And the Lord turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do I not send you?" --Judges 6:14
Mighty man of valor?!? Sounds more like a whiner and excuse-maker to me. But I think I'll start using that title on my friends: Spenser Proctor, Mighty Man of Valor. Sure beats Ph.D, huh?
Poor Gideon was a complainer. But isn't that how God chooses His servants? If He chose great, accomplished men then the men would get the glory. Seriously, if Bill Gates were called to give his wealth to the Lord, what would be the big deal? The money would be the big deal. But a poor woman with a few coins gives all that she has and God is glorified in her faith.
So it is with Gideon. He says, "What do you mean the Lord is with us? I don't see it!"
But this time God, not the angel, speaks. "Giddy-up, Gideon! I am with you." (That was really cheesy. Sorry).
Then Gideon said to God, "If You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said, 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." 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. --Judges 6:36-38
You gotta be kidding. God Himself appears to this guy and tells him He's got his back and he still asks for a sign. Can't you just see God rolling His eyes? But He obliges and Gideon wrings out his Sham-Wow like a sponge. Maybe the angel was Billy Mays? (R.I.P)
In the following verses, Gideon asks for one more little sign of God's sincerity. This time he wants the ground wet and the fleece dry. And God once again performs. So did Gideon get God to show His power? Did God prove to Gideon how almighty and faithful He is?
Nope. Gideon already knew that. Gideon knew God. All Gideon managed to prove was how insecure, faithless, and doubtful he was. But the next time God asks him to do something, he responds right away.
I was asked to teach Sunday School this morning and this was our lesson. I've ripped Gideon for being so weak but the truth is, haven't we all done this? Haven't we asked for God to prove to us that we are right?
Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and Sadducees for asking for a sign (Matthew 16). What is it that we are really asking for when we ask for a sign? Isn't the Holy Spirit here to counsel and guide us instead?
I think, based on my own mistakes and faults (they are not so few), that we usually already know the answers to the questions we pose to God. We are just hoping that God will eventually conform to our wishes. So we pray, and pray some more for an outcome that fits what we want. We are trying to make Him our servant.
So we ask for a sign. Then we watch and hope for something that reinforces our desires. It's not hard to find something like that to latch onto when have convinced ourselves that we are right. Just like with Gideon, God does provide confirmations and such. But if we are watching for a sign that we choose, then we will ignore what He wants us to see in lieu of what we are hoping to see.
I guess it all comes back to surrender and truly being willing to seek God's wisdom and follow it even when it opposes our will. Dr. Golden mentioned this morning about presuming upon God, which means that we take it upon ourselves to determine what God would or should want. I think those of us who have been believers for a long time find it easy to assume we know God well enough to do His thinking for Him. Probably not a good idea, but I can recall times when I have been guilty of that very thing.
So I guess the point is that we don't need signs from God because we have God Himself leading our way. His word is His sign ("Our word is our bond, Harry!").
Yay! It's Monday! (can you feel the sarcasm?)
