Sermon Tone Analysis

Today, in Judges, we’re going to see God transform a coward into a man of courage.

The aim of this text is to teach us that

God doesn’t reward courage with a calling; he creates courage with a calling.

Now, stop for a minute—that is odd, isn’t it?

They cry out to the Lord, and he sends… a prophet…?

They weren’t asking for teaching; they were calling for deliverance.

Israel’s problem was not primarily the Midianities.

They were their own problem.

They were asking for deliverance, but God said, “What you need first is a sermon.”

Not every instance of suffering is in response to disobedience.

Some of you are in that category.

You are here seeking something from God, but what God wants to do first is turn the spotlight onto your heart.

Let me be very clear: Not every instance of suffering is in response to disobedience.

God is not always trying to “teach you something.”

In fact, most instances are not.

Believers often suffer, like Jesus did, having done nothing wrong.

But sometimes it is…

I think it’s worth asking this morning: Is God possibly trying to get your attention?

You came wanting God to give you help or deliverance and God is saying, What I need to do in your heart is more important.

He hasn’t caused hardship to pay you back, but he has done it to bring you back.

But wait a minute… How did the people respond to the prophet’s sermon?

Before the people responded, God has already begun their salvation!

Make sure you get this:

We don’t get ourselves into shape and then God comes for us; he comes to us when we’re a mess.

Well, the angel takes a seat by this tree …

Now, a winepress is a terrible place to thresh wheat.

Let me explain to you a little something about wheat threshing, in case you haven’t done it in a while: the way that they threshed wheat was they threw it up in the air so that the wind could blow away all the light, useless stuff, and the good stuff, the heavy stuff, falls back down.

A winepress is underground, which means it is a terrible place to thresh wheat, because you’d have to throw it way up to get the wind.

So why is Gideon doing it there?

Because he is afraid.

The point: This is no Jack Bauer or Chuck Norris or Nicolas Cage…

God doesn’t speak to Gideon based on what he is, but based on what God is going to make him into.

Gideon is not called because he is courageous.

He’s made courageous as a result of his call.

God doesn’t call the brave; he makes brave those he calls.

You see, when God calls us, he doesn’t see us or define us by the condition we are in, but by what he is determined to make us into in Christ.

o Isn’t that good news?

You were a mess when God came to you.

He doesn’t reward the righteous and courageous, he makes men righteous and courageous.

So God looks at a man cowering in a hole and says, “Man of valor!

Stand up.”

Two questions: 1.“Please, my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us?

Based on what we’ve just read, this question is totally wrongheaded.

Is it God that has left the people?

No, the people have left God.

The second question is even more confusing: And - where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us…?”

“God, why don’t you do great things for us anymore?”

Well, Gideon, an angel is sitting in front of you.

I think that would qualify as a wonderful thing.

But look at God’s specific answer:

God’s answer to Gideon: “Where are all my wonderful deeds, Gideon?

Why, I’m about to do them through you.”

We often look to heaven and ask God, “Where are you?”

We are the work of God in our generation.

BTW: Who is this angel in verse 12, he’s called an angel, and he talks about the Lord in the 3rd person.

In verse 14, however, he’s called “the Lord” directly.

This happens a lot in the Hebrew Bible, and it’s a mystery until the coming of Jesus, and after that, it makes sense.

It’s what theologians call a “Christophany.”

Jesus was both the messenger of God, in addition to being God himself.

God, I am small; I am a coward.

I’m here threshing my wheat underground, for crying out loud.

But I will be with you, This is God’s one line answer to everything.

Everything you need is in that statement: I will be with you.

and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”

In other words, you will take out the massive Midianite army as if it’s one scrawny little guy

So the angel tells Gideon to prepare some food, and when Gideon puts it on the table the angel touches the food with his staff and the flames spring up out of the rock and consume the food, and then the angel disappears, and Gideon is convinced God is behind it.

Revival had to start with Gideon before it could spread.

Again, this is no William Wallace!

But God doesn’t criticize Gideon for this, because obedience is more important to God than bravado.

Well, the next morning everyone gets up and says, “What happened to our god?”

Someone says, “Gideon did this!” and they say, “Let’s kill Gideon.

Again, don’t miss the humor.

This small, cowardly guy gets the nickname “Baal-tail-whooper.”

Well, after this… vs. 33, the Midianites launch a massive assault on Israel, at which point the angel of God appears to Gideon again, and tells him to mount a resistance… Gideon says again, “OK, God, again, how can I be sure you’re going to do this?”

And then Gideon comes up with his own idea: “I’m going to put this animal skin, this fleece, out on the ground.

If you are really with me, in the morning let the ground around it be dry and the fleece be wet.”

Then Gideon said, “Wait a minute, that was too easy.

God, what I meant to say was, ‘Let the fleece be dry, and the ground around it be wet.’

That would be a real miracle.”

Ahh… the famous fleece test.

This concept has been more abused than just about any other thing in the Bible.

Including by me.

People come up with these litmus tests to determine if God is really in something.

That’s not really the point.

We’ll come to that.

WHEN GOD IS KING WE CAN BE COURAGEOUS.

God doesn’t call the brave; he makes brave the called.

When God comes to you, he never starts with what you are; he starts with what he intends to make you in Christ.

So he looks at a man cowering in a hole and says, “Man of valor!” “Moses, you will be a great orator.”

“But God, I can’t speak.

I will be your mouth.

Maybe even clearer example of this: Abraham: Sterile.

Old.

Father of many nations?

Laughable.

Romans 4:17 says

that faith is believing God when he calls into existence the things that do not yet exist.

God does that with you; he speaks to you, dead in your sin, and calls you alive based on the resurrection.

The question is, “Will you believe him?”

Satan is the one who starts with who you are and what you’ve done and defines you by that.