Ophrah

I said to you, 'I am the Lord your God.

Do not worship the gods of Amorites in whose land you live,' but you have not listened to me." The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Josiah 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 an- 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." The Lord turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand.

Am I not sending you?" "Pardon me, my Lord," Gideon replied, "but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh and I am the least in my family." The Lord answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive." Gideon replied, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me.

When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, "Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face." But the Lord said to him, "Peace! Do not be afraid.

You are not going to die." So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace.

To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

Now all the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern people joined forces and crossed over the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel.

Uh, Judges 6, and we're gonna start this morning verse number 11, read through to 24.

And the scripture says this, "The angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah." It's all I can do to resist a dad joke, but I, I will this morning.

Uh, "The great tree, tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer.

Gideon, the son of Joash, was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites.

The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, 'Mighty hero, the Lord is with you.'" Verse 13, "'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.' Then the Lord turned to him and said, 'Go with the strength you have and rescue Israel from the Midianites.

'Do not be afraid.

You will not die.' And Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and named it Yahweh Shalom." What a m- what a cool thing to say, Yahweh Shalom, which means the Lord is peace.

"The altar remains in Ophrah in the land of Abiezer to this day." If the good life starts with recognizing our need for God, then Gideon's story gives us three places where need becomes unmistakably clear: fear, doubt, and a sense of deep insignificance.

And I said to you, "I am the Lord your God.

You shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell." But you have not obeyed my voice.' Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under, under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press to hide it from the Midianites.

And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, 'The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.' And Gideon said to him, 'Please, sir, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wondrous deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, "Did not the Lord bring us out from Egypt?" But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.' And the Lord turned to him and said, 'Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian.

Did not I send you?' And he said to him, 'Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least of my father's house.' And the Lord said to him, 'But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.'" And he said to him, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, then, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me.

Do not fear.

You shall not die." Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord is Peace.

And to this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.

That night the Lord said to him, "Take your father's bull and the second bull, seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah pole, the, the Asherah that is beside it, and build an altar to the Lord your God on top of the stronghold here, with stones laid in due order.

The fathers and grandfathers sat upon flat stones at the mouth of the caverns, watching the stars kindle one by one across the great canopy of heaven, knowing in their hearts that the seasons of hardship upon the earth are temporary, but the loving kindness of the Almighty endures from generation unto generation.

Among these peaceful mountain settlements was a modest village named Ophrah, belonging to the family of Joash the Abiezrite, of the tribe of Manasseh.

Ophrah sat upon a gentle shoulder of the hills, surrounded by terraced slopes where olive trees had grown for hundreds of years.

The trunks of these olive trees were thick, twisted, and gray, rooted deep into the rocky crevices, their silvery green leaves whispering together whenever the afternoon breeze blew from the great sea.

At the highest point of the village lands stood an ancient terebinth tree, a great oak of majestic stature, whose spreading branches cast a vast circle of cool purple shade across the limestone ground.

Though he worked in secret, he took deep comfort in the quiet knowledge that this handful of grain would provide warm flatbread for his father's table, sustaining his household in peace until the rains of autumn returned to soften the soil once more.

As Gideon stood resting his arms, the afternoon shadows lengthened across the terraced hill, and the breeze through the oak leaves took on the cooler breath of approaching evening.

A profound stillness settled over Ophrah.

And we pick up the story where Gideon is found in the crevice of a mountain threshing wheat hiding from this army.

And it says this from verse 11, the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree of Ophrah.

not to be confused with a talk show host, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiza.

Gideon, son of Joash, was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites.

The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, Mighty hero, the Lord is with you.