944 Judges 6.1–7.9 Gideon Steps Out for Yahweh
Exploring Biblical Characters • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 2 viewsNotes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Many of us have some annoying habits that we would like to change, but to focus on that change, it takes effort & concentration
Like a child learning to stop picking their nose; or an adult having to stop scratching their skin raw or pulling their hair out; a person biting their fingernails; cracking their knuckles; or even relentlessly clicking on the end of a pen
These habits are stress relieving habits, that most people would probably rather not do
-------------------
However, the same is true of sinful habits - when the people of God are not giving effort & concentration to their obedience to God, they fall back into those wretched sinful habits
Coming out of Egypt, the people soon turned back to the old ways & habits of Egypt
The idolatry & the lifestyle that so suits the life of the pagan man
----------------
Last week, we dealt with the fall of Jericho & how Joshua spared Rahab & her family because of her faith in Yahweh that caused her to hide the Israelite spies
I mentioned that one of the reasons for Jericho being placed under the ban was because of the evil influence Jericho & the Canaanites would have been to the Israelites, if they had remained in the land & they would have turned Israel away from her faith in Yahweh
I also mentioned that the Israelites did not fulfil what God had commanded & never completely drove out the Canaanite from the land
-------------------
What we have here in the book of Judges is the evidence of that massive failure
The Israelites did enough to settle in the land, but once they settled, guess what they did?
They went to sleep - they got what they wanted & stopped obeying God
They didn’t complete what they started & not having done that, it came back to bite them hard
That’s it, isn’t it? An easy lifestyle & our eyes are off the Lord
1. The Cycle of Sin and Repentance
1. The Cycle of Sin and Repentance
In this passage of Scripture, we see the consequences of Israel taking their eyes off Yahweh & sliding back to their old sinful, idolatrous ways
Of course, all under the influence from their surrounding culture
The Canaanites were masters in idolatry being followers of Baal, the so-called storm god
As we see in this passage, Gideon’s family & community worshipped Baal
They had an altar for Baal & an Asherah pole erected where they would worship
-------------------
Q. How could we imagine such a thing happening, after all that nation had witnessed through God’s amazing saving actions?
Q. Should they wonder why they are being attacked by foreigners? Even Gideon couldn’t understand why Yahweh seemed to have abandoned them
13 Then Gideon said to him, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
But this is precisely the point - Gideon & his family were raised on Baalism & never saw the distinction between Baal & Yahweh & the need to change
We are the same - we come into this world & get used to our surroundings & those surroundings become the norm & the standard for our life & we don’t even think to judge it, in light of the word of God
For most people, there is way less friction when they ignore the problem - you know the problem - we have way differing standards from the world
But ignoring this problem won’t solve the problem or make it go away
The greater problem is when you have to deal with God who is not only loving, but firm & just
-------------------
When Israel came out of Egypt, God made a covenant with them at Mt. Sinai
In that Covenant, we find the Law of God that spelt out how the Israelites were to live
Plus - plus - the consequences for either obedience or disobedience to the Covenant they made with God
The Israelites, voluntarily & wholeheartedly, entered into this Covenant with Yahweh, agreeing to it all
1 “Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. 2 “All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God:
All the blessings are then spelt out in the beginning of Deut. 28
Then, there are the warnings & consequences for disobedience
15 “But it shall come about, if you do not obey the Lord your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:
25 “The Lord shall cause you to be defeated before your enemies; you will go out one way against them, but you will flee seven ways before them, and you will be an example of terror to all the kingdoms of the earth.
This is how neglectful the Israelites had become - they didn’t even know why God had given them over to the Midianites
Had they diligently held to His word, then they would have known why & avoided the devastating demise of their lives
-------------------
The book of Judges shows us this unrelenting cycle of sin, oppression, repentance & then deliverance - only for them to fall back into sin again & the cycle repeated ad infinitum
Perhaps, this says here something to the problem...
25 In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Doesn’t that sound like today? I set my own standard - what I will accept, what I will do
Oh no, that’s your truth, I have my own truth to follow
------------
The sin cycle here comes to bear on the issue of idolatry
7 The sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.
1 Then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord gave them into the hands of Midian seven years.
They have come under oppression & cry out to Yahweh for deliverance (salvation)
2. When You Have to Stand Against Family
2. When You Have to Stand Against Family
With the Midianites terrorising Israel, Israel leaves the open land & hides in huts or dens they have made in the hills
They have to crop & harvest, but the Midianites would come when harvesting is on & they would steal the crops, as well as the animals
No doubt, it made life unbearable - so they cry out to God
------------------
Gideon receives a visit from an angel while he was using an undercover winepress to beat out wheat
You usually beat out wheat outside &, preferably up on a hill, where the wind would blow away the chaff - but the risk outside is too great & so Gideon does it undercover in the wine vat
Gideon wonders why he would be so privileged to receive a visit from an angel since he is a no one with no real family prominence
Well, we can see why from this story - even to when God tells him to lower the number of fighting men - God is avoiding the opportunity for Israel to boast that she saved herself
Gideon’s no one status fits perfectly with God’s plan
2 The Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying, ‘My own power has delivered me.’
----------------------
Q. What does a young man do when his family, & indeed his community, worships idols?
Q. What does he do after Yahweh tells him to pull down the altar of Baal & the Asherah pole & then erect an altar to Yahweh & offer burnt offerings using the wood of the Asherah pole as firewood?
27 Then Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the Lord had spoken to him; and because he was too afraid of his father’s household and the men of the city to do it by day, he did it by night.
He’d do it at night when no one is looking - just like Nicodemus when he came to Jesus at night
But what a ruckus in the morning when all the town found out what had happened
--------------------
But this gives us an insight into the state of Israel at the time
They had abandoned Yahweh for the Baals & the Asherahs
4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. 5 “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
The young man Gideon had to stand against those he loved - his family & his community in order to obey & honour God
You thought you were alone in that! But no, there are many Christians in the same boat where you are having to chose God over all else
But this is the essence of faith & this is what Rahab had done as well
To the great danger to herself & her family, she chose to side with Yahweh over her community
---------------------
What Gideon had done was a public dethronement of Baal & the recognition of Yahweh as God
The community demanded that he be put to death for that act
But, interestingly, his father comes to his aid & challenges the community that if Baal is God, let him defend himself
His father then changed Gideon’s name to Jerubbaal meaning “Let Baal contend against him”
Q. Was his father a closet Yahwehist? A secret believer in the true God?
Perhaps, Gideon’s actions was the very thing that sorted the issue out for his father
You never know if your strong stand for the Lord is what causes some members of your family to chose God for themselves
3. The True Controller of the Dew
3. The True Controller of the Dew
Q. How do you defeat a storm god like Baal?
Baal is so entrenched in the minds of the people - they believe, he is the bringer of the rains & the dew
Gideon seeks confirmation from Yahweh that He is going to deliver the people through him
What better way than to see Yahweh demonstrate to him that He, not Baal, is the bringer of the rain & the dew
-------------------
Gideon’s fleece, therefore, is not so much about the wool being either wet or dry - the miracle demonstrates who is the true God
I’s a showdown between Yahweh & Baal
---------------
Remember Elijah on Mt. Carmel - it was another showdown between Yahweh & Baal
Yes, we know that Baal does not exist, but in the people’s minds, he does
The people must be freed in their mind of all this Baal nonsense
After Elijah decisively shows that Yahweh is God in that lightning (fire) came down from the sky (something they all thought Baal would do - the so-called storm god) & this lightning from the Lord consumed the sacrifice of Yahweh
Notice, however, that at that time Israel had been in a severe drought for some 3 yrs
After the victory, Elijah prays, & it rains - demonstrating that Israel’s faith was wrongly placed
Yahweh is God, not Baal
------------------
Here, in our passage, Gideon asks for dew on the fleece one night, along with dry ground & on the following night, dry fleece amidst wet ground - & it was so
For Gideon, then, it confirmed that Yahweh is the true God who controls the weather & all that is - not Baal
Jerubbaal - the name given to Gideon - meaning let Baal contend or take vengeance against Gideon
God has just shown that there is no threat to Gideon from Baal
Gideon has clearly seen that Baal is totally impotent
------------------
In an ancient Baal myth, Baal even names his daughter “Tallaya” meaning “Dew”
Now we talk about these ancient people’s & laugh at how ridiculous it seems
However, it still comes back to the importance of people - the way they think & what they believe
The Lord wants His people’s heart - a true trust in Him - a trust that shows itself in obedience
To that end, the Lord comes down to our level to minister to us in our weaknesses
You understand that? Baal is believed to be real & although the law says he is no god at all, the Lord doesn’t try to convince them he’s not real - He just shows Himself superior in every way
4. Only the Lord Can Save
4. Only the Lord Can Save
The repeated cycle of sin, oppression, repentance & deliverance is an ongoing issue for Israel
But it’s more widely spread than we realise
The democratic political scene in our country embodies this reality too
You vote them in; they fail to keep their promises; they are given a hard time & you vote them out; next time for re-election, they become that little bit wiser & want to correct the past - but once they secured victory, they still fall back into the trap of getting away with what they will
------------------
A relationship with God is not a relationship between equals - would you agree?
God always makes clear that He is the stronger party & that He will be the One that comes to the rescue of His Covenant people
God may tell people to do specific things, but it is He who does the saving
----------------
Moses had to have his arms propped up so that the Israelites would keep winning the war against Amalek the King of the Amalekites but it was not his arms or Israel that brought about the victory
The Israelites had to march around Jericho 6 times in 6 days & then 7 times on the 7th day, but it was not their marching, their trumpets nor shouting that brought the wall of Jericho down
Naaman had to dip 7 times in the Jordan, but it was not Naaman who did the cleansing of his skin
Sampson had to push with all his might to push over the pillars in the Philistine Temple, but it was not Sampson who had the strength, in himself, to do it
David had to sling the stone but, in the providence of God, it was not David that caused Goliath to fall down dead
The disciples gathered together a basket of some loaves & fishes, but it was not the disciples that multiplied it out to feed 5000 men along with women & children
----------------
So also here - God will make clear that Israel has not saved herself
Gideon starts out with 22,000 men, but the Lord said, Gideon you have too many
God allows the fearful ones to return home & it leaves 10,000 men
Gideon, you still have too many
4 Then the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many; bring them down to the water and I will test them for you there. Therefore it shall be that he of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go with you; but everyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”
God then commands Gideon to assemble them at the river where He will - the word is “test” - them (which is probably not the best translation since God is not testing them as to their quality)
The word is merely emphasising separation here
As in the NIV 84 - “I will sift them for you there”
The NET Bible - “I will thin the ranks some more”
This, therefore, is not an indictment upon the way a person drinks water - either scooping it up with the hand to drink, or bending over to suck it up
This is not the issue - the issue is simply to reduce the numbers of armed men
2 The Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying, ‘My own power has delivered me.’
It turned out that only 300 men lapped with their hand so these are the ones God is going to use against the Midianites
12 Now the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the sons of the east were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as numerous as the sand on the seashore.
We didn’t read what happened so I will tell you what happened
--------------
The 300 never had to reveal their sword - all they did was make a racket
The 300 were divided into 3 platoons of 100 men each & they were stationed around the camp, at night, of the Midianites & Amalekites
They each had a trumpet, a clay pot & a torch (fire on a stick - that gave light)
They kept the torches in the pots until they were in position & the signal was given
--------------
They then pulled out the torches, held them up, smashed the pots & blew the trumpets
It sent the enemy into panic as if a massive army had surrounded them
20 When the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers, they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing, and cried, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 Each stood in his place around the camp; and all the army ran, crying out as they fled. 22 When they blew 300 trumpets, the Lord set the sword of one against another even throughout the whole army; and the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the edge of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.
In the sovereignty of the Lord, the enemy turned on each other wiping out many of their own number, while not one of the 300 had to use a sword
Here we see that God is gracious & comes to Israel’s aid
He delivers them (saves them) from their enemies (the oppressors)
-------------------
Q. What can we learn from this?
1. We learn that turning away from God brings ruin & despair (sin brings oppression)
2. That repentance is the only fitting way back into a right relationship with God
3. That we are incapable of saving ourselves & need the Lord to make things right
---------------------
Ultimately, we need to break the cycle of sin, oppression, repentance & rescue
For the Christian, we can do this through the power of God for He has given us His Spirit
This is the perspective we should have & I close with this verse from the apostle Paul who said...
13 Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.