Sermon Tone Analysis

The Patience and Power of God.

Introduction:

Have you ever seen signs posted in Saskatoon by the river “No swimming”?

The sign is there because it is dangerous because of undercurrents that can drag you down and you can drown.

Does everyone heed this warning?

Not at all.

But when one gets in trouble, even by disregarding this warning, people risk their own lives to save the person in the water crying out for help.

For Israel, they were given commands by God through the law how to live as a covenant community.

But like the swimmers that disobey the law by swimming in the river, Israel disobeyed God’s law by living and doing what each one thought was right in their own eyes without regard for what God commanded of them.

As we will see today in the life of Gideon, Israel’s rebellion to God’s goodness brought the discipline of the Lord through the Midianites who ravaged the land.

Israel was in trouble and crying for help just like the swimmers who were drowning.

Today, we are going to look at how Gideon was called by God as a judge to act as a type of saviour for Israel.

We are going to see the sin cycle of Israel, God patience with Gideon who was timid and weak, then we will see how God saves Israel by his awesome power.

We will end with showing how Jesus is the ultimate Saviour in answer to the sin problem.

Point #1 - The Sin Cycle.

Our text is from .

Context is important so briefly let us look at how Israel ended up in the mess they were in.

God had called Abraham from pagan worship and made a covenant with him that through him, he would make a great nation.

With a posterity that the sands of the seashore could not number.

Through his son Isaac and grandson Jacob, they would end up in Egypt where they would become a nation swelling in size to over 2 million.

The Egyptian’s were fearful of the Israelites size so they enslaved them mercilessly.

They cried out to God and through signs and wonders he used his servant Moses to free them from their bondage and deliver them to a land filled with milk and honey that God had promised them when he covenanted with Abraham many years prior.

At Mount Sinai God gave the law for how his redeemed people were to live.

One in particular was to have no other gods before them for the Lord their God is a jealous God.

Idols were what the pagans worshipped, but Israel’s God was the one true living God.

In time the people of God were given the land by the mighty hand of God who removed the evil people from the promised land.

But he gave them a stern warning that if they did not obey the LORD their God, they would be punished for their disobedience.

Well, the people of Israel in fact did not obey and over the course of time loved to worship the gods of the country like Baal and Molech.

As a result the LORD did punish them by bringing foreign rulers to steal, destroy and pillage the land.

In the time period somewhere between Joshua’s death and the rise of Samuel and Saul is the time of the judges.

These were like mini saviours that God sent to save the people when they were “drowning in their sin crying for help”.

The repeated cycle of Israel’s sin was first rebellion, then they were disciplined by God, followed by Israel calling out to God to save them, then lastly he would save them because of his covenant with Abraham.

This sin cycle happened over and over again.

So now we get to our text and see that in the very 1st verse of chapter 6 we see the beginning of the cycle.

“The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD...” Then in the second part of verse 1 to 6 we see that the LORD gave them into the hands of Midian for seven years.

This was the discipline of the Lord their God for disobeying the clear commands that God had given.

The Midianites and the Amalekites and people of the east would come each year and plunder the land of their crops and sheep.

ox and donkeys.

Like if you can imagine that all the farmers of the land around Glenbush was seeded, fertilized and cared for only for the city of Saskatoon to come each year and take the crop away.

This was what was happening each year.

So, in (7-10) Israel cries out for help to the LORD.

This is the 3rd part of the cycle.

To which he sends a prophet to them and says how he had led their people out of Egypt from their slavery and drove out the peoples of the land to give them this great land.

I am the Lord your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.

But you have not obeyed my voice.”

God points out their sin.

Then, in (11-24) God calls from among the people a mini saviour in Gideon.

Even though there is no evidence that Israel repented of their idol worship, God still saves his covenantal people.

He is merciful and kind even though they don’t deserve to be saved.

An angel of the LORD comes to Gideon who was trying to hide grain in the winepress.

“The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valour.”

To which Gideon complains that if that is true, why is all this trouble come on his people.

The angel replies that Gideon is to go in this “might of the LORD” and save Israel from the Midianites.

Does he jump up and head off to battle?

Not a chance.

Much like how Moses gave excuses, Gideon also says that he is just a simple farmer of the weakest clan of Israel, as well as the least in his father’s house.

To which the LORD says to him “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”

Gideon, in not believing what he is hearing asks for a sign to prove this is true.

The angel stays until Gideon prepared a meal for him.

When he brought it the angel touched the rock with his staff that was under the meal and fire consumed everything and poof the angel was gone.

God is going to save his people because he is good and cares for his children even when they rebel.

This completes the sin cycle.

Point #2 - God’s Patience for a man of little faith.

God now is going to test Gideon with a small task.

God prepares the called to equip them for faithful service.

Rip down your father’s alter to Baal with two of his bulls, cut down the Asherah pole and sacrifice the 2nd bull on the an alter you will build on top of the stronghold.

Gideon does this, but because he is scared of his family he does it at night with 10 of his servants (27).

Early the next day, the men of the city see this terrible thing done to Baal.

They investigate and find that Gideon has done this.

They demand he brought out and be killed for doing this evil act.

This is how twisted Israel was.

The people deserved to die for their abominations against the living God, yet here they think in Baal’s defence Gideon must die.

Joash, the father of Gideon steps in to defend his son and tells the people that if Baal has a problem let him come for Gideon.

Nothing happened to Gideon and now a bigger threat was looming.

The camps of the Midianites and Amalekites and people of the east that totalled some 135,000 according to (8:10) were settling in the Valley of Jezreel which was not far from them.

They were preparing for their yearly plunder.

In (34), the Spirit of the LORD clothed Gideon and he rallied the troops to come and fight.

In waiting for the troops to come, Gideon again was fearful.

Probably his mind again went to how weak he is and ill equipped as a farmer to now lead an army.

So in (36) he asks God for two more signs to confirm that this is the right plan.

He first tests God to make a fleece wet with dew and everything to be dry around it.

God patiently performs this miracle for Gideon.

Gideon still is filled with unbelief so now reverses the sign and asks that the fleece be dry and the ground wet.

Again, God is patient with Gideon and performs this sign for him to encourage and strengthen this man of little faith.

On a side note, have you heard of people saying they are putting out the fleece?

Maybe a hard decision needs to be made or looking for confirmation, so a test is put out that if the temperature tomorrow is 24.5 degrees that is a go or if a phone call from certain person comes the next day then I know this is from the LORD.

This is not right for Christians to do.

We are not to test the Lord.

Looking for signs is actually pride in demanding of God to show me by my standards, my test.

To “put out the fleece” is not admirable but rather is a sign of unbelief that we don’t trust God.

So let us be careful in not thinking this is a good way to make decisions.

Even though this was a sign of Gideon’s lack of faith, God loves Gideon and does this for him for his own purposes and for his glory.

Now, God increases the testing for Gideon in (7:1-8).

The amount of warriors that answered Gideons prior call to come fight was 32,000.

But God says this is too many.

Ugh 32,000 against 135,000 is too many?

Yup, now trim it down and ask those who are afraid to fight to go home.

22,000 hurried away more than happy to get outta dodge.

God says that still is too many so bring them to the water and those that bring their hand to their mouth and lap like a dog are to go and fight.

The remainder are to go home like the 22,000.