Gideon and Finding God’s Will
Have you ever wondered what is God’s will for your life?
What methods are acceptable?
Fleeces?
Dreams?
Circumstances?
LUCKY DIPPING – BAD!
Judas went out and hanged himself Matt 27:5
“Go and do likewise” – Luke 10:37
NO!
Judges 6:1–6 (ESV)
1 The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian seven years. 2 And the hand of Midian overpowered Israel, and because of Midian the people of Israel made for themselves the dens that are in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. 3 For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. 4 They would encamp against them and devour the produce of the land, as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel and no sheep or ox or donkey. 5For they would come up with their livestock and their tents; they would come like locusts in number—both they and their camels could not be counted—so that they laid waste the land as they came in. 6 And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel cried out for help to the Lord.
Midian – RELATIVES! (ABRHAM’S OTHER SONS WITH KETURA)
Judges 6:7–10 (ESV)
7 When the people of Israel cried out to the Lord on account of the Midianites, 8 the Lord sent a prophet to the people of Israel. And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery. 9 And I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 And I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.’ But you have not obeyed my voice.”
Isaiah 59:1–2 (CSB)
1 Indeed, the Lord’s arm is not too weak to save, and his ear is not too deaf to hear. 2 But your iniquities are separating you from your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not listen.
Judges 6:11–12 (ESV)
11 Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the angel of the Lordappeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.”
Winepress – don’t do it that way – living in fear
Angel calls him “O mighty man of valor” –
NOT YET!
PINE CONE ILLUSTRATION
Judges 6:13 (ESV)
13 And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
If God is with us, why is this happening? Ever feel that way?
Judges 6:14 (ESV)
14 And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?”
NOTICE: THE LORD – previously The Angel of the Lord, hear THE LORD.
Angel of the Lord = Jesus pre-incarnate
God is telling him Go in this might of yours and save Israel. – YOUR MIGHT???
Judges 6:15-16
15 And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” 16 And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”
HOW? I’m weak, my clan is weak, I’m poor, I’m nothing.
1 Corinthians 1:27–29 (NLT)
27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. 28 God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. 29 As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.
1 Corinthians 1:31 (NLT)
31 Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”
Judges 6:16
16 And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”
“I WILL BE WITH YOU”
“you shall strike the Midianites as one man” – “ONE” – ehad – one unified whole
IF GOD IS WITH US
Romans 8:31–32 (ESV)
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?
Judges 6:17–18 (ESV)
17 And he said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me. 18Please do not depart from here until I come to you and bring out my present and set it before you.” And he said, “I will stay till you return.”
LOOKING FOR SIGN/CONFIRMATION
What are some of the ways that God gives us confirmation?
Through his word
Through other Christians
Through peace
Through circumstances
Judges 6:19–21 (ESV)
19 So Gideon went into his house and prepared a young goat and unleavened cakes from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought them to him under the terebinth and presented them. 20 And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and put them on this rock, and pour the broth over them.” And he did so. 21 Then the angel of the Lord reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes. And fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. And the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight.
Judges 6:22–24 (ESV)
22 Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord. And Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord face to face.” 23 But the Lord said to him, “Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.” 24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord and called it, The Lord Is Peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.
Judges 6:25–27 (ESV)
25 That night the Lord said to him, “Take your father’s bull, and the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it 26 and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of the stronghold here, with stones laid in due order. Then take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah that you shall cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the Lord had told him. But because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night.
Judgment begins with house of the Lord –
GIDEON’S FATHER HAD OWN ALTAR OF BAAL
Obedience begins with our own home
God calling you as a dad or boss to do something in your family or business?
God tests obedience with small things
Judges 6:26
26 and build an altar to the Lord your God on the top of the stronghold here, with stones laid in due order
Altar on top of the stronghold
Gideon – does it, but at night. And gets people to help.
Judges 6:27
But because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night.
Do you fear your family? You are like Gideon and most people. WALK BY FAITH
Judges 6:28–30 (ESV)
28 When the men of the town rose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar that had been built. 29 And they said to one another, “Who has done this thing?” And after they had searched and inquired, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.” 30 Then the men of the town said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, for he has broken down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah beside it.”
Gideon in TROUBLE
Judges 6:31–32 (ESV)
31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Will you contend for Baal? Or will you save him? Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because his altar has been broken down.” 32 Therefore on that day Gideon was called Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend against him,” because he broke down his altar.
GIDEON inspires his dad.
Sons an daughters can bring faith to parents!
Judges 6:33–35 (ESV)
33 Now all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East came together, and they crossed the Jordan and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. 34 But the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon, and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him. 35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they too were called out to follow him. And he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet them.
Midianites camp at valley of Jezreel – valley of Armageddon.
The opposing army comes in and Gideon sounds the trumpet to summon the Israelites
Judges 6:36–38 (ESV)
36 Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, 37 behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.” 38 And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water.
FLEECE – make dew only on the wool – was and rung out bowl
Judges 6:39–40 (ESV)
39 Then Gideon said to God, “Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground let there be dew.” 40 And God did so that night; and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew.
Gideon asks again
SO how do we discern God’s Will?
FLEECE
Looking for signs vs. confirmation
Wicked and adulterous generation seeks for a sign
FLEECE – supernatural event
Not a phone call at 3:35 pm – what if comes at 3:45?
BAD SOURCES FOR FINDING GOD’S WILL
1. Horoscopes, Astrology, Tarot Cards, Psychics, Spirit Guides
Deuteronomy 18:10–14 (NLT)
10 For example, never sacrifice your son or daughter as a burnt offering. And do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, 11 or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord…14 The nations you are about to displace consult sorcerers and fortune-tellers, but the Lord your God forbids you to do such things.”
2. Social Media – crowd sourcing – tell you what you want to hear or their experience
3. YouTube and Google
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints = Mormon
Jehovah’s Witness
Other cults, and twisted versions of Christianity
Google – sometimes answers are out of context due to algorithm; or wrong
UNRELIABLE SOURCES FOR GOD’S WILL
1. Fleeces
2. Dreams (21 in Bible, 10 in Genesis)
a. Jacob, Joseph, Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar, Pharoah, Pontius Pilate’s Wife
3. Casting Lots, flipping a coin (Matthias Acts 1:26, Jonah 1:7, Prov 16:33)
a. Dave calls it “going to Las Vegas”
4. Circumstances and Open Doors
a. Garden of Eden didn’t have a fence around Tree of Knowledge
b. Tye and Lori deciding to homeschool (and God providing)
5. Prophets and Pastors
1 Corinthians 14:29 (ESV)
Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others weigh what is said.
“weigh” – judge, evaluate
HOW TO FIND THE WILL OF GOD
1. The Word of God
1 Thessalonians 4:3–5 (ESV)
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (ESV)
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Peter 2:13–16 (ESV)
13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.
DON’T KNOW WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS? GO TO
GOTQUESTIONS.ORG
1 John 2:15–17 (ESV)
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17 And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.
HOW TO FIND THE WILL OF GOD
1. The Word of God
2. The Spirit of God
John 16:13a (ESV)
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth…
Ephesians 5:17–18 (ESV)
17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
HOW TO FIND THE WILL OF GOD
1. The Word of God
2. The Spirit of God
- Know His voice (1 Kings 19:12 – sound of silence)
Romans 12:1–2 (ESV)
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
TEST THE WILL OF GOD (mind renewed; Romans 8 – walk in the Spirit)
2. The Spirit of God
- Know His voice (1 Kings 19:12 – sound of silence)
- Examine your heart
Psalm 139:23–24 (NLT)
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.
George Müller (evangelist and director of orphanage in England in 1800’s) - “I seek at the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter. Nine-tenths of the trouble with people is just here. Nine-tenths of the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the Lord’s will, whatever it may be. When one is truly in this state, it is usually but a little way to the knowledge of what His will is” (Answers to Prayer: from George Müller’s Narratives, compiled by A.E.C. Brooks, Lector House, 2020)
JESUS PRAYER – NOT MY WILL BUT YOURS BE DONE
HOW TO FIND THE WILL OF GOD
1. The Word of God
2. The Spirit of God (examine your motives)
a. Can speak through verse, pastor/counselor/friend
3. The Peace of God
TRUE TEST - PEACE
Colossians 3:14–16 (ESV)
14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
You can have a false peace when steps out of order (vomit letter)
PAUL’S APOSTOLIC PRAYERS
Colossians 1:9 (ESV)
9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
Ephesians 1:18-19 (ESV)
18that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might
NOT ABOUT YOU! ALL ABOUT HIM!
God chooses to use us, then blesses us for the work He did through us.
ADDITIONAL VERSES ON THE WILL OF GOD
2 Peter 3:9 (ESV)
9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
Ephesians 5:15–18 (ESV)
15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
Micah 6:8 (ESV)
8 He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
1 Timothy 2:3–4 (ESV)
3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Proverbs 3:5–6 (ESV)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.