April 26- Just Give Me A Sign

April 26, 2011

Scripture Readings:
Judges 6:1-40; Luke 22:54-23:12
Psalm 95:1-96:13; Proverbs 14:5-6

When suffering comes, we yearn for a sign from God, forgetting that we just had one.
 ~Mignon McLaughlin

Judges 6:1-40

Have you heard about these various occurrences where God supposedly is revealing Himself to people?  I have heard of people saying that an image of Jesus Christ appeared in their toast, an image of the Virgin Mary appeared in the window of some people in Canada, and the shroud of Turin reveals the body image of Jesus. All of these claims are ways that people can bolster their faith through a physical sign. Today we meet a new judge who because of his weak faith requires multiple signs from God.

As our story begins Israel is being run over by the Midianites. They are raiding Israel's crops and stripping the land bare. The nation of Israel cries out to God for deliverance.  In response, the angel of the Lord (Jesus Christ pre-incarnate) comes to a man named Gideon. Here is how Jesus greets this man, "Mighty hero, the Lord is with you."  God knows something about this man's character and potential that even this man does not know about himself!  As we read closely, we find that Gideon is a nobody from a small tribe. This is just the type of man God is looking to use!  The Lord explains that He is going to be with Gideon to defeat the Midianites. Gideon is Israel's next judge.

Gideon wants proof from God that he is really to be this great hero. In faith, he seeks God's will through a sign.  The first sign he requests is tied to his offering to God.  The Angel of the Lord accepts Gideon's offer, burns it up and then disappears.  Gideon builds an altar to God and calls it "God is Peace."  Do you find it interesting that Gideon calls the God who is going to lead him into battle "The God of Peace"?  Gideon recognized in God a person through whom he could find peace for his soul.

After this, the angel of the Lord requires that Gideon tear down the pagan altars to Baal and the pagan goddess Asherah (Ashtoreth). Gideon was to build an altar to the real God in its place.  Gideon was obedient to the Lord's request, but did it at night because he feared what his family would do when he tore down their religious altars. Another way to view this action is to see that Gideon was wise to tear it down at night, because this was a controversial act that would upset people in the community.  The next morning the community did want to kill Gideon for switching out the altars.  We see Gideon continue to grow in his faith. He really trusts the One True God. With courage, Gideon challenges Baal to defend his altar if he is truly a god.  Crickets chirp...

As the Midianites create alliances and gather to fight Israel, the Spirit of the Lord comes upon Gideon. In an act of leadership and courage, Gideon blows the trumpet of war and assembles a large number of fighting men. Gideon is determined to not act outside of God's will. He asks the Lord for more proof that God is going to use him to save Israel.  God plays along and does the fleece and dew miracles. Notice that once is not enough for Gideon, he needs God to do it twice. Do you think Gideon had a hard time believing that God could use him for great things?

God relishes using the weak to show Himself strong.  Are you weak?  Do you doubt that God can affect other people through you? God can and will use you in spite of your frailty.

Luke 22:54-23:12

Speaking of weakness, today we see that Peter is weak and gives into the temptation to deny Jesus three times. We learned yesterday that Jesus had warned Peter that his lack of faith in falling asleep rather than praying with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane would be a problem.  Here we see the consequences of not being prepared for spiritual battle. Jesus was ready. Peter was not.

Jesus goes forth in battle as he faces the High Council, Pilate, the Roman governor, and Herod.  Jesus declares his deity and position as King of the Jews to both the High Council and to Pilate, but Jesus refuses to utter a word to the man (Herod),who killed his cousin John the Baptist.

Jesus is a prepared man. He is prepared for spiritual battle to do God's will because of his total trust in God and his commitment to live in obedience.  Do you fervently want God's will in your life?  Sometimes His will is gonna look messy.  Sometimes His will brings conflict and suffering. Are you ready for battle?

Psalm 95:1-96:13

I love verses 6-7, "Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the sheep under his care."

Proverbs 14:5-6

Mockers never find wisdom.  Think about how the High Council and Herod mocked Christ.

What did you notice?

Blessings,

Jubilee Gal

Kathy Fullerton
© 2011