Judges: Gideon
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Our Image means everything to us.
Advertising sells us an image more than it does a product
Social media trying to present ourselves in a certain image
We are drawn to and often want to present ourselves as poised, assertive, assured, daring, self-sufficient and confident.
The Bible is not nearly as obsessed with image as we are.
Judges: Such a Great Salvation Chapter 9: Strength Made Perfect in Weakness (Judges 7:1–8:21)
In fact, the Bible frequently cuts cross-grained to this whole mentality. God usually calls servants, not heroes, and many of his servants simply don’t fit the mold that Madison Avenue has taught us to prize. Gideon is a case in point.
In fact, the Bible frequently runs counter-cultural to this whole mentality.
God usually calls servants, not heroes, to do his work.
Judges: Such a Great Salvation Chapter 9: Strength Made Perfect in Weakness (Judges 7:1–8:21)
In fact, the Bible frequently cuts cross-grained to this whole mentality. God usually calls servants, not heroes, and many of his servants simply don’t fit the mold that Madison Avenue has taught us to prize. Gideon is a case in point.
For God loves to exalt the humble and humble the exalted.
Many of the servants God calls are men and women who don’t fit the “image” we think God would look for.
Saul is foot taller than everyone else - he fit the image
David did not fit the image, God chose David
Gideon is a case in point.
Gideon is an unlikely hero.
There is nothing flashy, there is nothing exciting, there is nothing that draws us to Gideon
He’s not related to any great heroes of the faith like Othniel
He’s not a great warrior like Ehud
He’s not a great leader like Deborah
He is a weak man
He struggles with doubt
He is often nervous and anxious to do what God has called him to do
Multiple times in his story we see that we was afraid
And as we will see there is good reason for him to be afraid! For the enemies in this story are a strange and cruel bunch.
Turn with me Judges 6
Gideon was a weak man, yet he is a weak man who is made strong by the power of God.
He is a weak man who is made strong by the power of God.
The story of Gideon takes all of chapters 6, 7, and 8. 100 verses are dedicated to the story of Gideon. And I want to encourage all of you to read this story this week.
But what we are going to do this morning is to look at the story of Gideon from a 30k feet, and at times dive down into some of the details of the story.
So turn with me to
1 The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian seven years.
The Villain: The Midianites
The Villain: The Midianites
The Villains
The Villains
The Midianites
Apostate decedents of Abraham (Ab’s 2nd wife)
They are a nomadic, tribalistic people. Thy were scavenger of the earth. They had no culture or lands of their own, they wandered from place to place, robbing and pillaging.
They were great warriors, they were wealthy from plundering other people’s lands.
They road on Camels and had kings and princes and so on.
Think of the scavengers from Mad Max
For seven years the Midianites overpowered and tormented Israel.
They are a nomadic, tribalistic people. Thy were scavenger of the earth. They had no culture or lands of their own, they wandered from place to place, robbing and pillaging.
For seven years the Midianites overpowered and tormented Israel.
The oppression was so bad that Israel had to make caves for themselves in the mountains in order to hide from the Midianites.
One way the Midianites overpowered and tormented Israel was by completely whipping out all of their crops and livestocks
3 For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them.
4 They would encamp against them and devour the produce of the land, as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel and no sheep or ox or donkey.
5 For they would come up with their livestock and their tents; they would come like locusts in number—both they and their camels could not be counted—so that they laid waste the land as they came in.
3 For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them.
4 They would encamp against them and devour the produce of the land, as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel and no sheep or ox or donkey.
5 For they would come up with their livestock and their tents; they would come like locusts in number—both they and their camels could not be counted—so that they laid waste the land as they came in.
6 And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel cried out for help to the Lord.
The Midianites completely demoralized and and traumatized Israel by coming in like locusts and taking everything they had worked for. (135k people)
So after 7 years of being beat down by these scavengers, Israel finally calls out to YHWH for deliverance.
6 And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel cried out for help to the Lord.
Now, how should God respond to this cry?
So far God has raised up judges to deliver Israel immediately - however, this time God does something strange… he sends them a prophet.
A prophet is not what they were hoping for, they were hoping for a judge, a deliverer, a Yasha...
God wants Israel to truly understand WHY have been oppressed.
God wants Israel to know that they are oppressed, not because Midian is so powerful, but because they have failed to obey YHWH.
8 the Lord sent a prophet to the people of Israel. And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery.
Rather than worshiping and obeying the Lord, Israel once again has gone astray into Baal worship
7 When the people of Israel cried out to the Lord on account of the Midianites,
So God sends Israel a Prophet to remind them of who God is, he is the God of the Exodus, and he is the only God worthy of worship. And to judge them for not obeying the Lord.
Moses told the people in that if they do not obey the Lord, “... you shall be only oppressed and robbed continually, and there shall be no one to help you.”
29 and you shall grope at noonday, as the blind grope in darkness, and you shall not prosper in your ways. And you shall be only oppressed and robbed continually, and there shall be no one to help you.
So God sends Israel a Prophet to remind them of who God is, he is the God of the Exodus, and to call them out for not obeying the Lord.
We cry out for help because we feel overcome by the world, but the true issue is not that we are overcome, but that we are not content.
Judges 6
Without a changed heart the people won’t even want to be delivered.
This is the word the Prophet brings, you
In fact, without a changed heart the people won’t even want to be delivered.
As soon as the Prophet gives his message to Israel we see Angel of the Lord (Jesus) coming to Israel to raise up a Judge to deliver them.
And what we find is a Reluctant Leader
The Israelites are harassed and oppressed by marauding bands of Midianites and Amalekites.
1. The Israelites are harassed and oppressed by marauding bands of Midianites and Amalekites.
The Reluctant Leader
The Angel of the Lord comes and meets Gideon as he is threshing out wheat in the winepress, (strange picture)
The winepress is below the ground (so he could hide the wheat from the Midianites).
So here is Gideon down in a winepress separating the wheat from the chaff, (which is also symbolic for Gideons ministry)
As Gideon has to separate the wheat of God’s faithful people from the chaff of Canaanized Israel.
So the Lord comes to him and look what he says, v.12
12 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.”
Judge 6
I think its interesting that God would call Gideon a “mighty man of valor”, which means mighty warrior or Champion of Power.
he is not trained like Ehud.
He doesn’t have the ability to slay giants like Othniel.
No!
So why does god call him a mighty man of valor?
Gideon’s thinking, “you have the wrong guy”
Gideon pretty much says as much in verse 15
You are whatever God says you are!
Because God defines you by his presence.
If the Lord is with you, then you are whatever he says you are. It is the presence and word of God that defines you.
This is true in our lives as well.
We are co-heirs with Christ, why? Not because of anything we have done.
but because God is with us and God says so.
We are new creations in Christ, why? not because of anything we have done.
You are not faithful on your own, you are only a child of god if the Lord is with you.
But because God is with us, and God has made us new.
We are children of Abraham, Heirs according to the promise, why? Because we are in Christ
It is the presence and word of God that defines us, and it was the presence of God that defined Gideon.
So if the Lord is with Gideon, than he is the mightiest of all warriors!
So, The Lord raises up Gideon to be a deliverer (yasha), and promises to be with him as he saves Israel from the Midianites.
Though Gideon is still somewhat taken back by this promise…
15 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 in my father’s house.”
Judges 6
Gideon is saying, “there is nothing impressive about me”
My clan is the weakest, and i’m least in my fathers house.
I think verse 16 is kind of funny, because God doesn’t dissagree
16 And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”
Goliath dropped because of
He doesn’t try and boost Gideon’s confidence, but rather he tells him a truth in which Gideon can be confident!
You are whatever God says you are!
He doesn’t try to fill Gideon with self-help tips or being more confident, he doesn’t give him advice on how to improve his image.
Gideon says, “I am weak” we respond, “no you’re strong”
Because God defines you by his presence.
If the Lord is with you, then you are whatever he says you are. It is the presence and word of God that defines you.
We are co-heirs with Christ, why? Not because of anything we have done.
but because God is with us and God says so.
We are new creations in Christ, why? not because of anything we have done.
The Lord give him a promise that will carry Gideon through until the end. And that promise is that the Lord is with you.
In our case, and in Gideon’s case, it is the presence of the Lord that makes men strong.
But because God is with us, and God has made us new.
We are children of Abraham, Heirs according to the promise, why? Because we are in Christ
If the Lord is with Gideon, than Gideon is indeed a mighty warrior.
It is the presence and word of God that defines us, and it was the presence of God that defined Gideon.
Gideon then makes an altar and brings a minkah offering to the Lord. The Lord accepts the offering by touching his staff to it and it is consumed by fire.
It is the presence of the Lord that guarantees the promise of the Lord.
So if the Lord is with Gideon, than he is the mightiest of all warriors!
And this is true in our lives as well, all the promises of God that have been given to us are guaranteed by his presence within us.
God’s promises do no hang upon our abilities, but they hang upon his presence in our lives.
For all the promises of God find their yes and Amen in Christ, and we are in Christ.
Therefore, we must always be shifting our confidence away from ourselves and onto the God who dwells with us.
Our attention must move from self to God
Our affections must move from self to God
Essentially to appropriate God’s presence with us to to worship!
(this is a theme we see in Gideon’s life, Worship is Warfare)
So God calls Gideon to be the savior of Israel… and
Gideon’s first mission is to establish right worship among the people of Israel. Which is to attack the idols of Baal.
The First Mission: Establish Right Worship
The First Mission: Establish Right Worship
So for this mission, The Lord tells Gideon to take two bulls, the first bring his fathers bull, and the second being a 7 year old bull. He tells him to take the bulls and go to his fathers backyard.
2.
And with the two bulls pull down the alter of Baal and cut down the Asherah poll
His first significant act, however, is to destroy a Baal cult installation in his father’s backyard, which raises the ire of the people of Ophrah.
Then he said with the stones of the alter of Baal create an alter to YHWH
3. His first significant act, however, is to destroy a Baal cult installation in his father’s backyard, which raises the ire of the people of Ophrah.
And with the wood from the Asherah poll build a fire and then sacrifice the 7 year old bull upon the fire.
So Gideon took with him 10 of his servants and snuck into his fathers back yard during the night, because he was too afraid to do it during the day.
And he does everything God told him to do.
The next morning the men of the town woke up and saw what Gideon had done.
The tried to figure out who was responsible and eventually found out that Gideon was to blame.
So they tell Joash, Gideons father, to bring out his son so that they could kill him for such an action.
However, Joash sided with Gideon, and said if Baal wants to kill his son, let Baal do it himself.
In tearing down the alters of Baal and setting up the alters of YHWH, Gideon is establishing right worship among the people.
For Israel to be able to fight the Midianites, they first had to learn to worship YHWH.
Gideon was faithful in tearing down the alters of Baal in his own back yard, and now he would tear down the powers of the Midianites throughout Israel.
Now that right worship has been established, Gideon is about to lead Israel into warfare against the scavengers.
And what we see in 6:33 is that the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east all are on the move to come and plunder Israel once again.
33 Now all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East came together, and they crossed the Jordan and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel.
The Lord clothed Gideon with his Spirit, which is to anoint Gideon for the task that lies ahead.
His task is to rescue Israel from the oppression of the Midianites.
Though Gideon has been clothed with the Holy Spirit, anointed for this task, raised up as a judge, a deliverer, a Yasha…Though God promised to be with him, He is still a man who struggles to believe that God would call him of all people to be Israel’s deliverer.
Gideon’s Fleece
Gideon needs more convincing that YHWH will give him victory over the evil Midianites.
36 Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said,
37 behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.”
So Gideon laid the fleece on the ground over night, and when he got up the next morning the ground was dry but the fleece of wool was soaking wet.
However, he needed a little more convincing
39 Then Gideon said to God, “Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground let there be dew.”
39
God graciously agrees.
And sure enough, the next morning the fleece was dry and the ground was covered in Dew
We should notice that God does not rebuke Gideon for his lack of faith. But rather patiently works to comfort Gideon and give him confidence.
Gideon has grown up in a Baal worshiping home.
Baal worship is what he knows. He has been discipled in the school of Baalism
Baal is the god of the weather, he gives rain to the people.
So to ask God to do a miracle that involves the dew upon the ground is a way for Gideon to be assured that YHWH is actually more powerful than Baal.
And YHWH is happy to show Gideon his strength. He was happy to strengthen Gideon’s faith through this miraculous sign.
Why did Gideon test God?
So God allowed Gideon to test him, and now God is going to have Gideon run some tests for him.
In chapter 7 we have Gideon getting ready to go to war against the Midianites. He has gathered his men, and he is ready to see YHWH hand them over into his hands.
2 The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’
3 Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’ ” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained.
Gideon has now lost 2/3rds of his army. Why would God tell him to do this?
We actually see this principle stated in the law
8 And the officers shall speak further to the people, and say, ‘Is there any man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go back to his house, lest he make the heart of his fellows melt like his own.’
This warfare Gideon was about to engage in was holy war, and the people needed faith in YHWH to win.
If the men were to afraid to follow YHWH’s directions, if they were too afraid they might cause panic among the people.
So God tells Gideon, to send home all the people who were afraid.
And who who was left? 10,000 men
(Explain as you read)
2-
4 And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.”
5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.”
6 And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water.
7 And the Lord said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.”
2 The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’
3 Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’ ” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained.
4 And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.”
5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.”
6 And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water.
7 And the Lord said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.”
Judg 7.4-
The 300 men who “lapped the water like dogs” were the men who stay alert.
The remained standing and took water in their hands to drink, as opposed to those who knelt down to drink the water.
These were the men who were singleminded and devoted to the task at hand.
So here we have Gideon and 300 men who are about to go to war against the hoards of the Midianites who’s number was 135,000
that a ratio of 450:1 - How do you like those odds?
with YHWH on our side, i’d take those odds all day
These are not good odds humanly speaking… however, with YHWH fighting for them the 450:1 odds seem good to me.
Gideon’s 300 Men
Gideon’s 300 Men
4. With a small band of three hundred men Gideon routs the enemy forces.
So as Gideon and his 300 prepare for battle the Lord give Gideon instructions; he says to divide the 300 men into three groups, each with 100 men.
And to give each of the men three items (a spear, a sword, and a machine gun)
a trumpet
an empty clay pot
an empty clay pot
and a torch
He told each man to put the torch into the empty clay pot
He then tells the men to surround the camp of the Midianites (135000).
before they spread out Gideon gives them instructions for the battle
17 And he broke down the tower of Penuel and killed the men of the city.
17 And he said to them, “Look at me, and do likewise. When I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do.
18 When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’ ”
So this is the plan, the 300 men and divided into three groups, and they are to watch Gideon, their deliverer, and do as he does.
These men get into position with their trumpets slung around their waists, one hand on the pot and one hand on the torch inside
They kept the torches inside the jar so the enemy wouldn’t see them sneaking into position
19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch. And they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands.
20 Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow. And they cried out, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”
19
Now we might wonder why three hundred men holding torches and blowing trumpets and yelling would be a good strategy against an army of 135k…
However, as we have seen it was YHWH himself who would fight to deliever Israel.
And when YHWH shows up to fight he so often does so in his glory cloud.
We see the glory cloud of YHWH in Exodus when he descends upon mount sinai. (terrifying)
We see the glory cloud when YHWH leads his people through the red sea (greatest victory)
We see the glory cloud when Elijah meet YHWH on the mountain
The glory cloud is the atmosphere around the throne of God.
And what we see throughout the scriptures is that the glory cloud of YHWH consists of bright lights, trumpet sounds, cracks of thunder, and loud voices declaring his glory.
So why the pots, torches, and trumpets?
Israel was taking their place as God’s army in the glory cloud.
Their torches were the lights of YHWH
Their smashed pots were the cracks of thunder
their trumpets were that of the heavenly host
And their voices rang out to declare the victory of God!
So what sort of affect did this glory cloud have?
Judges 7.19-
19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch. And they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands.
20 Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow. And they cried out, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”
21 Every man stood in his place around the camp, and all the army ran. They cried out and fled.
22 When they blew the 300 trumpets, the Lord set every man’s sword against his comrade and against all the army. And the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.
21 Every man stood in his place around the camp, and all the army ran. They cried out and fled.
22 When they blew the 300 trumpets, the Lord set every man’s sword against his comrade and against all the army. And the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.
This awesome display Gideons 300 men declaring the glory of God caused such a disturbance in the midst of the Midianites that they were completely terrified and lost their minds. They were undone.
Church, this is how we are to fight!
This is what sin does when it is exposed by the light of the gospel. It either runs away or is called to die.
many were killed that night. and the rest ran away in fear.
As redeemed people we have beheld his glory.
And now we are to carry the light of his glory into the world and push back the darkness.
We do so by raising our voices proclaiming his kingship over every square inch of this world.
We fight against the dark powers of this world through worship, through faithful obedience,
and we fight trusting that God is with us, ahead of us, beside us, among us, and in us. And that He fights for us.
You see, for Gideon and his 300 men their warfare was worship.
And likewise when we worship, we are proclaiming a message that unravels this world. For when sinful men come into the presence of God’s glory they are undone.
They began to kill each other
Glory Cloud with clay pots
As the story of Gideon continues we see him and his 300 men hunting down and defeating the two Midian princes, Oreb and Zeeb.
He then captures and kills two Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna
Through the rest of the story God continued to give Gideon victories.
5. Two leaders, Oreb and Zeeb, are killed in the course of the pursuit, but Zebah and Zalmunnah along with their armies escape across the Jordan.
The New American Commentary: Judges, Ruth 5. The Midianite and Gideon Cycle (6:1–9:57)
1. The Israelites are harassed and oppressed by marauding bands of Midianites and Amalekites.
2. A reluctant leader, Gideon, emerges to lead the Israelites against these bands.
3. His first significant act, however, is to destroy a Baal cult installation in his father’s backyard, which raises the ire of the people of Ophrah.
4. With a small band of three hundred men Gideon routs the enemy forces.
5. Two leaders, Oreb and Zeeb, are killed in the course of the pursuit, but Zebah and Zalmunnah along with their armies escape across the Jordan.
6. When Gideon asks the residents of Succoth and Penuel the whereabouts of these kings, they refuse to cooperate.
7. Gideon captures the two Midianite kings.
8. On his return from battle Gideon passes through Succoth and Penuel and razes these towns for their previous intransigence.
9. The two kings are slain and their royal accoutrements retained as booty.
10. The kingship is offered to Gideon, but he formally declines the offer, arguing that
Two leaders, Oreb and Zeeb, are killed in the course of the pursuit, but Zebah and Zalmunnah along with their armies escape across the Jordan.
When Gideon asks the residents of Succoth and Penuel the whereabouts of these kings, they refuse to cooperate.
And by this fearful, weak, and timid man the hordes of the Midianites were defeated.
7. Gideon captures the two Midianite kings.
Gideon captures the two Midianite kings.
Gideon’s fame grew to the point where the people of Israel asked him to be their king. The people were so impressed with Gideon that they forgot about God.
you might say Gideon started to believe his own hype by the end of his life…
8. On his return from battle Gideon passes through Succoth and Penuel and razes these towns for their previous intransigence.
But before that Gideon says something so powerful to Israel.
22 Then the men of Israel said to Gideon, “Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.”
Who saved them?
9. The two kings are slain and their royal accoutrements retained as booty.
Look at Gideon’s response
23 Gideon said to them, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you.”
Judges 8
10. The kingship is offered to Gideon, but he formally declines the offer, arguing that God alone is King in Israel.
The Lord will rule over you.
God alone is King in Israel.
The Lord Rules
The Lord Rules
11. Gideon adopts the manner of a king.
The Lord is the one who is to rule the people, and if the Israel would pledge their allegiance to YHWH they would not have to deal with tyrants like the Midianites.
I think if there is one lesson that Gideon learned, is that Lord rules.
12. The land of Israel enjoys relative peace for a protracted period of time.
Though he was fearful to tear down the alters in his fathers back yard, he saw through that the the Lord rules
Though he was doubted that God had actually called him, and tested the Lord with the fleece, he learned from that the Lord Rules
He was afraid to go into battle with only 300 men, but he found out even there that the Lord Rules.
You see, the question for Gideon and all of Israel is not whether or not the Lord rules, the question is will we submit to his ruling?
And Church, that is the same question you must answer in your life. There is not question whether or not Jesus rules from the right hand of the Father, the question is, will you submit to his ruling?
Church these stories are not just to entertain us, these stories are to teach us how to follow our King.
These stories show us the power of our living God, and show us the consequences of sin.
May we be a people who faithfully submit to the kingship of Christ in all things.
Lets pray.
14. Shortly after Abimelech’s seizure of the throne, the land is wracked by civil war, which climaxes in the death of Abimelech at the hands of a woman.
Daniel Isaac Block, Judges, Ruth (vol. 6; The New American Commentary; Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 247.