Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley. And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place. So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley. And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand. But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host (Judges 7:1-10).
Today's Morsel: One of the most controversial topics in Christendom is water baptism. Some say that you need it to be saved, while others say that you do not. But what does the Bible say? Jesus said that you must be born again of the water and the spirit. The Bible says that on the day of Pentecost, after Peter preached, 3000 souls were baptized(Acts 2:37-42). Peter also said that baptism saves us (1 Peter 3:20-21). When Gideon had chosen the men that he thought that he could use to deliver the children of Israel from the hand of Midianites, God told him that he had too many. After the first 22,000 departed for fear, God told him to bring the other 10,000 down to the water and he would prove them there. Of that 10,000, God chose 300 that lapped like a dog to deliver Israel. Why did He choose the one's that lapped like a dog? Because it shows that they were alert and watchful. When a dog laps, he's still able to see what is going on around him. God wanted men that would be observant and could see what He was doing. The water is always the proving point. As Jesus answered Nicodemus, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3:5). Read also Acts chapters 8, 9, 10, and 19. And as Paul told the church at Rome, " Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:3-4). Baptism should never be controversial for anyone who says that they know Jesus. As the Eunuch asked Philip, "I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him. And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing" (Acts 8:34-39). Jesus told His disciples,"I have given you an example." He showed them what to do. Jesus was baptized by immersion in water by John The Baptist (Matthew 3). If we say that we are His, then we must follow the pattern He left us. People who do not think they need to be baptized to be saved aren't lapping like a dog. They aren't observant to the Scripture. They are listening to man.
Sing: Are you washed, in the blood, in the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb? Are you garments spotless? Are they white as snow? Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?
No comments:
Post a Comment