Signs for Life
Judges 6:33-39
Well we are in week 3 with the story of Gideon. We started out with a view of a coward, that an angel called a mighty warrior. The lesson for us was that we must come out of the protection of the winepress if we are ever to be used by God.
Then last week we watched in scripture when Gideon made an offering to God as a way of testing if it was really God doing the speaking or more importantly that God is actually speaking to him. He witnessed a miraculous sign as the offering was consumed by a rock that gave off flames. Later that same day God gave Gideon some direct instructions. Destroy the altar to Baal and build a new one and offer a proper sacrifice.
The town folks find out who did the damage and confront Gideon’s dad. And dad protects his son and suggest that if Baal is a true God he will defend his own altars.
Our lesson was that we live in a Canaanite world and we also have housecleaning to do if we and our community are to be useful to God.
Listen to part of our scripture for today: Judges 6:33- 35
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 upon 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.
We don’t have any idea how long it has been between his action of tearing down the community altar and the multi-national invasion was threatened.
Perhaps the bigger question would be …Why is it Gideon that blows the trumpet?
How did he get to be the man in charge?
Here is my thinking; the Angel prophesied that Gideon was to deliver Israel from the hands of their enemies. That means that Gideon by the selection of God was a judge. However, he was not what we call a judge today. He was not hearing cases and deciding what was right and wrong.
He was not an early version of a King and he had no administrative duties and no line of succession before or after he performed his calling. However he is called by God for life.
Judges were raised up by God to free Israel from their enemies. Most of them led a group of several tribes to defend Israel and free the people from oppression. Judges were called for a life of leadership to the community.
So, it seems that because of the prophet of God, Gideon has received a little respect. Perhaps partly because Baal has not responded to the attack of the altar. Now we see in scripture that the Midianites, Amalekites and other Eastern people crossed the river Jordan and started setting up camp.
These nomadic people have come again to gather all they can consume by force. They know how to fight and take what they want.
When word comes to Gideon, you might expect that he would head back to his winepress or head off to the strongholds that the community made in the hills. But, that is not what happens. He blows the trumpet….
“Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him.”
He does not run because the Spirit of the Lord empowers him. He grabs a trumpet and blows the call to gather the people. He dispatches messengers to go to the surrounding tribes calling to arms…. Not calling to hide…. Not calling to run…. CALLING to ARMS..
Somehow, Gideon has become strong….He has become a leader… He is willing to give orders and gather the troops…and it seems that people are listening.
Well not exactly troops. This Farm Boy calls for all the other farmers to grab their grandfather’s swords and shields, axes, rocks and sharp sticks and come running.
They are familiar with working hard, raising families and crops and were good people. But good people are not automatically warriors.
Gideon rallies the people to face the growing threat.
However, it appears that he still has some doubts about what it is supposed to do.
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."
Let’s see, Gideon has met an angel. He has witnessed the acceptance of his offering. He has heard God’s instruction to destroy idols and build a new altar to God and not been killed by his family or the men of the town.
He was even filled with the Holy Spirit which seems to have made him act when the enemy reappeared.
----But all that seems to wear off as he has some time to think about this whole thing.
Let’s be clear, Gideon has doubts!
After all that, Gideon still has doubts if he really understands what God is calling him to do.
But, He has a plan to solve his doubts. He decides to place a fleece on the threshing floor, on top of the hill and if it is wet he knows that God will be with him and Israel.
(MARINE Fleece blanket)
His fleece is not done out of strength with a standing army. As if he had a confidence in his ability.
It is requested out of weakness, fear and the inability to do anything with his strength and power.
Folks, I doubt that there is a single person in this room that has not had moments of doubts and fears. Probably no one here can claim to be perfectly clear on exactly what God wants them to do everyday.
The Canaanite world we live in has us hiding out avoiding direct interaction with the harsh realities of this world. We hide in the stronghold of our church building and we watch out for each other and we worry about how bad things are.
We call out to God for a change in the world expecting to sit in our winepress until it is all over. We pray, “God, please handle this and make it better.”
We fail to realize that God has called us to live in and make a difference in our time and place. He has already sent a messenger that gave God’s people their instructions.
Matthew 28:18-20
18Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
As believers, we tend to want some kind of a sign for any life decision or project that might have a risk or consequence or embarrassment. Even though God’s messenger was pretty clear.
I have begged for a clear statement many times and normally felt pretty disappointed when nothing seemed to happen? Not a yes or a no…
So I did not know how to proceed and often I just stayed still or begged some more for a sign so that I would know.
But I wonder, should we ask for signs from God?
Deuteronomy 6:16 says "You shall not put the Lord your God to the test"
Asking God to give you a sign is a bit like a test.
“God if you want me to take this job, or to make up with so and so, let them call me.”
“Lord, If you want me to do this or that, give me a peace about the situation.”
The fleece, the test, we tend to use normally center around witnessing some manifestation of OUR choosing.
That is putting God in a box and saying God, you can only talk to me like this…..
A fleece that is limiting to God is inappropriate and perhaps sinful.
What is Gideon’s problem? If it a problem with his belief in God?
No , Gideon seem very clear that God exists and is present. By personal experience He KNOWS that God exist but, His faith in God seems immature.
He believes in what he has seen with his own eyes. But he does not seem to have certainty and really know that God is faithful.
He says’ “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised.”
(If you will….as you have promised.)
He knows what God said but he still needs more assurance.
-- How is our faith? Are we mature enough to read the promises of God in the Bible and to understand that God does NOT lie or forget what he said?
When God says that our sins are separated from us “as far as the East is from the West” do we accept that it is really true?
-If we have needed to ask God for proof of the things He has already told us…our faith is immature also.
-If we have a fear of death, life, or calling, then our faith is immature.
-If we fail to follow the direction from Jesus to go into the world and make disciples, our faith is immature.
-If we ignore the signs already presented and prefer to hide away from the world as a church community, our faith is immature.
In fact, our faith is not really faith if it does not trust God to keep his promises.
It is not really faith if we embrace projects that are safe and we can handle all the details. Faith is not faith unless there is some action that requires us to trust God for the outcome when we interact with the Midianites and Canaanites and Amalikites…sinners, … all the world.
Faith is the miraculous ability to respond to God’s call on us even when we have doubts and fears.
Gideon thinks he has it all figured out. He places the wool on the floor and God graciously responds. The fleece is not jut a bit damp. Gideon does not call over someone else and ask, does this feel wet to you?
He picks up the fleece and it had to be heavy. It was probably dripping as he picked it up or at least wet underneath because, he rings a bowl full of water out of the wool.
It seems like he should be excited because God has answered his request, but he is not done.
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. This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew." 40 That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.
Gideon feels the need to tighten the box he created for God. Why didn’t God just move on to a more cooperative person?
Perhaps an older brother or some crippled or blind guy in the town.
Gideon just can’t seem to get on board no matter how much encouragement he is given.
Now many people will take this story of Gideon and decide that it is ok to set out a fleece for God. They will set out what to them seems like a clear request.
If it is ok, how should they…we… respond when God gives an answer?
How many hoops are acceptable when we want clarity from God?
I don’t know about you, but I have all kinds of questions about how to live my life properly in God’s sight. There are all kinds of spiritual choices that I want to make proper decisions about.
Not to mention all kinds of personal things about my marriage and children and even my secular work situation.
And then there are the things that are really important. The things that relate to how God has called me to work in His kingdom.
For instance, how about our shared call, what are we, Silver Creek UMC supposed to do in the next few weeks and months and even years.
There is so much that we could do, so what direction do we choose? How can we ask God to help us to be sure?
Let’s be clear, if we let our existing abilities and resources be our guide then we don’t need any faith or encouragement from God.
But if we are doing our best to hear and see God’s plan then it is going to probably be a scary and bold vision that comes to us. It only seems right that we get some kind of confirmation.
If Gideon’s method is not the correct way to get assurance, if it places God in a box of OUR making then what is the right way?
-- I don’t really believe using a fleece is directly testing God.
It depends on how tightly you or I limit how God can communicate His will to us.
The more we try to get an exact response from God, the more exact the hoop or the trick, the more our faith ends and our manipulation and testing of God begins.
So, if we can’t use a box, what is left….
It is actually simple in theory, How about depending on the Holy Spirit?
Gideon had it at least for a while and it told him what to do….”blow the trumpet”… “assemble the people” He seems to have responded to the spirit sent by God to take immediate action.
God was already directing Gideon before Gideon even started forming his questions and test. When he hears about the invading force, almost without thinking he takes charge. He blows the horn and sends messengers.
He takes action.
I believe that the clearest way of finding our direction is when we as a church open ourselves to God and share what the spirit reveals to us as individuals.
Then we have to take a step, we have to move by faith in some direction and watch for God to confirm our intention and movement.
The Lord does not play games with us. He desires that we make right decisions, and He wants to confirm us in these decisions!
We do not have to put out fleece to remind our heavenly Father that His well-loved and intimately known children need His perfect confirmation in their walk of faith. I have found that he confirms thing is the simplest of ways if I watch and listen to my brothers and sisters in Christ.
I find a comfort in Gideon’s story, because it illustrates that our God loves us enough to put up with our test and boxes. He does not abandon us if our faith won’t carry us all the way. He really is the force that brings all of us along on the path that He has for us.
It is important that we realize that our faith is something that makes the improbable and impossible happen by simply trusting in God.
All Glory be to God!
