３
To be vital is to be living and active by being filled with the Spirit inwardly and outwardly and by preaching the gospel and teaching the truths at any time and in any place by diving into the Word for the increase and propagation of the Lord—Dan. 11:32b; Acts 13:52; 4:8, 31; 13:9; 2:38; 5:32b; 2 Tim. 4:1-2.
C
Gideon tore down the altar of Baal (the chief male god of the Canaanites) and cut down the Asherah (the chief female goddess); this touched God’s heart because God hated the idols, which He regarded as men with whom His wife Israel had committed harlotry; intrinsically, an idol is anything within us that we love more than the Lord and that replaces the Lord in our life—Judg. 6:25-28; Ezek. 14:1-3.
D
By tearing down the altar of Baal and cutting down the Asherah that belonged to his father, Gideon sacrificed his relationship with his father and his enjoyment of society to follow Jehovah; for Gideon to do such a thing required that he sacrifice his own interests, and his sacrifice was a strong factor of his success—Judg. 6:28-32.
E
As a result of the above four factors, Gideon received a reward—the economical Spirit came upon him (v. 34); hence, he became powerful and with only three hundred men defeated two princes and two kings, who had people “like a locust swarm in number” and “camels…without number” (v. 5; 7:25; 8:10-12); with Gideon we have a picture of a man who lived in union with God, a God-man, to fulfill God’s word and to carry out God’s economy.
Morning Nourishment
Judg. 6:25-26 And that night Jehovah said to him,…Tear down the altar of Baal that belongs to your father, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it. And build an altar to Jehovah your God upon the top of this stronghold in the ordered manner…34 And the Spirit of Jehovah clothed Gideon; and he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called up behind him.
[The third factor of Gideon’s success was that] he tore down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah (Judg. 6:25-28). This touched God’s heart. In the degradation of Israel, God hated the idols to the uttermost. God as the genuine Husband regarded all the idols as men with whom His wife Israel had committed harlotry. Fourth, by tearing down the altar of Baal and cutting down the Asherah that belonged to his father, Gideon sacrificed his relationship with his father and his enjoyment of society. Because of what he had done, the men of the city of Ophrah contended with him and even wanted to kill him (vv. 28-30). For Gideon to do such a thing for God required that he sacrifice his own interests, and his sacrifice was a strong factor of his success. (Life-study of Judges, p. 23)
Today’s Reading
As a result of these four factors, Gideon received a reward: the economical Spirit came upon him (Judg. 6:34). Hence, he became powerful and with only three hundred men defeated two princes and two kings (7:25; 8:10-12). With Gideon we have a picture of a man who lived in union with God, a God-man, to fulfill God’s word and to carry out God’s economy. (Judg. 6:27, footnote 1)After one has consecrated himself in his heart, he still needs to tear down the idols as an outward testimony. We need to be aware of ourselves, our family, and those with whom we have contact. Anything that occupies equal standing with God should be torn down. Only those who have seen God know what an idol is. Only those who have seen the Angel of God, who is the Lord, know that anything besides the Lord is an idol. Only after one has seen the Angel of God will he realize that the wooden image is not God.
After having passed through these four steps, the Holy Spirit came upon Gideon. The filling of the Holy Spirit does not come as a result of prayer for power. When a man stands in the proper condition, the Holy Spirit will come upon him. (CWWN, vol. 11, p. 772)
[One] point of the up-to-date way to practice the Lord’s present move is to be filled…, not with culture, religion, or education but with the Spirit, who is the ultimate consummation of the processed Triune God. We need to be filled with such a Spirit inwardly and outwardly, essentially and economically, for life and for work. We should remember that we are not filled once for all. What Christ has accomplished is once for all, but what we have to experience is not. Time after time, day after day, morning after morning, evening after evening, all day long, we have to experience being filled with this wonderful, all-inclusive, processed, consummated Spirit for our entire lives. Every day in the morning the first thing we have to pray is, “Lord, fill me afresh. Fill me, Lord. Fill me with Yourself as the consummated Spirit. I like to have You filling me up within and without. I want to be wrapped up and mingled with You.”
We preach the gospel and teach the truths by diving into the Word. By diving into “the gold bar” we will be enabled and equipped to preach and to teach. Whatever we are filled with inwardly is what we will utter….We have the Recovery Version of the New Testament, the Life-studies, The Conclusion of the New Testament, and the Truth Lessons….We need to get ourselves saturated, infused, filled, and soaked with all the truths contained in these writings. Then whenever we speak, we will speak the truth. (CWWL, 1985, vol. 5, “The Way to Practice the Lord’s Present Move,” pp. 484-486)
Further Reading: CWWN, vol. 11, pp. 743-753, 757-760, 770-774