Are You Part of the 300? (Part 2)

Welcome back to our study of the story of Gideon.  If you haven't read Part 1, you really should! Here is a link to it, Are You Part of the 300? (Part 1).

I'll wait while you read it.

Done?  Okay, we left off with the question, "Is it okay to ask for a sign?" Let's see what Gideon does.

Judges 6:17-21  - GIDEON:  A MAN SEEKING A SIGN

·        It's okay to ask for a sign when something is not detailed in the Word of God. Some things you don't have to ask for a sign, such as, "Is it God's will for So and So to get saved?"  God has already said that He is not willing that any perish and that all come to repentance. You already know God's will. But when you don't know what His will is, you can ask for a sign like Gideon did. In fact, keep reading, you will see he does it more than once! 

·        Gideon asks for a sign. He goes and prepares an offering and places it before the Lord. The Lord tells him to place it on a rock and then the Lord touches it with the tip of His staff. Fire consumes the offering and the Lord disappears. This reminds me of the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal. Only God can answer by fire!

·        God answered by fire and then vanishes, but we know that even if Gideon can't see Him, He is there because He said "Surely, I will be with you."

Judges 6:22-24  - I HAVE SEEN GOD FACE TO FACE

·        Gideon realizes that it was the Lord he saw and he was terrified. Our Lord was so sweet to calm his fears! He knew Gideon's fears even though He had vanished out of Gideon’s sight. Gideon built an altar and named it "The Lord Is Peace."

Judges 6:25-27 - FIRST THINGS FIRST

·        What's the first thing you do when you are called by God?  You get rid of any sin in your life. God called Gideon to get rid of the place where Baal was worshipped on HIS OWN FATHER'S LAND!

·        I think it is worth mentioning: When we are facing an impossible trial, is there anything we have done that we need to make right? Let us each examine our own thoughts and attitudes and make things right before attempting to go into battle.

Judges 6:28-32 - NOT "POLITICALLY CORRECT"

·        As always when you do something for God, you stir up trouble. Baal worship had become the main religion of Israel. Baal was thought to be the god of weather and during this time of oppression by the Midianites the Israelites prayed all the more to Baal not realizing they were making things worse for themselves.

·        Gideon's father made a logical answer to save his life from the angry crowd, in essence saying, "if Baal is a god, let him take care of this himself."

Judges 6:33-35  - GIDEON: A MAN WITH FEW FOLLOWERS

·        The Spirit of the Lord fell on Gideon and gave him the power to blow a trumpet and 32,000 troops gathered. (I love how the ESV translates it "the Spirit CLOTHED Gideon!")

·        Gideon started with 32,000 warriors against a sea of Midianites.  (Judges 6:5 tells us, "For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, coming in as numerous as locusts; both they and their camels were without number; and they would enter the land to destroy it.")

·        An enemy without number. A horde of troops so numerous it was like sand upon the shore.  What would you do?

Judges 6:36-40 - TIME FOR ANOTHER TEST

·        Now, you know, at first I thought ... I can't believe Gideon is asking for a sign again!  But if you were looking at an enemy so numerous you can't count them all ... wouldn't you need to know that you know that you know that God had called you?

·        It's true that Gideon's faith was weak, but remember, he is included in the Hebrews chapter 11 Hall of Faith! Thank God that He has patience with us even when our faith is small.

I hope you can come back next Thursday for the exciting conclusion to Gideon's story! It is definitely a faith-builder.

~~~

Have you ever faced an enemy in your life that it seemed to you to be bigger than an army without number?

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