7 Fruits of Israel: Gideon the Barley Loaf 

Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe

Deuteronomy 8: 7-8 "For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, that flow out of valleys and hills; a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive oil and date honey.” 

Barley is one of the first cultivated crops. In biblical times it was widely used animal fodder and was also considered as food for poor people. It came to symbolize God’s provision in the severity and harshness of life.  It pictures the severity and harshness of the life and death of Jesus Christ who “who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” (Philippians 2:7-9). 

Barley is a picture of Jesus humbling Himself to provide for our salvation and deliverance from the severity and harshness of judgment.  We receive victory when we humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord and allow Him to lift us up. (James 4:10) 

Gideon was a “barley loaf”, a fearful man, who, when he had humbled himself in obedience manifested the warrior spirit that God had placed in him. For the full details of Gideon’s life, read Judges 6 and 7.  

When the Angel of Lord first spoke to Gideon, he was fearful of the Midianites. However, God did not speak to Gideon’s fear, He spoke to Gideon’s potential. (Judges 6:11-12)” Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, "The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!'' 

Gideon answered out of that he and others thought was his identity.  

(Judges 6:14-16) “Then the Lord turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?''  

So Gideon said to the Angel of th Lord, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.'' And the Lord said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.''

 

In humble obedience to the Lord, Gideon--  

• tore down the throne of Baal 

• led a victorious army of only 300 men 

• overheard a Midianite relate a dream in which a barley loaf brought down the Midianite army. The Midianite interpreted the dream to mean that the sword of Gideon would defeat them. 

•was victorious in using God’s plan of arming the soldiers with trumpets and lighted torches inside pitchers. 

The battle cry of the day was “the sword of the Lord and Gideon. 

Gideon, the barley loaf, humbled himself and the Lord exalted him. 

1 Corinthians 1: 27:  “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.” 

 Restoration and Reconciliation 

By Rev. Lonnie C. Crowe 

 

Since the beginning of the year, I sense the Lord calling His people to a time of restoration and reconciliation. This is a call to that requires action on our part. The Lord is not going to drop this in our laps. This is a time for us to collectively, willfully and thoughtfully embrace Isaiah 58. This is a fast that results in powerful and authoritative servanthood and victory in our lives. This type of fast is not temporary.  It is a lifestyle of fasting from the wickedness and attitudes of the world. 
 

"Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?  Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, And not hide yourself from your own flesh?  Then your light shall break forth like the morning, Your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; You shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' "If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, If you extend your soul to the hungry And satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, And your darkness shall be as the noonday. The LORD will guide you continually, And satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; You shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Those from among you Shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, The Restorer of Streets to Dwell In. "If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, From doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the LORD honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, Nor speaking your own words, Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the LORD has spoken." (Isaiah 58:6-14 NKJV) 

When we enter into this fast, we will be able to reestablish the foundations of our personal lives, of our families, our churches, our communities and our nation.  God has called His people to be repairers and restorers.  We can fulfill that call only as we delight ourselves in the Lord.