Forged in Fire: Judges 6:36-40

Last week, we met Gideon at a place of sadness and uncertainty due to the oppression that the Israelites experienced over the Midianites.

Angel of the Lord found him under a tree and greeted him as a “valiant warrior.”

Gideon struggled with being greeted this way.

He asked the Lord for a sign to help him believe that he would lead the charge in delivering Israel from their oppression.

The Lord was patient with Gideon and gave him what he asked for.

He then gave him the order to destroy the idols of his father and their community.

We talked about the fact that God is calling us to serve Him for a purpose. He’s patient and willing to work with us through our weaknesses because He knows what we are capable of when we put our whole faith in Him.

He won’t keep us in our weaknesses though.

With that being said, Gideon would struggle in his faith. He wasn’t able to move forward in spite of what all God had shown him his life.

He needed to return back to where his calling started.

It was July of 1961 and the 38 members of the Green Bay Packers football team were gathered together for the first day of training camp. The previous season had ended with a heartbreaking defeat when the Packers squandered a lead late in the 4th quarter and lost the NFL Championship to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Green Bay players had been thinking about this brutal loss for the entire off-season and now, finally, training camp had arrived and it was time to get to work. The players were eager to advance their game to the next level and start working on the details that would help them win a championship.

Their coach, Vince Lombardi, had a different idea.

“This is a football.”

In his best-selling book, When Pride Still Mattered: A Life Of Vince Lombardi, author David Maraniss explains what happened when Lombardi walked into training camp in the summer of 1961.

He took nothing for granted. He began a tradition of starting from scratch, assuming that the players were blank slates who carried over no knowledge from the year before… He began with the most elemental statement of all. “Gentlemen,” he said, holding a pigskin in his right hand, “this is a football.”

Lombardi was coaching a group of three dozen professional athletes who, just months prior, had come within minutes of winning the biggest prize their sport could offer. And yet, he started from the very beginning.

Lombardi's methodical coverage of the fundamentals continued throughout training camp. Each player reviewed how to block and tackle. They opened up the playbook and started from page one. At some point, Max McGee, the Packers’ Pro Bowl wide receiver, joked, “Uh, Coach, could you slow down a little? You're going too fast for us.” Lombardi reportedly cracked a smile, but continued his obsession with the basics all the same. His team would become the best in the league at the tasks everyone else took for granted.

Six months later, the Green Bay Packers beat the New York Giants 37-0 to win the NFL Championship.

Today’s message is more about simply returning to the basics of how we are to operate as believers.

Today is the attempt to wrap our minds around the patience of God and His willingness to return to where it all began for us so that all Christians can have the assurance that they need in order to follow the path of discipleship.

Judges 6:36–40 NASB95

36 Then Gideon said to God, “If You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken, 37 behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I will know that You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken.” 38 And it was so. When he arose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece, he drained the dew from the fleece, a bowl full of water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not let Your anger burn against me that I may speak once more; please let me make a test once more with the fleece, let it now be dry only on the fleece, and let there be dew on all the ground.” 40 God did so that night; for it was dry only on the fleece, and dew was on all the ground.

Judges 6:

1. God’s patience in His timing.

It was time for Gideon to rise up and move forward in God’s plan.

He would lead the attack against the Midianites. He had since gained favor and approval from the people of Israel.

When he destroyed their religious altars and idols, things had worked in his favor. He was not destroyed, he was given favor and promoted as a leader in the eye of the people.

Things were pointing up. Gideon was not in the same place as he was before. God had proved His strength in Gideon’s circumstance. In our eyes, there should have been no reason for Gideon not to move forward.

And yet, Gideon still lacked the faith he needed to move forward with God’s plan.

Instead of attacking Midian, he asked God for another sign. He needed more.

His faith was not constant; it knew moments of uncertainty as well as heights of greatness.

There is only one character in the scriptures that was able to stay strong 100% of the time. Jesus Christ. The greatest heroes of the Christian faith could not be on their A game all of the time.

Imagine how you would feel if you were God in this situation? It would be frustrating to want Gideon to move forward to carry out the plan.

If he’s not going to do it, just get someone else to right?

God is patient. His timing is perfect and He’s never in a hurry. He’s confident in His purpose and plan.

He’s SLOW to anger and knows what He is doing through you.

What is holding you back?

Fear, Lack of confidence, belief issues, bad relationships.

It’s like walking after God with a rock in your shoe. It’s ok to step off the sidewalk, sit down, untie your shoe, and get the rock out so that you can raise the quality of your life.

God knows that this takes time.

Stop what you’re doing and deal with your issues before God. He would rather you stop and grow instead of walking forward without following Him completely.

2. God’s patience in our lack of faith.

Gideon asked the Lord to bring an unnatural act on a natural situation.

He asked for God to water log a fleece on the dry ground.

He then asked God to keep wool dry while the rest of the ground was wet from the dew.

Talk about a ridiculous idea. And yet, God allow Gideon’s idea to move forward.

Yahweh did not condemn Gideon’s uncertainty. He patiently encouraged his faith by granting the signs that Gideon asked.

He worked the miracle and then reversed the miracle over a period of two days.

Wou

Similar story about Moses.

Exodus 4:3–6 NASB95

3 Then He said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. 4 But the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand and grasp it by its tail”—so he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— 5 “that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.” 6 The Lord furthermore said to him, “Now put your hand into your bosom.” So he put his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow.

Exodus 4

Would anyone have questioned God if he told Gideon that He was a failure for asking another sign?

Absolutely not. We believe that God is justified in feeling that way. What do we see instead? God’s character and patience. He used His power to provide assurance for Gideon.

There are moments whenever we need God to show us His plan and purpose. We have to stop and ask to see His power.

God will listen to you and provide an answer. It may not be the answer that you requested but He will provide assurance.

Hebrews 10:22 NASB95

22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

3. God’s patience in the perfect plan.

When you look at the miracles of God, look beyond the physical act...

When God filled the fleece with water, He was assuring Gideon that He would provide for Israel throughout their history.

The bucket of water was the reminder.

When the wool stayed dry, God was assuring Gideon that His presence would remain on Israel forever.

God’s willingness to assure Gideon would provide a strong foundation for the entire nation.

It wasn’t just for Gideon. It wasn’t just for Israel.

My Father’s salvation.

I’m not saved because my dad is saved but His salvation blessed me by extension.

God isn’t looking to work out a good plan. He’s making the best plan.

He is patient to allow everything to work out together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. ()

He is willing to work with you because He loves you and the people that you live life with.

The Forger doesn’t just want to benefit the tool he is making. Everything benefits when he does the work the right way.

Are you on assignment? What do you need to allow God to deal with in you so that you can step forward?