Title: Gideon, Man of God
Contents
Gideon, man of God
<Judges 6:11-24>
Therefore, they say they believe in Jesus, but they do not listen to Jesus well. They don't try to obey. They compromise with the world in moderation, lose their pure faith, and try to live with one foot in the world and the other in the church. We need to know that God hates this lukewarm faith. If we are to believe in God, we must believe with confidence. God is not an imaginary God. You must know that He is actually alive and gives great grace to us who are living today.
<Content development>
When the people of Israel were at peace after their exodus from Egypt and lived in the land of Canaan, they did not fear God, but followed their own opinions, worshiped idols, and ignored the law. Therefore, God made Israel suffer by the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the allied nations of the East in order to return to the right path. God is the one who can freely move even human history. God said that the Midianites invaded Israel and killed people or took the people's grain and property. Therefore, the Israelites had to lead a very painful life.
It was only then that Israel began to cry out and pray to God when they were in a difficult situation beyond their control. Of course, these actions show the crafty human mind. Even so, God is still waiting for the Israelites to return to God. We need to know that. Therefore, when suffering comes to our lives, we need to look back on ourselves, repent, and pray to God.
When the Israelites cried out to God for help, God sent a prophet to them as if waiting to rebuke them for their sins, and then sent Gideon, a warrior, to save Israel. God called Gideon to help him save the Israelites.
God sent an angel of the Lord to Gideon to call him. This messenger of Jehovah is God who came into the world in human form, that is, Jesus Christ who acted as Jehovah's messenger in the Old Testament. Anyway, such an angel of the Lord went to Gideon, the son of a man named Joash from the tribe of Manasseh.
At this time, Gideon threshed wheat so as not to be exposed to the Midianites, but secretly threshed in a winepress. Because if they are found by the Midianites, they will run to them immediately and take them away.
But the angel of the Lord said to Gideon, “Great warrior, the Lord is with you” (Judges 6:12). What I don't understand is that the Midianites were afraid and said to the cowardly Gideon, who was hiding and threshing, "Great warrior." People look at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. Therefore, the outward appearance of Gideon is that although he is timid and has many doubts and fears, he has seen the qualities of a great warrior.
Then Gideon replied: “O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our fathers once said to us, Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt? Now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hand of Midian.” (Judges 6:13) Gideon wondered why the God whom the Israelites served had placed Israel into the hands of Midian. The powerful God who rescued Israel from Egypt was frustrated as to why he did not save Israel.
The angel of the Lord did not give any answer to Gideon's question. Instead, he called Gideon. “Go and save Israel from the hand of Midian by your strength! Have I not sent you?” (Judges 6:14) - This calling is like calling Moses.
When God called Moses, he said, “Go now; the cry of the children of Israel has reached me, and I have seen the Egyptians torment them. :9-10), he said.
Gideon said, “Oh, Lord! With what shall I save Israel? Behold, my household is the weakest among Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house” (Judges 6:15).
Moses also answered, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11).
Then the Lord said to Gideon, “I will surely be with you, and you will strike the Midianites as one strikes a man” (Judges 6:16) --> These words indicate that the one speaking to Gideon now is a divine being, that is, an angel of the Lord. it is the word Therefore, do not be afraid, go boldly, fight the Midianites, defeat them, and save Israel.
However, Gideon was still not sure if he would be able to fulfill his role as a leader to save Israel, and he was not sure if the one speaking to him was really ‘the angel of Jehovah. So Gideon said, “If I have found favor with you, show me the sign that you are the one who spoke with me! I do not want you to leave this place until I come back to you with my gift and present it before you” (Judges 6:17-18).
Then the angel of the Lord answered, “I will remain until your return” (Judges 6:17). So Gideon went home, slaughtered a young goat, cooked it, and made unleavened bread out of wheat. The goat meat was placed in a colander, and the soup was poured into a spoon and brought to the angel of the Lord waiting under the oak tree. Then the angel of the Lord said, "Take the meat and unleavened bread, and put it on this rock, and pour the soup over it" (Judges 6:20).
Then the angel of the Lord put the tip of the staff in his hand to the goat meat and the unleavened bread. Then fire came up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. At the same time, the angel of the Lord disappeared. Only then did Gideon realize that it was God who had come to call him. Therefore, Gideon said, “Sorry. Sovereign LORD, I have seen your angel face to face” (Judges 6:22).
At this time, God spoke to Gideon spiritually. “Be in peace, do not be afraid, for you shall not die” (Judges 6:23). Gideon immediately built an altar and offered sacrifices to God. Then he named the altar ‘Jehovah Shalom’, and the altar existed in a place called ‘Ophrah’ until the prophet Samuel wrote the book of Judges.
<Application of the Word>
(1) God provides us through nature and history.
As I said last week, God blesses or disciplines us through nature. Or give them a platform. And you should know that sometimes, through world history, close neighbors, or people around you, you do this providence.
Therefore, we must not live according to what is right in our eyes, but only according to the Word of God. We must strive to make the Word of God our way of life today.
(2) We must come to God in times of trouble.
And you should ask God. I need to ask why you are giving me such suffering. We need to realize whether it is an inevitable phenomenon because it is a sinful world, or whether it is refinement or discipline. And we have to wait for God's answer.
Many people do not understand the will of God. Therefore, their faith does not grow at all and stays in place. Please ask for wisdom to understand the providence of God. In seeking such wisdom, we must read the Bible and listen to the sermon. You must pray. You should consult your servant.
(3) God bestows His grace through people.
When God showed mercy to the godly Cornelius, who was striving for alms and prayer, he sent an angel and commanded me to ask for the apostle Peter, so that he could hear the gospel of Peter and be saved. Also, when he gave grace to Paul, he gave it through Ananias.
It should be noted that even today, God mainly provides His will through His servants or through some people. Therefore, we need to listen to the Word that God has sent through a person. The people of Succoth and the Bunuels refused to ask for Gideon's cooperation, mocked them, and were punished by Gideon.
(4) God lifts the weak and uses them greatly.
What the Bible says is not that Gideon is great. It is saying that God is able to make the coward Gideon into a great warrior. It also shows that Israel can be saved with a small number of only 300 people. Therefore, as long as we are in God, we need to know that no obstacles can destroy us, and the road to prosperity is opened. If we believe in and obey God, we must know that He is the One who gives us victory in life.
(5) It is an honor to be called by God.
The most beautiful glory in life is being used for the kingdom of God like Gideon. Even today, what an honor it is to receive a call from the country and enter a position to rule the country.
(6) You must have confidence in the existence of God and His will.
Gideon was looking for a sign to see if the messenger of God was really sent by God. But Gideon truly lacked faith. Even after seeing the signs performed by the angel of the Lord, I did not have the courage to see if God would really allow me to defeat that great Midianite army. So Gideon again tested God with wool. God showed God's power twice as Gideon's request, and in addition to this, when Gideon sneaked up to Midian's camp at night, the two Midianite soldiers who were guarding were talking to each other to assure God's victory. made it possible Only then did Gideon have great courage and fight according to the word of God. With only 300 soldiers, they almost annihilated 135,000 Midianite enemies.
We must experience the presence of God frequently in our lives and live in great confidence in God. Then, like Gideon, we will be able to fight and overcome the power of darkness with a bold heart.
(7) Gideon's victory proves the existence and truth of God.
God proved God's existence and His great power by delivering Israel out of the Midianites through only 300 men. This text is just one of the countless evidences that testify that God lives and that He is a God who helps those who believe in me. There are countless proofs of this in the Bible.
Even us today can experience the same presence and power of God. Just like Gideon, let's be sure of God's existence and truth, and obey the truth.
<Conclusion>
God is the living God. Our Creator, the Almighty Father who loves us. Fear God and live in obedience to His Word. God will deliver us from sin, curse, and misery, and give us eternal life and blessings. Then you will be able to overcome all difficulties in life and any obstacles from the devil and be victorious. Amen.