FBC Daily Devotional – August 20, 2021

Well, a good Friday morning to you. Let me ask you this from the book of Judges Who who are the most famous judges that you can think of who stands out as the most? Common most familiar most famous I would suggest.

Probably the top two would be Gideon and Samson and which is the top one. I suppose that depends on the individual. I mean I can remember as a child hearing both of those stories, but I don't remember any songs written about Samson I I do remember songs about Gideon, but nevertheless I Think Gideon is probably one of the most famous judges in in the book of Judges and in Judges chapter 6 where we're presented with his call the call that comes to him to To serve and lead the forces of Israel against the Midianites and Amalekites these raiders that have come into the land and are Tearing up the crops and and stealing them and so forth.

Israel’s Oppression and the Root Problem of Idolatry

They've been doing this for a number of years now you read about the the oppression of the Midianites in the early verses of chapter 6 and The the people of Israel have just they become distressed. They're filled full of fear they have to go hide in the mountains and all this kind of stuff and they finally cry out to the Lord and in previous occasions when In the book of Judges when they've been oppressed and they cry out to the Lord the next thing.

You know, we read about the Lord sending a deliverer, but in this case He does something before sending a deliverer. He sends a prophet and the prophet comes to the people and says and says to them. This is why you're in a mess.

This is why you're in oppression and You know, we might it might be good for us to listen to that message when When we're in periods at times of distress. This is not a universal statement but sometimes the distress is caught has come as a result of or as a consequence of a pattern of sin that we have engaged in in Israel's case they had forsaken the Lord and they'd gone after idols and they were they were worshiping idols instead of worshiping God and even Gideon's own family Had an altar to Baal set up on their property and you can read about that in the in Judges 6 if you haven't already.

And you know God eventually tells Gideon you need to tear that altar down before you're gonna go and lead my people Against the Midianites and he does so but but nevertheless, this is a this is the problem.

This is the root of the problem idolatry. So he confronts the people with that but then God in his grace calls a messenger or calls a deliverer and That call comes to Gideon. Now. I want to take just a moment and Just kind of zero in on that call and how it came it came.

We read by the angel of the Lord now, we have preconceived notions about what that must have looked like, right? Well, the angel of the Lord came so this personage came that was kind of ethereal and Probably had a glowing aura about him and you know, maybe even had wings.

I hope I hope we know better than that. But but anyway, it was very obvious and a very obvious supernatural being. That's a wrong Perception. Instead we should think of this angel of the Lord who came to Gideon as looking like Typical man on the street if you will.

Nothing spectacular about him. Nothing that would make us say. Oh, this must be some kind of divine personage not know. This and this I this happened often in these apparent is angelic appearances that we read about you read them in Genesis.

For example now the angel of the Lord came to Abram and these other other individuals in the patriarchs. But anyway, so this would have been someone who looked just like a man and he comes to Gideon and he says the Lord is with you mighty man of valor and Gideon is Right away expressing a bitter kind of skepticism.

Well, the Lord is with us, why are we in such oppression? Why are we in such a mess? Well, the prophet had told him why they were such a mess, but nevertheless The angel the angel of the Lord does not Is not detracted by that.

It says no, I'm gonna be with you. You are going to lead the people and you are gonna conquer the Midianites. Well, I Can't do that. I'm Gideon says I I'm a nobody. I'm in the least family and my thought my tribe and I'm the youngest kid in the family.

I can't lead anybody like this and the angel reassures him and says no. Here's what God says. I am with you. I will be with you. This is the call to go. He's sending him to go and lead the people and Gideon doesn't just say okay.

Here am I send me? He doesn't have a vision like Isaiah had in Isaiah 6 where he sees The Lord God sitting upon his throne high and lifted up and the chair of him around him saying holy holy holy is the Lord God Almighty no Gideon sees a man and this man has told him God's with you and Then what Gideon does is he he first of all asks for confirmation of the messenger?

How can I know that you are really a messenger from God and He he presents this offering and the messenger that looked like just an ordinary man Consumes that offering he has a staff in his hand just a Like a walking stick in his hand.

He reaches that walking stick out and he touches the sacrifice the offering that Gideon had brought and it immediately from the rock fire spontaneously erupts and consumes the sacrifice and that man the angel of the Lord boom disappears and What God did in that was confirmed to Gideon that this is a divine call.

You can do this. I will be with you and From there God further confirms him by giving him a job to do to tear down those All that altar to Baal and the the Asherah pole places of worship on Gideon's own property property of his father.

He does so and the Lord confirms the choice of Gideon by Changing the father the father's heart his own father's heart. Who had set up this altar in the first place? And when the men of the city come and they want to kill Gideon because he tore down their altar Gideon's dad says no way.

No way. Let let Baal contend against him if there is such a person and God also changes the hearts of the people so that when Gideon says We're gonna go fight against the Midianites. They say okay, let's go fight against the Midianites.

What God is doing here with Gideon in this chapter is confirming you are the choice. You can do what I have equipped what I've called you to do. I will equip you to do it and The same is true with us whatever our calling it might happen to be.

God has a job for us to do a calling that he's given us whether it's a You know ahead of the household as a husband and you're in your work your job your occupation. You're a housewife. You're a mother.

You're a homeschool teacher you are. You have your your career as well that you're you're working and supporting of the family. Whatever that whatever God's given you to do He has he's called you to do.

He equips you for the doing of it and you can trust him. You can trust him to use you in that capacity well, this is encouraging word from From Judges chapter 6 in a dark time in Israel's history a good encouraging word for us in our day whom God calls He confirms equips.

He'll use. Father thank you for this encouragement from your word today, and I pray that we would. We would see in this passage your kindness your compassion your long-suffering your patience. That you confirm Those whom you've called to do a work for you and Lord.

I pray that we would be encouraged by that today. We ask it in Jesus name. All right well. Have a good rest of your Friday and a wonderful weekend and again if you can get out to God's house on Sunday in Sterling we'd be glad to have you join us for Services this Lord's Day a good day and God bless.