Passages: Fletcher's Rebellion, Part 1

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#422: “Passages: Fletcher's Rebellion, Part 1”
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Proverbs 3:5-6

5Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Judges 6:1-8:22
1Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites.

2Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds. 3Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country. 4They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys. 5They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it. 6Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the LORD for help. 7When the Israelites cried to the LORD because of Midian, 8he sent them a prophet, who said, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 9I snatched you from the power of Egypt and from the hand of all your oppressors. I drove them from before you and gave you their land. 10I said to you, 'I am the LORD your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.' But you have not listened to me." 11The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 12When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior." 13"But sir," Gideon replied, "if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, 'Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian." 14The 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?" 15"But Lord, " Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family." 16The LORD answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together." 17Gideon replied, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. 18Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you." And the LORD said, "I will wait until you return." 19Gideon went in, prepared a young goat, and from an ephah of flour he made bread without yeast. Putting the meat in a basket and its broth in a pot, he brought them out and offered them to him under the oak. 20The angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth." And Gideon did so. 21With the tip of the staff that was in his hand, the angel of the LORD touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the LORD disappeared. 22When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he exclaimed, "Ah, Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!" 23But the LORD said to him, "Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die." 24So 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. 25That same night the LORD said to him, "Take the second bull from your father's herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father's altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. 26Then build a proper kind of altar to the LORD your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering." 27So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the LORD told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the men of the town, he did it at night rather than in the daytime. 28In the morning when the men of the town got up, there was Baal's altar, demolished, with the Asherah pole beside it cut down and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar! 29They asked each other, "Who did this?" When they carefully investigated, they were told, "Gideon son of Joash did it." 30The men of the town demanded of Joash, "Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal's altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it." 31But Joash replied to the hostile crowd around him, "Are you going to plead Baal's cause? Are you trying to save him? Whoever fights for him shall be put to death by morning! If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar." 32So that day they called Gideon "Jerub-Baal, " saying, "Let Baal contend with him," because he broke down Baal's altar. 33Now all the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples joined forces and crossed over the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel. 34Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him. 35He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, calling them to arms, and also into Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, so that they too went up to meet them. 36Gideon said to God, "If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised-- 37look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said." 38And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew--a bowlful of water. 39Then Gideon said to God, "Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew." 40That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.

Chapter 7

1Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. 2The LORD said to Gideon, "You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, 3announce now to the people, 'Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.'" So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained. 4But the LORD said to Gideon, "There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say, 'This one shall go with you,' he shall go; but if I say, 'This one shall not go with you,' he shall not go." 5So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the LORD told him, "Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink." 6Three hundred men lapped with their hands to their mouths. All the rest got down on their knees to drink. 7The LORD said to Gideon, "With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place." 8So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others. Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. 9During that night the LORD said to Gideon, "Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. 10If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah 11and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp." So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp. 12The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore. 13Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. "I had a dream," he was saying. "A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed." 14His friend responded, "This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands." 15When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped God. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, "Get up! The LORD has given the Midianite camp into your hands." 16Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside. 17"Watch me," he told them. "Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. 18When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, 'For the LORD and for Gideon.'" 19Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands. 20The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, "A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!" 21While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled. 22When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the LORD caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. 23Israelites from Naphtali, Asher and all Manasseh were called out, and they pursued the Midianites. 24Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, "Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth Barah." So all the men of Ephraim were called out and they took the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth Barah. 25They also captured two of the Midianite leaders, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was by the Jordan.

Chapter 8

1Now the Ephraimites asked Gideon, "Why have you treated us like this? Why didn't you call us when you went to fight Midian?" And they criticized him sharply. 2But he answered them, "What have I accomplished compared to you? Aren't the gleanings of Ephraim's grapes better than the full grape harvest of Abiezer? 3God gave Oreb and Zeeb, the Midianite leaders, into your hands. What was I able to do compared to you?" At this, their resentment against him subsided. 4Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan and crossed it. 5He said to the men of Succoth, "Give my troops some bread; they are worn out, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian." 6But the officials of Succoth said, "Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your troops?" 7Then Gideon replied, "Just for that, when the LORD has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with desert thorns and briers." 8From there he went up to Peniel and made the same request of them, but they answered as the men of Succoth had. 9So he said to the men of Peniel, "When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower." 10Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with a force of about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of the armies of the eastern peoples; a hundred and twenty thousand swordsmen had fallen. 11Gideon went up by the route of the nomads east of Nobah and Jogbehah and fell upon the unsuspecting army. 12Zebah and Zalmunna, the two kings of Midian, fled, but he pursued them and captured them, routing their entire army. 13Gideon son of Joash then returned from the battle by the Pass of Heres. 14He caught a young man of Succoth and questioned him, and the young man wrote down for him the names of the seventy-seven officials of Succoth, the elders of the town. 15Then Gideon came and said to the men of Succoth, "Here are Zebah and Zalmunna, about whom you taunted me by saying, 'Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your exhausted men?'" 16He took the elders of the town and taught the men of Succoth a lesson by punishing them with desert thorns and briers. 17He also pulled down the tower of Peniel and killed the men of the town. 18Then he asked Zebah and Zalmunna, "What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?" "Men like you," they answered, "each one with the bearing of a prince." 19Gideon replied, "Those were my brothers, the sons of my own mother. As surely as the LORD lives, if you had spared their lives, I would not kill you." 20Turning to Jether, his oldest son, he said, "Kill them!" But Jether did not draw his sword, because he was only a boy and was afraid. 21Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Come, do it yourself. 'As is the man, so is his strength.'" So Gideon stepped forward and killed them, and took the ornaments off their camels' necks.

22The Israelites said to Gideon, "Rule over us--you, your son and your grandson--because you have saved us out of the hand of Midian."

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Passages: Fletcher's Rebellion, Part 1

“Passages: Fletcher's Rebellion, Part 1” is episode #422 of the Adventures in Odyssey audio series. It was written by Paul McCusker, and originally aired on September 18, 1999.

Summary

A woman named Alice tells an incredible story about how she and Tom Riley's son, Timmy, traveled to another world called Marus.

Plot

Fletchers-rebellion.png

At a diner, Tom Riley meets Alice, a childhood friend of his son, Timmy. Alice wants to disclose an amazing adventure that she and Timmy had while they were at a summer camp as children. Timmy died the year after the experience, and Tom is glad for the chance to talk to someone who knew Timmy.

The story begins as Alice and Timmy are wandering in the woods one day and find themselves in a strange place, another world called Marus. They are frightened when they see some wild men on horses shooting as they ride around a cabin, but they soon meet a handsome, friendly man named Fletcher. As they talk, Fletcher says the wild men are Adrians who have invaded Marus and are oppressing the Marutians. Soon Alice's eyes began burning and change color, and Fletcher knows it is a sign that she is a messenger sent from the Unseen One. Alice tells Fletcher that the Unseen One wants to use him to deliver the Marutians from the Adrians. Though Fletcher feels unable to be used in this manner, Alice assures him that the Unseen One will work through his weakness.

Fletcher devises a strategy for the defeat of the Adrians. First, he and Timmy create confusion by causing a stampede of cattle which scares the Adrians away. Then, Fletcher sets the Town Hall in Drivain on fire, while Timmy watches from the bank roof. Timmy is arrested and thrown into jail by the Adrians, who suspect his involvement in the fire. The next day, Fletcher rides into town to tell everyone he has burned the Town Hall and to appeal to the Marutians to help him defeat the Adrians in the name of the Unseen One. With direction from Alice, Fletcher downsizes his army twice so it will be obvious that the victory is from the Unseen One. First, he commands every fearful man to go home, and then he brings water for the men. He watches how the men drink, and chooses the 300 men who drink from a shared cup. Under Alice's direction, Fletcher and Timmy sneak into the Adrian camp at night, and overhear two Adrian soldiers sharing their nightmares of being destroyed by the Marutians.

Upon returning to their own camp, Fletcher orders his men to prepare for battle by bringing every noisemaker and source of light they can find. The army surrounds the Adrian camp, and at the signal from Fletcher, shines their lights, makes noise, and shouts, "For the Unseen One!" The Adrians drop their weapons and flee in terror. The Marutian army chases them, and captures an Adrian general. Timmy and Alice watch from Madarra Hill, and the battle is over in minutes. The Marutians applaud Fletcher and Alice, who attribute the entire victory to the Unseen One. Alice believes they are allowed to experience Marus so they will have greater reliance on God in this world. Later, Tom finds some obscure references in Timmy's journal that fit Alice's account of their journey into Marus. He wonders if it could be true... The story continues in part II...

Discussion Questions

  1. Fletcher said that the Unseen One in Marus was God. He mentioned how the Unseen One was the Creator of all things. How else was the Unseen One like God?
  2. Alice, as a messenger of the Unseen One, told Fletcher that he must rebel and drive the Adrians out of town. Do God's instructions ever seem difficult to you?
    • Do you remember a situation where it was hard to obey God?

Cast

Role Voice Actor
Adrian #1 Pete Reneday
Adrian #2 Corey Burton
Adrian Deputy Corey Burton
Adrian Priest Pete Reneday
Alice (adult) Diane Michelle
Alice (young) Tracy Bassett
Fletcher Corey Burton
Lamar Steve Bridges
Man in the crowd #1 Corey Burton
Man in the crowd #2 Phil Lollar
Man in the crowd #3 Steve Bridges
Sheriff Sabian Pete Reneday
Tabara Flo Di Re
Timothy Riley Blake Ewing
Tom Riley Walker Edmiston
Waitress Unknown


Notes

VERSION DIFFERENCE: [view] On the CD album version, there is just a bridge of music into part two instead of Chris saying anything or part two actually starting.

Trivia
  • These two episodes were originally written as a tie-in to Paul McCusker's book series Passages.
    • Originally, these episodes were never supposed to be included in an album or treated as normal AIO episodes (for re-airs and so forth). They were supposed to be much like the tie-in episode of Last Chance Detectives "The Day Ambrosia Stood Still", which has never aired on AIO since the original airing and was not an official episode. However, for unexplained reasons the AIO team changed the status of Passages, and the two episodes are now back on the regular airing schedule and were included in Album 34: In Your Wildest Dreams.
    • Along with later Passages episodes, these episodes feature a commercial for the Passages book series. However, while the "scenes" from the commercials involve Kyle and Anna (from book 1), the incidents in the commercial do not remotely resemble anything that happens in the books.
    • These episodes were originally titled Passages, Parts 1 and 2. Once the Adventures in Odyssey team decided that they were going to turn the book Darien's Rise into an audio drama (Darien's Rise), they needed to be more specific as to which Passages episode this was. This two-parter was thus renamed as Passages: Fletcher's Rebellion, Parts 1 and 2.
  • This episode features a unique opening and closing wrap:
    • This episode begins with "And now, a special presentation of Adventures in Odyssey, called Passages," and ends with "I'm Chris. Thanks for listening."
    • At the conclusion of this episode, there is the first occurrence of a "next time on Adventures in Odyssey."
Allusions
  • Alice and Timmy "slip" into Marus, similar to how the children in The Chronicles of Narnia slip into another world. Marus is like Narnia in many ways, since it is another world with it's own laws, religions, and landmarks. Alice said she experienced Marus so she could understand God better in our world. Aslan says the same thing about Narnia in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Like Narnia, the children agree not to tell anyone else about the "country."
See main article: List of The Chronicles of Narnia references

Reviews

Quotes

Tom Riley: What does this have to do with my son?
Alice: Timmy and I went to Marus, Mr. Riley. We had an adventure there.


Alice: And then Timmy looked out of his cell window and saw something that made him realize beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he wasn't anywhere near the camp or Odyssey or anything he knew in our world.
Timothy Riley: No, no! It can't be!
Tom Riley: What did he see?
Alice: Two moons.