House Cleaning Series

House Cleaning

Judges 6 :17-32

Last week we started learning about Gideon, and how he was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. How his situation and fears were not too different than ours today. We live in works where modern Midianites consume our resources and leave us with fear for our children and our future.

The angel of the Lord spoke to Gideon and informs him that God has answered the prayers of the people and that Gideon is being sent to deal with the problem.

Gideon gave a series of excuses when he heard the plan. We ended last week with Gideon asking how could he save Israel? The answered was that God was with him.

Gideon was being asked….called ….to respond with the little bit of strength that he had and that God would go with him…

Basically, God was calling him to leave the winepress. I suggested that we are also called to stop thrashing around with worry and go into the world.

Let’s pickup with our scripture this morning,

Judges 6:17

Gideon replied, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. Please 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."

Gideon 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.

The 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. With 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. When 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!"

Gideon is out of the press and hears that God wants him to do something and most importantly is promising to be with him. His response, If and I mean IF, you are talking to me, hold on for a few minutes and let me make an offering…Wait Right here.

Gideon is not at all sure that he is the right guy.

Have any of you ever thought and maybe even said out loud, if I really knew that it was God talking to me I would do exactly what He said. I know I have. In my case I often have thoughts or ideas that seem to come from nowhere. I think they are some kind of small revelation form God…But I am not really sure.

I think if God would just speak to me with a human voice I would be sure. This scripture proves that God already tried that and his test subject failed to respond immediately and with conviction. Gideon had to come up with his own set of assurances. A prophet..an angel sitting by the oak tree was not enough.

Gideon wants to make an offering, a special meal.

A young goat and an e path of flower, they say that a epath was about 3 /5 of bushel. A bushel of wheat would weight about 60 pounds. A bushel of flower would probably weigh less. If it is 50 pounds then 3/5 is 30 pounds of flower to make bread.

The amount is not as important as the idea that Gideon was making a sizable sacrifice to this representative of God. Last week we heard about how the Midianites were taking everything of value from the Israelites.

When times are hard it is not easy to make a generous offering to God. In Gideon’s case, even if it were only 10 pounds of flower; it could mean feeding a family for one or two days.

This bread and meat were a lot more than one or two men could eat.

He brings the meal and the angel gives him instructions.

Put the meat and the bread on that rock over there then pour that gravy all over it. And Gideon does as he is told.

All this looks to me like a test. This fella, was just sitting there by the winepress talking really big. He is claiming to be speaking for God. It looks to me like Gideon, decides to test the messenger.

-----He is saying make me believe. Make me really know that God is with me, that God wants me to do something.