The title of my message this morning is Discovery. Most of us are familiar with the term discovery. It is the process of finding, realizing, or unearthing something that was previously unknown. I kind of feel like I am in a season of discovery. I’m learning new things about ministry and new things about myself as it pertains to ministry.
Discovering new things can be exciting, like finding out you’re expecting after you’ve been trying and sometimes, we wish we hadn’t discovered somethings at all, like finding out about an unfavorable diagnosis.
But the reality is, God intended that discovery and discovering be a part of life. Even the Lord hides things so that they might be discovered.
- Proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a thing, but the glory is kings is to search things out.
This morning our focus is going to be the Story of Gideon in Judges 6-8 and we are going to discover, along with some other things, that when God gets involved, the story is subject to change.
Gideon was the son of Joash (who was an Abiezrite) and when we discover him in Judges 6:11 we find him somewhere near a terebinth tree in Ophrah hiding wheat in a winepress in order to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the LORD appears to him.
See, the Israelites once again did evil in the sight of the Lord and so for 7 years God had given the Israelites into the hands of the Midianites. And the Midianites oppressed, ravaged, and ruined the Israelites so much so that they had become impoverished – poor. The Midianites constantly came in and took from Israel and this is why we find Gideon trying to hide whatever wheat he has from the Midianites.
Let’s pick up in verse 12 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”
Gideon, not yet realizing who it is that is speaking to him responds in verse 13 saying “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.
- O please, if God is with us – why is there so much bad in the world today? I mean, the guy is having to hide wheat in a winepress. It’s pretty grim outside.
- And where is all that stuff he promised us? Where is my healing? Where is my peace?
- And where are the great works like that which our ancestors saw in Egypt?
- No! God is not with us. God has forsaken us and given us over to our enemies.
Verse 14, Gideon still thinking this is just some good advice… “Then the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”
Verse 15 … “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”
Verse 16 “And the LORD said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”
Now Gideon, still not certain of who is speaking to him, asks the LORD for a sign. Gideon makes an offering.
Verse 21 says “Then the Angel of the LORD put the end of the staff that was in his hand and touched the unleavened bread; and fire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread and the Angel of the LORD departed out of his sight.
Verse 22 Now Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the Lord.
Now had Gideon discovered that it was the Angel of LORD who spoke to him.
- Gideon, through the process of discovery, finally realized it was the LORD the entire time.
- Gideon, who had previously implied that God was not with them.
- Gideon, who had previously stated God has abandoned us
- Discovered about .5 seconds after the sign, that it was indeed the Lord
This wasn’t just some casual conversation with a friend or a neighbor.
It wasn’t just some good advice or encouragement.
God had called Gideon to win the fight.
But during the process of time between the moment God called Gideon and the moment Gideon defeats the Midianites, Gideon has a series of discoveries that no doubt helped him accomplish the very thing God has called him to do.
Gideon Discovered:
1. Gideon discovered that God was with him.
a. This wasn’t even conceivable for Gideon is Judges 6:12-13.
b. How can the LORD be with me?
c. Judges 6:36-39 The Sign of the Fleece was evidence that God was with him, and that God would save Israel by his hand.
2. Gideon discovered that he could do what God called him to do.
a. Judges 7:9-14
b. He must have been afraid because he went down to hear what was being said.
c. But it was enough to embolden him and return to the camp.
d. Judges 7:15 Arise, for the LORD has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.
3. Gideon discovered that he was who God said he was.
a. Judges 7:14 …” This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel! Into his hand God had delivered Midian and the whole camp.”
b. Judges 8:28 Thus Midian was subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was quiet forty years in the days of Gideon.
Those were 3 things I believe Gideon discovered and as I was reading the story of Gideon, I also made some discoveries. I pray that you are able to make some discoveries as well as we continue with the word but…
One of the things I discovered was:
- God has a pattern of choosing the least, the weak, the unqualified, the foolish and the willing to further his plans.
o Judges 6:15 Indeed my clan is the weakest… and I am the least in father’s house.
o Gideon didn’t just believe that God had forsaken them. He didn’t believe in himself either.
o He was the least. Kind of reminds you of all those other biblical characters who either were counted out by others or who counted themselves out. (David, Moses, Jeremiah, etc.)
- He makes the least of us princes, priests, rulers, prophets and kings.
- He vindicates the weak and makes them strong.
o In fact, 1 Cor 1:27 says God deliberately chose the weak to put shame to the things that are mighty in this world.
o Now let the weak say… I am strong
- He qualifies the called… and what qualifies us to begin with is the fact that we are the least, we are weak, we are not qualified.
o Or should I not show compassion to Nineveh who has many people living in spiritual darkness – that’s the reality of us all (Jonah 4:11).
- He uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise
Takeaways:
1. You can discover God for yourself.
a. Gideon was having an encounter with the God of Israel, and he didn’t realize it but once he did…
b. Judges 6:22 Alas, O LORD God! For now I have seen the Angel of the LORD face to face!
c. He knew for himself.
2. You are who God says you are.
a. Don’t let the lot you have been given in life determine your effectiveness for God.
b. God knew Gideon’s lot before he called him (knew he was the least and his clan weak)
c. When God gets involved, the story is subject to change.
3. If God has called you to do it, HE will see you through it.
a. It was because God was with Gideon that he was triumphant and victorious.
b. It’s his plan… not ours
c. Just say yes.
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