For consider your calling, brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble; but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, - 1 Corinthians 1:26-27
Let’s begin this morning with a quick review. We are going to play, “Name That Judge”. Ready? Which judge single handedly killed 600 Philistines with an oxgoad? Which left-handed judge rescued Israel by assassinating an overweight Moabite king? Which female judge inspired the men of Israel to rise up and defeat the Canaanites? Who was the first of the judges, who delivered Israel from the king of Mesopotamia? The answers are: Shamgar, Ehud, Deborah, and Othniel. How did you do?
This morning and next Sunday we will learn about the 5th judge of Israel. He is one of the most well known of the judges. His name is Gideon. There are 3 chapters devoted to him in the book of Judges - chapters 6 through 8. In today’s message we will concentrate on chapter 6 and save the other 2 chapters for next week. Here we go!
I. OPPRESSED BY MIDIAN (Judges 6:1-10)
Once again the sons of Israel turned from God and did evil in His sight. Thus, the LORD turned them over to Midian. For 7 years the Midianites prevailed over Israel. Things were so bad that the Israelites made dens for themselves in mountain caves to escape the oppression. The men of Midian, along with the Amalekites and other sons of the east, would come up each season and destroy the agricultural produce and crops of Israel leaving them without any sustenance. Furthermore, the Midianites would bring their own animals and livestock to graze what little was left, leaving the land utterly devastated.
The people of Israel were suffering greatly and they cried out to the LORD. So God sent a prophet to speak to them. The prophet reminded the Israelites that the LORD had delivered their forefathers from Egyptian slavery and had given them the Promised Land. He further stated that God had commanded Israel not to fear the gods of the Amorites, though they obviously didn’t listen.
Those who don’t learn from their past are destined to repeat it. Every time God rescued His people, they would inevitably drift back into their sin. God sent messengers to confront them about their waywardness and disbelief, but the people never seemed to learn their lesson. Sound familiar?
II. GIDEON’S CALLING (Judges 6:11-24)
The angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, the son of Joash, in Ophrah, while he was beating out wheat in a wine press to keep from being seen by the Midianites. Ironically, the angel called Gideon a "valiant warrior" and told him that the LORD was with Israel. Gideon questioned how the LORD could be with his people in light of the persecution that they were enduring. Then the angel, who was actually the LORD Himself in the form of an angel (I believe Him to be another preincarnate appearance of Jesus Christ), called Gideon to deliver Israel from the heavy hand of Midian.
Upon hearing the LORD’s call, Gideon openly doubted that someone of his lowly standing (he was the youngest member of an obscure family from Manasseh) could rescue Israel from anyone. But God promised to be with Gideon and assured him that he would defeat Midian. Still skeptical, Gideon asked the LORD to wait there under the oak tree until he returned to offer a sacrifice. The LORD agreed and Gideon hurried away to prepare a young goat and some unleavened bread. When he returned, Gideon presented his offering in accordance with the angel’s instructions, it was supernaturally consumed by fire, and the angel vanished. Gideon was convinced that he’d seen the LORD and God told him not to fear. To commemorate what had happened, Gideon built an altar there in Ophrah and named it “The LORD is Peace”.
III. THE ALTAR OF BAAL (Judges 6:25-35)
That same night, God commanded Gideon to pull down his father’s altar to Baal and topple the Asherah tree beside it. In its place, Gideon was to build an altar to the LORD and offer a bull as a burnt offering on it using the very wood from the Asherah tree he’d cut down. Gideon was afraid to do this during the daylight for fear of what his father’s household and the men of the city might do. He obeyed God’s command, but he did it secretly during the dark of night.
The next morning, it was discovered that the altar of Baal and the Asherah had been destroyed. The men of the city were furious and came out to seize Gideon and execute him. Somewhat surprisingly, Gideon’s idol-worshiping father Joash came to his son’s defense. Joash reasoned that if Baal was truly god he could contend for himself and that their contention on his behalf was uncalled for. The men of the city dispersed. Joash gave Gideon a new name - Jerubbaal, meaning “Baal will contend”.
Meanwhile, the Midianites, Amalekites, and other sons of the east assembled their forces, crossed over into Israel, and camped in the valley of Jezreel. The Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, he blew a trumpet, and gathered the fighting men of his clan - the Abiezrites - together. He also sent messengers to the rest of Manasseh, as well as the tribes of Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali. They came up to join him and the army of the LORD.
IV. THE SIGN OF THE FLEECE (Judges 6:36-40)
Even with his large army, Gideon remained uncertain that God would deliver Israel through him. He asked the LORD to show him a sign. Gideon laid a fleece out on the threshing floor and asked God to put dew on it only, but none on the ground around it, to indicate that Israel would be victorious. The next morning, the fleece was soaking wet with dew and the ground was dry. But Gideon was still not convinced, so he asked the LORD for another sign. This time he asked that the fleece remain dry and the ground become wet with dew. The next morning, it was so.
CONCLUSION
When God approached Gideon, he was literally hiding from the Midianites in a wine press. When the LORD called him to deliver Israel, Gideon wondered how God could use someone as insignificant and inept as he was. Gideon even asked for the angel to stick around while he presented an offering to prove that He was actually the LORD. Gideon feared his own father and the men of the city so much that he decided to tear down the altar of Baal at night. On top of this, he used a fleece to seek God’s reassurance again - nor once, but twice!
Let’s face it... Gideon was a nervous wreck. He was timid, cowardly, and very unsure of himself. He would seem like the last person you’d choose to lead the men of Israel in battle against Midian. Yet God referred to him as a valiant warrior. Amazing! God saw Gideon for what he could be - what he’d become - rather than for what he was. The LORD uses those which the world overlooks to accomplish great things.
Do you feel unworthy? Afraid? Unsure of yourself? Are you unqualified? Uneducated? Unimportant? A nobody? Weak? Broken? Beaten down? Scared? Trying just not to be noticed? If so, you are just the type of person God is looking for. Perhaps you think of yourself as a chump, but God sees you as a champion. Would you trust Him today?
Let’s begin this morning with a quick review. We are going to play, “Name That Judge”. Ready? Which judge single handedly killed 600 Philistines with an oxgoad? Which left-handed judge rescued Israel by assassinating an overweight Moabite king? Which female judge inspired the men of Israel to rise up and defeat the Canaanites? Who was the first of the judges, who delivered Israel from the king of Mesopotamia? The answers are: Shamgar, Ehud, Deborah, and Othniel. How did you do?
This morning and next Sunday we will learn about the 5th judge of Israel. He is one of the most well known of the judges. His name is Gideon. There are 3 chapters devoted to him in the book of Judges - chapters 6 through 8. In today’s message we will concentrate on chapter 6 and save the other 2 chapters for next week. Here we go!
I. OPPRESSED BY MIDIAN (Judges 6:1-10)
Once again the sons of Israel turned from God and did evil in His sight. Thus, the LORD turned them over to Midian. For 7 years the Midianites prevailed over Israel. Things were so bad that the Israelites made dens for themselves in mountain caves to escape the oppression. The men of Midian, along with the Amalekites and other sons of the east, would come up each season and destroy the agricultural produce and crops of Israel leaving them without any sustenance. Furthermore, the Midianites would bring their own animals and livestock to graze what little was left, leaving the land utterly devastated.
The people of Israel were suffering greatly and they cried out to the LORD. So God sent a prophet to speak to them. The prophet reminded the Israelites that the LORD had delivered their forefathers from Egyptian slavery and had given them the Promised Land. He further stated that God had commanded Israel not to fear the gods of the Amorites, though they obviously didn’t listen.
Those who don’t learn from their past are destined to repeat it. Every time God rescued His people, they would inevitably drift back into their sin. God sent messengers to confront them about their waywardness and disbelief, but the people never seemed to learn their lesson. Sound familiar?
II. GIDEON’S CALLING (Judges 6:11-24)
The angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, the son of Joash, in Ophrah, while he was beating out wheat in a wine press to keep from being seen by the Midianites. Ironically, the angel called Gideon a "valiant warrior" and told him that the LORD was with Israel. Gideon questioned how the LORD could be with his people in light of the persecution that they were enduring. Then the angel, who was actually the LORD Himself in the form of an angel (I believe Him to be another preincarnate appearance of Jesus Christ), called Gideon to deliver Israel from the heavy hand of Midian.
Upon hearing the LORD’s call, Gideon openly doubted that someone of his lowly standing (he was the youngest member of an obscure family from Manasseh) could rescue Israel from anyone. But God promised to be with Gideon and assured him that he would defeat Midian. Still skeptical, Gideon asked the LORD to wait there under the oak tree until he returned to offer a sacrifice. The LORD agreed and Gideon hurried away to prepare a young goat and some unleavened bread. When he returned, Gideon presented his offering in accordance with the angel’s instructions, it was supernaturally consumed by fire, and the angel vanished. Gideon was convinced that he’d seen the LORD and God told him not to fear. To commemorate what had happened, Gideon built an altar there in Ophrah and named it “The LORD is Peace”.
III. THE ALTAR OF BAAL (Judges 6:25-35)
That same night, God commanded Gideon to pull down his father’s altar to Baal and topple the Asherah tree beside it. In its place, Gideon was to build an altar to the LORD and offer a bull as a burnt offering on it using the very wood from the Asherah tree he’d cut down. Gideon was afraid to do this during the daylight for fear of what his father’s household and the men of the city might do. He obeyed God’s command, but he did it secretly during the dark of night.
The next morning, it was discovered that the altar of Baal and the Asherah had been destroyed. The men of the city were furious and came out to seize Gideon and execute him. Somewhat surprisingly, Gideon’s idol-worshiping father Joash came to his son’s defense. Joash reasoned that if Baal was truly god he could contend for himself and that their contention on his behalf was uncalled for. The men of the city dispersed. Joash gave Gideon a new name - Jerubbaal, meaning “Baal will contend”.
Meanwhile, the Midianites, Amalekites, and other sons of the east assembled their forces, crossed over into Israel, and camped in the valley of Jezreel. The Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, he blew a trumpet, and gathered the fighting men of his clan - the Abiezrites - together. He also sent messengers to the rest of Manasseh, as well as the tribes of Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali. They came up to join him and the army of the LORD.
IV. THE SIGN OF THE FLEECE (Judges 6:36-40)
Even with his large army, Gideon remained uncertain that God would deliver Israel through him. He asked the LORD to show him a sign. Gideon laid a fleece out on the threshing floor and asked God to put dew on it only, but none on the ground around it, to indicate that Israel would be victorious. The next morning, the fleece was soaking wet with dew and the ground was dry. But Gideon was still not convinced, so he asked the LORD for another sign. This time he asked that the fleece remain dry and the ground become wet with dew. The next morning, it was so.
CONCLUSION
When God approached Gideon, he was literally hiding from the Midianites in a wine press. When the LORD called him to deliver Israel, Gideon wondered how God could use someone as insignificant and inept as he was. Gideon even asked for the angel to stick around while he presented an offering to prove that He was actually the LORD. Gideon feared his own father and the men of the city so much that he decided to tear down the altar of Baal at night. On top of this, he used a fleece to seek God’s reassurance again - nor once, but twice!
Let’s face it... Gideon was a nervous wreck. He was timid, cowardly, and very unsure of himself. He would seem like the last person you’d choose to lead the men of Israel in battle against Midian. Yet God referred to him as a valiant warrior. Amazing! God saw Gideon for what he could be - what he’d become - rather than for what he was. The LORD uses those which the world overlooks to accomplish great things.
Do you feel unworthy? Afraid? Unsure of yourself? Are you unqualified? Uneducated? Unimportant? A nobody? Weak? Broken? Beaten down? Scared? Trying just not to be noticed? If so, you are just the type of person God is looking for. Perhaps you think of yourself as a chump, but God sees you as a champion. Would you trust Him today?