May the mumbling commence!
Barak needed a prophetess to be certain of the call of the Lord. Gideon needed a fleece. What do you and I need to be sure of the call of the Lord in our lives? It would be nice to hear a prophetess like Deborah. It would be nice to see the signs we ask for like Gideon and his fleece.
Are we open to hearing the counsel of our brothers and sisters in Christ? There are Deborahs (and Dans) in our midst. We can hear the call of God through them – the call to a variety of ministries. Are we willing to step out of our comfort zones? Can we accept the call to teach Sunday school or lead worship or sing in the choir or play in the bell choir or be a part of the praise band or give testimony? Yes, God speaks through our Christian brothers and sisters. The only question is: Are we listening?
And there are times when we tell God: if this, this, and this all fall into place then I will give myself fully to minister for you and with your people. I remember my wife, Anita, telling me about a list of things that needed to happen for her to go to seminary sooner rather than later. One by one, they all fell into place. And she went to seminary, where she got more than she bargained for. Yes, sometimes it is good NOT to know what we are in for when we accept the call of the Lord in our lives. Now, she is stuck with me. Pray for her!
Let’s dive into the story of Gideon. I’ve always loved this story. In Judges 6, the angel of the Lord finds Gideon hiding away for fear of the Midianites. Gideon was threshing wheat in a wine press, and he was probably quite paranoid as he threshed his wheat – looking up every minute or so for any signs of Midianites. What a pathetic figure!
But what were the words from the angel of the Lord? “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” Gideon must have looked all around him. Surely these words were meant for someone else. Read their interchange from Judges 6:
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?"
"But Lord," Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."
The Lord answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together."
Gideon replied, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me. (Verses 14-17)
Make no mistake. The Lord was speaking to Gideon. I can identify with Gideon. I came from a family that did not actively practice their faith in a church setting. I am the youngest child and the smallest among my brothers. How could the Lord be calling me into set-apart ministry? Yes, I, too, wanted signs and a specific ministry call. Will the Lord be with me? I wanted tangible evidence. (And that tangible evidence was coming to me from my Christian brothers and sisters around me. It came in the form of encouragement. It came in the form of prayer. It came in the form of monetary support for seminary.)
Gideon’s first sign comes immediately. While Gideon provided the sacrifice, the angel of the Lord provided the fire. Then Gideon was given his first mission. Was it to vanquish the Midianites? No. Gideon’s first mission was to destroy the idol worship that was the root cause of the oppression. Gideon was to lead his people back to true worship with God. Fear caused Gideon to answer the call under the cloak of night. But Gideon did answer the call. And his father supported him.
At the end of Judges 6, Gideon puts out the fleece twice to be certain of the call of the Lord to unite the people against Midian. Both times, the Lord did exactly what Gideon asked for. So Gideon gathered 32,000 men. And God told him that that was too many men. Gideon let those afraid go home, and that left 10,000 men. “Still too many,” said the Lord. Then the Lord chose 300 men for Gideon.
300 men against a force so big it was difficult to count! The victory would be the Lord’s not Gideon’s. The victory was already won when they cast down the pagan altar and the Asherah pole and returned to the Lord. Let’s cling to the Lord, listen to His call, and follow in the path of our Savior Christ Jesus.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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