THE PARABLE OF TREES
#784 (use with #33) THE PARABLE OF TREES
Scripture Judges 9:7-15 NIV Orig. Date 8-26-51
Rewr. Dates 9-26-90
Passage: 7 When Jotham was told about this, he climbed up on the top of Mount Gerizim and shouted to them, “Listen to me, citizens of Shechem, so that God may listen to you. 8 One day the trees went out to anoint a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, ‘Be our king.’
9 “But the olive tree answered, ‘Should I give up my oil, by which both gods and humans are honored, to hold sway over the trees?’
10 “Next, the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come and be our king.’
11 “But the fig tree replied, ‘Should I give up my fruit, so good and sweet, to hold sway over the trees?’
12 “Then the trees said to the vine, ‘Come and be our king.’
13 “But the vine answered, ‘Should I give up my wine, which cheers both gods and humans, to hold sway over the trees?’
14 “Finally all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘Come and be our king.’
15 “The thornbush said to the trees, ‘If you really want to anoint me king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, then let fire come out of the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon!’”
Keywords: Parable
Timeline/Series: Old Testament Parables
Introduction
Our story begins with Gideon. He was chosen as judge of the people. He sought confirmation. Judges 6:36f “If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, Behold I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand.” So, both Gideon and the people knew that he was their leader. They responded to him accordingly.
In later years, they had come to depend on him so completely that they offered him rule over them. Judges 8:22 “Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian.”
The word for rule implies sovereignty. It may or may not have the effect of royalty. It is nonetheless clear that they were satisfied with all that had happened and were willing for the descendants of Gideon to come to the office and role of rule if not to the place of monarchy.
Gideon rejected these advances. He made it clear “I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the Lord shall rule over you” (Judges 8:23).
Besides king-like rule, Gideon left behind seventy sons “of his body begotten” (8:30), and a son, by a concubine, whom he called Abimelech. At Gideon’s death, Abimelech struck quickly. He went to Shechem, his mother’s home, claimed to be one of them, and the royal son. Together, they went after his half-brothers, killing all of them but Jotham, the youngest, who was delivered from this attempted assassination.
The message here, a parable or fable, is Jotham’s message to the men of Shechem who have followed Abimelech’s wiles.
I. It is First of All About Trees. Judges 9:8, “The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them.” It has the quality of a fable, but it is meant to stand out as a moral lesson. The meaning is hidden, but barely. These Shechemites are to see themselves. Jotham means for them to not like what they see.
There are some things we need to remember about trees. They derive their sustenance from soil. They take from the soil what they are fitted to take to meet their own needs. The trees are not valued equally in the codes of human economy. They are different in terms of size, and sight, and fruit.
Jotham then begins to identify certain of these trees and plants. The olive tree was asked to reign over the forest. One tree can yield a half ton of fruit per year, and there were numerous orchards. It offers food and building supplies. The olive branch is a symbol for peace.
The fig tree was called forth to reign. The fig tree provides food; in I Samuel 25:18, Abigail, an Israelite woman, made 200 cakes of pressed figs. Adam and Eve used its leaves to cover themselves. It is the first fruit mentioned in the Bible.
The vine was singled out. It produced fruit for nourishment and for medicinal purposes. In Numbers 13:23, the spies sent out by Moses cut a branch with a cluster of grapes, and also brought pomegranates and figs. Micah 4:4, “But they shall sit every man under his vine, and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid.”
Finally, the great cedar was pictured. It was the greatest of Bible trees. Herbert Lockyer wrote that a cedar could be as much as 120 feet tall, with a girth of 40 feet (A36p334). Both Solomon’s temple and palace included cedars. In Judges 9:15 fire devours the Cedars of Lebanon.
A bramble is offered the role. It is a plant with no fruit of worth. Some use it as fuel. It could be used as a hedge, 12-15 feet high. The parable does not effect repentance.
II. The Prophetic Message of the Parable/Fable. Judges 9:15, “If in truth ye anoint me king over you, then come and put your trust in my shadow.”
The olive tree has to do with covenant privilege. Romans 11:17-21: 17 ‘And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert grafted in among them, [2] and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; 18 Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. 19 Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. 20 Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: 21 For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.’
It is evergreen, suggesting eternality. In Exodus 27:20 the Hebrews were to bring “pure” olive oil for use in the tabernacle.
The fig tree seems more to stand for the national privilege. I Kings 4:25 “Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree.” That is similar to Micah 4:4; Micah was a contemporary of Isaiah. Zechariah 10:12 forecast the messianic time. Think of the intended sweetness of the fig. But the Christless Zion is the bane of most non-western nations. Also, the great parable of Christ in Matthew 24:32, “Now learn a parable of the fig tree: when his branch is yet tender and putteth forth leaves, ye know that Summer is nigh.”
The vine seems to speak of spiritual privilege. Isaiah 5:4, “What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?” The vine is God’s chosen symbol for joy. The vine brought forth alien fruit. Psalm 80:14, “Look down from heaven and visit this vine; and the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted; . . . turn us again, O Lord of hosts, cause Thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.”
The bramble speaks of liberty, responsibility, privilege being sacrificed. The bramble is willing to reign. The cedars are willing to allow it. The demand of the bramble is for the cedar to “put your trust in my shadow.” It is said that when the Messiah comes, He will build the new temple, again of cedars, but instead, His head was anointed with bramble.
FAITH IN THE FACE OF FIRE
#480 FAITH IN THE FACE OF FIRE
Scripture I Samuel 17:26, 31-37 NIV Orig. 3-31-68
Rewr. 5-19-89
Passage: 26 David asked the men standing near him, “What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 31 What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him. 32 David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him.” 33 Saul replied, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a young man, and he has been a warrior from his youth.” 34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, 35 I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. 36 Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. 37 The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.” Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”
Purpose: To share a message in which we may compare our own faith with that of a young shepherd boy out of the hills of Judea. It is typical, isn’t it? When trouble is recognized, all of us look for a near-point of escape. But we want this text to help us to examine the courage of our faith. “FAITH IN THE FACE OF FIRE” is our theme.
Keywords: Faith Vision Courage
Timeline/Series: Biographical
Introduction
We cannot be absolutely sure that David fully understands the danger that he is taking upon himself. There were stronger men in the Hebrew army who had declined the Goliathan offer. There were brave men on the field of battle who agreed that a fight between two representative soldiers would be better for the two nations than the onslaught of blood-letting that awaited them. But Israel had no representative soldier who was the equal of Goliath.
David, in his youthful vigor, offers to go out in battle against this loud-mouthed Philistine. If that is all it is, youthful vigor, then he and his king and people are in serious trouble.
But when the showdown came, David went out “in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel.” V40 “He went out with a staff, a slingshot, a bag of five stones, and faith.
Years ago, American soldiers were among those of a United Nations peace-keeping mission sent to the Congo to quell an uprising. These young soldiers were not sure what awaited them. To say they were anxious is an understatement.
Readers Digest, in its “Humor in Uniform” section, reported a dialogue that took place on the plane as it was preparing to land. An African American soldier turned to his white seatmate and said, “Ray, you are in more trouble than you have ever been in.” Ray, of course, wanted to know why. “Because,” said his friend, “if those Congolese soldiers come running toward this plane when we get off, I'm going to jump on your back and yell, ‘I got ‘im! I got ‘im!’
We don’t want to compare our courage with a young soldier, or even David. We do want to get a measure of our faith as compared with that evidence here.
I. The First Measure of His Faith is that it is Courageous Faith. V32 “Let no man’s heart fail because of him, thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” It does us well, from time to time, to remember that young soldiers are still being called to battle. We hear too little about their bravery. We hear more of the philosophical issues. A liberal press is often more interested in failure than in fortitude under fire. More of these brave young people have been sent to Panama.
Something like this happens on the spiritual level as well. Not only is the church under fire. The very character and integrity of Jesus is put to the test. “God is dead,” they say. “Morality is going out of style.” We Christians have a chance as never before, to stand by our faith. The enemies out there are Goliathan in proportion, but they are not invincible. As a soldier represents his battalion and a shepherd lad his people, we are to know where the power is in the confrontation with evil.
David, though young and without practical experience, had faith in God. For forty days Goliath had taunted Israel. David would stand in the gap.
On Wednesday night we studied Jonah. Because he went to Nineveh, the Northern Kingdom survived 50-75 years longer. It is also interesting to consider Daniel in light of the decree of Darius and Cyrus (Daniel 6:10f).
II. Next Measure David’s as a Confident Faith. V37 “The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.”
Faith always draws on prior experience. One does not have to travel far to see much and feel deeply. What enemies he had encountered had been summarily dispatched. Why not this taunter of God as well?
There were betrayers of such confidence. He took the form of David’s elder brother, Eliab. I wonder why we are not surprised, because we have been older brothers, or known them, or had them. Eliab accused David of “pride,” of a “naughty spirit,” of “neglect” of his sheep. Perhaps Eliab saw himself in his younger brother. What does it take to betray your confidence in your faith?
III. Then I See David’s Faith as a Charted Faith. V39b “And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these: for I have not proved them. . . And he took his staff, . . . and chose five smooth stones.” We must respond to the enemies around us with our strengths and not our weaknesses. That doesn’t reflect any inability to attempt the untried. But it early recognizes all that is to its hurt. It is one thing not to be in the House of the Lord regularly, including Sunday evening. It is something else when we choose things that dishonor Christ instead.
Faith faces openly the things that strengthen it: dealing regularly with the word; knowing that there is no substitute for prayer; acknowledging that evil is exorcized by confronting it. Such faith is the link-up of believers that we know as the church. Someone makes a grievous point: “Five out of every six churches in America could be dismantled without damage to the Christian mission.” That was something said not by a critic, but a friend. Now is not the time to think of other. If everyone in your church were like you are would it be of the five, or of the one?
IV. It is Next Visualized as a Conquering Faith. V50 “So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone.” We know, don’t we, that it was not the weapon. V50 “There was no sword in the hand of David.” Neither was it experience or the lack of it. Strength did not win this battle, though perhaps weakness played a part.
Did you see the Dexter Manley article (MMS 5/19/89 NFL/SB/PB)? A pro football defensive end, at 27 he enrolled in the Washington Lab School to learn to read. “I had to humble myself. I had to walk into the Lab School and not pretend.”
Every success in the faith venture brings a greater capacity for faith. Faith in the face of fire is not the kind to avoid. It is the kind to cherish. It is the kind to nourish. There will always be negative influences. Armor was Saul’s attempt to control. There was Eliab’s disdainful rebuke. Too many of us would have been effectively out of action. Satan would have won the battle.
V. Before Leaving David, We Must Assess His Faith as a Contagious Faith. V52 “And the men of Israel and of Judah arose and shouted, and pursued the Philistines.” What did they see, these Hebrew men? Eliab saw an excitable boy. V55 Saul saw a “stripling.” V44 Goliath saw “buzzard meat.” David saw himself as v34 “shepherd,” v58 “son of Jesse,” v45 “servant of God.”
What they saw was sufficient to lift them out of their fears to face the fire of their own faith.
Conclusion
B.T. Bradley’s poem says enough with which to conclude.
Lord, when I am weary with toiling,
And burdensome seem thy commands,
If my load should lead to complaining,
Lord, show me thy hands, Thy nail-pierced hands, Thy cross-torn hands,
My Saviour show me Thy hands.
Christ, if ever my footsteps should falter,
And I be prepared to retreat,
If desert or thorn cause lamenting,
Lord show me Thy feet, Thy bleeding feet, Thy nail-scarred feet,
My Jesus, show me Thy feet.
O God, dare I show thee MY hands and MY feet
ELIJAH, MAN OF MIRACLES
#162 ELIJAH, MAN OF MIRACLES
Scripture I Kings 18:22-39, 19:13-18 NIV Orig. 1-7-62
Rewr. 4-71, 8-14-74
Passage: I Kings 18:22-39 22 Then Elijah said to them, “I am the only one of the Lord’s prophets left,(A) but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets.(B) 23 Get two bulls for us. Let Baal’s prophets choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the wood but not set fire to it. 24 Then you call(C) on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the Lord.(D) The god who answers by fire(E)—he is God.” Then all the people said, “What you say is good.” 25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.” 26 So they took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called(F) on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response;(G) no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made. 27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.”(H) 28 So they shouted louder and slashed(I) themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. 29 Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice.(J) But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.(K) 30 Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar(L) of the Lord, which had been torn down. 31 Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.”(M) 32 With the stones he built an altar in the name(N) of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs[a] of seed. 33 He arranged(O) the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.” 34 “Do it again,” he said, and they did it again. “Do it a third time,” he ordered, and they did it the third time. 35 The water ran down around the altar and even filled the trench. 36 At the time(P) of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: “Lord, the God of Abraham,(Q) Isaac and Israel, let it be known(R) today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command.(S) 37 Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know(T) that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.” 38 Then the fire(U) of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. 39 When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate(V) and cried, “The Lord—he is God! The Lord—he is God!”
1 Kings 19:13-18 13 When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face(A) and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 He replied, “I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left,(B) and now they are trying to kill me too.” 15 The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael(C) king over Aram. 16 Also, anoint(D) Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha(E) son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah(F) to succeed you as prophet. 17 Jehu will put to death any who escape the sword of Hazael,(G) and Elisha will put to death any who escape the sword of Jehu.(H) 18 Yet I reserve(I) seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed(J) him.”
Introduction
The main problem that a preacher has after choosing Elijah for a sermon subject is the way in which the subject should be developed. Should I preach on his faith, his courage, his lack of faith, his fear or maybe even his perseverance. This is the kind of man that we respect, for there is never any doubt where he stands. When he is intent on serving the Lord, then he lets nothing stand in his way. When he has a frustrating problem, he doesn’t cover it over with a thin veneer of false piety. The thing different about him was that his moment of defeatism came just after he had won a major victory.
“To reach the port of heaven we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it. But we must sail and not drift or lie at anchor.” Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.
When the victory was achieved, he had begun to drift, and he nearly piled up on the rocks.
Four words are all that are needed to suggest the stages in the life of this prophet of God. Food! Fire! Folly! Favor!
I. Food! 1 Kings 17:4 “And it shall be that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.” In this period we notice several commands from God: V1 to tell Ahab of the looming drought; v3 to go to the brook Cherith (we note God’s provision and we note the contingency of his provision); and v9 to go to Zarephath. We notice the man of God being used to help others—providing a meal v13-16 and raising a dead child v17-22.
We notice much use of natural provisions. We notice also, the food from heaven. Elijah made his proclamation to Ahab, assuming that there would be days when he too would be hungry. Food has always been one of the besetting problems of mankind.
II. Fire! I Kings 18:29 “And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answers by fire, let him be God.” Here we see the faith of this man: faith in God; faith in principles of righteousness; faith in his countrymen that they would agree to the test; faith in his mission—this is the point where we fall short.
We see the fearlessness of Elijah. There were 450 prophets of Baal, and one of God, Elijah; their offering was dry, his was wet. V26 They danced on the altar, and Elijah came near. We see the fire from heaven: Some people take more to convince.
III. Folly! I Kings 19:4 “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers.” It has always been true that man cannot live forever in the mountain peaks. To get from one peak to another we must go through the valley, a valley of despair and a valley of hope. The greatest of men have had occasion of stumbling. The food of heaven is weak when mingled with humanity: In Exodus 16:3 the people of Israel asked if it would have been better to remain in Egypt and die. Martin Luther’s wife, Katherine, put on a black dress one day when Luther was depressed and despairing. Luther asked, “Are you going to a funeral?” “No,” she responded, “but since you act as though God is dead, I wanted to join you in the mourning!” Exactly what Luther needed to hear (source: unknown).
IV. Favor! I Kings 19:13 “What doest thou here. Elijah?” V15 “Go . . . and anoint.” V18 “Yet I have left me 7,000 in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal.” God had erased forever that moment of weakness; William James says that sin always leaves its mark. God has given Elijah a new challenge, a task that would be impossible to attain in his lifetime—the preparation of Elisha.
The lesson in life: Never look back on our attainments, look forward to what can yet be.
Conclusion
When Thomas Carlyle had completed his first volume of The French Revolution, he entrusted the manuscript to John Stuart Mill for proofreading. A few days later, Mill was forced to return and tell Carlyle that the manuscript had been destroyed. A chambermaid had used it to start a fire. Carlyle remarked to his wife that they must never let Mill know the seriousness of the matter—serious because the Carlyles were penniless, and because he had destroyed all of his notes.
The next day he made this entry in his diary: “It is as if my invisible school master had torn my copybook when I showed it and said, “No, child, thou must write it better.”
A TIME TO BUILD
#148 A TIME TO BUILD
Scripture Nehemiah 2 NIV Orig. 8-31-62
Rewr. 4-1-77
Passage: In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, 2 so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.”
I was very much afraid, 3 but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”
4 The king said to me, “What is it you want?” Then I prayed to the God of heaven, 5 and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”
6 Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.
7 I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? 8 And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests. 9 So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.
10 When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.
11 I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days 12 I set out during the night with a few others. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on. 13 By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal[a] Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. 14 Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through; 15 so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate. 16 The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.
17 Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” 18 I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me.
They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.
19 But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?”
20 I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.”
Purpose: To call attention to the fundamental reality alive within the church, to discover the needs which are basic to its renewal and revitalization
Introduction
Walk with me through this Old Testament passage by keeping in mind a New Testament event. In Acts 12, we discover that the apostle Peter had been imprisoned. King Herod had moved in persecution against certain of the believers. He did not do so out of any conviction, but because he discovered it improved his image with the Hebrew people. As Peter was arrested during the Passover Celebration Herod’s plans were to execute him immediately after this religious holy week was past. He had already executed the apostle James to the great pleasure of the Jewish leaders.
The believers were earnestly in prayer in Peter’s behalf. The night before he was to be executed, he was asleep, double-chained between two soldiers. Four watches of four men each were charged with the responsibility of guarding this man. The literal rendering of the Greek here says, “And behold, the angel of the Lord came upon, and a light shone,” which is so much like the account of the annunciation to the shepherds. Peter was awakened, and commanded to arise, as if from the dead; and as he did so, the chains fell off his hands and he was led from the prison, to find himself after a bit, alone in the street.
The awakening activity was totally a work of the messenger of God. He had been told only to arise quickly. It was in the process of obedience that the chains fell from his wrists, and he was set free. Awakening us to spiritual reality is the work of God. Believing the message that is mandated by God’s messenger is up to us. Which of us could have faulted Peter if he had looked at his double chains, and the guards on either side, and the knowledge that two more waited at the gate, had he assumed that any move toward freedom would simply hasten his death?
Three factors are involved if we are to reckon with the resurgence of new life out of the old.
- The initial awakening of God.
- The illuminating command of God.
- The infusion of obedience in the human will.
I. This Can Only Begin in a Life Where There is an Insurmountable Void of Emptiness. V2 Wherefore the King said unto me, “Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? This is nothing else but sorrow of heart.” Nehemiah had already been through the worst of the experience. He knew God’s will. The question was now how he could accomplish it. This was compounded by a remorse and concern that had begun to escape his composure.
For instance, if you were servant to one of these ancient, Oriental kings, you were not allowed the liberty of heartsickness. Whether you feel like it or not, you act happy when the king is around.
You see, the problem was not Nehemiah’s alone. It belonged to the people. V3 . . . “Why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed by fire.” They too are out of touch with God, and they must likewise discover that God wills them into the fray that will accomplish His purpose. How easy it is for the heart to grow fat and lethargic in complacency. Just to hear Bible study once a week on Sunday is never enough.
For instance, you recall the commercial of the company who makes weekends? The poor soul is pictured sitting in that over-stuffed chair watching someone’s excitement, until he becomes a part of the chair.
What Israel needed was the One who really does make weekends, and weekdays also. They are in captivity because they forgot Deuteronomy 28, “If you do not hearken to the voice of the Lord . . . He will bring a nation against thee from afar.” In 1:8, Nehemiah quotes Leviticus 26:33, “If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations.”
The Lord is the One working behind the scenes to awaken them. He will work through Nehemiah, but also through Artaxerxes. The initial step here must be that of repentance: Discovering that we are away from God; discovering that that obvious reality is itself the work of God; discovering that He compels our return to Him, not for ourselves alone, but likewise for those who fall under the sphere of our influence.
II. In a Vacuum of Personal Commitment, the Time to Build Continues with the Stark Confirmation of God’s Total Commitment to His People. V4b-8 “So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king—Nehemiah makes his petition to return to and rebuild Jerusalem--. . . And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.” The Old Testament is a revolving saga of God’s grace at work in the aftermath of His people’s repentance. He asks for no guarantees for He above all others knows that we are incapable of them. He asks only that we commit ourselves to His principles. He then helps us to understand that the only way to accomplish this is to submit our will to His.
The same grace which we have come to understand in the aftermath of Jesus, and that we are in danger of forgetting in a day of sophisticated snobbery, was the grace operative in the Old Testament. Grace is not just an unmerited gift. It is not just such a gift form God. It is the unmerited gift of life from the heavenly Father, who is the giver “of every good and perfect gift.” Grace is God, communicating Himself to man, and entrusting this receiver with forgiveness and restored fellowship.
In God’s total commitment to His people, there is His demand for our honesty to ourselves and to Him. It isn’t easy to be the people He expect us to be. Nehemiah’s burden had been a long one, and it would be years before he would see it fulfilled. Hanani’s return in the first chapter of Nehemiah “mourned certain days” four months before petitioning the king. The Jews had been back in Palestine 80 years or so, and had managed only a very modest temple.
We often fail to consider God’s resources. While the particulars are hazy in that there were two men named Artaxerxes, there is little doubt that they were son and/or grandson of Xerxes (Ahasuerus) and thus, stepson of Esther. Hear Mordecai say, “How do you know but that thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
While we must remember that God’s commitment to us is for His will, we have no finer option than obedience. Nehemiah had no way of knowing the king’s answer. He had only Hanani’s report of deplorable conditions. But a burden from God would not let him rest until he acted on the faith he had already expressed.
III. It is a Time to Build, and Vitalization of Personal Renewal is the Foundation Stone. “Opposition came in the wake of Nehemiah’s survey of the city. It was an opposition that could have been formidable. His climactic statement is a positive declaration of faith to God’s people. V20 “The God of heaven, He will prosper us; therefore we His servants will arise and build.” To those who stood in the way his words left no doubt as to their intent. “. . . but ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem.”
As God’s people, we do not have time to quibble among ourselves. The real opposition is from without, and as in Nehemiah’s day, Satan will leave no stone unturned to divest us of our spiritual power, and sidetrack us on secondary issues.
Are you committed to your Lord? He must first be your Lord. In a day when sin’s colors are wafted in the afternoon breezes, people with strong moral persuasion are likely to compare themselves with others, rather than God’s holy ordinances. Romans 5:19, “as by one man’s disobedience, many were made sinners, so by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”
Are you committed to your Lord through His church which has a local, organizational entity, which is subject to change, as mandated by the people in the leading of God’s Holy Spirit? Do you see that the option of obedience is still as demanding, and as totally rewarding, as ever?
Renewal is the Foundation Stone upon which we can build. I call you now in commitment to that high hour.
Conclusion
For Peter, as for Nehemiah, victory began in the council chambers of God’s grace. Nothing would have happened apart from that. One was facing death. The other was facing a life of meaningless servitude to a chief of state. Both had but to initiate a step of faith to see their lives transformed into meaningful service to others, empowered by the will and purpose of God.
A MIND TO WORK
#125 A MIND TO WORK
Scripture Nehemiah 4:1-6, 15 NIV Orig. 3-10-63 (1-79)
Rewr. 4-12-88
Passage: [a] 1When Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, he became angry and was greatly incensed. He ridiculed the Jews, 2 and in the presence of his associates and the army of Samaria, he said, “What are those feeble Jews doing? Will they restore their wall? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they finish in a day? Can they bring the stones back to life from those heaps of rubble—burned as they are?” 3 Tobiah the Ammonite, who was at his side, said, “What they are building—even a fox climbing up on it would break down their wall of stones!” 4 Hear us, our God, for we are despised. Turn their insults back on their own heads. Give them over as plunder in a land of captivity. 5 Do not cover up their guilt or blot out their sins from your sight, for they have thrown insults in the face of[b] the builders. 6 So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.
15 When our enemies heard that we were aware of their plot and that God had frustrated it, we all returned to the wall, each to our own work.
Purpose: Using the occasion of the resettlement of Jerusalem to remind my people of the need to resettle our communities with the exercise of faith.
Keywords: Dedication God’s Purpose Work Energy
Introduction
We are watching with interest the proceedings in Panama. We know that for some of our countrymen the stakes are high indeed. Some Americans have invested everything they have in the country that tenuously oversees the great Panama Canal.
Just a few years ago there was a similar circumstance in Iran. Because of our oil interest, there were many Americans, and Louisianans, who had made that Middle East, Muslim country, their home. Almost overnight they had to leave. Some interviewed in the media indicated they were leaving behind everything they owned: homes, cars, furniture, even bank accounts. Those possessions were no longer worth the risk of holding on to them. Most of these same people had taken those jobs years before, precisely because they promised lucrative material return.
The departure of the Hebrews from Babylon was similar. Though it was 2500 years earlier, it was from a site perhaps no more than 300 miles away. They too had to decide about pulling up stakes and departing. They had to walk away from many evidences of material prosperity.
It was in Babylon that the Jews discovered what excellent tradesmen they were. A few had become so wealthy that they refused to leave. Many, most actually, remembered that they were the guardians of faith in the one holy and living God. They must leave all and return to Jerusalem, because to its environs the Messiah would return. Thus, with such a mind they set themselves to the tasks of return. They had “a mind to work.”
I. It Is with a Mind to Work That Hardships Must Be Faced. V2:17 “Ye see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lieth waste, and the gates thereof are burned with fire; come, let us build up the walls of Jerusalem.” 2:19 [their enemies] “laughed . . . to scorn, and despised [them] . . . and said, ‘will ye rebel against the king?’”
4:8 “And conspired all of them together to come and to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it.”
Where there is this intent to serve, limitations do not distract. Success does not rest upon numbers alone. There were some Jews still in the country from before captivity. According to Ezra 2, 49,697 returned, including servants. Only 245 mules returned, but more than 6,000 donkeys. Others of their people would join them from time to time. Ezra was a priest, a religious leader who led in law and building the temple. The Temple was 20 years in building. A half century later Nehemiah would discover it still without unanimity.
There must be distinction between Jew and Samaritan for this unique national character to emerge. There was going to be opposition. They had to know who they were, and how the will of God related to them.
I knew a young man in seminary with a serious physical disability. He wanted to be a pastor. Much stood in the way. Would a church of “whole” people call him as pastor? He became a pastor in Fort Worth of a church of people with disabilities. He knew himself, and how he fit into the will of God.
Today, also, whatever the hardship is, commitment in the Lord is the solution. Nehemiah was given the key to the king’s storehouse. 2:8 “A letter unto Asaph, the keeper of the king’s forest that he may give me timber.“ But by hard work this resource was used. 2:18b “So they strengthened their hands for this good work.”
If I could always choose my church hardship, it would be financial every time. People with a love for the Lord will rally around financial need. Big budgets don’t necessarily go with compassionate hearts. We are always better off with people who have little to give besides love, because they have “a mind to work.” People who give of their possessions are not easily led to give of themselves. It would do all of us well to consider how advantaged we are.
How to live on $100 a year: Get rid of all your furniture except one chair and one table. Throw out all TV sets, lamps and radios. Dispose of all of your clothing but your oldest dress or suit; one pair of shoes may be kept for the head of the family. Shut off the water, gas, electricity. Remove all appliances from the kitchen, keep . . . a small bag of flour, some sugar, salt, a few moldy potatoes, a handful of onion, some dried beans. Take away the house and move the family into the toolshed. Your neighborhood will be a shantytown. Move the nearest medical help ten miles away . . .a midwife. Get rid of your car. Forget about newspapers, magazines, books. You won’t miss them because you must also give up literacy. Count your emergency fund at $5. . . . No bank books, pension plans, insurance policies. Cultivate three acres as a tenant farmer. You can expect $100 to $300 a year in good years for cash crops. Pay a third to the landlord, at least a tenth to the money lender. Plan to take off 20 to 30 years in life expectancy. Millions do. . . , in fact, half of the people in our world actually live on $100 a year.” (Pulpit Helps – January 1979)
If you had to get by on less, could you still exercise your faith at your present level?
II. It Is with a Mind to Work That We Accomplish the Purpose of God. 4:6 “So built we the wall; and all the wall was joined together unto the half thereof: for the people had a mind to work.”
Up to now, theirs had been a work of furious futility. They knew too little of themselves. They discounted God as a viable presence. They were intimidated by the godlessness around them.
But in responding to the vocal challenges around them they were victorious. Ezra 6:14 “And the elders of the Jews builded and prospered, through the prophesy of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo.” Haggai 2:9 “The latter glory of this house shall be greater than the former, saith Jehovah of hosts; and in this place will I give peace.”
We also must deal with our extremities in coming to terms with the purpose of God. Our most basic excuse is “I don’t have time!” We find time for what we want. We waste huge segments on things that do not profit: Fill out a timesheet sometime; how much TV you watch might surprise you.
We also claim not to know how as an excuse. Some of the things that we take great pleasure in were first devised by people who didn’t know how. Some of the things that we are singularly competent in now, we once knew nothing about. Edison knew nothing of electricity. Bell knew not about telephones. Wilbur and Orville couldn’t fly no matter how hard they flapped their arms.
When God’s purpose becomes our purpose, we are no longer hindered by human weakness, but instead we are stimulated by divine strength. The best beginning place is in salvation. The Psalmist’s question was asked in 116:12 “What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me?” His answer, 116:13 “I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord.
Whatever it is to which we put our hand, if it is of value, we seek to accomplish it in God’s purpose. It was God’s wall. He would see to it. Thou must be of the mind to work.
THE HEART-CRY FOR REVIVAL
#081 THE HEART-CRY FOR REVIVAL
Scripture II Chronicles 7:11-18 NIV Orig. 9-27-64
Rewr. 3-17-77
Passage: 11 When Solomon had finished the temple of the Lord and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the Lord and in his own palace, 12 the Lord appeared to him at night and said: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.
13 “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, 14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 15 Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 16 I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.
17 “As for you, if you walk before me faithfully as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees and laws, 18 I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to rule over Israel.’”
Introduction
Over the past few years there has been a major thrust by some groups to maintain a proper balance of “truth in advertising.” This came about as a result of some advertising methods that were questionable if not downright misleading. Labels now must declare what is in a product, nothing more and nothing less. Advertising techniques must be true to the capabilities of whatever is being advertised. If not, the advertiser can be held liable.
Now, a new problem has arisen. The Madison Avenue boys in blue, or in blue jeans, whatever they are wearing now, have in their brazenness sunk to an all-time low. The admen and their clients are getting on the religious bandwagon. Someone suggested that “God is right up there with O.J. Simpson and Don Rickles.” The most disgusting to me is the ‘Jesus jeans’ ad. It depicted the rear view of a woman clad in a pair of these jeans, and across her rear was written a Bible quotation in Italian. Translated it read, “He who loves me follows me.”
A few months back, metropolitan newspapers in some parts of the country carried an ad introducing a new brand of whiskey called “King James Scotch Whiskey.” Before you get ready to argue their case, saying, “Why defend James when Robert would not offend us? Maybe it was not chosen for that reason,” know that on each side of the bottle appeared the phrase, “The King James version.” “Blue Nun Wine” asks their clientele ‘to try something a little sacrilegious.’
Playboy ran a full page newspaper ad picturing a priest reading their magazine. The lead line in the ad states, “I read Playboy and found God.” Even an old-line company like General Motors has gotten in on the act. An ad in Time magazine shows a group of nuns in traditional dress, with one of them saying, “The steering committee at the convent voted 5 to 0 in favor of tilt wheel. It’s been a blessing.”
For most of us, this is offensive. We ought to be stirred to express our opinions to the offending companies, their ad personnel, and also the newspapers and magazines carrying ads. My point this morning, however, is that the Christian community has just as much responsibility to advertise what it can produce and nothing more. We are advertising ‘revival’ and it is up to us to produce it.
I. The Heart Cry of Revival is Heard Because Of Who We Are. “If my people,” says the Scripture. The pagan world has always found its understanding of divine appeasement in biological reproduction. The happiness of the gods was seen in the success of human sexuality and agricultural abundance. I am presently reading James Michener’s The Source. It is an historical novel describing the level-by-level accumulation of history at a site called Makor. While Michener’s purpose is not spiritual, he has authenticated his facts. His view of the pre-Abramic Canaanites describes, with some taste and decorum, their appeasement of the gods through infant sacrifice, and sexual fertility rites.
Spiritually we owe a great debt to the culture and the evolution of the Hebrew people through whom God revealed Himself. They were the ones who taught us the open-heartedness of God for His creation. Exodus 6:7 “I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God. Deuteronomy 32:9 “The Lord’s portion is His people.” Psalms 125:2 “As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about His people from henceforth forever.
The people of ancient Crete honored a statue of Jove which had no ears. They could not believe that any god would concern himself with the idle chatter of people such as they.
Through these Hebrews the discovery came of a faith relationship that was negotiable. I Samuel 15:22 (200-300 years after Moses), “Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?” Psalms 51:16, “Thou delightest not in burnt offerings.” Isaiah 1:18, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” II Chronicles 7:17, “And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe my statutes and my judgments.” Recall also the experience out of the life of David (II Samuel 12) when Nathan comes to congratulate David at Solomon’s birth, and named Solomon “Jedediah,” beloved of the Lord.
Let it be finally understood that we are the people of God. We are duty bound to proclaim it so. Our responsibility is even greater in a world where faith and belief, and even a concept of God, are treated so shabbily. Four or five years ago a movie titled McCabe and Mrs. Miller hit the cinemas across America. The reviews gave ample evidence of what it contained. Some of you let your children see it. It contained every kind of immoral perversion that its “R” rating would allow. It took place in a little town called Presbyterian Church. The church was no more than incidental in the life and morality of the town. But, when the church caught on fire and was burning, it was those same people who were quickly on the scene saving the church. The message left with the viewer was of the utter irrelevancy of the church.
That is not unlike the cartoon carried on the editorial page of the Times-Picayune this week. It had been picked up from a San Francisco paper. A group of sour looking people were advancing on the porno shop with fire bombs. The next sequence shows the shop in ashes, but behind the shop the public library was also in ashes. You will never convince me that such as that is anything less than satanic intimidation.
Now hear me well brethren, we will never counteract contemporary, flagrant violations of spiritual trust, giving God, whose people we are, an hour of our time on Sunday morning. Let me suggest some ways that help determine whose people we are: Whose people, when on a given Sunday, 75% of adult membership absent themselves from Bible study; whose, when on a Sunday evening 80-90% regularly ignore discipleship opportunity; whose, when on Wednesday night 95% reject an opportunity for intercessory prayer; whose, when maybe no more than 2-3% spend any time taking to others about their Lord, their church?
II. The Heart Cry of Revival is Heard Because Of Where We Are. The One who says, “If my people” says also “will humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face.”
What “if my people” means: That God has promised renewal; that Christians have the right and obligation to claim it. There are proper procedures to enhance it—humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, turn away from wickedness.
Consider first the need for humility. The first man after Adam to need revival was his son Cain. Genesis 4 tells the story. He knew to bring an offering to the Lord. Arriving at the altar, however, he, in effect said, “I will offer what offering I please and you can like it or lump it.” That may sound familiar.
Consider also the need for prayer. Acts 2:42 “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” Acts 2:46 “And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart.” Acts 3:1 “Peter and John went up to the temple at the hour of prayer.” 3:6 “Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have I give thee: In the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
Only after humility and prayer can we seek God’s face. Psalms 24: “Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands and a pure heart.”
***THE REMAINDER OF THIS SERMON HAS BEEN LOST***
GIDEON: MIGHTY MAN OF VALOR
#043 GIDEON: MIGHTY MAN OF VALOR
Scripture Judges 6:11-18, 22-23 NIV Orig. 11/4/62 (11/77)
Rewr. 10/4/85
Passage: 11 The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” 13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” 15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”
17 Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. 18 Please do not go away until I come back and bring my offering and set it before you.” And the Lord said, “I will wait until you return.”
22 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face!”
23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.”
Purpose: To lead my people in an in-depth study of Gideon and his spiritual resolution, and what we may learn thereby.
Keywords: Character God Power Missions
Timeline/Series: Old Testament Characters
Introduction
Gideon is called here a “mighty man of valor.” It is a term that can be misapplied. We usually go through a relatively simple process when we make such judgments about other people. Compared to another, how does that particular person measure up? Is Gideon such a “man of valor,” or is it that compared to those around him, he left such an impression?
Tennyson had to resort to fiction to find one who accommodated his own characteristics of human supremacy. He wrote of Sir Galahad
“My good blade carves the casques of men.
My tough lance thrusteth sure:
My strength is as the strength of ten,
Because my heart is pure.”
It is far easier to find those whose “hearts” are not pure, who are not “men of valor.” During New Orleans days, a young seminary friend stopped by my office. He was serving a church in the Bogalusa area, and was in the pastor’s office there. A church member came in with an armload of mops. He began to berate the pastor for allowing such a budget travesty. “Why had they bought so many mops that could only be used one at a time?” After the man had his say and left, someone in the room commended the pastor for keeping his cool under such an unnecessary outburst. My friend said that the pastor’s reply was a classic. “It really isn’t that hard to understand his feeling, when one is aware that the total sum of his contributions for the year is tied up in unused mops.”
Compared to Tennyson’s Galahad, few of us would be considered as “people of valor,” but compared to the “Bogalusa Badman” most of us could smile and be happy about what we are.
Gideon is clearly a “man of valor.” His are characteristics which God often chooses to bless.
I. It is to a Prepared Man that God Comes. There can be little doubt that Gideon spent long lonely hours at his vigil. He has poured out his soul beseeching God for an answer to Israel’s dilemma. Note his reply to the angel (v13) “O my Lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all of this happened to us?”
How often people are prepared for spiritual challenge by their distresses. Isaiah—“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord.” Hosea—Understood and revealed Israel’s infidelity by experiencing it in his own family. Martin Luther—Climbed the 52 steps of the “Scala Sancta” on his knees and spoke out against the church, fellow priests, and scholars; as a separated clergyman, in his arms little Magdalena lay dying—it nearly destroyed him, until he received God’s peace.
For others, it is the challenge alone that prepares them for their work. Too many of us think in terms of why we can’t accomplish something. There are some who consider only what they must. Gideon knew why this would be a most difficult undertaking. The Midianites were determined and ruthless. Israel was in a state of confusion. Even Gideon’s own house was torn down for idolatry. V25 tells of the statue of Baal in Gideon’s father’s house.
200 years ago, William Carey, the father of modern missions, had not yet gone to the mission field, had not yet begun to pastor, had not yet been baptized. We must remember that mission is a recent concept. His major challenge was to overcome not the hardships of the mission field, but the excuses of the people on the home front. It was too great a distance (but not for commerce); the people were uncivilized (but Paul went to Gaul and the Britons); the discomforts—but that’s for the missionary to decide; the language barrier—that didn’t stop the East India Company.
Yet others were prepared by vision. Against Gideon’s excuses the Lord responded 6:14, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
II. It is to One with Purpose that God Comes. It is not with only the sense of a purpose that God comes, as if the man alone is what God needs. It is the purpose, linking the man’s life with some noble cause.
God offers His strength to implement that of Gideon. V15 “So he said to Him, ‘O my Lord, how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest, and I am the least in my father’s house.’ And the Lord said to him, ‘Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.’” We see a nation come to grief. A family is described (Gideon was the son of Joash the Abiezrite whose own father was a Baal worshiper): Gideon is a man who views himself as an unlikely candidate for honor.
God’s strength is offered for God’s purpose. God has already given unconditional promises. Genesis 9:13 “I set my bow in the clouds as a sign of covenant between me and the earth.” Judges 2:1 “I will never break my covenant with you.” God never wills to leave us in distress except to our good. Gideon is that chosen vessel for good.
Gideon is a proof text for people caught in the mire of Spiritual lethargy. Perhaps we see characteristics that are reminiscent of Gideon in us. What would be our reaction to an angel? “You’ve come to the wrong house. Let me get a roadmap and help you on your way.” But God chooses to use us in His cause. There are injustices. You do feel unworthy. “Accept my purpose and I will use you.”
Gideon would succeed where others had failed because God’s purpose would become his purpose.
III. Finally, it is to Anoint with Power that God Comes. Gideon reaches out for some tangible evidence that he has not dreamed this. He prepares an offering (v19). A rock becomes an altar of proof (v21). The first test came quickly. God said “cut down the grove belonging to your father.” Gideon selected men of his own servants as others were not to be trusted. When Gideon’s life was endangered, his father said “If my son has offended Baal, let Baal act.”
Still, Gideon needed assurance. Gideon challenges God to show by a particular sign that it is His work he is doing. If the fleece is wet with dew and the ground around it is dry, “I will know your intent.” V37.
When the day of battle comes, Gideon is instructed to disarm and go into battle with 300 who drink water funny. (Chapter 7)
How like us this is. Of all the ages we think ourselves the least likely candidate; of our father’s houses, I find me the least able. We unite our voices in asking God, “Why?” Do we hear Him say, “Go in this thy might”?
As a physicist said, “If there is no law in physics between me and my goal, I can get there.”
Conclusion
Herbert Lockyer wrote that, without doubt, Gideon is among the brightest luminaries of Old Testament history. His character and call are presented in a series of tableaux. We see:
1-Gideon at the flail—the young man was threshing wheat when the call came to him to become the deliverer of his nation. History teaches that obscurity of birth is no obstacle to noble service. It was no dishonor for Gideon to say “My family is poor.”
2-Gideon at the altar—Gideon was God-fearing. His own father had become an idolater but Gideon vowed to remove the idols. No wonder they called him Jerubbaal, meaning “discomforter of Baal.”
3- Gideon and the fleece—Facing the great mission of his life, he had to have an assuring token that God was with him. God condescended to grant Gideon the double sign.
4-Gideon at the well—How fascinating is the incident of the reduction of Gideon’s army from 32,000 to 10,000, then to only 300. The few, choice, brave, active men and God were in the majority against the swarms of Midian. God is not always on the right side of big battalions.
5-Gideon with the whip—The men of Succoth and Penuel made themselves obnoxious, but with a whip of thorns Gideon meted out to them the punishment they deserved.
6-Gideon in the gallery of worthies--It was no small honor to have a place, as Gideon has, in the illustrious roll named in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, where every name is an inspiration, and every character a miracle of grace.