Antioch Covenant Church

When You Need A Pick–Me-Up

1 Kings 19:9-18

“After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.

And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” vs. 12

Updates

As many of you know, we have had a few property issues in the past few weeks. But let me back up just a moment. If you recall, we worked hard and diligently to rid ourselves of the mortgage and in Feb. of 2014 we paid off our mortgage. We had a mortgage burning ceremony and that was definitely a high for us as church. But owning a building comes with the awareness that as the building gets older, there are issues.

The last month we have had the following issues:

-An A/C Heater gone out

-A sewer blockage which happened to be right under the middle of the sanctuary

-We had a leak in our plumbing about 6 months ago and it cost us almost $2k to fix it. We now had another leak.

-We had a leak in our irrigation system

-We have a few leaks in our roof.

So what have we done?

-A/C Heater – fixed ($5,500)

-Sewer leak – fixed ($0)

Plumbing leak – fixed ($200)

-Irrigation leak – fixed ($0)

-Roof leak – in progress

We are doing everything we can to take care of God’s house. He has provided in incredible ways in the last week. A HUGE “thank you” to everyone who has contributed over the last week to pitch in and helped. If you are able, please stand as we read God’s Word, 1 Kings 19:9-18:

Read Passage – 1 Kings 19:9-18

And the word of the Lord came to him: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” ¹⁰ He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” ¹¹ The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by.” Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. ¹³ When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” ¹⁴ He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” ¹⁵ The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. ¹⁶ Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. ¹⁷ Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu. ¹⁸ Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.”

Coming Off A Great Victory

As we approach 1 Kings 19, Elijah has also had quite a run of good things happen in his life and his ministry and service to God. Most recently was the time when he, by himself, and of course the power of God, saw 450 prophets of Baal humiliated and defeated. He really showed the people the power of God and how their god was no match for the one true living God.

Note: Many people claim they want God to do some big miracle before they believe. This passage is proof that not only does God do big miracles, but those miracles don’t always convince people to believe in God.

Although this was a huge victory, the resolve of Jezebel got more intense and she was threatening the life of Elijah. And…she had succeeded in killing off other prophets of God so this became a big concern for Elijah. And her threat is that she will kill him within 24 hours,

Feeling Alone Against the World

Although he had just come off this great victory, he was feeling very alone against the world. He says this very thing in verses 10 and 14:

“I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” vs. 10b & 14b

So let me give you a picture of where Elijah is now. He has dismissed his servant and taken off into the dessert about a day’s journey. He comes to this place called Beersheba and he sits down under a broom tree. He is sitting under this tree, hiding, and sulking. He’s scared, confused, and feeling very alone.

Overcoming the Lulls of Life

And that is how life is; there are good times and then there are the times you just want to run and hide, you feel alone, tired, overwhelmed, and feel that need to escape. You might be in a place like that today. Or you might have been there or you may need to prepare for that time in life when you get there. In any case, this passage helps us learn how to overcome the lulls of life. Elijah and his prophecies still teach us valuable lessons today.

1. Acknowledge the Ups and Downs

The first thing that is important for us to learn from Elijah is that there are ups and downs in life and we need to acknowledge that. Remember Elijah’s words in verse 10 and 14:

“The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too.” vss. 10 & 14

God asks Elijah what he’s doing and he comes right out and tells him: things were great, we were doing well, but things have changed and my life is being threatened and I’ve run away and hid.

Tim Keller notes in one of his books an interesting thing about our culture here in North America; we live in a culture that expects to live in the “ups,” in the highs of life. We expect long life, we expect few problems and we expect everything to go our way. We live in a very insular society where we are taught and expect everything to be easy, happy and good.

It’s one of the reasons we have so many lawsuits today. Some lawsuits are good and help make us better and more responsible.

Ex. Erin Brockivich, etc.

But we also have those lawsuits that are just silly and waste money, time, and are show just how ridiculous people can be.

Ex. Spilling coffee,

We need to acknowledge that life has ups and downs. We need to expect there to be down times. Much of the rest of the world do, they know real pain and real heartache, the death of young children who don’t have the medicine and nutrition our children have and who might not have the money for good food, good water, and even clean and healthy living conditions. In fact, the bible even tells us to expect different season in our lives, Ecc. 3:1:

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…” Ecc. 3:1

We live in health when we not only recognize that life has ups and downs but when we acknowledge that as well.

Note: Find someone you can be honest and real with. Be honest and real with God.

2. Look Ahead Keeping Your Past in Mind

Secondly, Elijah took his focus off what was ahead and what God’s plan was. He lost hope because he couldn’t look ahead. It’s important to look ahead keeping in mind the past. God had worked out some pretty amazing things and that should have given Elijah hope for the future. Notice his response to God’s question in verses 9-10:

“And the word of the Lord came to him: ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’ He replied, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty.’” Vs. 9-10

Because he had been zealous for God he figured it would be easy as he moved ahead. The minute we trust in our works to save us, we loose focus.

Ex. Driving – you can’t see where you are going if you are only looking in your review mirror. Sometimes when you are driving you see some pretty amazing things. You look at them but then look back ahead through the windshield. If you driving forward looking in the review mirror you are sure to get in an accident. You appreciate the wonders you see but continue to look ahead. Prov. 4:25:

“Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.” Prov. 4:25

Could you imagine if this verse said “Let you r eyes look back, fix your gaze on what’s behind you.” We could never move forward. Cars would never have been invented.

Ex. Here are some examples of people who weren’t looking ahead and got into a car accident. These are real excuses off real accident reports:

-The accident happened because I had one eye on the truck in front, one eye on the pedestrian, and the other on the car behind.

-In my attempt to kill a fly, I drove into a telephone pole.

-I pulled away from the side of the road, glanced at my mother-in-law and headed over the embankment.

-The accident was caused by me waving to the man I hit last week.

Like Elijah, we can really too much on past accomplishments and forget to focus on what’s ahead.

I’m looking forward to the future, and feeling grateful for the past. – Mike Rowe (TV Producer, host, and actor)

3. Listen in the Loudness

And finally, God gives us a picture in this story, and it’s about listening in the loudness. God wants to reveal himself again to Elijah so he tells him to go stand out on the mountain and he will pass by him. In other words, he is going to reveal himself to Elijah again. He needed a reminder that God was in charge and powerful. So there is a powerful wind that comes up. So powerful it splits the mountains. But God wasn’t in the wind. Then there was an earthquake. But God was not in the earthquake. Then there was a fire. But God was not in the fire. Then in verse 12:

“After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” vs. 12

Notice the enormity of these things; a powerful wind, an earthquake, a fire. All huge things that demand attention. We get sucked in by loud and big things. Big things draw our attention. Drive down highway 4 and you see big billboards and bright lights all meant to catch your attention.

Ex. When I am on a hike in Black Diamond I can see Winter Chevrolet billboard

Ex. Commercial on TV. They make them, louder than the shows

But notice in the story where God is; in the gentle whisper. To hear that takes us listening, giving it our attention, and deciphering what is really important. David says in Psalm 131:2

“But I have calmed and quieted myself…” Psalm 131:2a

When is the last time you quieted yourself to hear God? Got away, took a walk, sat alone in a room with everything else off, sat out on your patio and just listened. If we are going to hear God we have to quiet ourselves. We have to focus and listen for him.

Withdraw to Connect

Pone of the best examples of this is Jesus. Jesus withdraws to connect; to connect with God.

Matthew 14 – Feeding the 5,000

Mark 3 – Crowds following Jesus

Luke 5:16 – “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places”

Luke 22 – Jesus withdraws prior to being arrested.

Elijah didn’t know it but he needed to withdraw to reconnect with God. Jesus knew he needed to withdraw. We should follow the example of Jesus. He withdrew before his arrest so that he could seek God. After wards, he had the strength and was willing to do what was necessary for God to be glorified.

What Are You Expecting?

John 2:1-12

“’Woman, why do you involve me?’” Jesus replied. “’My hour has not yet come.’”

Did 2015 Meet Your Expectations?

When you spend a little time and look back, did you find things in 2015 that you hoped might happen but weren’t sure they really might? Did anything surprise you?

Did you expect…

-The Raiders to have a better record than the 49ers?

-The Golden State Warriors to win their first NBA championship in 40 years?

-To see a man make a complete transition to a woman? (and have it accepted and heralded at heroic?)

-To see a front runner for President a woman? Donald Trump?

-Gas prices to drop anywhere from $1.50 to $2.00 in a lot of areas?

-Star Wars to make a comeback with its 7^th movie?

-A 7.8 magnitude earthquake to hit Nepal on April 25^th and kill over 9,000 people and injure 23,000 more

-Water Crisis – Too much back east, not enough in the west, will everything correct itself?

Obviously there are a lot of other things that happened in the past year that we haven’t touched on; both good and bad. Some things we hoped for, some we never saw coming and some just leaving us shaking our head. So what does 2016 hold? What do you expect going into the New Year. Today, let’s look at the very beginning of Jesus ministry and how that may spur us on as we move into 2016. If you are able, please stand as we read God’s Word from John 2:1-12.

Read Passage – John 2:1-12

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, ² and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. ³ When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.” ⁴ “Woman, why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.” ⁵ His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” ⁶ Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. ⁷ Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. ⁸ Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so, ⁹ and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside¹⁰ and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.” ¹¹ What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. ¹² After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.

Some Interesting Considerations

As we approach John 2, Jesus has just come on the scene as far as his ministry life goes. We know very little about what happened to him during the years between the time we see him at the temple as a 12 year old boy and then as he begins his ministry at about age 30. It is interesting to conjecture but we are not going to do that this morning. We are going to focus on the first miracle that Jesus performs; turning water into wine. As we look at this passage there are a lot of different things to focus on and some interesting things to consider. For example it says in verse 1:

“On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee.” vs. 1

-3^rd day – The third day of what? The wedding? Or could John be referring to Christ return from the grave on the 3^rd day and this is a foreshadow of that?

-Wedding – Another interesting this is that this too place at a wedding. Remember, Christ 2^nd coming for his bride and that somehow might play into this passage. Maybe the first and the last acts of Christ’s ministry?

-Wine – What about the wine thing? Christians tend to make too much of the whole wine thing, was it real wine, did Christ drink wine, why wine? Or, consider Christ and his appearance, then, now or in the future as a time of celebration.

-Mary – And Mary. why is she so concerned about the wedding. Could this be a relative, did she have something to do in the planning or organization of it? All interesting to think about.

-Wine Jars – The jars referred to here were for purification, now holding about 30 gallons of water for the wedding. Jesus changes the inside, does this imply his purpose, changing our inside?

These all in and of themselves might make up a whole sermon or a whole study. But there is some underlying things that come out in this passage that sometimes get lost amid all the other things. One of those things is trust. Trust is a theme that runs through this story and it led me to challenge you with this question this morning:

As you move forward, into 2016, do you trust God/Jesus with the future? And more than just in the material and economic and ups and downs of everyday life. Do you trust him spiritually? You know we make New Years resolutions. I want to get into better shape, eat healthier, get out of debt, be a better parent, spouse, person, etc. What about a spiritual resolution? Do I trust God/Jesus enough to make part of 2016 a commitment to walk in a deeper way with God?

Trusting Jesus with the Future

Maybe you have never thought about making a spiritual resolution for a New Year? Think about that as we see how this story of the first miracle of Jesus challenges us to trust him more as you move into a new year.

• Invite Jesus Into Situations

The first thing that struck me about this story and the theme of trust is that if we want to grow spiritually, we have to invite Jesus into our lives. Read again with me verse 1b-2:

“Jesus’ mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.” vs. 1b-2

Notice Jesus was invited as were his disciples and his mom. We often think about inviting Jesu into the big things in life, weddings, funerals, special events, etc. what about into the everyday part of life? One of the great passages of Scripture tells us that God never leaves us or forsakes us. He never forgets us. But…if you are like me, I forget him at times. Another great passage of Scripture is Micah 6:8:

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

Circle “to walk.” I think walking with God is having him there every step of the way. Now, it is almost impossible to tell you not to forget that God is with you. Life is busy and our little minds can only handle so much.

Challenge: What about just making a commitment to invite Jesus into your day? Your job? Your hobby? Your home? You get the idea. You could do this in prayer. You could do it by putting up reminders around you, verse cards, etc. Don’t make this an overbearing thing, make it fun, make it easy, make it a way of saying I will invite God into my daily life.

• Know Jesus Deeper

The second time trust comes up here comes in verse three. The people putting on the wedding have somehow miscalculated the amount of wine they needed. This could be embarrassing for them. Mary notices that this has taken place and brings it to Jesus attention in verse 3:

“When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, ‘They have no more wine.’” vs. 3

The real question comes in why did she tell Jesus about this? We don’t have an answer but think about his for a minute. She raised him. She saw him grow, work, and go about the things of everyday life. No one probably knew Jesus better than his mom. She knew what he was capable of. We don’t know what else she had seen Jesu do but she knew him, she trusted him. If we are going to trust jesus with our future we have to know him in such a deep way that we know what he is capable of and how he works. Matthew 7:7 says:

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Matt. 7:7

Part of the challenge of our life is how much we are willing to trust Jesus with every aspect of our life and that we know him deep enough to turn things over to him. Many people ask me how to discern God’s will for their life. Here it is in a nutshell; know him deeper. The more you know him the more you see him work, the more you trust him to handle what you can’t and the more you are likely to understand his will so you ask what he wants for you, you seek what his will is and you knock on the doors that he leads you to.

Challenge: How can you know him deeper? Join a Bible study/small group. Commit to a prayer schedule. Commit to a reading schedule to both God’s Word and other books that lead to deeper walks with God. Make a list of ways you have seen God work, answers to prayer, etc. so that you discern the ways in which he works with you and through you.

• Move Forward

The third time trust comes up in our story is in verse 5:

“His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’” vs. 5

What did Mary expect here? We don’t really know. We aren’t sure that she thought he could turn water to wine. Did Jesus know where the closest wine store was? J We don’t know exactly what she thought but we can discern this; whatever Jesus was going to do, that was good enough for Mary. She moved forward without really knowing exactly how Jesus would respond. And she instructed the servants to move forward with whatever Jesus told them to do. That is faith and that is trust. Many times we want the answer first then we will move. Can you move forward in trust?

There is a story in the Old Testament about God parting the water for the Israelites. The first time is in Exodus 13 when the Israelites are freed from slavery and they are leaving Egypt. But there is another time, it’s found in Joshua 3. The Israelites are just about to go into the promised land. Moses has died and Joshua is leading them. As they approach the Jordan they need to get to the other side. But how are they going to cross? God instructs them in verse 13:

“And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.” Joshua 3:13

So, notice they had to put their foot into the water before it would dry up for them to walk across. We are willing to cross the muddy waters if God parts them for us first but what about when we are called to put our foot in first. We have to trust.

Challenge: Where are you holding back because you want an answer first and God is calling you to move forward, put your foot in the water and trust him?

• Trust Through Uncertainty

And finally, the fourth time trust comes up is in verses 7-8:

“Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so…” vs. 7-8

Now, the servants are challenged to trust him too. They have no idea what Jesus can do but they follow his instructions. We can only guess that they may have been a bit confused by this or uncertain of what was going to happen. Of course being servants they had to do what was asked of them but we can still learn from them. Many times we have to trust through uncertainty. That is a hard place to be. Uncertainty is a place of questioning and confusion at times. It’s that place where you get afraid to do what you know you need to do.

One place like that is when we give to God. In Micah he challenges us to trust God in tithing. It says in Micah 3:10:

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” Micah 3:10

Tithing is just one aspect of trust.; but it is an important one too. Our challenge is to trust God in all things and let’s face it, sometimes some things are easier than others. Money is good example for us because we all have to deal with it. You really don’t have a choice. Do you trust God enough to give back to him?

Challenge: What are of your life have you been struggling to turn over to God and really trust him? Money? You children? Your job?

Jesus’ Glory Revealed

So let’s wrap this up with this thought; when we trust Jesus, and others see that, and they see that he comes through, his glory is revealed. Verse 11:

“What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.” vs. 11

Challenges of 2016:

The roof

The plumbing

Attendance

?????

A New Light Has Dawned (First Sunday of Advent)

Isaiah 9:1-7

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light…” vs. 2

Total Darkness

A few years ago Claudia and I began hiking more extensively at Black Diamond mines. She discovered something she wanted to show me and so one day we hiked to Prospect Mine. To my surprise, it was a cave dug years ago for mining sandstone and you could still hike back into it. I was excited to see how far back it goes and to explore a bit and yet at the same time I was a little nervous…okay, maybe scared a little. We had flashlights and so we explored. I was really surprised at how far back it went. There was a point where you could no longer see the entrance. When we made it as far as you could go, because they had put up wrought iron bars we looked around and then Claudia said, “Turn off your flashlight.” I was a little nervous but I did. I could not believe how dark it was. It was total darkness. I put my hand up in front of me and could not see it. Even though I had flashlight on when we came in and I saw there was really nothing else in there I started a mini panic; were there spiders, small rodents, what if my flashlight won’t turn back on, what if some guy, a murderer, is hiding out in there, etc. Of course after a moment I turned the flash light back on and everything was fine and then we made our way back out. It was pretty comforting when the cave entrance came into view again and then emerging from the cave it was like, ahhh, life is good again. But it was a fin experience.

Fast forward a few years and Claudia and I decided to take the youth group on a n outing to the mine. Of course this time I was the expert, the cool guy who had done it and was not afraid. I knew the kids were a little on edge but it was like, “Come on, it’s okay, it’s perfectly safe.” We went in and they we made our way back. They got really nervous when I said, “O.K. everybody, turn your flashlights off.” They did but some of them were really nervous and this was before cell phones were so popular and before the flash light app was available. Some of them were experiencing for the first time that total darkness. Some of them couldn’t wait to turn those flashlights back on. I, of course, had to scare a few them. But I did notice that I was still a bit nervous. I was responsible for these kids and what if something went wrong. It wasn’t long before a few of them said, “Let’s go back.”

You know, darkness stirs up some things in us, nerves, anxiety, our minds wander to bad things happening, etc. But light tends to work in the opposite way. So lets look at what God’s Word says about this subject in Isaiah 9:1-97. If you are able, please stand as we read God’s Word.

Read Passage – Isaiah 9:1-7

Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—² The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. ³ You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder. ⁴ For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. ⁵ Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire. ⁶ For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. ⁷ Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.

Doom and Gloom

Isaiah chapter 9 is really a continuing thought from Isaiah chapter 8. In chapter 8 the nation of Judah is being ruled by King Ahaz who was not one of Judah’s better kings. It says in 2 Kings16 that:

“he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord.” 2 Kings 16:2

So Judah was not following God and their king was leading them down a dangerous path. The Nation of Syria and Israel were threatening attacks and destruction and the people were living in fear. Judah was 2 of the tribes of Israel that broke off from the other 10 after the death of Solomon. They were a smaller nation a with a smaller army and fewer resources. In their eyes things were not looking good. So we read in chapter 9 verse 1a:

“Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress.” vs. 1a

This verse tells us their state of mind; doom and gloom. Not god had promised they would not be overtaken by Syria and Israel but they weren’t following God so why would they believe him? They were in constant threat and felt inferior so they lived with this oppression and dark cloud hanging over them.

Prophecies of Renewed Lands

So as we approach Isaiah 9 we have the benefit of hindsight and looking back on God’s plan and what he was doing. One of the things intriguing things that God tells the nation of Judah comes in verse 1b:

“In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan.” vs. 1b

Now you might recognize the names of those two tribes, but you probably can’t recall much of anything about them. They are two of the northern most tribes of Israel right up here (show map). What’s intriguing about this is that these two tribes aren’t really mentioned much in the Bible. We see big prophecies or events that take place in these two tribes. They are just 2 of the lesser known tribes. It says in verse one that they were humbled. Interestingly enough, God often uses the lesser known, the smaller, the lowly, the humbled, to accomplish some of his greatest plans. So why is this so important here? The prophet is predicting what is to come and that there is something big in there future. God is going to use them. Now this prophecy is about 500 years before the time of Christ. Let’s jump ahead 500 years. Joseph and Mary leave Bethlehem (part of Judah) and flee to Egypt because Herod is killing all the Israeli boys because he has heard that one of them would be a king. After the death of Herod, when Joseph and Mary return to Israel, they don’t go back to Bethlehem, no, they return and settle in Galilee. Guess which tribes once inhabited the land of Galilee? That’s right – Zebulun and Naphtali. To the Israelites this didn’t make a lot of sense since Zebulun and Naphtali weren’t that significant.

Note: we look for God to do great things in great places but often he uses the lesser known, the less significant to accomplish his plan. Example, the Christ would be born to nobility, not an unwed mother and carpenter, in a big town like Jerusalem, not some manger out of town and away from greatness.

And it gets better. Matthew tells us that early in His ministry, Jesus left His home town of Nazareth…
“…he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali— to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah: “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, along the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” Matthew 4

If they were to listen closely they would see that God is prophesying hope for them and for what is to come. Now we can feel much like Judah when we see all the things happening around us. We can feel our nation is on the wrong track and headed down the wrong path and it’s only a matter of time before things completely fall apart. But…that is what is so great about this time of year. We remember. We remember what God has done and that he is still working and has a plan and that he is a God of hope.

God’s Three Promises of Hope

Most of the time when you hear people speak about this passage they focus on verse 6. That is such an awesome verse and so important in our understanding of God and his plan. But, if we fail to look at the verse before it we have missed a gem. In the verses before verse 6 God gives three promises of hope to Judah that apply for us as well today.

• A Light

The first promise comes in verse 2b which reads:

“…those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” vs. 2b

The phrase he uses here is a “light has dawned.” Dawn is that time just before the light comes up. It was dark, the day is beginning and there is the anticipation of the sun coming up. Dawn brings hope because the sunlight is just about to make its appearance.

Ex. You go out and it is dark, it’s hard to see, hard to know what is in front of you, a little unsure of the path. The dawn comes and you can see what is ahead, you can begin to see a new day; it’s hope because the sun is about to come up. And when that sunlight makes its first breakthrough there is joy.

In the dawn we see hope   They are just about to discover that God is bringing about change and that he is working but they are so overcome by the darkness theat they fail to see the dawn.

Ill. This is the 1^st Sunday of advent in the church calendar. What that means is that this is the first Sunday that we begin to think about Christmas. Thanksgiving is over and that is such a great time but Christmas is coming. This is like the dawn. We are anticipating the celebration of the Messiah.

(Light the 1^st Advent candle)

I know a lot of people debate the time of year that Christmas is celebrated but this is a tradition thousands of years old that we choose to celebrate the gift of God’s son that bring light to our world. It’s the beginning of a new day. A celebration of that first light. David put is wonderfully in Psalm 112:4:

“Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.” Psalm 112:4

You see, even for us, we may feel we are living in a dark time, things seem gloomy and dark, but Christmas is a time of remembrance that light is and has come. Did you know that each of the candles represents something of God and that the first candle is the candle of hope?

• An Increase of Joy

The second promise that comes in these verses comes in verse 3 and says:

“You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.” vs. 3

The key phrases in this verse help us understand what God is communicating to us about joy. Notice that he sues the illustrations of the harvest and of dividing up the plunder after war. He is indicating that this is a new time. There are flows to life; times where we work, fight, toil, plant, water, etc. Another time is when all the work is done and there is time to reap and gather and enjoy the fruit of the labor. These people would get this because many of them were farmers and those that weren’t, many of them were warriors. The farmers had times of long days, tilling the soil, planting, watering, weeding, and cultivating. The warriors had times of prep and fighting and going to war and time away from their country and families. This is a new time.

Ill. Enjoying the first produce of the harvest. (When I picked pomegranates last week)

Enjoying the time of splitting up the plunder from war and the new things gained.

There is joy that comes in these times. It’s an abundance and a time of rejoicing. Sometimes it is hard to wait for but if we are persistent and continue on, the harvest comes. Paul uses the same illustration in Gal. 6:9:

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Gal. 6:9

In time, we do reap a harvest and that is a joyful time.

• Liberty

And the third promise comes in verses 4-5; liberty:

“For as in the day of Midian’s defeat, you have shattered the yoke that burdens them, the bar across their shoulders, the rod of their oppressor. Every warrior’s boot used in battle and every garment rolled in blood will be destined for burning, will be fuel for the fire.” vss. 4-5

Midian was a oppressor of the Israelites. You might recall when we studied Gideon that he, with God’s leading and help, defeated the Midianites and that was a great victory for God and his people. They were oppressing and treating the Israelites badly and only God could save them. God did and he broke that yoke. The yoke is that big piece of wood that went on the shoulders of oxen and tied them together so they could till the ground. When a human has that kind of thing on it is oppressing and cumbersome restricting. God lifted it and took it away. The analogy here that comes in verse 5 is that the boots and garments of oppression are now used as kindling for the fire that symbolizes freedom and victory.

For us, we have a similar oppression, it is sin. It’s those things that separate us from God and cause us not to have a whole relationship with him. He provided the victory over sin in Jesus Christ and now we are called to live in freedom. Paul, again, uses the same analogy in Galatians 5:

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.: Gal. 5:1

God has set us free through his son Jesus Christ and we are no longer living under a burden or oppression. Christ set us free and we are called not to go back to that old way of life that is restrictive, cumbersome and oppressive.
Light of Life

It’s in light of those promises that we come to that amazing verse 6:

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.” vs. 6a

These wonderful words prophecy the coming of Jesus Christ who is the Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Jesus came to brign light and freedom to us that we no longer live in fear, gloom, and darkness. He said in John 8:12:

“When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

Because of his work and his light, we never have to walk in darkness again. In fact, in Matthew 5 Jesus says : You are the light of the world.” What he is saying tht we have inherited his light, not because of anything we have done but all because of what he has done and we are called to let our light, Jesus in us, shine so that the world will see God and glorify him. Today we celebrate the 1^st week of advent and that the light of the world has come and that in Jesus we have the light of life. A new light has dawned again this year as we move into the Christmas season.

The Battle Belongs to the Lord

Judges 7:15-25

“Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.” vs. 15b 

The Bridge

General Stonewall Jackson’s famous war leader who played an important role in our nation’s Civil War. One of his most important tours was the Valley Campaign. It was a 1862 campaign through the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia and an important and strategic battle. At one point, Jackson’s army found itself on one side of a river when it needed to be on the other side. He called engineers telling them to plan and build a bridge so the army could cross. He also called his wagon master in to tell him that it was urgent the wagon train cross the river as soon as possible. The wagon master started gathering all the logs, rocks and fence rails he could find and built a bridge. Long before day light General Jackson was told by his wagon master all the wagons and artillery had crossed the river. General Jackson realized that the wagon master had taken the task on and completed it in the darkness of the night. General Jackson asked where are the engineers and what are they doing? The wagon master’s only reply was that they were in their tent drawing up plans for a bridge.

I love that story. So many times we spend so much time planning, looking ahead, and thinking about what needs to be done and here is a guy who just saw what needed to be done and did it. We have been studying Gideon and Gideon has waited long enough to do what God has for him. Let’s see how Gideon moves forward. If you are able, please stand as we read Judges 7:16-25:

Read Passage – Judges 7:16-25

When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.” ¹⁶ Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside. ¹⁷ “Watch me,” he told them. “Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. ¹⁸ When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’” ¹⁹ Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands. ²⁰ The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” ²¹ While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled. ²² When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. ²³ Israelites from Naphtali, Asher and all Manasseh were called out, and they pursued the Midianites. ²⁴ Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth Barah.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out and they seized the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth Barah. ²⁵ They also captured two of the Midianite leaders, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was by the Jordan.

Time to Spring Into Action

Gideon had tested god enough. It was time to be obedient and spring into action and that is exactly what he does; verse 15b:

“He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, ‘Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.’” vs. 15b

Gideon is now fulfilling what he was destined for, what he was always to be , which was a “mighty warrior” as his name indicates. He steps up and is rallying the troops as their leader to follow God, to take back the land God had given them, and more importantly, to turn back to God and follow him.

Upside-Down Choices

So in the passage we are told that Gideon has a plan which we also assume is from God himself. It’s actually a bit unconventional but it’s what needs to be done in this situation; verse 16-17:

“Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside. ¹⁷ “Watch me,” he told them. “Follow my lead.” vs. 16-17a

I say it’s a bit unconventional because when you are in a smaller group and you are going up against a larger group of people, you probably would adhere to the adage: “There is strength in numbers.” But I want to consider today that our logic might need to be changed.

Tim Keller in his book Center Church talks about upside-down choice. Things are not always the way world teaches us. We are taught to be strong and in charge. “Jesus was the king who became servant. In Jesus kingdom the poor, sorrowful, and persecuted are above the rich, recognized and satisfied. Though Jesus was rich he became poor. Though he was a king, he served. Though he was the greatest, he made himself the servant of all. He triumphed over sin not by taking up power but by serving sacrificially/. He “won” through losing everything.” (p. 46) This is completely opposite of what the world teaches.

Living By the Sword

So in our story today, I think there is something important that we need to take note of and it comes in verse 21:

“A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” vs. 21

As they attack the Midianite army this the cry that goes up “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon.” This is an interesting cry. Some people try to say that Gideon is attaching his name to God’s and is trying to trust in himself or build himself up. I believe that this cry is specific. Remember when Gideon hears the Midianite army talking about the dream and the loaf of bread rolling into cap? The interpretation is that the attack is by the sword of Gideon and that God has given them into his hands. I think this cry wants to make sure that God is given the credit, not just Gideon. The Midianites knew about Gideon, now they know about God too. It’s not Gideon trying to take credit, it’s Gideon making sure God gets the credit, God’s name is first.

Also, I think there is some symbolism here too. Why the sword? The easy answer is that was the weapon of warfare for his day. When you went to battle you took your sword. We have the advantage of hindsight. In the NT the sword is talked about in Eph. 6 as one of our weapons as well. It says in Eph. 6:17 that we are to:

“Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Eph. 6:17

The sword is the symbol of the Holy Spirit and God’s presence s with us through his word The Bible. Pretty cool, the same weapon Gideon has, is the same weapon we have. Also, it’s symbolic of the working of the Holy Spirit in the OT. Also, consider that the sword of the Spirit which is God’s Word is the only offensive weapon listed. All the other things listed are defensive or meant to protect us where the sword is our offensive weapon.

So what are we to take away from this cool story? I think there are some ways that is story teaches us to live by the Spirit. But…these are difficult things and many people choose not to live by them, not to follow God, and not to trust God’s ways.

1. We Have Strength Even in Small Numbers

First, we have strength in numbers, even small numbers, verse 19:

“Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard.” vs. 19

It’s important to remember that the size of the army was not important. What was important is that God receive the glory. What’s even more interesting in this story is the timing. When would an army be at its most vulnerable? It’s when they are changing shifts. Everyone is milling around, not exactly on high alert, and more likely to be caught off guard. God’s timing is precise as we saw last week so here we see it again. God uses even the simplest of things to his advantage.

You might think that they could accomplish more if they stick together but remember, God cut this army down from 32,000 to 300 so there would be no mistake that He is given credit for the victory and so that the Israelite people would trust in Him. Many times we can feel outnumbered or even split up into too small of groups. God says his ways are not our ways so when it is his will, even if you feel divided, it’s only so he can work and receive the glory. Our tendency is to put worth in numbers. Size is no issue to God.

Ex. David and Goliath – David was a younger, smaller teenage boy taking on a 9 foot giant.

But here is an important factor that we should keep in mind: even when we are small in numbers, there is strength. Ecc. 4:12:

“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Ecc. 4:12

Don’t be fooled by size.

Ex. Ronnie, Bobby and Kenny as kids. My friend John who was a football player. He knew he could attack us individually but knew that when all 3 of us were together, even though we were the epitome of the 100 lb. weaklings, we could not over taken. He tried and we prevailed.

Ex. How about churches? We can think that God is only working in churches with big numbers. Not true. Maybe the real test comes in that when you are small, it’s imperative that you trust in God.

2. Obedience Is Hard

Secondly, obedience is hard. Think about this with children. We have to teach them obedience. Disobedience comes pretty natural to us. Many people don’t want to follow God because they don’t want to be obedient. Look again at vs. 20:

“…they shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” vs. 20b

I can’t say I know the thoughts of these men but here must have been a little bit of fear and worry that maybe they shouldn’t have followed Gideon or that maybe they were too small in number, maybe they had underestimated the Midianite army, maybe Gideon is just a little off his rocker, and look what they were fighting with. In the case today, God’s promises victory, but there are times when we are called to walk through difficulties too. Think about how most of us pray; we usually pray for things to go well, for good outcomes, for the easy road. We pray for the difficulty to be taken away. Lack of obedience is lack of trust. Remember when Jesus prayed in the garden and asked for the cup to be taken from him? He said, “not my will but yours (God).”If Jesus was obedient then we should strive for obedience as well. Paul writes about Jesus in Hebrews 5:8-9

“Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him…” Hebrews 5:8-9

Life doesn’t usually turn out the way we expect it or want it. We all go through tough times and struggles. The real issue is that God gets the glory whether it’s through victory or through difficulty.

Ex. Paul imprisoned, Jeremiah restrained and only given water and bread to eat, Noah and the flood, etc.

3. God Picks Our Weapons, Not Us

And third, when you live by the sword or spit, you are always supplied with the right tools but…God picks our weapons, not us. Notice verse 19b:

“They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands.” vs. 19b

Sure they had swords but their other weapons were clay jars and torches; not exactly hand grenades and tanks! And get this, think how full their hands were. They had a trumpet in one hand, a jar with a torch in the other. Where was the sword? Most likely it was in its sheath. Here’s the fun part of the story. It’s dark out. The Midianite army has no idea how army people are out there. All they can figure out is that there is a lot of trumpets blowing and a bunch of lights all around them. The illusion is that the army is much bigger than what it really is. The noise is so loud, it’s such a surprise that it throws them into total confusion . They run around killing each other and then are trying to figure out how to get out of there as quickly as possible. They start running for the hills and the Israelite army calls in some of the other Israelite tribes to help them track down and kill the Midianites. The real story is that they had everything they needed to be victorious.

God will always provide us with the weapons or tools we need. He never leaves us without the necessary things to help us. Phil. 4:19 says:

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:19

Here’s where it really gets difficult; trusting God with this. We have our ideas of what we need to be victorious but that might not be what God has supplied us with. He gave David rocks to fight Goliath. He gave the Israelites clay jars and torches to fight an army of at least 135,000 men. Not our idea of what it would take to be victorious. God has given us a sword, his word, and it has everything we need. We have to trust it. We have to be willing to be obedient. We have to be willing to fight with what he has given us.

Life by the Spirit is not an easy life. It takes trust, obedience, and faith. It’s not easy but it is rewarding, it is fulfilling, and it bring glory to the place that it belongs; to God.

The Sounding of the Trumpet

Now there is one more thing that this story brings up that is quite intriguing. It’s what Gideon did and the Israelite army did when they broke their jars; they sounded their horns, When Christ is victorious and returns, the sounding of the trumpet. The trumpet sound was to be a sound of victory.

Let me remind you that as Gideon came to free the Israelites and lead them to God, Jesus came, lived among us, died, and rose again and leads us back to God. He did all that for you and I. You can also recall that when he left this earth and was seated at the right hand of God that it was promised he would return again. Do you know the sign that Jesus was victorious and not only conquered death but ushers in a new kingdom? A trumpet blast.   It says in Rev. 11:15:

“The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.’” Rev. 11:15

The kingdom of God is ushered in by a trumpet blast, the sign that the enemy is defeated. Prior to this the Israelites were having difficulty. Prior to God’s kingdom being ushered in the church will have difficulty. When Gideon sounded the trumpet it was a sign that Israel was being re-established as a kingdom and that the Midianites and other eastern people would no longer rule, God’s rule was back. At the sounding of the 7^th trumpet, Christ reign is established and the enemy no longer has a foothold, Christ rules we are now in the kingdom of God.

More Reassurance Needed

Judges 7:8-15

“When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshiped.” vs. 15

Mileage Markers

Claudia and I had the opportunity to get away this week and spend the week at Lake Tahoe (BTW Thank you to Mike Laughlin for filling in last week in the pulpit). As many of you know it is one of the most beautiful places on earth. It is particularly beautiful right now as the leaves change color and the snow is just about to come to that area. One of the things that we love to do is hike and we were able to get some great hikes in. Tuesday Claudia felt more like reading and relaxing at the condo so I decided to take a hike on my own. I drove up to a place on the north side of Tahoe where highway 28 and 50 meet called Spooner Lake. There is a trail that goes up to Marlette Lake and I decided that was the hike for me. As I started out there was something pretty cool on this trail, the Eagle Scouts had raised some money and put these mileage markers on the trail so you would know how far you have gone and just in case anyone gets lost or confused they are a good thing for rescue teams as well. All in all it was a great hike and when I made it up to Marlette Lake it was just beautiful. I took some pictures along the way and when I got back to the condo I showed them to Claudia and Frank and Lois because the colors were so vibrant and stunning.

That night I was watching the 11’oclock news (KOLO 8) and the weather man Jeff Thompson. He showed some pictures people had sent in. So, the next day I decided to send him one of mine. Although I remembered I sent it to him I wasn’t really expecting to see it on the news. All the sudden, as I am looking at my Ipad, I hear “And this picture was sent in by Ron Bowman from Antioch California who is at Incline Village for the week. Look at the aspens and color in this picture. Thanks Ron!” I am like, whoa, that’s me! Now everyone has gone to bed but get these perspectives of what happens next.

Me – I go running, I mean running, down stairs and I slip half way down the stairs I am so excited. All I can think of is telling her and hoping she might be able to turn on the TV and see it.

Claudia- She hears me slip and thinks maybe Lois has fallen down the stairs and becomes kind of worried, especially as I burst through the door.

Frank and Lois – They hear me fall and they are thinking, “What in the world are Ron and Claudia doing out there!

We all have different perspectives of the situation in life and sometimes all we can see is our own. This happens to Gideon in our story today and God works in some pretty unique ways in this story found in Judges 7:8-15. If you are able, p;ease stand as we read God’s Word.

Read Passage – Judges 7:8-15

Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. ⁹ During that night the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. ¹⁰ If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah ¹¹ and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp. ¹² The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.

¹³ Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. “I had a dream,” he was saying. “A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.” ¹⁴ His friend responded, “This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.” ¹⁵ When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.”

Outnumbered

A quick review of Gideon is that he has been called upon by God to lead the Israelites to take back their land and homes from neighboring people who are attacking and ravaging their homes , animals and stealing their crops. Gideon is a man who doesn’t have a lot of trust in God and keeps asking for reassurances that God will do what he said he would do and last week we saw how he asked for a sign by putting out a fleece. Part of that story is that God whittled down his army of 32,000 men. We saw in Judges 7:7:

“The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands.” Judges 7:7

So this army of 32,000 gets taken down from 32,000 to 10,000 then to 300. At 32,000 they were probably outnumbered 4 to 1 and now, with 300, it’s more like 450 to 1. That is a pretty staggering number.

Here’s one thing that I think is important to remember about this story. From Gideon’s perspective they are badly outnumbered. But…I would contend that though they are outnumbered, they are not over powered. They have Almighty God on their side.

That Old Doubt Thing Is Back

Now as I said a moment ago, Gideon is a man who lacks trust in God and is pretty fearful that God might not do what he said he would do and that old doubt thing is back again. He has asked God for a sign at least 5 times to reassure him that God is really going to do what he says. You would think that would be more than enough. But look again at verse 10-11a:

“If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying.” vss. 10-11a

Notice that God still sees his lack of faith and trust. He says “If you are afraid…” not because he is not sure Gideon is afraid but because he knows that Gideon still is afraid that all this is going to happen as God said it would. Gideon could have tried to fake it here and said “I’m not afraid!” He would only be fooling himself. God knew he still was afraid. We want to come across as being strong and we want to trust God and His word yet doubt is there, and God knows it. A healthy thing is to admit our fear, our doubt, our struggle. We have to own up to who we really are. Doubt doesn’t stop God, it stops us. God is patient and he keeps reassuring Gideon. He keeps reassuring us too.

Note this: Though Gideon doubts, he calls him to action. He says, “…go down to the camp…” Don’t think that because you doubt you won’t have to do anything. Sometimes the only thing that will remove our doubt and build our confidence is to move forward. And don’t get me wrong, this is not easy. It’s hard to move when you’re not feeling it. Like Gideon, you might be aske d to move despite your doubt, fear, or struggle.

God Works In the Details

So in our story today, we have talked about perspectives and how sometimes our perspective may not be the only perspective. Something that may help us is to realize that God works in the details and if we take a moment, realize how God is working, we may be able to move forward in confidence. I see three ways that God was working in the details of this story.

• God Provides Support

The first way God was working was to provide support for Gideon. Look at vs. 10:

“If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah…” vs. 10

Notice who Gideon has with him, Purah his servant. We don’t know really anything about Purah. And I think that many times we discount him because he was his servant. But don’t do that.

Why Purah? Purah was probably there helping him when he broke down the altar of Baal in chapter 6. Purah is by his side the whole way. He was probably someone Gideon confided in and had to trust with his life. He might have even known what Gideon would repson better to and how to encourage him. Just because he is a hired hand doesn’t make him any less important and less of a support to Gideon.

Ill. Our jobs. If you are a boss you depend on those working for you to provide the support and encouragement we need. Also they probably know how you work and what you need to be successful and more confident.

I know for me, I am more confident and stay on track better when I have someone to support me and encourage men.

Ex. Think about groups like Weight Watchers, AA, etc. They try to pair you up so you have support and someone to lean on. A lot of times we do this in our own life like with exercise. It’s better when we have support.

This is a theme that God stresses throughout the Bible. We were not made to go through everything alone. We are called time and time again to encourage and build up each other. 1 Thess. 5:11:

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

1 Thess. 5:11

Too many people are trying to do it all on their own.

Challenge: Do you have someone who supports you? Or, someone who needs your support? What area do yo need help in and you just can’t seem to move forward? That might be a sign you need support. If you don’t have that support, who can you ask?

• God’s Timing Is Precise

A second perspective of God working in the details comes in the timing. There is a really cool thing that happens in this story. God tells Gideon to sneak into the Midianite camp and listen to what the Midianite army is talking about. Verse 13:

“Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream.” vs. 13

So get this, at the precise moment that Gideon is close enough to hear the Midianite men, they are talking about him. Whoa! Many people may chalk this up to coincidence, luck, or karma (in today’s world). No, this is god’s perfect and precise timing. This is no coincidence. When God is at work and in the details, his timing is precise. We have to take this out of the “luck” or “karma” category and be aware, recognize, and know that God’s timing is perfect.

Here is another thing that can stop us from moving forward, failure to recognize that God’s timing is precise. When we chalk it up to luck or karma, or even just good timing, we are not giving God the credit. We’ve taken it out of his hand and put it into some chance category. God is not a God of chance. You know how I know that? Because I know an believe that he has a plan. He has said so. Jer. 29:11:

“’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord…” Jer. 29:11

God has a plan for you and for me and his plan is good and meant to move us into deeper relationship with him. If you chalk it up to chance, luck or karma you have taken it out of God’s hands and are failing to see his plan; His good, perfect, and precisely timed plan. Sometimes we don’t see God’s timing because it doesn’t fit our plan or our timing.

Challenge: What are you discounting or not giving God credit for and even more so, what are you missing because you are not seeing God’s timing.

Think about what Gideon would have missed if he hadn’t moved when God told him to and had he not listened to God’s timing.

• God’s Working In Other People Too!

And third, God was working way beyond just Gideon, he was working in other people too. And guess what? They were people who didn’t believe in him. Yes it’s true. Verse 14:

“His friend responded, “This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.” vs. 14

A lot of times we miss God working in the details because we have limited him to working only through believers, or in the things that we think he should work through. We limit God! I know that sounds crazy but it’s true. In our story the Midianites might not have understood that they understood what was happening because god had revealed it to them but that is what happened. They knew because God put it in their head. That was part of his plan too! Realize that God is moving in people that might not understand who he is but that is part of his plan as well. He is working in them to bring them to a relationship with him too.

I don’t know about you but I was raised with the idea that God only works in those who love him and he only hears the prayers of those who believe in him. I really don’t believe that anymore. Think about it, does God not hear prayers or are the prayers f non-believers just muffled until one day they pray a prayer of confession and then all the sudden god can hear them? That doesn’t sound like the God I know.

Ex. Our kids. You have more than one kid and they may believe or think differently than you. Do you shut them out or not listen to them? No, you love them and listen to them and continue to pursue a deeper relationship with them and hope one day they will believe as you do. God does that to us as well.

Remember Peter tried to shut out the gentiles because he was limiting God to only working in the Jewish believers. God had to use Paul to get to those people because Peter struggled with it.

Let me relate this through a story in the Bible. In Acts 10 there is this centurion from the Italian regiment and he and his family are God-fearing and praying and doing good things for the poor and those in need. God calls Peter to go see him because of Peter’s limitations on how he is working. It’s when peter has the vision of the sheet and eating unclean things. God calls Peter ot go meet and talk with Cornelius but this is way out of Peter’s comfort zone. But when he meets him, talks to him, and sees what he is doing, Peter says in Acts 10:31:

“Cornelius, God has heard your prayer and remembered your gifts to the poor.” Acts 10:31

Peter sees that God is working way beyond whatever he could imagine. Peter’s perspective is limited, every limited. Gods is working in other people.

Challenge: The challenge for us is to not limit God and realizew he is working in other people too.

Our Response to God: Worship and Action

So here is what it boils down to, we need to be more aware of God working in the details. We need to be more in tune to what God is doing and not limit him, not discount what he is doing, and draw into a deeper relationship with him. Let me finish by finishing this story and showing what God did for us here. In the story the Midian army guy talks about this dream, it’s a loaf of bread that comes rolling into camp and destroys the army. Ever had a weird dream? I have them all the time. This sounds weird but it’s really not. See the story explains that Gideon is the loaf of bread. Why bread? God uses everday things to help us understand and see him in new ways. Well, with an army of that size and the needs that need to be met, not everyone would have meat and other things to eat. Everyone understood bread because that was their staple for food. Everyone had bread and it gave then carbs and strength and sustenance. Not only did the Midianites get this but Gideon and Purah would have gotten it as well. When they hear this what do they do? Verse 15:

“When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshiped.” vs. 15

Let me relate this to us. Christ came to this earth for us, to live, die, and be the sacrifice for our sins. Through his death and resurrection we are forgiven and have new life. One of the terms we use for Christ is “Bread of Life.” Christ is our sustenance. We have the Holy Spirit as a guide and as strength. We have the bread that can roll through the enemy camp and destroy them. You don’t have to go at it on your own. God is there with you providing support, doing things in the right timing, and working way beyond what you might think. And it prompts us to give him glory and to bow down and worship him.

Reflecting God’s Character

Judges 7:1-8

“Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.” vs. 3

Character Vs. Reputation
A lot of life’s relationships has to do with how people see us and their perceptions of us as well as how we see ourselves and what we project. William Hersey Davis, was a professor of New Testament at Southern Univ. from 1920-1948 and wrote books on grammar, Greek, and contemporary Christian issues. He published a book that contained the comparison of character and reputation. Here are a few of the things he noted:

-Reputation is what you are supposed to be, character is what you are.

-Reputation is what you have when you enter a new place, character is what you are when you leave that place.

-Reputation is made in a moment, character is made in a lifetime.

-He compared reputation to a mushroom (meaning it grows quickly) and character to an oak tree (long sustaining growth)

-A single report gives you a reputation, a life of work gives you character

-Reputation makes you rich or poor, character makes you happy or sad

-Reputation is what men think you are, character is what God knows you are.

I think most of us want to be liked by people and thought of well. It seems to me that if we want to truly be content with who we are and what we accomplish in this life, we must work on being people of good and Godly character. Today, we continue our story of Gideon and his preparations to combat his neighbors, those stealing, ravaging and abusing he and his people, and how God works in and through him. If you are able, please stand as we read God’s Word from Judges 7:1-8:

Read Passage – Judges 7:1-18

Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. ² The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ ³ Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained. ⁴ But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” ⁵ So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.” ⁶ Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink. ⁷ The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.” ⁸ So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets.

Good to Go

A quick review of Gideon, he is called by God to bring the people of Israel back to God because they have fallen into idol worship and when the Midianites, Amalekites and neighboring people ravage their homes, crops, and livestock, they run for the hills and hide in caves. This has been going on for 7 years and they cry out to God for help. God has promised Gideon victory. Gideon looks strong on the outside but struggles with his faith and last week we saw how he put God to the test by asking for a sign by putting a fleece out. God uses Gideon despite his lack of faith. God responds and now Gideon is good to go and follow God’s plan; vs. 1:

“Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh.” vs. 1

So Gideon is set to move out, he has gathered the fighting men of Israel and they are ready to fight and take back the land God gave them. Gideon has about 32,000 fighting men.

Our Tendency to Trust Ourselves

This might have seemed like a big army but the Israelites were facing a Midianite army that is estimated to have about 135,000 men. So even at this point, they are outnumbered 4 to 1. But remember what we discovered last week, God sees things differently than we do and he sees the bigger picture. He also sees our character and knows our thoughts and tendencies. God knew that the Israelites would take credit for the victory even though God was the one providing the victory so he says to Gideon in verse 2:

“The Lord said to Gideon, ‘You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’” vs. 2

Fist this would have been a bit confusing because they were outnumbered b a large margin. But, secondly, even when God works things out for us, we as people tstill tend to take some of the credit.

Ex. God does something like build the church. We know he does that but our tendency is to take some of the credit. Well, I created this program, I followed this plan, I…

We need to be careful to give all the glory to God. In this case, God said, I need to cut this army down to a size that they have to give me the credit because I know their character. Our tendency is to do what we think is right and follow our plan and to become dependent on the plan than on God. Cutting Gideon’s army down was God’s way of making sure Gideon and the Israelite people trusted him completely.

Character to Build On

Through Gideon and this story of the Israelites and their need to trust God through this, we learn what it is like to develop character that we can build on.

• Willingness and Obedience

The first lesson that we learn about character building is that we need to be willing and obedient when it comes to following God. As I said, there were about 32,000 fighting men with Gideon. You figure with a little planning and scheming there is still a decent chance for victory. But…were all these men in on the plan? Gideon was moving forward, but what about the rest? God tells Gideon to tell the army in verse 3:

“Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.” vs. 3

So, those who aren’t completely in on the plan, those who may be doubting or unsure, afraid, are given the chance to leave. So get this, 2/3 of them leave. 22,000 of the 32,000 leave. Can you imagine if you were one of the one’s who stayed? You were watching 2 our o every 3 men leave. That’s crazy! God didn’t need people who weren’t all in. He wanted willing and obedient people. I think he still does today. When you go to battle, you don’t want people who are half-hearted. Those kind of soldiers can get you killed. Soldiers have to be willing to obey at all costs. Their life depends on it.

The prophet Isaiah addresses the nation of Israel and confronts them on their sin and disobedience. He challenges them. Most of you know verse 18, those your sins be like scarlet, they shall be white as snow, though they be red like crimson, they shall be like wool. Then the next verse, 19, says:

“If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land…” Isaiah 1:19

Notice that they go together; willing and obedient. Circle those or underline them. If you are willing but not obedient it really doesn’t matter. Sure your willing but when it comes to actually doing something, it doesn’t happen. Obedience is good too but if you are not willing, if you are doing it reluctantly, your heart is not there. God asks for willingness and obedience.

When it comes to character, Godly character, we have to be willing to trust and follow God and then to be obedient to his call. When those to go hand and hand, look at what Isaiah says will happen, you eat the good things of the land. In other words, you get what you need and are satisfied.

• Looking At The Bigger Picture

A second character builder is looking at the big picture. We become focused on the moment. We forget that there is a bigger plan in place. So Gideon’s army has been dwindled down from 32,000 to 10,000. The odds just got a little worse. Then God tells Gideon to take the men down to the water to separate them more; verse 5:

“So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, ‘Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.’” vs. 5

So God is going to take the army down even further. Gideon is told to separate those who lap like a dog from those who kneel and cup the water and bring it to their mouth. Interesting. Ever notice that most of the time that dogs are mentioned in the Bible it’s usually not in a good way? This might bring up a good dog/cat controversy. I am a dog person but let’s face it, dogs are usually pretty goofy, they think only in the moment, and seem to have pretty short attention spans.

Ill. Retriever, Ball, ball, ball, or how quickly they ea their food, or run around and seem like a big goof ball.

Now before you cat people get too cocky. I am not sure cats would be any better.

Ill. Cats-I’ll come when I feel like it, no I would rather sit here and sleep, Garfield.

No, seriously, this story is not about dogs and cats…although he cats think it is. 🙂 Those who would lap like a dog didn’t have the bigger picture. They were bent over when they should be on their guard. They were concerned with getting water and not protecting their neighbor. They lost track of what was important. God wants people who look at ta bigger picture because that is how he works.

Most of you know the story of Job and his friends who weren’t very good at showing support and empathy. A lot of times their logic and understanding of God was way off. But they did have a few things they got right in their advice. Elihu says in Job 37:5:

“God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding.” Job 37:5

He got that right. God does things way beyond our understanding. He should have listened to his own words. He was trying to explain God to Job and basically tells Job God is beyond our understanding. Hello!!!

Ex. How quickly we try to explain God to people when we need to be supportive and encouraging. Tragedy in Oregon at Umpqua Community College this week. We should be encouraging not say things like “God has a purpose in all things,” etc.

• Preparedness

And a third character builder is preparedness. Verse 7:

“The Lord said to Gideon, ‘With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands.’” vs. 7

The men who lapped the water from their hand were prepared to move and fight. They would not be caught off guard. Because they didn’t get down on their knees, they would aware of the dangers around them, they would always be able to see what was coming. They were meeting their need of thirst but would always be aware they were in a fight. Here’s another thing about how they got their drink of water, it takes more effort. When you’re really thirsty, it would be great (and easy) to just plunge your head into the nice cool refreshing water and drink. To kneel, for the cup with your hands, and lap it up while watching everything going on around, that is much more difficult. But hey were prepared at all times.

When you are in a fight, you have to be prepared; ready. A lot of times as Christians we have not prepared ourselves for he battles that Satan throws our way. We get caught off guard. Yet, God calls us to be prepared, 1 Tim. 4:2:

“…be prepared in season and out of season…” 2 Tim. 4:2

Have you prepared yourself for the things Satan and the world throw at you?

Ex. Jesus on the Mt. of Olives and being tempted by Satan. He quotes scripture, knows what God has called him to do, and doesn’t get distracted. He is hungry, tired and vulnerable but he is prepared.

Soldiers face that too. Hunger, thirst, they get into vulnerable spots but they are prepared. We are very similar. Satan is not going to attack your strengh, he is going to attack your weakness, you vulnerable points of the time he knows you are vulnerable.

Courage: Stepping Out In Faith in God

Here is a point where Gideon gets it right, he is willing, obedient, and prpepared and look what he does in verse 8:

“So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets.” vs. 8

No more testing God. He has the courage to step out in faith because God has promised him victory. He goes from 32,000 men to 300; that’s 1% of what he had. I’m sure it felt better with 32,000. Strength in numbers, right? But here is what God wanted. The 1%

There is a reason that Jesus came and died on that cross for you and I. You don’t need to trust in your own strength. You don’t need to somehow prove yourself to God or figure a way to get to heaven. Jesus did that for you. He did everything you need to have a right relationship with God.

Looking For A Sign…Again

Judges 6:33-40

“Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Gideon, and he blew a trumpet…” vs. 34

Headed For Disaster

This is the story of Jeff Patton. While attending Texas A&M, Jeff was a members of the Corps of Cadets.  He is now Lt. Col. Jeff Patton and flew as an F-15 fighter pilot in Desert Storm.  On the first night of the war, his mission was to escort a large formation of fighters in bombing a chemical weapons plant in northern Iraq.  The date for Desert Storm was chosen because the absence of moonlight and the high clouds helped the attacking allied fighters from being detected by enemy defenses.  Flying in total darkness, the pilots became completely dependent upon their instruments.

Shortly after crossing into Iraq, Col. Patton’s jet was “locked on” to by an Iraqi surface-to-air missile radar.  He violently maneuvered his aircraft to break the radar’s lock on him.  His maneuver successfully and broke the lock, but it created a new problem.  Those radical movements in the dark threw off the balance in his inner ear (which is what happens when a person gets dizzy), causing him to become disoriented. His mind was telling him his plane was in a climbing right turn, but when he checked his instruments, they indicated he was in a 60 degree dive towards the ground!  He was sure he was in a climb instead of a dive, and his mind was screaming at him to lower the nose of his F-15 to halt the climb.  While his mind commanded him to correct the plane in one direction, his instruments instructed him to do just the opposite.  Because he was flying in total darkness, he had to decide quickly whether to trust his mind or his instruments.  His life depended on making the correct choice.

Even though it took everything within him to overcome what his mind was telling him, he decided to trust his instruments.  He rolled his wings level and pulled his F-15 upward, which drew seven times the force of gravity, pulling the aircraft out of its dive.  It only took a few moments to realize he had made the right decision.  If he had lowered the nose of his jet like his mind had been telling him, he would have crashed the plane.  Trusting his instruments saved his life!

Immediately he looked at his altimeter, which told him the elevation of his aircraft.  He had narrowly escaped colliding into the mountains of Iraq by just 2,000 feet.  Although he had made the correct decision by trusting his instruments, he realized if he had delayed just three more seconds his plane would have crashed into the mountains. Even right decisions can be wrong ones if they are made too late.(Kent Crockett, The 911 Handbook, Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2003, 17-18)

Ever had that happen to you? Your mind says one thing but there are other things that indicate just the opposite of what you are thinking. Which do you trust, your mind or the other indicators? Gideon is dealing with that very thing in the passage we are looking at today. Let’s see how he handles it. If you are able, please stand as we read God’s Word from Judges 6:33-40.

Read Passage – Judges 6:33-40

³³ Now all the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples joined forces and crossed over the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel. ³⁴ Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him. ³⁵ He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, calling them to arms, and also into Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, so that they too went up to meet them. ³⁶ Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised— ³⁷ look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.” ³⁸ And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water. ³⁹ Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.” ⁴⁰ That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.

The Opposition Builds

Last week we saw God’s call on Gideon’s life and how he followed God’s call to tear down the altars built to other gods and re-establish the worship of God (Yahweh). Gideon met a lot of opposition from within his own people. As we pick up the story in this passage, the opposition is building, not from within, but now from the outside as well. Verse 33:

“Now all the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples joined forces and crossed over the Jordan and camped in the Valley of Jezreel.” vs. 33

When it gets tough, the pressure comes from within (his own countrymen) and from without. It can seem that you have no one on your side. The Midianites, Amalakites, and neighboring peoples on the outside join their forces together in anticipation of an attack. They even show up right at his door. We expect outward opposition but when it comes both inwardly and outwardly, it is not only frustrating and scary, it can really lead to doubt. We begin to question ourselves, our ability, and we question God and his ability.

Ex. We see that with Christianity today, there is inward discontent between denominations and outwardly we are being attacked by multiple religions. That is a tough place to be and a tough place to stand strong without doubt.

Outward Strength, Inward Doubt

Gideon does something that you and I can totally relate to, he shows an outward strength and yet he was doubting inwardly. By all looks on the outside, he is leading and looks strong, verse 34:

“Then the Spirit of the Lord came on Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him.” vs. 34

Gideon moves forward and outwardly. He takes on the role of a strong leader or “great warrior” even though he is inwardly struggling with faith; he moves forward despite his fear and lack of trust in God.

You might be wondering why this is being brought up? It’s because we face opposition and we feel doubts, fear and, yes, we even doubt that God will come through at points. We get into “dark places” of lack of confidence, doubt of both ourselves and God, and everything in us wants to quit and give in. Gideon moves forward, even courageously, despite those feelings.

Ex. Johann Wolfgang Goethe1749 – 1832 a German writer and statesman who was a writer, poet, politician, literary critic, scientist, and a Christian. He is well known for his exploration in botany and anatomy and had numerous literary and scientific fragments, more than 10,000 letters, and nearly 3,000 drawings. He wrote:

“Give me the benefit of your convictions, if you have any; but keep your doubts to yourself, for I have enough of my own” – Goethe

Someone that accomplished and successful we would think to be very self assured and confident and yet here we see even he had doubts.

The Incredible God of…

Here is what I believe this passage is helping us to understand; Even though we face opposition and struggles and doubt, God see’s things much differently than we do. We can move ahead with confidence, even though there is opposition and doubt, if we can sees things differently. We serve an incredible God. What did he see in Gideon and this situation that Gideon didn’t? What does he see in our situations that if we can tap into just a bit, may help us move ahead with confidence and strength, even if we are struggling and have doubts?

• Potential

First, God saw potential. Gideon knew God saw that with God’s strength Gideon would find victory despite what it looked like on the outside. Notice verse 36:

“Gideon said to God, ‘If you will save Israel by my hand…” vs. 36

Gideon has great potential and God has promised him victory, he knew that, he stated it here. He had to fight the fear of his own inadequacy which is also manifested in his lack of trust in God.

Q: Why did God see potential in Gideon?

A: Because God created him. God knew him inside and out. He knew his strengths, he knew his character, that he can be a mighty warrior as his name stated, he even knew his weaknesses and downfalls.

Remember David’s words from Psalm 139:14:

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:14

God made us and his creation is wonderful. If you are like me (and Gideon) we tend to focus on our inadequacies, God focuses on our potential. The great thing is that God still uses him and he still uses us. He is not limited as we are. As it states in Ephesians 3:20:

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…” Ephesians 3:20
Fear can be paralyzing and can stop us and stifle us. It doesn’t have to. Fear can drive us back to God. To his strength and his power. You’ve got his power in you already.

Ex. Glenda and Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. She reminds Dorothy that she had everything she need to get home all along. She had the ruby slippers. She just didn’t realize it. We have everything we need to get through our situations, we have the Holy Spirit. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of that.

• Promise

The second way God saw this situation differently was he promised Gideon victory. Again, verse 36:

“Gideon said to God, ‘If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised…” vs. 36

Get this, even Gideon realized that God had promised this victory. Gideon acknowledge that. But God gives us freewill. Freewill to believe him. Freewill to trust him. Freewill to doubt. Even the freewill to fail.

Here is what Gideon does, and you might want to circle this in your outline, he claims God’s victory through his doubt. Circle “as you have promised.” It is good to remind ourselves of God’s promises to us. When we claim it, we can live in it. It doesn‘t take away the doubts, it assures us that we serve an incredible God who will do what he promises. He has the ability, he has the power, he has everything you need. And he has promised you that too! Phil 4:19 says:

“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:19

He can and will meet all your needs. His promises in Gideon’s time are just as true today as they were then. We struggle with this for 2 reasons:

1. We put our expectations and our desires on God and then when it doesn’t happen we blame him and don’t trust.
2. We are fallen creatures and we have multiple examples of people who don’t fulfill their pr0mises.

Ex. The promises of our politicians in this Presidential race.

Let me add one more thing to this. God always fulfills his promises and one of the reasons is because that allows us to partner with him. It says in 1 Peter 1:4:

“Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature…” 2 Peter 1:4

When we work with God and when we work to see his promises fulfilled, it gives us the joy that comes from partnering with him and seeing him fulfill those promises.

Ex. A friend that had resisted Christ for years and just two weeks ago gave his life to Christ. Fulfillment of prayer.

• Patience

And third, God sees things differently because he has patience. Look at how God works with Gideon here through his lack of trust and faith. Gideon is not sure he can really trust what God has promised so he asks for sign…again! Remember he asked for a sign in the previous passage too. In verse 17 he asks God for a sign and prepares a sacrifice for him and God sends fire and burns it up. Now he wants a second sign so he does this thing with some fleece. He puts it out and says God, if you are really in this, show me by making the ground dry in the morning and the fleece soaked with dew. They were familiar with this because their climate was such that they had hot air and cold air the when they meet it produces a wet dew on the ground in the morning. Much like we have here. So…God does it. But that is not good enough for Gideon, he tests God again, verse 39:

“Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece…” vs. 39

It almost seems that God should zap him at this point doesn’t it? But no, God is patient. So Gideon reverses the test and God makes that happen too. God is patient. There are multiple examples of God’s patience with people in the Bible:

Abraham – he struggles with lying and lies about his Sarah wife being his sister

David – he sins and commits adultery and lies about it to a prophet

Paul – persecutes the church but God chooses him to spread the gospel

Peter – struggles with Gentiles hearing the gospel

But God is patient. We want God to zap others but be patient with us. God is patient with Gideon and he will be patient with us too! We want God to act faster but he has his time and his way. Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3:9:

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you…” 2 Peter 3:9a

I am thankful and grateful that God was patient with Gideon, just like he is with me and he will be with you too!

Needing Assurance

Let me wrap this up with this; we started talking about a pilot who had to trust his instruments even when his mind was telling him something else. In our story of Gideon today we find some instruments to help us so that we don’t crash and burn. They are guides that give us assurance and direction. We see these displayed in the story of Gideon but through God’s character. The instruments are:

Potential- God sees more in you than you see in yourself. He made you.

Promise-God promises us his love, his presence, his grace, his mercy, direction, his Holy Spirit. His promises never fail.

Patience-He will be patient with us through our doubts, lack of faith, lack of trust.

Know you won’t always see this because they aren’t something you pick up and hold on to but hey are things God’s gives us as a gift through his Son.

Hebrews 11:1:

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1

Jesus dies for us. He came as a display of God’s provision for us and is another fulfillment of his promises. He provides a way for us to be in full relationship with God which is not dependent on us doing certain things but on trust in what Jesus, God’s Son did for us.

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…”

1. 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.

1^st 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

2^nd 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

Gideon

Judges 6:17-24

 “Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes,

give me a sign that it is really you talking to me.” vs. 17

What Would You Do? 

I’d like to start off today by giving you a choice. Here is the situation: I have hear two tickets to Disneyland. So you are packed, ready to go and the next day you wake up ready to shoot off to Disneyland when you realize that during the night a snow storm kicked up and all the weather reports warn you that it is much to dangerous to drive there. Would you go? Okay, second scenario. Same situation the only difference is that you paid me $200 for the tickets. Now, would you go?

According to University of Chicago economist Richard Thaler, people are more likely to take a risk if they pay for something. He points out the fact that you spent money shouldn’t matter when you make your decision between going to your event and taking the risk of getting killed.

Two human tendencies come into play here.

Sunk-cost fallacy – the idea that having paid for something, you had better not waste it, no matter what the consequences

Loss Aversion – the fact that people place about twice as much significance on a loss as on a gain.  In other words, they are twice as unhappy losing money as they are pleased about making money.

Gary Belsky, Money, July 1995

We have certain criteria for making decisions and for doing certain things and of course, each of us bring our own values and experience to those decisions. What about our decision to follow God’s call? Or even to decipher if God is calling? Today we are going to continue our study of Gideon and today we are going to look at his call from Judges 6:17-24.  If you are able, please stand as we read God’s Word.

Read Passage – Judges 6:17-24 

 Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. 18 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.” 19 Gideon went inside, 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. 20 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. 21 Then the angel of the Lord touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of the staff that was in his hand. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the Lord disappeared. 22 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!” 23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.” 24 So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace. To this day it stands in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

What Am I Called To Do? 

A quick review is that Israel is living in fear and oppression by its neighbors the Midianites and Amorites. They are raiding and ravaging their land and crops and the when this happens the Israelites run to the hills and hide in caves and wait for them to leave and then they come back down the hill and rebuild everything only for the same thing to happen again. This had gone on for years. It’s in this time of turmoil and fear that God calls Gideon.

Often people come to me and ask:

What is God calling me to do? I am having a difficult time discerning God’s call.

Gideon and the Israelites were probably hoping something would happen to change their circumstances.  They had fallen away from God but a previous prophet had come along and told them to turn back to God. They cry out to God but things had not gotten better. I’m not sure Gideon asked this question but it could have been likely that he said; “What am I suppose to do about it?”  A lot of times we have circumstances and things in our life that don’t seem right but we are not sure what to do.  Even more so, we have difficulty discerning God’s call  on our life.

Questioning God 

And that can lead to doing something I was taught from a young age not to do, question God. Weren’t you taught that? I remember people saying things like, “You should never question God” or implying that in some way.  But hear me out on this, I think it’s okay to question God.  That is really what Gideon does in verse 17:

“Gideon replied, ‘If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me.’” vs. 17

He’s saying he thinks he is hearing God’s voice but he wants to question whether or not this is really God. See I think we all question God at times, especially internally. I think it’s part of being human.  So here is what I would like to propose to you today; we can question God when we question him in the right way.

Lets talk about how we shouldn’t question God.  We should not:

-test his authority

-question his judgement

-do so to change his mind

How could we question God:

-for clarification

-for assurance

-with proper motives

Examples of Biblical characters who questioned God with the right motives:

-Job

-The disciples

-Lot

-David

Discerning God’s Call 

We can learn a lot from Gideon when we look at his call and how God works in our lives in similar ways.  We are all called by God to do his work. Some it is in full-time ministry but in most cases it is not. Many times the call is to minister right where you are; in your job, in your home, with your neighbors, friends, and those God has lead into your life. Some of you may be trying to discern what ministry to get involved with or what ministry you should support with time and finances.  Let’s look closer at Gideon’s call and some of the same things God does for Gideon, because they still apply to us today too..

1. God’s Call Will Be In Line With Who God Is 

First, one way to discern God’s call is to remember that God’s call will be in line with who God is.  Another way of saying that is that God is consistent and he will not call you to do something that is not in line with his Word or with who he is. Notice what happens in verse 20:

“The angel of God said to him, ‘Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth.’” vs. 20

What is happening here? Gideon is following Israelite customers and what the OT writings tell people to do when it comes to offerings. He is making  a Peace Offering. You can find that offering in Numbers 6 :14-16. It is also the same Peace offering that was made in Genesis 18 when God appears to Abraham. Gideon not only knows the Israelite customs, he knows what God’s ways. We have a better chance of discerning God’s call if we know him more and the only way to know him more is to spend time in His Word, that is why we have it, to know him and his ways.

Gideon’s sacrifice here is an act of worship and of reverence. Gideon knows that if this is God speaking to him, which we know it is, God’s character is to be worshipped in the proper way. So Gideon is in a sense confirming that God is acting as God. He is not challenging him but affirming him. This may sound redundant but God will always act like God.  God will not be inconsistent with his character. You can be sure when God calls you and you are discerning his call that what he calls you to do will be consistent with his character. Jesus talked about this with the disciples when he said to them in Mark 3:24:

“If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.” Mark 3:24

God would not tell you to do something that is not in line with who he is because that would be working against himself and Jesus tells us that a kingdom divided will not stand.

Ex. God wants me too…

-buy this car

-break up with you

-be rich

-be happy so I am going to

2. There Is a Healthy Fear 

A second thing that happens in Gideon’s call is that fear creeps in when he realizes that this is really God. Notice what happens to him in verse 22:

“When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, ‘Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!’” vs. 22

It is a awesome thing to meet God and to recognize that he is calling you.  Some people may get hung up on the word fear.  In Gideon’s day it was fearful to see God because if you truly came face to face with God you would die.  Remember when Moses wants to see God and God says he cannot se him or he will die.  He puts Moses  in the cleft of a rock and Abraham can look and see his back after he passes (Exodus 33). Fear sets in with Gideon when he realizes that he is in the presence of God Almighty. Let me bring another passage in to us us move forward with this thought, it comes from Psalm 33:8:

“Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him.” Psalm 33:8

Look at the word revere toward the end of the verse and circle it. Notice how the verse tells us to fear the Lord but then clarifies it for us.  The proper fear is to revere and to revere is to honor, to hold in high respect, to show devotion.  To fear God is to recognize him and honor and respect him.  In our world the reverence for God is not there anymore.  We live in a time where God is not honored and held high, in fact, we could even say that many times people put themselves above God or even on the same level.

Ex.  The prevailing thought among some religions that we can attain or be gods ourselves. i.e Mormonism, New Age, etc.  How do you look at God? Note one of these three ways.

Ill.  God < me

God = me

God > me

It might be that if you don’t fear God, you might not be giving him the reverence that is due him. It might be as well that we need to ask God for more fear of him so that we do give him the proper respect and awe that are rightfully his.

3. Bring A Sacrifice 

The final thing that Gideon does that we really need to taker note of is found in verse 18:

“Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.” vs. 18

Gideon’s first response to God’s calling is to make a sacrifice. The criteria we use when it comes to God’s call is to base it on our feelings. If we feel good about it,  we almost assume it must be God’s plan. If we don’t feel good about it  we discount that it is a legitimate call.  The problem with this is that feeling are temporary and that our feelings can be misleading. And, our feelings change too.

Ex. Love and friendship – how fickle we are in relationships

It is good to feel good about things, that’s not always bad. But let’s take a page from Gideon’s book here. Sacrifice. Sacrifice is something we are willing to give up and many times sacrifice hurts. Hurt doesn’t often feel good. But Gideon recognizes that when God calls, there is a sense of giving back to him. Sacrifice is also an act of gratitude.

Ex. Tithing. We often give to God based on how we feel. And, let’s face it, many times we don’t feel like giving because we have created situations in our life that require everything we bring in financially and we haven’t given God first place. I like to think of tithes as sacrifice not because it hurts but because it is placing God as first in our life and the one place I don’t want to be stingy is with God.

So what does it take to bring a sacrifice to God? Colossians 3:2 says:

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” Col. 3:2

First we have to think differently. Out minds must be set on the things of God but I will be honest, this is hard because we usually think about ourselves first. A second thing is to be in constant communication with God through prayer, worship, singing, and by being in His Word.

The End Result: Peace 

I love the way the story of Gideon’s call is wrapped up here. When Gideon is sure this is God’s call it says this in verse 24:

“So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace.” vs. 24

God is giving Gideon a look into the future here. What comes with discerning God’s call is peace. Remember that Israel and Gideon are living in turmoil but God is a God of peace and he brings peace. We get afraid to step out to an unknown or to doing something beyond our comfort zone yet, when it is God leading, even in turmoil you have peace.

Ex. Christ when he is being beaten, it says that like a lamb before his shearers is silent, so Christ was silent. Why? I believe he had inner peace because he knew he was doing what God wanted him to do.

God gave Gideon peace, he gave Jesus peace, and he will give you peace as well. He did it for them and through his Holy Spirit he brings us peace too.