Olive Trees for Life
GIDEON

Gideon – Part 8 – Olive Trees for Life

December 30, 2024
Reading Time: 9 Minutes

Gideon was one of the most amazing men in the Old Testament. I am so blessed to be able to read about the supernatural victory he won for Israel because of his close relationship with the Lord. He is respected in the New Testament as a great man of faith, and I honor him as well. I hope there was more to the story than we know. Perhaps at the end of his life, Gideon called out to the Lord in heartfelt repentance. It would be an honor to meet him one day in Heaven. Part of Gideon’s great legacy lives on through the words of his youngest son, Jotham, whose parable of the trees urges us all to be unselfish olive trees for life!

Before I begin Gideon – Part 8 here are links to parts 1 through 7:

1. They Cried Out

God’s people were created to be like olive trees for life, set apart and anointed for the Lord’s purposes. But the people of Israel became enslaved by terrorists because they had rebelled against God. With a heart of repentance, willing to do whatever the Lord said, they cried out to God for mercy and grace.

In the same way, we were subject to the kingdom of darkness because of our sin. But Jesus offers us forgiveness and restoration to God if we cry out to Him with a heart of repentance, willing to follow His lead instead of going our own way!

But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. Psalm 52:8. NKJV

2. The Rock

Gideon was one of those who cried out to the Lord, but he never dreamed the Lord would actually come and talk with him! His encounter with the Lord at the rock showed Gideon that He is a loving and personal God, able to do miracles on behalf of those who trust Him.

It is in that spiritual encounter of repentance that Jesus proves Himself as our loving Redeemer! When we bring our whole lives as an offering, He consumes our sin with His fire! We are born again by the Spirit and become a new creation. But that’s not the end of the journey on this earth. It’s just the beginning!

3. Tearing Down Idols

Before the Lord could empower Gideon with His Spirit, there were idols still standing that needed to be demolished. Gideon had to decide whether he was going to follow the Lord or keep worshiping the idols of his past. He chose to follow the Lord, tear down his idols and offer a proper sacrifice on a proper altar.

And before the Lord can empower us with His Spirit, we must demolish the demonic strongholds that remain from our past. We denounce, renounce and reject anything in our lives that is against the Word of God. The Lord Himself shows us what they are. In prayer, we tear down these idols and bring them to the proper altar of the cross of Jesus where by His sacrifice, these demons are burned out of our lives. Hallelujah! The quicker we demolish the idols in our lives the sooner we can be empowered by God for service in HIs Kingdom. The journey is not over!

4. Signs

Gideon’s first encounter with the Lord at the rock was dramatic! And now that Gideon was free of idols, the Lord placed His Spirit upon Him. But Gideon had just met the Lord. He was still weak in faith. God was so gracious to give him signs and wonders to increase his faith. With each sign from God, Gideon stepped out in faith and obeyed the Lord’s next assignment.

Our first encounters with the Lord set us up for victory, but we must mature in Christ. God delights in developing relationship with Him. All of us who have surrendered our hearts to Jesus experience the Lord through the Spirit. He loves to speak through dreams, visions, His Word, His quiet voice, His creation and many other ways. The Lord wants us to stay tender so that we have “eyes to see” and “ears to hear” when He gives us signs to build our faith. Jesus is preparing us for battle against the enemy!

5. Humility

Gideon had experienced the kindness, favor and blessing of the Lord– His grace. Through relationship with the Lord, Gideon was becoming more like Him. The Lord had been merciful and patient with Gideon. He had encouraged Gideon when he felt small and insignificant. So, when some of Gideon’s fellow Israelites became offended and angry with Gideon for the way he led the army, Gideon responded in God’s love and mercy.

When we remain in relationship with Jesus, we continue to experience His grace in our lives. We are transformed daily by His presence and His love. Offenses will come from the outside, but we don’t have to let them inside because the Holy Spirit lives and rules in our hearts. We follow His love and grace instead of our old fleshly desires to retaliate. So, every offense becomes an opportunity to build up a brother or sister in Christ instead of tearing them down. In that way, God’s Kingdom of light increases in us and the kingdom of darkness is driven out!

6. Gideon’s Fall

Gideon was in hot pursuit of the enemy. It had been a long and tiring night. His troops were hungry and exhausted. When some of their countrymen refused to nourish the army, Gideon did not seek the Lord’s face. He let go of humility and took hold of pride. Gideon became enraged and turned on his own people. He forgot who the real enemy was! When he faced grief, Gideon threw his relationship with the Lord away, erected new idols in his life and worshiped himself. He became selfish, not thinking about the future of Israel or even his own children.

Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off. And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree. You, by nature, were a branch cut from a wild olive tree. So if God was willing to do something contrary to nature by grafting you into his cultivated tree, he will be far more eager to graft the original branches back into the tree where they belong. Romans 11:22-24 NLT

If we stay in relationship with the Lord, forgiving others as He forgave us, His grace will continue to flow. And when the battle gets long and exhausting, that’s the time to get alone with God, confess our need for more grace and remain humble. We will never finish well without the Holy Spirit’s grace flowing out from our hearts to the Body of Christ! We are olive trees for life, anointed by the Holy Spirit with the grace of God!

7. The Parable of the Trees

Upon his death, the evil seeds that Gideon had sown over 40 years began to bear fruit. Gideon’s family were murdered by his own rejected son, Abimelek. But Jotham, Gideon’s youngest son, escaped the massacre and prophesied over Israel. The parable of the trees urged the people to find an olive tree to lead Israel, but those anointed by God had become selfish. The olive tree didn’t want to give up what he was doing to serve the nation. So the people asked the fig tree and then the vine, who also could have done well with God’s help, but they too were selfish. They didn’t want to give up their fun and convenient lifestyles to hold a governing position. After all, the olive, the fig and the vine were honored and well liked by their friends and family. If they became leaders they might be hated by many. So, the only candidate left in that “forest of trees” was a thorn bush. And because nations must have leaders, the forest chose the thorn bush. Jotham warned the people of the horrible consequences but they would not listen.

The Seeds of a Nation

When a nation that once shined brightly for God decides to sow seeds of evil, all may seem fine for a season. Prosperity and peace may thrive for a while, but those bad seeds being sown will one day produce very bad fruit. Death and destruction will begin to manifest through a generation that never knew the love of God, their Father.

Accepted

Through Jesus, we are all invited to the Father’s Table! No-one is excluded! Those who believe in Him are forgiven by the Blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, and made alive through His resurrection! As children of God we are fully loved and have a relationship with the Lord. We belong to God’s Kingdom and serve Jesus as the Lord of our lives.

However, though we are seated with God spiritually in the heavenly realms, we must remember that we are still waging war with the enemy on earth. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to fight battles against the kingdom of darkness. But we must remain in Christ, with Him as our King and His Word as the Truth we uphold!

Olive Trees

God’s children are olive trees, fig plants and grape vines! God has brought us into the Family and anointed us for His service in His Kingdom. Each one has a special calling and we can only fulfill that destiny through relationship with Him. When any one of us become focused on the earthly realm the enemy has an open door to wreak havoc in our lives. Living by the “flesh” instead of the Spirit, we can easily become offended and selfish, not concerned about the wellbeing of others. And while the people of God are doing nothing but enjoying the luxury of peace and prosperity, the enemy is busy growing thorn bushes.

It is never too late to repent and turn back to God as an individual or a nation! The Lord can take a few good disciples and turn an entire nation around if they are full of faith and anointed of the Holy Spirit. God is looking for His olive trees– those who humbly come into His presence willing to do whatever His says. Together in the Spirit, we can turn our nation around! Everyone plays a vital role!

The Good News

I believe there is a generation ripe and ready to serve as olive trees in God’s Kingdom. They just need to know the Lord! The Gospel is for the Abimelek’s of our land– those who need the love of their Heavenly Father! The Father’s Table is for anyone who will say yes to Jesus! It is even for the Midianites who choose Jesus as Messiah and Savior! The Good News is for everyone!

May the love of Jesus stay alive in our hearts and on our lips as we choose to serve however the Lord directs us. And may they know we are Jesus’ disciples by the way we love one another! The Lord is with you, mighty warrior, so stay in relationship with Him!