Scripture: Judges6:7-40 (selected)
Have you ever felt that the LORD
was calling you to some new effort, but you weren’t absolute certain that it
was God who was calling? It might be your
own desire, it might even be a trap being set by the Devil, but while you weren’t
actually sure, you wanted to be certain if it truly was God Himself who was
asking. You needed proof.
But scripture tells us that we should never test God
(Matthew 4:6-8). Does this mean that we should never seek
proof of God’s call? Actually, testing means
to see if the LORD’s word is really as powerful and honest as He says
it is! This is, however, different than
asking for proof that what we are hearing and understanding is truly God’s
will. Testing is despised by the LORD,
but seeking certainty in what He is asking of us is always acceptable.
But still, the question will always be “how do we go
about gaining certainty in what the divine will for our lives truly is”? Today’s Lesson #4 from Judges focuses on Gideon
and his call to be a Judge for his Jehovah God.
But Gideon’s story begins a little different than did the call to previous
judges.
First, the people had lived under oppression for only
7 years, compared to a much longer time before previous judges were appointed.
Second, which we will read about soon, when they
began to cry out, an unnamed prophet was sent to them first as a messenger to
remind the people of all that the LORD had been doing for them, and of all that the
people had done in denial of His blessings.
And then the prophet left. No
judge yet!
Third, we will read that an angel of the LORD
came to Gideon to tell him of God’s desire for his service. We don’t actually know about the call on the other
judges.
But this angel came to proclaim God’s will to
Gideon, and today’s lesson is about his response and acceptance of the call
that had been placed on his life.
Read Judges 6:7-10
When Deborah conquered Sisera’s Canaanite army, it
left a power vacuum in the area. Neighboring
nations would try to move in, and it was Midian who had gained the upper hand
over Israel. But the unknown prophet recounts
some of the many times that the LORD had rescued them from similar situations during
the many years past, which, apparently, they had forgotten all about.
Remember that great old hymn “Count Your Blessings”? In the
refrain, we sing “Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings, see what God hath done.” The song reminds us that remembering those
things that the LORD has brought to our life requires that we constantly
proclaim them, rejoice in them, and give thanks to the one Giver who has made
it all possible!
Israel had neglected to “count” any of the
blessings that their Jehovah God had brought to the nation – freedom, guidance,
protection, a new home, sustenance, and a holy Presence that exceeded anything
that earth could have provided.
And in our case, how many times each day do we “count”
our blessings? I expect that it is not nearly
as much as it should be, so maybe each of us should set a goal for each day –
maybe start with thanking the LORD for 10 things He has done for us, and then
11 the next day, and keep adding to our list every day and every time we
receive a new blessing!
Might that keep the worldly “wolves” at bay, and us in
the way of our LORD? Give it a
try! What have you got to lose?
Read Judges 6:11-13
Gideon, without actually saying so, seems to have
remembered the many stories he had heard about God’s goodness and blessings for
Israel. And he had begun to question those
blessings because of all the trials they had been experiencing during the previous
7 years. So where is the LORD ? Apparently, Gideon doesn’t believe that He is
anywhere near the nation, and that He doesn’t seem to have a clue as to the
nation’s needs!
Have any of us been there – wondering just why God
would let those terrible, those hurtful, those destructive things happen to us,
even though we have done our best to be active in His church? The truth is, though, that the LORD is with
us at all times, and in all situations.
So if we don’t seem to see Him at work in our lives, whose problem do
you suppose that is?
The truth is that God is never that far away from us
that He can’t touch our life when we ask Him to!
Israel had finally “cried out to the LORD”,
giving Him the invitation that He had been waiting for, and He begins to intervene
on their behalf. We can never even begin
to imagine how much pleasure that our “crying out” to the LORD
can give Him! But His greatest desire is
that we don’t wait until the burden we are saddled with becomes
unbearable! We should be “crying” out
daily – not always in pain and trial, but in joy for what He has been giving. And then, when the day begins to turn sour, we
will know that He is already involved in
our life, and the delay that we tend to set in place won’t be as great
as it might be!
Read Judges 6:14-18
God has a way of including us in the work that we
ask Him to do. Its not that He needs
help, but this is a gift to each one of us, it is one of the ways the Almighty
blesses us. When we agree to follow the
call that He places on our life, we discover firsthand just how much He loves
us, and wants to be with us, and wants to be involved with us. Gideon had just been given the opportunity to
say “yes” to this very invitation!
So let’s think about the way the invitation is
offered, and to the words that the Angel expresses.
First, “Go in the strength you have…” God wants this new servant to know that he
won’t be asked to do something that he isn’t already prepared to do. Each of us also has gifts and strengths that
God wants to use, and we will never be asked to do more than that. Of course, the LORD will
go far beyond what we can do, but He wants us to show up first!
Second, He sets the goal – “save Israel out of
Midian’s hand.” Again, Gideon, and
we, will be involved with the LORD’s plan, but it will be God who will do all of
the heavy lifting!
Third, He challenges Gideon with a question,
designed to make him think about something that he should already have known! “Am I not sending you?” That must have created a moment of pause for
the man – “Sending me – where, why, when?”
I guess he should have been trusting just a little more, for God will
tell him, and us, when the time is right for us to know.
He hesitates, and questions, and asks for a sign
that will reassure him. And that is OK.
Read Judges 6:36-40
Now we’ve skipped over a few verses, but to briefly
fill in the blanks, Gideon prepares a sacrifice for the angel, and then
realizes just who it is that is standing in front of him. He is then given his first task – to tear
down his father’s alter to Baal, and the pole erected to honor Asherah – both
being Canaanite gods of fertility. And he
does as he is told.
This angered both the Israelites who were worshiping
these two illicit deities, as well as the Midianites, and the enemy forces begin
to gather, threatening Israel once again.
And Gideon gains an understanding of what the angel had been telling him
– that he would be the means that God would use to defeat Midian.
And here is where our passage picks up. But just to be sure, he asks first for one
sign, and then a second. And the Angel of the LORD gives him whatever he
needs to be confident, and to follow faithfully, and he proclaims that it is
God who will be saving Israel, through his faithful service.
Gideon needed more certainty than what comes solely
by faith, and the LORD faithfully provides whatever the man asks for. Gideon believes, he trusts, he understands,
but he needed just a little nudge to bring the truth of God into focus. And God will do that for all of us, too. First, obedience, then understanding, and
then accepting the proof that God provides whenever we ask.
Let doubt fall away, let faith and confidence
flourish, and trust that God’s faithfulness will never let us down, regardless
of what He may be asking us to do.
Give Him a chance to prove Himself - today!
