Gideon - God Is With Us

GOD IS WITH US

The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord handed them over to Midian seven years, 2 and they oppressed Israel. Because of Midian, the Israelites made hiding places for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds. [1] JUDGES 6:1-2

Judges 6:1–2 CSB

The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord handed them over to Midian seven years, and they oppressed Israel. Because of Midian, the Israelites made hiding places for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds.

So Israel have once again turned their back on the Lord and as a result of that the Lord handed them over and allowed midian to oppress them for seven years. So what we find when we step into this story without reading what's leading up to it is that Gideon is with his family trying to separate the wheat from the chaff in a wine press because they were trying to hide the food so that all of these different tribes who were oppressing them couldn't take it. So we are picking up at verse 11.

Judges 6:11–32 CSB

The angel of the Lord came, and he sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash, the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was threshing wheat in the winepress in order to hide it from the Midianites. Then the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “The Lord is with you, valiant warrior.” Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened? And where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about? They said, ‘Hasn’t the Lord brought us out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.” The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and deliver Israel from the grasp of Midian. I am sending you!” He said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Look, my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s family.” “But I will be with you,” the Lord said to him. “You will strike Midian down as if it were one man.” Then he said to him, “If I have found favor with you, give me a sign that you are speaking with me. Please do not leave this place until I return to you. Let me bring my gift and set it before you.” And he said, “I will stay until you return.” So Gideon went and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from a half bushel of flour. He placed the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He brought them out and offered them to him under the oak. The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat with the unleavened bread, put it on this stone, and pour the broth on it.” So he did that. The angel of the Lord extended the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire came up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight. When Gideon realized that he was the angel of the Lord, he said, “Oh no, Lord God! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!” But the Lord said to him, “Peace to you. Don’t be afraid, for you will not die.” So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord Is Peace. It is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites today. On that very night the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s young bull and a second bull seven years old. Then tear down the altar of Baal that belongs to your father and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. Build a well-constructed altar to the Lord your God on the top of this mound. Take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down.” So Gideon took ten of his male servants and did as the Lord had told him. But because he was too afraid of his father’s family and the men of the city to do it in the daytime, he did it at night. When the men of the city got up in the morning, they found Baal’s altar torn down, the Asherah pole beside it cut down, and the second bull offered up on the altar that had been built. They said to each other, “Who did this?” After they made a thorough investigation, they said, “Gideon son of Joash did it.” Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he tore down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.” But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Would you plead Baal’s case for him? Would you save him? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead his own case because someone tore down his altar.” That day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, since Joash said, “Let Baal contend with him,” because he tore down his altar.

So before we start breaking this down I want to point out that we're seeing Christ in this scripture right here. This is called a Christophany and it really is amazing and it's what I'm always telling you about how this is 1 Bible and the whole Bible is about Jesus from beginning to end. Here’s a little teaching to go along with the preaching this morning. We see a clear interaction between Gideon and the angel of the LORD. As you read the passage, what points to this being a Christophany is when you compare verse 12 and verse 14. Verse 12 says the angel of the LORD is speaking and verse 14 says the LORD is speaking and they are referring to the same person. We know from the verses the angel of the LORD sat down, appeared to Gideon, and spoke to him, engaging in conversation. Here again, we see God in physical form. Here is an important thing to note as you are doing your own Bible study. There is a difference between the angel of the LORD and simply an angel of the LORD. As you look at the passage in context you will be able to establish whether it is simply a messenger of God, which is what an angel is, or it is God himself. Typically, the angel of the LORD is a reference to God himself.

So we know that they had turned their back on the Lord and we pick up in verse 12 and it's telling us that the Lord who we know is Jesus at this point has appeared to Gideon and he said the Lord is with you valiant warrior and Gideon replies and says to him please my Lord if the Lord is with us why has all this happened and where are all the his wonders that our fathers told us about they said hasn't the Lord brought us out of Egypt but now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to midian the Lord turned to him and said go in the strength you have and deliver Israel from the grasp of midian I am sending you. See what happens to us is that we get in the midst of the struggle and the struggle is our consequences of turning our back on God and then as a result of our disobedience we were handed over to the midians . Then as we are in the midst of the consequences for our disobedience we somehow forget our role in being where we are thus allowing the enemy to start telling us that God has abandoned us when all the time we're in that very situation because of our disobedience our current circumstances seem to erase our past victories that God has brought us through. Can you relate to this? God has brought me through so many things and yet when I get in the struggle because of my own disobedience to God it seems like I forget all of the mountains that he's moved in my past but he's still the same God and I've still got to believe in him and when we're in that valley he is still with us even though were facing consequences for our sin or our disobedience God is still with us. #1 disobedience has consequences. When we stray from God he allows crisis in our lives to compel us to repent and return. Theres a purpose to our pain. The Angel tells Gideon that the Lord is with him but Gideon couldn't see outside of his own situation and problems. But the Lord simply tells him I am with you I will be with you. Gideon tells him not only is my family the weakest family in manessa but I am the youngest and the weakest of the weakest family but notice that the first thing Jesus says to Gideon is that the Lord is with you valiant warrior. See Gideon sees himself of being the weakest of the weak but God is calling him a valiant warrior now Gideon hasn't even seen the battlefield yet. Listen scripture tells me that if I'm a blood bot's son or daughter of the most high God then he'll never leave me and he'll never forsake me so it doesn't matter what my problems are it doesn't matter how weak that I think that I am as long as I know that God is with me and God is for me and thy that I am with God. When the Lord spoke to Gideon he called him a valiant warrior before Gideon ever saw a battlefield God knew he was a valiant warrior and God sees us as the powerful human beings he created us to be not who the devil has tricked us into believing that we are here we are back to our ability and it's been an ongoing theme for the first couple months of this year but listen to me Gideon isn't a valiant warrior for a couple of more chapters and God is already stuck that identity on him because that's who God created him to be and so understand and know that God's not looking at you and who you are now he's looking into and who he's created you to be a couple chapters down the road and he's already empowered you to become that person you've just got to let go and let God.

vs 15-16 God responded to Gideon saying he was the weakest by saying I am with you the same way He did Moses years earlier

exodus 3.11-12

Exodus 3:11–12 CSB

But Moses asked God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” He answered, “I will certainly be with you, and this will be the sign to you that I am the one who sent you: when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will all worship God at this mountain.”

But Moses asked God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

12 He answered, “I will certainly be with you, and this will be the sign to you that I am the one who sent you: when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will all worship God at this mountain.”

We see Gods consistency here. We also see that Him being with us is everything to us. The key to accomplishing a impossible task is walking in the presence of God!! Scripture tells us over and over and over that God is with us and these stories of God working with man in this Bible are amazing Gideon had absolutely nothing he was scared he was hiding he was trying to stash away food and God comes to him and tells him that you're going to deliver Israel the whole nation and all he had to go on was the fact like God was with him God is with you it's a real question is are you with God are you allowing him to work in your life to move in your life to lead your life are you allowing him to dictate things in your life listen to these versus that tell us about God being with us.

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel (which means, God with us)’”

Matthew 1:23 CSB

See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel, which is translated “God is with us.”

“And behold, I am always with you, to the end of the age” (

Matthew 28:2

Matthew 28:2 CSB

There was a violent earthquake, because an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and approached the tomb. He rolled back the stone and was sitting on it.

‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5).

hebrews 13.5

Hebrews 13:5 CSB

Keep your life free from the love of money. Be satisfied with what you have, for he himself has said, I will never leave you or abandon you.

1.

Isaiah 41:10

isa 41.10

Isaiah 41:10 CSB

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Joshua 1:9 CSB

Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

4. Psalm 23:4

Psalm 23:4 CSB

Even when I go through the darkest valley, I fear no danger, for you are with me; your rod and your staff—they comfort me.

“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”

5. Deuteronomy 31:6

Deuteronomy 31:6 CSB

Be strong and courageous; don’t be terrified or afraid of them. For the Lord your God is the one who will go with you; he will not leave you or abandon you.”

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

So moving on to verses 25-32 God has called Gideon God gave Gideon a task a mission but before Gideon could move forward with the mission he had to clean up his own house. So the Lord told him to go tear down the altar to baal and the ashera pole . It took 10 servants to tear it down so this was a huge altar and Gideon tore it down. There's a principle at work here. We see that God has already called Gideon a valiant warrior but before Gideon can carry out his mission he's got to take care of a couple of things first and foremost. #2 before we can do the big mission God has for us we have to be obedient to the mini or smaller missions of preparation. Before we can ever expect God to do something outside of our home or outside of our personal temple we have to be willing to get things right inside. This is what I talk about a lot God is always trying to transform us and the transformation is always so that we can fulfill his purpose in his plan for our life. Just like Gideon we had to tear some things down we have to sacrifice some stuff that maybe we think we need but we don't need and it's not until we are obedient in these smaller things that we can become the valiant warrior that he's already created us to be.