Gideon

Israel Called Out to God

Remember from last week

The people had turned from God and worshipping Him

The people compromised with the idols of the surrounding nations

Because of their evil God gave them over to the Midianites

They overpowered Israel and took all their food each year

Israel, who was promised great and abundant things for God if they would follow Him was impoverished and empty

Their suffering led them to be oppressed and cry out to God

God answered

God called a young man, Gideon

Gideon was probably your age

When God showed up in his life he was working with his father

Takeing care of the family the best way he could

God spoke to him with bigly words

“God is with you, you mighty man of renown!”

What guy would not want to hear this!!! Notice Gideon’s response, notice the honesty, modesty, humility in him

He does not spit back, “you bet I am”

Instead he asks God where HE is, he has promised but doesn’t seem to have come through

Gideon doesn’t understand what is happeneing in the nation and through the history of ISrael

He knows the good of what God has promised but doesn’t seem to understand the moral commands of God

God calls him to obedience

God does not argue with Gideon or try and convince him but gives him a choice

God tells Gideon to follow Him and go save Israel from the hand of Midian for God had sent him

This point of dicision is everywhere in the Bible

“What will you do, chose life or chose death”

“Choose to follow the gods around you or follow God”

“Is Jesus your food or the rotten food of this earth”

The point is clear here for Gideon. Either he can trust what God is telling him to do or remain in what he knows and what is comfortable

Gideon asks for confirmation

Goes prepares food

When returns the angel instructs him to place the food on a rock

?why?

Doesn’t balk but does so

Angel taps with staff and “fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes.”

!WHAT!!!

This dead cold rock spring up in fire to devour the food!

This was a picture of an acceptable sacrifice

It was common to give to a diety on an altar by fire

Later on in salvaiton history, Elijah stands upon Mt. Carmel

Prophets of Baal sacrifice, cut themselves and Baal doesn’t take the sacrifice

God camp down in fire and consumed Elijah’s sacrifice

Fire burns, consumes, purifies

God displays His glory to Gideon and grows his faith

For what God is about to ask of him is big

Dad has an alter to a false god

God tells Gideon to go tear it down and sacrifice a sin offering because of the people’s idolatry

When the men arose they found out it was Gideon

They called to kill him

And dad spoke up and reasoned that if Baal was a god and was unhappy let him judge and punish Gideon

Which never happens becuase Baal is fake, human creation

What does all this mean

2 things about how you get along with your parents

what to do if your parents are like Gideon’s

They appear to have taught him some basic Bible so that he knew of God’s promises to His people

Like parents put him in AWANA, learned some basic Bible but as we see his dad not only looked to God but was divided in his worship

had elements of idol worship in his back yard

Parents were not fully turned to God,

Maybe you find your parents doing some right things but a lot of wrong things that are not like what God says, they havent told you the whole story and clarified with their lives who God is and what He is doing

You could point your finger at paretns and say all your problems are cause them. But notice what God calls Gideon to...

Calls Gideon to trust in Him not attack his parents

You might know alot and have great parents or the opposite but the reality is you must do something with the truth

God wants to call you and have you trust in Him and live in faith towards Him. Not have you argue against your parents

So what do we see Gideon doing… serving his family… working with his father… listening and talking to God

I are a parent, we are not perfect, we fail often… but God has given me girls to love, tell about Jesus, and I don’t do it right a lot of the time but that doesn’t change the role God has given me

Your parents might struggle at times… your their child… they are your parents. If you have a problem you go to God not go criticise and gripe to your parents.

Chances are you don’t see the whole picture and your zeal might be miss-placed.

God tells you to honor your parents! Respect them as your adult provider.

What you do with your parents displays your trust in the Lord. Your fight is between you and God not them. Show them your trust in God by your respect and obedience.

what do you do when your parents are not wholly devoted to the God that you serve?

What happens when your parents do not support your response to God? And your desire to obey Him?

What do you do when you sell out to Jesus and they don’t?

Do you look at your parents as the enemy?

Do you point out the things that are not consistent like a lawyer?