Rev. David Holwick
First Baptist Church
West Lafayette, Ohio
June 15, 1986
Father's Day
Gideon Crawls Out of His Hole
Judges 6 and Hebrews 11:32-34, NIV
This morning I am basing my sermon on one of the best-known Judges in the Bible - Gideon. Gideon would have loved Father's Day because he had 70 sons. Even if they had only chipped in a buck apiece he would have done all right. Gideon is well-known because of his stunning victory with just a handful of men. But you probably don't know much about Gideon himself. They key to his success was not natural ability or good luck - it was his faith. He was a very common man but God did great things through him because Gideon was obedient.
The first impression we get of Gideon is not impressive at all. Israel was being oppressed by the Midianites. These were a Bedouin people who supported themselves by raiding others. When the Israelites were ready to harvest their grain the Midianites would swoop in on their camels and swipe it. Like they always did, the Israelites began to whine to God. So he decided to help them out. The first thing God did was raise up a leader. In Gideon's case he had to do this quite literally.
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.
The King James says he is "by" a winepress but the New International Version has it right - he is hiding inside the winepress. Normally you threshed grain at a high, flat, windy place. But because Gideon didn't want to be seen he was hunkered down in a pit where they crushed grapes. Not very impressive. But God's angel found him anyway.
What does God say to him? Verse 12 tells us - ""The Lord is with you, you brave guy." Gideon responds with a classic comeback - if God is with us, why are things such a mess? Why doesn't he do something supernatural for us like he used to? Gideon had doubted about God. He didn't doubt that he existed, just about how he operated. At one time or another, most Christians are like Gideon. We believe in the miracles in the Bible, but we doubt they can happen for us, especially when we desperately need him.
I think this is reasonable in a way. The miracles in the Bible tend to be grouped about a few dramatic periods. The rest of the time not much happened in the way of supernatural events. People just had to trust God which isn't always easy. Some pastors tell you to get the miracles by claiming them; for example, if you are sick you could claim your healing. I believe God can perform miracles, even today, but sometimes he doesn't. Good Christians get sick. Good Christians die. But like Gideon, we wish it could be different. And for him, it was going to be. In verse 14 God tells him, "You are going to save Israel."
Now we see that Gideon didn't just have doubts about God. He also had a few about himself. Notice what he says in verse 15 - my family is poor and I am the runt of the litter. Right off I have to say that it's good to be humble. We should have a realistic idea of ourselves and give other people more credit than we usually do. But many times our main problem is not a lack of humility. It's having too much. We sell ourselves short and shy away from accomplishing anything. I notice this a lot in our church. Everyone says, "Who, me? Do that???? Oh, pastor...." But we are Christians. And Paul tells us we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. God can make us equal to any task. And so he tells Gideon, I'll be with you.
One sure sign that Gideon tended to be insecure was that he always asked for signs. In verse 17 he says in effect, "If it's really you, God, prove it to me." So Gideon prepared a big meal and brought it to the angel. The angel torched it - not a cinder was left. Then it dawned on Gideon that it was really God. Have you ever been confronted by God? If you are a genuine Christian you must have had times when you felt God's presence or power in a special way. It's a good thing to take note of it.
When I became ordained I was required to write out the key experiences I had had as a believer in Jesus. It wasn't easy to do, but it amazed me to see in writing all the times that God had directed my life. Many Christians keep spiritual diaries for this reason. We need concrete things to remind us of what God has done. This is one of the main reasons we have an altar call. Any decision can be made privately, in your own heart, but coming forward in church has a way of making it concrete. It's something you don't soon forget.
Before Gideon went to war with the Midianites he cleaned up his own back yard. His family had a problem that had infected all of Israel. Instead of the pure worship of God, they had set up idols for the Canaanite god, Baal. So the first order of business was to knock out the false religion. According to 6:25, he was to knock down the Baal and cut down the Asherah pole. He did this - at night, because he was still timid.
What does your family worship? Many families think they are good Christians but if you really look at the way they spend their time and how they treat each other, you have doubts. Being a Christian family doesn't mean you sing hymns all the time. It means you try to honor Jesus Christ in everything you do. You practice forgiveness, you control your tongue, you are concerned about the others in your family (and beyond). One of your biggest concerns should be their spiritual relationship with Christ. When you honor your father today, do you know if he is born-again? If he isn't, what can you do to bring him to God? Don't let the world dictate the priorities in your family. Base your priorities on God's Word.
After Gideon cleaned up his family's religion, he prepared to clean up the nation. Once again, his timidity comes out. He wanted another sign from God. It has become known as Gideon's Fleece. Look at verses 36-37:
Gideon said to God, "If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised -- look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said."
Sure enough, the ground was dry but the wool was wet. There's only one little hitch here - the wool would naturally soak up more water than the ground. So this test wouldn't necessarily prove anything. Gideon must have realized this because he asked God for another whack at it. This time he wanted the ground wet and the fleece dry, and God graciously obliged him.
Many people misunderstand what all this means. The fleece was not a way to find out God's will. Gideon already knew what God wanted him to do, he just needed a little encouragement. Most "fleeces" that Christians put out are what I call self-fulfilling prophecies. In other words, it's Sunday morning, a light rain is falling outside, and you say: "God, if you want me to miss church, let me sleep through the alarm clock." Hallelujah! God delivers! If you really want to discover God's will, search the Scriptures, consult Christian friends, and consider what the wisest move would be. But be very careful about fleeces.
Gideon was a great man of God, in spite of himself. Fortunately God is willing to work through our weaknesses to accomplish his will. We may struggle with knowing what his will is, and we certainly struggle with our own limitations, but in the end all that matters is doing what God tells you to do.
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
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