Standing Firm In Adversity
Judges 6:25-32
“Then build a proper kind of altar to the Lord your God…” vs. 26
Thank You for My Hurting
David, a 2-year old with leukemia, was taken by him mother, Deborah, to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, to see Dr. John Truman who specializes in treating children with cancer and various blood diseases. Dr. Truman’s prognosis was devastating: “He has a 50-50 chance.” The countless clinic visits, the blood tests, the intravenous drugs, the fear and pain; the mother’s ordeal can be almost as bad as the child’s because she must stand by, unable to bear the pain herself. David never cried in the waiting room, and although his friends in the clinic had to hurt him and stick needles in him, he hustled in ahead of him mother with a smile, sure of the welcome he always got. When he was three, David had to have a spinal tap; a painful procedure at any age. It was explained to him that, because he was sick, Dr. Truman had to do something to make him better. “If it hurts, remember it’s because he loves you,” Deborah said. The procedure was horrendous. It took three nurses to hold David still, while he yelled and sobbed and struggled. When it was almost over, the tiny boy, soaked in sweat and tears, looked up at the doctor and gasped, “Thank you, Dr. Truman, for my hurting.”
What are we to do when we are facing a tough situation, as struggle, and adversity? What about when God calls us to walk through tough situations to accomplish his will? In our continuing study of Gideon, he is facing just that. God has called, he has responded, and now begins the walk and how Gideon stood firm in adversity.
Read Passage – Judges 6:25-32
That 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. 26 Then 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.” 27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the townspeople, he did it at night rather than in the daytime. 28 In the morning when the people 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! 29 They asked each other, “Who did this?” When they carefully investigated, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash did it.” 30 The people 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.” 31 But 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.” 32 So because Gideon broke down Baal’s altar, they gave him the name Jerub-Baal that day, saying, “Let Baal contend with him.”
“But I Gave Once!”
As we approach this passage let me remind you of what happened in the previous verses. Gideon is on the threshing floor trying to get food together so he can run to the mountains to his cave where he hides, like the rest of Israel, when his neighboring enemies attack. He is visited by an angel and told he is the one who is going to lead Israel back to God and back to some peace in the land. When he realized his call he prepares a sacrifice for God. This would have cost him a lot since they didn’t have much. As we pick it up in verse 25 it says:
“That same night the Lord said to him, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd…”
- 25a
Now giving one sacrifice was probably a big deal for Gideon and probably seemed liked a lot. But…this is a lot like life; we give, even sacrificially and then what? We are asked to give again and you want to yell, “But I gave once!” It seems that many times in life when we have given as much as we possibly think we can we are asked to give again. That can hurt, it can seem unfair and it can even seem like overkill sometimes.
Let me just point out on thing about this; The first sacrifice Gideon gave on his own but the second sacrifice he gives because God asks him to. And, God asks us to give continually. One sacrifice in the OT was enough; sacrifices were a continual thing and a way of life. Also, we need to remember that God ways are first. God asks, we give. There is a balance of remembering who ways are the better ways, and the idea that we place ourselves in God’s hands and all we have is from him.
A Tough Task Ahead
Sometimes we don’t know why God would ask us to give more when we have given all we think we can but in this case we are told why Gideon is asked to give again and that comes in verse 25b:
“Tear down your father’s altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.” vs. 25b
Gideon had a tough task ahead. He was about to be God’s spokesman and there needed to be nothing between he and God. He had to be willing to let go so that his entire focus was on God and his ways. There is another thing here too. Look b ack at the verse and notice that the false gods of the other nations were in Israel and they had given themselves to them. Remember God had choose Israel and they said they choose him. They didn’t keep their end of the deal. In fact, the gods were even in Gideon and his father’s house.
These gods were in direct opposition to who God is. The two dominant religious cults in this time are mentioned in this passage.
Ba’al – god of the heavens and of the wind, rain, storms, weather and fertility
Asherah – goddess of fertility, the “she” God, the exact opposite of the real God.
What the Israelites had done was built shrines and temples t these gods and worshipped them along with Yahweh. God is a jealous God and he doesn’t want people to bring gods into the same worshipped that He rightly deserves.
Something else is going on here too. Gideon is being asked to take a stand against what is socially popular in his day; worshipping these “gods.”
Note this: Whenever you take a stand for God against a popular trend, you can expect opposition.
Ex. In our day we take a lot of opposition that Jesus is the only way, that lying is not right, that sex is meant for the marriage bed between a man and a woman, that all religions are good as long as you believe in something. When we stand for God’s ways and against these false teachings, we will face opposition.
Standing Firm In Adversity
The challenge here is what to do when opposition comes. Gideon is call to stand firm for God. We are called to stand firm for God. So how do we stand firm in the face of adversity and opposition? We can see some things in this story of Gideon that will help us stand firm in adversity.
- Obedience
The first thing that we need to embrace and live in is obedience; obedience to God and his ways. Verse 27 says:
“So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord told him.” vs. 27
Obedience is not an easy thing. Obedience is tough and one thing we can do is surround ourselves with people that agree to be obedient with us. Now in Gideon’s case this was a scary thing. The passage even tells us that Gideon was afraid (vs. 27). It’s kinds of funny too. He didn’t have a lot of friends to go to for help. No, he brings 10 of his servants; guys who had to do what he said. He was still afraid even though he was obedient but that didn’t stop him. Fear can be paralyzing. Fear can stop us from moving forward…but is doesn’t have to. We can choose to move forward even though we are afraid. It helps to surround ourselves with people who will walk with us. We don’t like obedience because it is the hard road. It takes work and we don’t generally like work. We have built ease into our lives so we don’t have to work.
Ex. Food – fast food (lunch in 10 min.), Rachael Rays 30 minute dinners, crock pots we put on in the mornings o its ready when we come home, pizza deleivery, food delivery, etc. people to shop for us, etc.
Here is what obedience boils down to; love. Do we love God enough to be obedient? Are we willing to make obedience about our love for God? 2 John 1:6 says:
“And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.” 2 John 1:6
Gideon is scared. He hides out. He follows God but he does it at night so no one can see him. He’s afraid for his life, and rightly so. Just because he does this at night doesn’t mean he is being disobedient, no he has found a way to obey God’s call and still be safe. He scared but he obeys anyway.
- Expect Opposition
The second thing that we need to stand firm in adversity is to expect opposition. Notice what happens in verse 29 when Gideon does what God commanded him:
“They asked each other, “Who did this?” When they carefully investigated, they were told, “Gideon son of Joash did it.” vs. 29
We assume because we are doing God’s work we won’t face opposition. We have fooled ourselves into believing that following God’s ways and commands make us exempt from pain, hurt, and opposition. Our logic says that doing God’s work will silence those who don’t believe in God. Here’s a hint: It’s usually the opposite. Doing God’s work will mot likely be a difficult task where you face opposition , difficulty and opposition. Paul recognized this in 2 Cor. 12:10:
“That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Cor. 12:10
Notice what Paul pointed out that he faced: insults, hardships, persecution, and difficulties. How is that for a job description! Here is something that we drop the ball on many times; we don’t prepare for opposition. Satan is going to fight us. And the more successful you are the more you can expect Satan to fight you, discredit you and make you feel alone, tired, scared, and fearful.
Quiz:
Who is a Christian leader who has fallen and been discredited or brought down?
Okay, now:
Who is a Christian leader who has stood firm and not been discredited or brought down?
See, it is possible. But we need to prepare and expect opposition. We need to go in armed with God’s Word, spending time in prayer, relying on the Holy Spirit and not our own strength, and with a determination to stand firm.
- Let God Fight His Fights
And thirdly, to stand firm in adversity we need to be willing to do what God has called us to do but let God fight his fights. An interesting thing happens in vs. 31:
“But 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!” vs. 31
First of all Gideon made the choice to follow God. We have a choice to follow God or not to follow him. It’s not half -hearted, it’s a full heart commitment. Gideon choose to be God’s servant and God’s instrument to bring the Israeli people back to God. If we are God’s servant we don’t get to decide what we do, as servants we follow the master.
But notice the great thing that happens in this verse; Gideon’s dad steps in and protects him. This was the same man who had the diols of other gods in his house. People will come around us and support and encourage us when we are obedient to God and his call. People we weren’t expecting to step up will step up when they see us being faithful and obedient.
We need to do what God calls us to do and then let God do his part because he will fight his fight against the false gods. Don’t forget what Acts 19:26 says:
“…gods made by human hands are no gods at all.” Acts 19:26
God is real. He is a living being. The other “gods” are not. The are formed with human hands and they are not living beings. People like “gods” because they can control them.
Ex. god of sex – we want to control what sex is and who we have it with
god of money, we want our money to protect us and provide for us but hat is God’s provision for us
god of life – we are trying to control who is born, when they are born, what their sex is, what their character is, etc. We even are trying to control who is born.
You get the idea. We don’t need to fight for God he can fight for himself. Remember Paul’s words from Romans 12:10:
“Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” Romans 12:10
We try to do God’s work and we even try to avenge things for God. I have some news for you: God can take care of himself. He will prevail in the end because he is the only God.
Surrendering All
So what does this all boil down to? It’s pretty simple. Jesus Christ set the example of what it looks like to stand firm in adversity. He set the example for us. What he call for us to do is surrender all to him.
Jesus and Us
He was obedient to God. We are called to obedience.
He had opposition. We need to expect opposition.
He did everything God called him to do and let God do what He needed to. We are called to live out God’s plan for our life and let God fight his fights.
Jesus surrendered all. We are called to surrender all.
1st Service
I Surrender All
All to Jesus, I surrender
All to him I freely give
I will ever love and trust him
In his presence daily live
Chorus
I surrender all (2x)
All to thee my blessed Savior
I surrender all
2nd Service
I Surrender
Here I am
Down on my knees again
Surrendering all (2x)
Find me here
Lord as You draw me near
Desperate for You (2x)
I surrender
Drench my soul
As mercy and grace unfold
I hunger and thirst (2x)
With arms stretched wide
I know You hear my cry
Speak to me now (2x)
I surrender (2x)
I want to know You more (2x)
Like a rushing wind
Jesus breathe within
Lord have Your way
Lord have Your way in me
Like a mighty storm
Stir within my soul
Lord have Your way
Lord have Your way in me
