Great Bible Truths Podcast Episode 138
Lessons from their lives talk 4: Gideon
Welcome to Talk 4 in our series Lessons from their lives. Today we’re talking about Gideon. In fact I have so much material on Gideon that it will take three talks to cover the subject. But it’s an important one. God used Gideon to lead his people from a place of defeat to a place of victory, and there are so many lessons we can learn from his story that are very relevant to our situation today.
There are times in our Christian experience when it seems that everything is against us. Nothing seems to go right. Such occasions are opportunities for us to rise up in faith. But if we’re not careful, instead of doing so, we slide into defeat. The Book of Judges tells us of one such occasion. We’ll be looking at chapters 6-7. We will see how God uses a most unlikely person to lead his people into victory. Although our enemy is spiritual rather than physical, there are many lessons we can learn from the story of Gideon. We’ll take two talks to cover the subject which I’ve divided into four sections:
- God’s people in defeat
- God raises up a leader
- Preparing for victory
- Raising up an army
We’ll deal with the first two headings today and then take two further talks to deal with #3 and #4. So today we’ll start with God’s people in defeat and we’ll begin by reading Judges 6:1-6 which give us a graphic picture of the symptoms of defeat.
1. God’s People in Defeat (6:1-10)
a) The symptoms of defeat (1-6)
1 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites.
2 Because the power of Midian was so oppressive, the Israelites prepared shelters for themselves in mountain clefts, caves and strongholds.
3 Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites, Amalekites and other eastern peoples invaded the country.
4 They camped on the land and ruined the crops all the way to Gaza and did not spare a living thing for Israel, neither sheep nor cattle nor donkeys.
5 They came up with their livestock and their tents like swarms of locusts. It was impossible to count the men and their camels; they invaded the land to ravage it.
6 Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the LORD for help.
In this passage we see that God’s people were:
- On the defensive (v2) – prepared shelters for themselves
- In hiding (v2) – mountain clefts, caves and strongholds
- Engaged in unproductive activity (v3-4) Whenever the Israelites planted their crops, the Midianites…ruined the crops
- Sowing much and reaping little (cf. Haggai 1:6)
- Impoverished (v6) Midian so impoverished the Israelites – What a tragedy in the light of Deuteronomy 28:1-14 where God promises his people victory over their enemies and prosperity if only they will obey him
- Experiencing no miracles happening (v13) – Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about?
b) The cause of their defeat
- The Apparent Cause – the Midianites
v.2 the power of Midian was so oppressive
v.6 Midian… impoverished the Israelites
- The Real Cause – themselves
v.1 the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD
v.10 you have not listened to me
It’s easy to blame the enemy, or other people,
but God doesn’t want us to be in bondage to anyone. If we are, it’s our fault!
c) The remedy for defeat
- They cried to the Lord (vv 6-8)
6 Midian so impoverished the Israelites that they cried out to the LORD for help.
- God sends a prophet
7 When the Israelites cried to the LORD because of Midian,
8 he sent them a prophet
The prophet reminded them of what God had done for them in the past
and told them what they were doing wrong (8-10)
But he did not only send a prophet. He raised up a leader.
2. God raises up a leader (6:11-24)
a) The Leader God chose
- Just like the rest – in hiding
v.11 Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.
- Had very little faith
12 When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”
13 “But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.”
- Aware of his own inadequacy
v.15 “But Lord,” Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
Humility is appropriate, but we mustn’t limit God.
- Needed lots of reassurance
v.17 If now I have found favour in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me
Cf. v.36 – if you will save Israel by my hand
b) God’s Answer
- He revealed himself to Gideon
v.12 – the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon
the angel was the Lord himself Cf. vv. 14 & 16
- He reassured him of his presence
v.12 – “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”
Both apparently untrue!
The Lord did not appear to be with Israel.
Gideon did not feel like a mighty warrior!
But God sees us as we are IN HIM
Note the plurals in v.13
“But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.”
But note the singular in v. 12 and v. 16.
“The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”
The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together (AV as one man)
To be a leader it must be enough to know that God is with ME
- He told him to go and promised him success (vv.14+16)
14 The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
16 The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.”
- He confirmed his word
In v.17 Gideon asks for a sign. He hadn’t seen any miracles (13)
So God grants him the sign he asks for:
17 Gideon replied, “If now I have found favour 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.”
When Gideon comes back and presents his offering to the angel,
the angel touches it with the tip of his staff and fire flares up and consumes
the offering. Then the angel disappears (21).
22 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he exclaimed, “Ah, Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!”
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.
Note:
The sign followed a sacrifice (17-21)
The supernatural manifestation of God’s presence had departed (21)
but God was still with him (23)
How foolish Gideon’s fear was (22-23)