Judges 6

Take a Stand When your Afraid

V.1-10

So here we are in judges 6

We see in the book of judges a constant cycle of...

Israel falling into idolatry and sin and then God oppresses them with a nation,

then they repent and call out to God

and then God sends a rescuer to come and save them from the oppressing nation.

they call these rescuers judges...

because they were supposed to right right and wrong, and provide direction for the nation.

Here in judges 6 the oppressing nation is the nation of the Midianites...

and because of the midianites

v.6

Israel was greatly impoverished because of the oppression from these enemies...

but there is a beautiful allagory here because...

God has made them as physically poor as they are spiritually poor.

the idea of spiritual poverty is all over the bible and the passage that comes to mind for me when I see this is...

The lukewarm church of Laodiceans in

Revelation 3:17–18 “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.”

Jesus said...

Matthew 5:3 ““Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Those who are spiritual bankrupt and who know it those will be blessed.

The first step in becoming spiritually rich is knowing that your poor...

Israel here was physically poor, and God was using it to help them realize that they were spiritually poor as well.

v.10

And so in v.10 we see God sends out a prophet to attempt to

help them to realize the truth about their condition.

V.11-27

v.15

how?

The Lords response: I will be with you…

The person that the Lord uses is the weak one…

the least- so that God can alone receive the glory when He does the impossible through them.

v.18

“I will wait until you come back”

Oh The patience of God, that even when he makes a promise to us…

he waits as we fumble, and ask for confirmation after confirmation and still doubt

and yet, “I will wait”

And he is patient and persistant and constant towards us…

V.22

Israelites believed from, Exodus 33:20, that no one could see the Lord and live…

What Gideon didn’t know is that he interacted the revealed God, Jesus Christ.

V.23

And the Lord says to him “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die”

It is interesting that the Lord tells Gideon to have peace because…

If you notice Gideon he is a man full of anxiety, full of fear, full of doubt.

The word for peace is the word shalom:

And it means completeness, soundness, welfare, peace, and specifically here the Lord is telling him “It will be well with you”.

Stop worrying, and know that I am your completion…

all that you don’t have, all that you can’t do…

I can do! I am enough, if you trust in me.

v.24

And so Gideon makes an alter and names it:

“The LORD Is Peace”

Gideon learned a new aspect of God that he didn’t before

That His God is a God of peace…

A God of completeness, soundness, welfare and peace for those who are reconciled to Him by grace.

If you are saved in Jesus by faith

the only acceptable response to the grace of God is worship!

the favor

the fact that he want’s to use me of all people!

worship is an act of faith, and a proper act of humility as a result of being confronted with the presence of God.

V.25-27

This next passage was a baby step of faith for Gideon…

If you notice God is training him…

little by little to trust in and be obedient to the Lord.

Ch.7 V.1-2

God knew that an army too big, a people too strong…

could say that they were strong enough to save themselves

and they wouldn’t be weak enough to need God

They wouldn't be dependent enough to give God the glory

And you see a regular theme…

which is a man who is strong and self sufficient is unable to be used by God…

but it is the desire of the Lord to use the weak, the beggerly, the poor, the disabled, the fearful

Pray.