed his former place in life.
These are great lessons for us and when we walk with God we should always be ready to
Now we know who Jerubbaal was and
Who He Was Wearing!
When the Father is wearing us-
anyone become a mighty person of valor.
It’s time to
May His true Shalom/Peace
rest upon each one in Jesus/Yeshuas’ Name.
‘Mishpachah’ ‘Family’
משפחה
Mish-pa-KHa
you are greatly loved and prayed for daily..
NOT SURE if you are part of His Family?
YOU CAN BE..
Say the following and mean it from your heart…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He came in the flesh and He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life.
Because your word is truth, I say that I am now forgiven and born again in my spirit and by faith I am washed clean with the Blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.
The son of Joash the Abiezrite was Gideon, the fifth judge of Israel
And the name Jerubaal was given to Gideon when he destroyed his father’s Baal altar at Ophrah.
The name
Jerubbaal
is a combination of two Hebrew words:
the first is
riyb or rub,
which means literally
to grapple
and holds the figurative meaning
to wrangle
or
to hold a controversy.
From (1) the verb ריב (rib), to contend,
ריב
This very common verb ריב (rib) means
to strive or contend
and ranges from
a mere bickering to full scale combat.
Noun ריב (rib) means
strife, dispute or plea.
Noun יריב (yarib) denotes
an opponent or adversary.
Noun מריבה (meriba) refers to
a place or agent of strife or contention.
and
The second is the proper noun
Baal, the name of the Phoenician god
that Gideon contended against.
the verb בעל – ba’al, to be lord.
The verb ba’al
בעל
means to exercise dominion over;
to own, control or be lord over.
The noun ba’al means
lord, master and even husband,
and its feminine counterpart
ba’ala
means mistress or landlady.
Jerubbaal/Gideon, had seventy sons by several wives, and he had one son, named Abimelech, by his servant girl, or his concubine. Gideon, as one of the judges in Israel, was a true servant leader, as were all of the judges of Israel, in those days.
גדעון
Gidon: a judge of Israel.
Original Word: גִּדְעוֹן.
Part of Speech:
Proper Name Masculine.
Transliteration: Gidon.
Phonetic Spelling: (ghid-ohn’)
The name Gideon comes from the Hebrew verb
גדע
gada’
meaning
to hew down or cut off:
mostly of religious regalia and holy trees.
There are no nouns formed from this verb,
suggesting that whatever was cut off,
was no longer discussed and
even cut off from speech itself.
The waw/vav-nun/noon extension
of the name Gideon
denotes a personification of the verb:
he who does what the verb means.
His name is connected with his occupation, that is,
Transliteration: Gedeón. Phonetic Spelling: (ghed-eh-own’) Definition: Gideon, an Israelite. Usage:Gideon, one of the Judges of Israel.
The account in Judges tells us that when Israel was experiencing invasive attacks for 7 years by the Midianites, an angel of YeHoVeH appeared to Gideon.
When the angel of the Lord first met Gideon he was hiding out in a winepress threshing wheat – Judges 6:11.
You don’t thresh wheat in a winepress.
The threshing floor stood in the open,
the winepress was usually below ground or in a low area,
a place where someone could easily hide
which Scripture tells us Gideon was actually doing, hiding or fleeing.
At that time, the Midianites were in control in Israel who had no standing army, There was no one to lead an army against the Midianites who were a well armed band of mercenaries who would suddenly appear and raid the Israelites homes killing everyone in that town or city and take what they wanted and destroying the crops on the land, It was a horrible time for the children of Israel and they lived in perpetual fear of an enemy attack that would come without warning. This scenario could be likened to the nations in the world today Many are living in constant fear of attack from both a seen and an unseen enemy such as a virus.
As is the case in most places where people have faith in the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob/Israel, some were on their knees, some interceding by weeping and petitioning in prayer. However, Gideon was not praying, his attitude needed an adjustment because, when the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and announced he was a great and mighty warrior (verse 12) his response was to ask why has God forsaken us, why are we being tormented by these Midianites, where are all the miracles, the promises of God? Many are asking that question today and God is answering, we just need to listen and pay more attention to what He is saying. First, the angel of the Lord said that God had called him to deliver Israel and that He would be with Gideon and would empower him (verse 14). Gideon’s response was not exactly full of faith! (verse 15). The second time the Angel of the Lord reassures him in verse 16.
This was still not enough for Gideon and he asks for a sign in verse 17. Gideon prepared an offering and the Angel of the Lord touched it with his staff and immediately it burst into flames.
Gideon was so impressed that he became fearful that he had just seen God Himself and might die. Due to the belief that if anyone saw God they would die or you were dead. However Gideon now had enough confidence to confront the Midianites pagan god and tear down the idol of the and offer a sacrifice to God on the same place.
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
and instructed him to cut down the altar of Baal that same night
and to destroy the nearby
image of Asherah, אשרה אשירה
plural, אשרים or Asherim
a primary Canaanite goddess namely אשרות or Asheroth.
Judges 3:7, & Judges 6:25.
In the Bible, Asherah is mostly associated with
sacred trees or poles Exodus 34:13, Judges 6:25.
When the people who lived there found their shrines destroyed the next day, it didn’t take them long to find out who had done it.
They went to Joash and demanded that he surrender his son Gideon, because they wanted to execute him.
Joash responded by saying that if Baal wants his revenge, they would be foolish to ruin his pleasure by killing Gideon before their god could get him. He cleverly challenged them by saying that if Baal was truly a god, Baal would contend with Gideon, and if he were not, then Gideon would contend with Baal!
This is why Joash named his son Jerubbaal.
The people were not worshipping the one true God and their false gods and idols had to be removed before they could have victory over their enemies.
This is true for believers in Yeshua today we are to tear down any altars we have made to anything or anyone else in our lives. Putting our Heavenly father first place in everything we do is essential in walking a victorious life by His spirit.
After that Gideon goes after the Midianites and the other members of the Eastern Coalition. 32,000 men from Israel joined up for the battle, after God instructs Gideon to separate out the chosen ones only 300 remain.
He gives the 300 each a trumpet, a pitcher and a torch and at midnight they attack because of their unusual approach it caused the Midianites to stampede. As they fled, Gideon summoned the entire Israeli army and they pursued them, killing their leaders and 120,000 swordsmen.
Judges 7:15, 20: The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, “A sword of the LORD and of Gideon!”
After Gideon’s victory over Midian, Israel remains undisturbed for 40 years. When Gideon dies, his son Abimelech takes the office of Judge of Israel.
Gideon had 72 sons, namely Abimelech, the seventy brothers he killed, and Jotham who got away.
Paul mentions Gideon in his letter to the Hebrews 11:32
calling him a hero of the faith spelled Γεδεων, Gedeon
There is much more to the story of Gideon but for the purpose of this post there are 2 points one is in 6:34 where
Gideon was filled with fear and even after five miracles he still needed help to overcome his fears. But there is a reason that He delivered a nation, that God gave him a wonderful victory and restored his land:
He was obedient.
He prayed,
he called out to God
and ultimately let God take charge
so that the world could see this deliverance
was from God and God alone.
echil gbur
masterful man of the valor
translated as
mighty man of valor
If as the scripture says
He
meaning God
put on Gideon
then it would seem clear that His Ruach haKodesh
filled Gideons spirit;
both his inner man as well as his physical body.
Reading it one more time
God PUT ON and wrapped Himself in Gideon!
And as the meanings above say,
like He was putting on a garment of clothing
which really seems like
God was wearing Gideon!
Hebrew for PUT ON…
Our bodies cannot function without us inside them so as we are born again by His spirit the scripture tells us Yeshua said,
I and My Father will come to live abide IN you!
If He is inside us then He is wearing us too!
With this thought a inexplicable spiritual reality and His ways not being our ways shouldn’t we then be walking in all manner of holiness.
Christ in us the hope of glory! So when we think are we wearing God as His representative
or is it that like Gideon,
He is wearing us.
This gives another aspect of the things Yeshua said about not being concerned or anxious about what we shall wear, our physique, what we look like or following the fashion.
Fashion is nothing more than the worlds attempt at beautifying the flesh.
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. Romans 7:18
and this is a liberating message. Gender,skin tone, shape size weak strong, its all physical and temporary. We will not be taking these bodies with us.
The new ones we are promised may not be exactly as we are now for even Mary did not recognize Messiah in His glorified form outside the tomb until He called her by name (Jn 20:14-16).
This flesh will die, it’s not acceptable in any form to the Father; flesh is full of decay as a result of sin. We must look beyond what our senses say and walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. Yes be a good steward of your mode of transportation and means to fulfill the Lords will for our lives. Cleanliness is indeed next to godliness and we need to feed it healthy food just as we feed our spirits on His life giving word.
We are filled with His Ruach which is joined to our own.
YaHoVeH PUT ON Gideon.
He had prophetically called him mighty man
and then like a garment He put Gideon on!
Conclusion in Part 2
May His true Shalom/Peace
rest upon each one in Jesus/Yeshuas’ Name.
‘Mishpachah’ ‘Family’
משפחה
Mish-pa-KHa
you are greatly loved and prayed for daily..
NOT SURE if you are part of His Family?
YOU CAN BE..
Say the following and mean it from your heart…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He came in the flesh and He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life.
Because your word is truth, I say that I am now forgiven and born again in my spirit and by faith I am washed clean with the Blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.
For the answer to this question we will look at several scriptures in both the Old and New Testaments:
if you have seen me you have seen the Father
Yood
and points to a mighty deed. 
Lamed, under strong leadership
Why?
which is very interesting!
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