November 10, 2024
Dave Stephens

Week 1

Text: Judges 6:1–27
Big Idea of the Message: Don’t be afraid; you may be weak, but God is strong.
Application Point: God wants us to live with peace and courage, not fear and cowardice.

Over the next few weeks, I want to introduce you to an impact person from the Old Testament.

Historical Context

The era of [the book] Judges is marked by a cyclical pattern of Israel’s infidelity to Yahweh (God). The Midianite oppression was a consequence of Israel’s disobedience…as we’ll see in this story. Understanding this historical backdrop is crucial as it sets the stage for Gideon’s fear and reluctance. The Midianites were descendants of Abraham, but by this time, they were fierce nomadic invaders (Genesis 25:1-2; Numbers 25:1-18), their attacks having reduced Israel to hiding in caves and dens (Judges 6:2).

Six lessons to help us trust God

I. (Judges 6:1-6) God uses

times to get our

Reveal Answer

Verse 1 says that the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD handed them over to Midian for seven years. You need to know that the Midianites were extremely powerful and oppressed the Israelites mercilessly.

Every year around harvest time, the nomadic Midianites would invade Israel. And v. 5 tells us that they would come in like locusts, ravaging the land. What they couldn’t carry with them, they destroyed. The Bible reports that it was so bad many of the Israelites left their homes to live in caves and strongholds, fearing for their lives.

How many times have hard circumstances come to us, and we never stop to ask what God is planning for us in those circumstances?

Instead we hold out, thinking that we can handle it on our own. Here’s what we learn from Gideon: every experience in life is a test. And every trial in the lives of God’s people is tailored to draw us back to God.
When tough times come, try to see them as God’s gift of grace instead of looking at them as if God is punishing you.

Proverbs 3:11-12:
“Do not despise the LORD’s instruction, my son, and do not loathe His discipline; 12 for the LORD disciplines the one He loves, just as a father, the son he delights in.”

C.S. Lewis said it like this, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains. It’s His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

II. (6:7-12) God

more than we do

The wonderful thing about God is that even though we’re slow returning to Him, He is never slow in responding to us.
For Israel, He first sends an unnamed prophet to call them back to total surrender and complete devotion.
God saw what He was about to make of Gideon. It was time Gideon saw it too.

Interesting…

In naming Gideon this, God revealed Gideon’s true identity and potential, contrasting his fearful demeanor. Theologically, this suggests God’s vision sees beyond your present circumstances and self-perception.

So here’s the question: Do you know who you really are? One of the biggest lies we tell ourselves is that God only uses special people.
If you are a born-again believer, you are God’s child (John 1:12), His friend (John 15:15), and His masterpiece (Eph. 2:10). You are justified (Rom. 5:1), freed forever from condemnation (Rom. 8:1). You are adopted into His family (Eph. 1:5) and your citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20). You belong to God (I Cor. 6:20), never separated from His love (Rom. 8:35)!

III. (6:13-24) God confirms His

Reveal Answer

with His

Reveal Answer

Verse 14 records something that must have bulldozed Gideon’s sensibilities. It says that the Lord turned to him…looked Gideon full in the face and said,

“Go in the strength you have and deliver Israel from the power of Midian. Am I not sending you?”

He notes just how unimpressive his resume is. He is the weakest link in his clan, the youngest in his family. He has no authority to call out the cavalry from his own tribe, let alone from others.

God again confirms His priorities with His presence in v. 16,

“I will be with you, and you will strike Midian down as one man.”

Gideon is given an undeniable commission, told the remarkable results in advance, and promised the unrivaled partnership of the Lord Himself.

So he builds an altar to the Lord…he calls it The Lord Is Peace. (Shalom)

So…when Gideon names the altar “Yahweh Shalom” (יהוה שָׁלוֹם), he invokes more than peace as we understand it. “Shalom” encompasses completeness, wholeness, harmony, and prosperity—conditions not dictated by external circumstances but rooted in divine presence.

Very interesting…

This is the first and only instance God is called “Peace” in Hebrew Scripture…suggesting a unique revelation of His character in response to fear. Its a foreshadowing of Jesus in the New Testament. It aligns theologically with the New Testament where it’s revealed that Christ is our peace.

Gideon had passed the first test, but another was coming…

IV. (6:25-32) Private

Reveal Answer

is a prerequisite to public

Reveal Answer

Before Gideon can be used publicly, he must first clean up his own backyard. His family was breaking the 1st and 2nd commandments, with idols to Baal on their property. So the first assignment from the Lord was to take his dad’s special seven-year-old bull and tear down the idols. Then, Gideon was to sacrifice that prized bull using the wood from the destroyed idol.

Why is this in the story? If you want to learn to trust God, you must first set your own house in order.

Private worship prepares us for public power.

Verse 30 reports that the men of the city said to Joash,

“Bring out your son. He must die.”

Notice: Gideon’s obedience was already affecting change. His father, Joash, awoke to the truth and stood up to the men, asking in v. 31,

“Would you plead Baal’s case for him? … If he is a god, let him plead his own case.”

V. (6:33-40) God is

Reveal Answer

with our faith

Reveal Answer

v. 34 says,

“The Spirit of the LORD enveloped Gideon, and he blew the ram’s horn and the Abiezrites rallied behind him.”

Notice this: Gideon had taken a huge step of faith in his private faithfulness and now God’s Spirit was drawing people to fight with him. Thirty-two thousand men men show up, ready to fight! (Where were they before?)

Even after his encounter with Almighty God, even though he had been obedient to clean shop at home, and even though the Holy Spirit was empowering him, Gideon is still struggling with doubt.

vs. 36-37: Gideon says to the Lord,

“If You will deliver Israel by my hand, as You said, 37 I will put a fleece of wool here on the threshing floor. If dew is only on the fleece, and all the ground is dry, I will know that You will deliver Israel by my strength, as You said.”

He needs to know for certain this is God’s direction. You ever been there?

God’s response to Gideon joins human frailty with God’s patience.

“For he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.”
(Psalm 103:14)

God graciously confirmed His power to Gideon. God was developing this man into a fully convinced servant, matching each doubt with patience.

We will jump into season 7 of Fearless next week…chapter 7 of Judges…moving from Fearful to Fearless…

Conclusion

Q: Do you see yourself as He does?
Q: Can you sense His presence with you now, urging you to trust Him?
Q: Are there things in your life, in your home, that need to go so God can move in power in your life?

Will you trust Him today - with your life, your children, your finances, your decisions, your husband or wife?

Gideon’s story illustrates that obedience is still valued even when not yet perfected by courage…God uses imperfect vessels to achieve His purposes.