If you're a visitor, you're a little bit disadvantaged because we're going to cover a lot of territory this morning.
Our own people have had a chance to read this through during the week.
But anyway, we'll see how you go.
I want to begin this morning in Hebrews chapter 11.
We talk about Gideon.
I want to ask the question, is it a portrait hung in the wrong gallery?
So Hebrews 11 is known as God's portrait gallery.
Of the faithful ones.
The great ones of the faith.
Now the problem is that as I walk around that gallery in Hebrews chapter 11, I see and hear different names.
And I think, yep, yep, clearly they deserve to be there.
Clearly they deserve to be there.
But then I get to Gideon's portrait.
And I find myself wondering, as I say, has this portrait been hung in the wrong place, in the wrong gallery?
Preachers and Sunday school teachers have made Gideon into a hero.
A great hero who, with a tiny force, they say, of 300 crack troops, completely destroyed an army.
An enemy invasion force of 135,000.
So Gideon's a hero.
My problem is that as I read the story of Gideon, in Judges 6, 7, and 8, the Gideon I have to engage with presents as a very different person.
To be honest, he doesn't immediately inspire me as a great person of faith.
He's a very flawed human being.
And at points, I think, you'd have to say, he's a very ugly human being in terms of his character.
Has somebody got it wrong and hung the portrait in their own gallery?
Well, clearly not.
The problem is not that the portrait's hung in their own gallery.
The problem is that we look at the portrait from their own perspective.
We tend to think that when somebody's in that gallery, then every single aspect of their life has been one of faith.
Well, I don't think that's true at all.
I think Gideon, like everybody else in that gallery, is there because at critical points,
they manage to show a good response to the Lord.
In what was otherwise pretty ordinary lives.
Clearly, Gideon is used by the Lord to effect great rescue.
But I think when we're looking at that portrait in the gallery of faith,
we don't actually just look at the portrait.
We look at the maestro who compiled that portrait.
The maestro behind the portrait.
The artist.
The Lord who persevered with Gideon.
The Lord who crafted Gideon into that critical moment of faith
where the rest of his life was, as I say, very ordinary, very ugly at points.
That critical moment where Gideon does, with the Lord's enabling,
step out in faith and show the leadership that the Lord commands.
But the Lord still goes before him, even at that point.
But at that point, that critical moment, Gideon knows he's going out in the strength of the Lord
and he's content to reveal God's character and grace and power in that situation.
So it's not Gideon who's the hero of this story we're looking at this morning.
Of course, it's the Lord who's the hero.
And what the Lord's doing in this story is showcasing through Gideon and the external circumstances,
the Lord is showcasing his faithfulness.
Not Gideon's.
His mercy.
His patience to people who clearly don't deserve any of his patience or his mercy or his faithfulness.
Showing himself as a savior to those who would not be able to save themselves through their own resources.
So jump into the story with me this morning.
And I want to show you something really sad at the beginning and the end of the story that frames the whole story.
So chapter 6, verses 1 to 11 is the first bookend or the first frame of the story.
And that begins with what seems to be an identical cycle of outright rejection.
Loss of distinctiveness as God's people.
So we've been through this cycle a few times.
We've got God's people responding to suffering.
God sends suffering upon his people for this outright rebellion.
But there's a couple of key indicators here that we need to take up as we move forward.
This is only one generation later.
And I think the 40 years is probably a stylistic way of talking about a generation rather than literal 40 years.
So just one generation later and we're doing it all again.
And as we start to think about that then,
I think we begin to realize or suspect that what we've called a cycle,
that is something that goes round and round endlessly,
is actually something a bit worse than a cycle.
It's a downward spiral.
That is, it's going round and round,
but each time we go around, things are getting worse.
God's people are finding new depths of rebellion.
New ways to be offensive to their Lord.
This time, the cycle includes suffering at the hands of the Midianites.
And that is a coalition again of semi-nomadic tribes from the east.
And what marks these guys out is that they pioneered camels,
yes, camels, as strategic military weapons.
So this armed force that we find out later on of 135,000 came on camels.
Now that meant that for the first time,
they had a long-range, fast-moving, mobile strike force.
And we're told in here that they struck absolute terror
into the hearts of the Israelites.
They invaded every year at harvest time, and like locusts,
they just came and they stripped the whole land bare.
And God's people were so terrified
that they were forced to hide in caves in the hills,
trying to save enough food to get themselves through the wintertime.
God's people were starving, literally, and terrified.
And in desperation, and again, as a last resort,
after enduring seven years of this invasion,
God's people appealed to the Lord for help.
And once again, the Lord responds.
But look at verse 7 of chapter 6,
because the response of the Lord this time is quite different.
This time, he sends us a prophet for some unknown time
before he actually sends Gideon, the saviour.
Now, why would the Lord send a prophet this time around?
Why is the cycle different?
Well, we're not actually told,
but I think this might be a reasonable solution.
I think it's this,
that God's people had been around this cycle enough times now
and knew of it from their history
that it had just become a formula for them.
They had just learned,
well, okay, when suffering happens,
if we cry out to the Lord,
then he will deliver us.
So it was almost like
as if their crying out to the Lord
was just a key to unlock God's blessings.
And each cycle goes around.
There's less and less heartfelt ownership of sin
behind the plea.
No, they just want the formula to work.
If we do this, then God will do that.
And that sounds so familiar to us, doesn't it?
Because that's just what we're like, too.
And so God, instead of sending them to deliver straight up,
sends them a prophet.
Now, what's the prophet to do?
Well, the prophet explains to them
and helps them understand
why they're in the predicament they're in.
And the predicament they're in
is a direct response
of their dealing with God's character.
He presents himself in these verses here
as the covenant God.
Their covenant God.
Your covenant God.
And he said,
I brought you to myself
so that you might be my people
and you might reflect my character.
I covenanted myself to you.
And what have you done?
You've thrown my generosity,
my graciousness,
my kindness
back in my face.
All I wanted you guys to do
was, verse in there,
was fear me.
But
rather than fear me,
rather than respect me,
rather than desire me,
and that's what the word means,
rather than show honor to me,
you've actually given all of that
to the gods of the Canaanites.
So if you want to know
why you're in this mess,
there it is.
I'm your covenant-keeping God
and you've rejected me
for
the local gods.
Now turn to chapter 8,
verse 33,
and I'll read these verses to you
to see the other end of the story
and the other part of the frame.
And man,
this is just sad.
This is just worse than sad.
It's awful.
So we're going to the far end
of the story now
and it says this,
chapter 8,
verse 33,
As soon as Gideon died,
the people of Israel
turned again
and whored,
that's prostituted,
prostituted
after the Baals,
that's the false gods again,
and made Baal Berith
their God.
And the people of Israel
did not remember
the Lord their God
who delivered them
from the hand
of all their enemies
on every side.
And they did not show
steadfast love
to the family of Jeroboam.
The cycle of Judges
is a vicious downward spiral.
This wonderful story
of deliverance
and rescue by the Lord
ends as it began
with the complete rejection
of the covenant God.
But it's worse than that.
It's the complete rejection
of God
by those who received
the most incredible blessings
from Him.
And it happened when?
As soon as Gideon died.
It really is
easier to trust
the Lord
in adversity
than it is
to be faithful
to the Lord
in prosperity,
isn't it?
And that's just
abominable
when you consider
that's how
the story's framed.
But there's even worse
in that story.
If you look at verse 33,
it says,
they whored after Baals
and made Baal Berith
their God.
Now that word
Baal Berith,
that's the name of a God.
And that word Berith
is the Hebrew word
for covenant.
So it's actually
even more outrageous
because God presents
at the start of the story
and says,
look,
I am your covenant God.
I'm the one
who's committed to you,
promised to be
faithful to you,
promised to make you
the people you are,
promised to bring you
blessing,
promised to give you
the good life.
And what do God's people
do after they've
experienced all of that
deliverance from God's hand?
They commit to
the covenant with
a false God,
Baal Berith.
They make a covenant
with this false God
to seek from him
the very thing
that they've actually
experienced
from the Lord.
That doesn't get
much more arrogant
than that,
does it?
That's a petulant child
coming up close
to a father's face
and saying,
stuff you.
Yahweh,
for these people,
may well have been
a God
for a time
of crisis,
but at every
other point
of life,
the other gods
were far more
desirable.
It's starting to have
a very familiar ring
to us,
isn't it?
Simon's already
helped us think
about that
in his introduction.
So,
once we come into
the detail of the story
with that framework,
we have to say
yet,
because it's
absolutely amazing
as far as I can see
that the Lord
acts to deliver
his people
using Gideon,
who himself
is part of the problem,
a very ordinary leader.
So,
given the framing
of this story,
we have to say,
yet,
in spite of all that,
the Lord
acts to deliver
his people.
From his first
appearance in the story,
Gideon is anything
but the heroic figure
or mighty man
of valor,
as his name suggests.
Now,
I've pondered this
a fair bit this week,
and I'm still not sure
whether the Lord
was actually having
a lend of Gideon.
I'm very open
to the idea
of sarcasm
in the Bible.
And I think
this might be
one of those,
oh,
you mighty man
of valor.
Something like that.
I don't know.
I don't know what it is.
But he certainly
doesn't really
immediately impress you
as a heroic figure
because when he's
first come across
by this angel,
he's actually
thrashing out
a few heads
of wheat
in a wine press.
Now,
a wine press
is actually
a depression
in the rock.
Normally,
you would thrash
out in the open
when you get
the breeze on it.
And normally,
you would thrash
with a machine.
But Gideon
is hiding
from the marauding
hordes,
stamping out
with his feet,
beating out
with a stick
or whatever,
a few heads
of wheat,
enough possibly
to protect his family
and keep them
from starving
over the wintertime.
So it's not
a heroic picture.
And the angel's
just sitting there
having a look
at Gideon.
G'day,
mighty man of fowler.
I think it's sarcasm.
But whatever.
Verse 12,
what really matters
is that
the Lord is with you.
That's what the angel
who turns out
to be the Lord himself
in the form
of a person,
as you see
the story develop,
the Lord is with you.
That's the key
to understanding
everything else
that happens
in the story
of Gideon.
And the first thing
the Lord does
with Gideon
is to make him
see
that he is part
of the problem.
And he does that
in this series
of exchanges
between verse 11
through to verse 24.
So there's
a tussle going on.
So the angel
of the Lord
which is the Lord
himself
says certain things
to Gideon.
And Gideon
responds with
anger and arrogance.
And remember
this is all
on top of
this prophet
who's come
to help
God's people
understand
the whole problem.
So Gideon
still hasn't learned
very much at all.
Verse 12 and 13
the angel said
the Lord is with you.
And Gideon
responds angrily
well that's all
very fine saying that
but I want to tell you
that we feel
totally abandoned
by the Lord.
Verse 14 and 15
even more directly
the Lord says
I am sending you
to deliver my people.
As if that's
going to work.
I'm a nobody.
Yeah right.
Good.
verses 16, 17 and 18
the Lord says
once more
I will be with you
and I will defeat
that army for you
as if there was
only just one man
in front of you.
Gideon says
don't give me words
prove it.
And it goes in
in verse 19
through 24
there's a story there
read it more carefully
if you haven't already
read it.
The Lord really
does give Gideon
a proof
that crashes
through
his anger
and faithless
unbelief
and makes him
realize two very
important things.
So Gideon brings out
this meal
and remember
this is a meal
prepared for this
stranger
and it was quite a
large amount
of food
from a family
that was already
starving potentially.
And what does he do?
He puts it in a rock
and zaps it
fries it.
And suddenly
Gideon
realizes
that he's in a bit
of a pickle here.
Alex isn't here
I shouldn't have said
that but I've wasted
it on Alex.
That's an end joke
for us here.
So Gideon
realizes
there's something
going on here
that's well beyond him.
And he's brought
to realize
two things.
He describes it here
verse 24
Gideon built an altar
there to the Lord
and called it
the Lord is peace.
Jehovah
Shalom.
Gideon has been
at war
with God.
He's angry.
He's unbelieving.
He's distant.
It's Gideon
that's been at war
with God
and he suddenly
realizes
that God
wants to come
to him
in peace.
Gideon realizes
that he's
the problem
not the Lord.
And the second thing
that flows from that
overflows
from the heart
of Gideon
suddenly
is that the
proper response
to God
is not doubt
anger
unbelief
arrogance
demandingness
or fear.
The proper
response
to the Lord
is worship.
Gideon
built an altar
there to the Lord
and called it
the Lord is peace.
Gideon's
recognized
his part
in the problem
that is facing
his whole nation
and he's
brought to a point
of genuine
humility
and worship
of the Lord.
God had to
break
Gideon
before Gideon
could break
the Midianites.
then the Lord
makes him clean
up his own
backyard
verses 25
through 33.
So before
the enemies
around them
could be destroyed
the enemy
within
had to be
destroyed
and Gideon's
first battle
was in his
own backyard
to destroy
the pagan
shrine
built there
by his father
Joash.
And the Lord
gives Gideon
very careful
instructions
and so Gideon
actually
steps out
in faith
having been
brought to
heal as it were
he steps now
out in faith
carefully
following God's
instructions
and thereby
destroys
all these
religious icons
but it's not
just destroying
them
the way in
which he
destroys them
actually makes
a mockery
of them.
The bull
was the
sign of
strength
of Baal.
The Lord
says
actually
those two
bulls
you know
the religious
thing
you rip
down the
altars
first of all
then butcher
the bulls
then burn
them.
It's making
them whole
mockery
of the
thing.
And use
by the way
use the
Asherah
pole
the very
cultic
symbol
of religion
and fertility
and preciousness
just use that
for the fire
while you're
burning those
bulls.
It's just
slapstick
comedy.
And then we
see something
of the hearts
of the people
and Gideon
saw also
something of
the hearts
of the people
because he
knew jolly
well that
they were so
committed to
Baal there
were going to
be problems
and he wasn't
disappointed.
The next
morning the
workout that
Gideon did
overnight and
so they
demand his
death.
Get that.
God's
own special
people while
they were
busy treating
God with
absolute
contempt
now want to
drag Gideon
out and
kill him
because he
dishonored
their God
their Baal.
But Gideon's
father Joash
comes to his
rescue.
And it's
interesting there's
a lot going on
here.
I just don't
have time to
stop.
There's a
sermon just
in the imagery
here by
itself.
So the
name of
Baal is
in Hebrew
El.
And that's
in contrast
with the
name of
Jehovah
Elohim.
There's a
clash going
on here.
Joash
means Yahweh
delivers or
the Lord
delivers.
That's what
his name
means.
So the
Lord delivers
comes to
Gideon's
defense and
the incident
ends awkwardly
with Gideon
being renamed
Jerabbaal.
Meaning
may Baal
deliver.
It's a
contest to
see who
is real.
And we're
not given
the answer.
It just
ends awkwardly.
Perhaps because
we're supposed
to know the
answer already.
And how
awful is it
my friends.
How awful
that God's
people would
rise as
one to
protect the
honor of
this trashy
false god
Baal.
When all
his shrines
lie in
ruins.
While at the
very same
moment rejecting
and treating
with utter
contempt
the only
true God
who'd
proved his
love for
them over
and over
again and
who'd
shown his
power to
them.
So Gideon
cleans up
his own
backyard and
then the
Lord is
ready to
turbocharge
him for
his role
as saviour.
633
through to
chapter 7
verse 25.
So verse
33 of
chapter 6
this is the
stuff we
haven't read
so I'm
not going
to be able
to read
it all.
I'll just
touch down
on a
couple of
things.
Verse 33
Now all
the Midianites
and the
Amalekites
and the
people of
the east
came together
and they
crossed the
Jordan and
camped in
the valley
of Jezreel.
It's on
again for
the eighth
year in
a row.
The big
invasion's
on.
135,000
mobile
troops
coming to
just
strip the
land again.
And at
that point
the Lord
the next
verse gave
Gideon a
special
enabling.
The spirit
of the
Lord clothed
Gideon.
Actually in
the Hebrew
it's the
other way
around.
It's the
spirit clothed
himself with
Gideon.
There's a
different emphasis
there.
Because the
focus is on
the spirit.
But either
way Gideon
gets a
special
enabling.
And with
that Gideon
steps out in
faith again.
And rallies
God's people
to destroy
their enemies
so they might
enjoy God's
place, the
promised land
once again.
But remember
who Gideon has
to work with.
This is only
at best a
militia that
he's going to
rally.
These are only
farmers.
They're not
trained troops.
But they're
facing a
massive,
heavily armed,
organized army.
And so perhaps
it's not surprising
that poor old
Gideon is still
saying if,
if you look at
verse 36
onwards,
if you will
save Israel.
And with that
then he launches
into this very
familiar passage
of the fleece,
putting out the
fleeces before
the Lord.
And it's his
sinking into
fear and
distrust once
again that
leads Gideon
to put
outrageous
demands on
the Lord.
He's already
had assurance
after assurance
and proof
after proof
after proof.
And what do we
find Gideon
doing again?
Well, show me
Lord, prove it
to me.
Gideon's fleece
is actually
evidence of
faithlessness.
He already
had God's
word.
He already
had multiple
practical
assurances.
But Gideon
can't trust
the Lord.
He can't
take his
word at
face value.
He still
wants more
proof.
And the
amazing thing
is that God
just doesn't
zap him.
But God
actually
obliges
and patiently
nurtures and
nudges Gideon
through his
unbelief.
And to
again to
chapter 7,
the well-known
detail of how
the Lord
reduced Gideon's
forces to
300.
Now, it's
always been
said when
preachers
preach in
this, it's a
300-strong
force of
crack troops.
Well, I think
that's rubbish.
The point is
here that 300
is laughable
going up against
an organized
army.
Now, when you
do the statistics
on this
organized army,
135,000,
it would have
taken about
100 football
fields to
camp them.
If there
was 50
soldiers to
every campfire,
then there
would have
been something
like 270
campfires.
Now, this
was a
sizable force
over about
200 hectares,
not to mention
all the camels
and all the
support people
that would
have been
around about
them.
So the
point here
is that a
force of
300 is
just absolutely,
humanly speaking,
laughable,
ridiculous.
wouldn't
matter how
cracked the
troops were.
You know,
it's just a
joke in
military terms.
It's not
Gideon's
strategy or
brilliant
leadership which
won the
battle, but
the Lord.
Look at
verse 2.
The Lord
said to
Gideon,
the people
with you
are too
many for
me to
give the
Midianites
into their
hand,
lest Israel
boast over
me,
saying,
my own
hand to
save me.
There's
what the
Lord's
about.
He's not
filtering them
out just
to get the
best troops.
He's
filtering them
out so
it's a
ridiculously
small group
that has
to be a
victory from
the Lord.
And here's
the point,
you see.
As their
covenant
keeping God,
the one who's
promised to
care for
them,
then he
will be
their
deliverer.
those two
things go
hand in
hand.
And God's
people need
to learn
that.
So he's
turbocharged
for the
task.
The task
is accomplished
but the
final stage
in Gideon's
life,
Gideon
becomes part
of the
problem
again.
Chapter
8,
verses 1
through to
32.
Now this
is a
really,
really sort
of depressing
chapter.
The story
of Gideon
ends
tragically
because
Gideon
goes rogue.
Once again,
Gideon's
enemy within
rises up
to cause
the same
sort of
utter
destruction
in Gideon
as he
is just
with God's
hand
inflicted
on the
Midianites.
And again,
we get this
wonderful
contrast,
strong
contrast.
So there's
two or
three episodes
in chapter
8,
and I'll
have to
leave you
to read
the details
for yourself,
but two
or three
episodes
in chapter
8 that
show how
far Gideon
falls again
as he
gives way
to his
own
unbelief
and
faithlessness.
First
up,
he goes
well beyond
God's
mission
of
delivering
God's
people.
So
18 to
21,
Gideon
first appears
really heroic
in that not
only does
he pursue
the Midianites
to the
borders of
the promised
land,
he pursues
them for
days east
along the
caravan routes.
And he
finally falls
upon the
last sort
of sizable
detachment
of forces,
about 15,000,
another surprise
attack,
and he
completely
destroys
them,
takes their
remaining
commanders,
their remaining
kings captive
and kills
them.
And then we
discover something
that hits us
like a ton of
bricks left
field.
what we
discover is
that Gideon's
motives in
doing that
were very,
very mixed.
He had
gone well
beyond God's
brief and
it turns out
that he is
pursuing these
kings because
at some other
point in time
they had taken
captive his
sons and
killed them.
Gideon was
on a
revenge trip
and we're
not told
how,
where his
motives were,
but at
least his
motives were
mixed.
He was
using his
position and
his commission
to exact
revenge on
those who
had killed
his sons.
along the
way,
there's two
cities,
two villages
who refused
to give
Gideon help.
His troops
had sort of
taken off,
they hadn't
been properly
supplied,
they needed
some food.
And they
asked these
two villages
to help,
feed my
troops.
And they
refused.
Now the
interesting point
is that they
refused because
they were
fearful,
fearful of
reprisals from
the Midianites,
fearful that
Gideon wouldn't
be able to
catch these
kings and
finally dispatch
them and
that there
might be a
counterattack.
But the
point is here
they were
fearful.
But Gideon,
who had
received such
gracious and
gentle treatment
from the
Lord through
his fears,
wasn't able to
extend grace
to those who
were fearful.
And he had
them killed,
every one of
them,
tortured them
and killed
them.
And so we
see something
really wrong
about this
man,
the man who
had received
such grace,
been able to,
unable to
extend grace
in an
identical
situation.
And the
third episode,
verses 22
to 33,
let me try
out again,
22 to 32,
Gideon really
goes rogue.
This is worst
of all,
because Gideon
appears,
started to
believe that he
was somebody
special.
Initially the
people come and
say, look, we
want you to be
our king, you're
such a great
deliverer.
And Gideon
says, no,
no, no, no,
no, no,
that's not
right.
God is your
king.
But from that
point on,
Gideon starts to
live like an
oriental king.
he's got a
massive
harem.
That's lots
of girls,
for those who
don't know
what the
word is.
And he
rejects the
Lord once
again.
And he
leads his
people into
idolatry.
what a
position to
be in.
To say,
and this
particularly
resonated with
me, to
be a leader
of God's
people and
actually lead
them into
idolatry, lead
them away from
the Lord.
And that's
what Gideon
did.
It's a
very pathetic
story.
in lots
of ways.
Gideon
showed glimpses
of great
faith, but
generally
speaking, he
finished his
life as he
started it.
Convinced that
security, that
satisfaction in
the good life
was to be
found in his
own efforts and
apart from the
Lord.
So, why are we
shown this very
ordinary leader?
Because it
highlights a
very extraordinary
God.
God's
grace.
I've just
about run
out of time,
so I'm
going to
abbreviate what
I've got left
here.
The constant in
this story is
God's grace.
That's the
constant throughout
this story.
God's
patience, his
generosity, his
faithfulness, his
mercy, and most
of all, his
deliverance to
people who
didn't deserve
it.
God's
love.
Because that is
what the
covenant-keeping
God does.
He delivers his
covenant people,
even when they
don't deserve it,
and especially
when they don't
deserve it.
He delivers us
in spite of
ourselves, not
because of
ourselves.
God rescues
nobodies.
That is, his
undeserving,
needy people.
See, when we
look at this
story, as we
see every time
we look at a
story in the
Old Testament,
it appears that
what God's
people need
rescuing from is
this external
enemy.
But ultimately,
what God's
people need
rescuing from is
symbolized and
personified in
Gideon.
We need
rescuing from
their internal
enemy.
It's that
internal enemy,
that sinful,
rebellious heart.
It's that
which robs us
of the blessings
of relationship
with God.
And it's that
very thing that
the Lord actually
longs for us to
enjoy.
So, we've got
this picture of
God moving
towards us,
Jehovah
Shalom.
He's moving
towards us,
wanting us to
have peace and
rest and blessing
in the good
life, and
we're busy
running away
from him or
coming back
at war with
him.
God uses
suffering simply
as the means of
exposing the
enemy within,
their unruly
hearts.
And so,
what God's
people really
need was a
king who
would rule
over them and
subdue them so
that they
live for God's
glory and
honor rather
than for
self.
And the
story of
Gideon models
God's salvation.
God honors
those who
dishonor him
so terribly.
God's people
constantly go to
war with God,
but God
keeps moving
towards them.
He moves
towards them
through his
prophet in
this story
and through
his word to
help them
understand their
hopelessness,
and then he
establishes peace
as Jehovah
Shalom.
My friends,
the ultimate
display of that
model is the
Lord Jesus
Christ,
because he is
God's best
prophet,
we're told,
in Hebrews.
He has
spoken most
clearly to
us through
Jesus.
It's through
the words of
Jesus that we
understand our
hopelessness and
our helplessness,
and we were
helped to take
ownership of our
sins and call
out for mercy.
And Jesus is
also God's
perfect king,
who comes to
us and by his
spirit subdues
our unruly
hearts and
rules us with
such strength
and gentleness
that our
hearts overflow
with new
desires for the
Lord, new
attitudes of
worship, new
determination to
tear down the
internal idols.
And God
rescues with
those who are
nothing in the
eyes of the
world.
Gideon was
from an
obscure clan,
the smallest
tribe.
And at
first glance he
appeared hopelessly
inadequate as a
savior.
Yet the Lord
used him to
deliver his
people against
overwhelming odds.
He delivered his
people from an
enemy so powerful
that it kept
God's people in
fear at best,
and at worst
actually led to
their destruction.
And again,
you see,
we've got a
wonderful picture
of Jesus,
who,
according to
Isaiah,
had nothing to
attract people to.
And yet,
takes on an
enemy far,
far more
awful and
superior than
anything Gideon
faced.
The power of
Satan himself,
and the fear of
death that we're
held in,
and the ultimate
destruction of
death that we're
headed to.
And Jesus
defeats that
enemy against,
delivers us
against overwhelming
odds.
Why?
For the very
same reason he's
delivered his
people in.
So that we
might honor him
as our God
and King.
That we might
fear him.
That we might
desire him.
That we might
honor him.
That we might
obey him.
That we might
delight to live
under his
rule.
That we might
overflow in
thankfulness to
him.
That we might
just say,
you are my
God.
And I'm so
thankful that
you are Jehovah
Shalom.
Let me pray.
Lord, we
see ourselves so
easily in the
story of Gideon
at so many
points.
And we
thank you,
Lord, that
you've not
just left us
to ourselves.
In fact, you've
never left us to
ourselves, but you
constantly move
towards us because
you want to be to
us.
Jehovah Shalom.
Even though,
Lord, we are
constantly breaking
out in war
against you.
Lord, forgive us,
we pray.
And make the
desire of our
hearts simply to
live for you
with great
delight and
determination.
In Jesus' name I
pray.
Amen.
I do
apologise for
being long
winded again.
Thank you.