Before we look at our main passage for today, open your Bibles to Hebrews 11 for a moment….
Look at verses 1-2…… and then we read the “ancients” men and women who lived by faith believing in what God said but actually doing it! Look at Hebrews 11:32-35…. God called Gideon a man of faith.
Gideon, a man of faith? What does faith look like? Turn now with me to the Book of Judges Chapter 6…..
Read along with me Judges 6……
v1-5: it’s dejavu all over again… Israel did evil again in the eyes of the Lord and God allowed them to be “bullied” by the Midianites for 7 years!
v6-10: When they couldn’t handle the pain anymore, Israel cried out for help from God! What was God’s first response to the cry of the Israelites for help??
God told the Israelite why they ended up in that situation! God reminded them again that there are painful consequences to sinning against God!
And again, in this 4th time of crying out to the Lord for help, we note no confession or repentance. But again because God is love, God prepares another Judge/Leader for Israel.
v11-12: What 2 things did God tell Gideon??
- God was with Gideon!
- Gideon was a mighty warrior (man of valor/courage)!
Now, in v15 we note Gideon acknowledging God speaking to him but in v13 we don’t read this acknowledgement. God tells us in Scriptures that it was God speaking but at that point in time in Gideon’s mind, he was just approached by a godly stranger.
v13?
- Gideon addressed that stranger as “sir” not Lord with a Capital “L” Actually many English translations of Judges 6:13 uses the word lord twice,1 in small letter “l” and 1 Capital “L”. In Hebrew, there are actually 2 different words used for Lord. And so, since that stranger spoke of God…
- Gideon asked “If God is almighty and loving for His Chosen People, why are we enslaved?”
But….. look back with me to v7-10…. Who did God speak to??
- Gideon may have already known why Israel was enslaved and tested the stranger for the truth? Or..
- Gideon was ignorant of the truth and he was seeking for godly truth?
Whether or not Gideon was aware of God’s conviction of Israel’s sin, Gideon kept the godly conversation!
in v14: God tells Gideon directly that he was being sent by the Almighty God! And so Gideon knew then that it was God Himself talking directly to him.
A quick application here that we should all know by now: Like bellybuttons, every person has an opinion. We hear may opinions today, people talking to us, how do we know if god is actually speaking to us through a person?? We know godly truths by God’s Words. God can speak to us through another person when Scriptures is cited!
v15: Gideon was honest with God and knew where he needed help.
v16: God reassured Gideon of empowering him.
We will stop here for now for there are plenty of Biblical Principles for us to consider already. In 2 weeks when we come back to the story of Gideon, we will note the humanity of Gideon with his doubts. But for today let us consider the following….
1. There are always consequences to sinning against God. Cry out to God for help but listen carefully what God states, confess sins through Christ, and repent!
Pray always! C-A-T-S = Confess – Adore God – Thank God – Supplication (ask).
2. As Christians, we are to live our lives with the promise from Romans 8, especially v31b…. If God is for us, who can be against us? How do we see ourselves, victorious or defeated?
If you sense yourself defeated, go back to point #1 above!
Now, Gideon had an initial conversation with a “stranger to him” who spoke about God and so Gideon questioned the stranger about God. And so, a biblical principle for us…
3. Like Gideon, our conversations with people should always be directed towards the truth about God! Just like what we noted a few weeks ago, no matter where we go we are to proclaim God; and if conversations start with God, continue the conversation about the truths of God! Have a biblical conversation for the Bible is perfect truth!
4. God sent Gideon directly to lead. We must know and always consider what Almighty God has told us as Christians and as individuals to do! We must think about this daily!
But let us note that Gideon knew his weaknesses and asked for help from God.
5. We should know our personal spiritual weaknesses and what God’s answer to them are!
Take a quiet moment to consider these biblical principles and perhaps today is a good day for you and me to write down on our notes what God tells us to do as Christians and as individuals….. and also jot down where we need help spiritually and how God empowers us…..
