Village Schools of the Bible

RASCALS USED BY GOD
A Devotional Study of Judges
by Max Frazier, Jr.

A STIRRING REFORMATION
Judges 6:1-35

In our last study, I introduced you to some people whom you might not have known. This week, the person we will focus upon most is that of Gideon. I am sure that most of you know his story. But, his is more than a story. It is the account of how God brought a reformation into this man's heart and then used that man to accomplish one of the greatest victories Israel has known.

In our brief time together today, I would like to have us begin thinking about what a reformation really is.

If I were to ask you what the word "reformation" meant to you, I am sure that I would get a variety of answers. For some of you, the name of Martin Luther would be mentioned, for on October 31, 1517, he posted his ninety-five Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, beginning the movement we now call the Protestant Reformation.

Others of you might mention such names as John Calvin, who, in 1536, wrote one of the greatest doctrinal books ever written: The Institutes of the Christian Religion. Others would cite John Wesley, George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, and perhaps even Billy Graham.

Now the dictionary defines a reformation as "the act of making something better." And certainly that is what God was about to do in the life of Gideon. But, before we consider the workings of God in his life, let us examine the situation in which the nation of Israel found herself.

We read in Judges 6:1, Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and for seven years he gave them into the hands of the Midianites. Forty years after the deliverance through the leadership of Deborah and Barak, Israel forgot God. So, God began the process of discipline. The Midianites made life miserable for Israel. They had taken away Israel's hope. Each Spring Israel would plant their crops, tend them carefully during the growing season. Then, when hope for the harvest came, the Midianites would descend and take the harvest.

Where did God find this mighty soldier of valor named Gideon? In verse 11 we read that he was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. Gideon was not your battle-tested soldier. He was just a fearful farmer. And yet God can use each of us in spite of our background. He can take our fears and turn them into tools of dependence upon God. All that Gideon had to do was to be obedient to God's commands. And that is all that God requires of us today. If we are obedient, God will do the rest. And we can count on that.

Father, I praise You for that work of Your grace which You started in the heart of Gideon. You were to work through his fears to bring deliverance and victory. Lord, many of us have great fears. We fight that fear of failure. Father, today we give those fears to You and ask that You would use us to share the story of Your grace to some one else. Thank You for Your answer. In Christ's name we pray. Amen.

REFORMATION PRECEDES DELIVERANCE
Judges 6:1-35

We are examining the life and times of a man by the name of Gideon. We noticed in our last study that God called him even though Gideon was full of fears. You might remember that God found him threshing wheat in a winepress because he was fearful of the Midianites. Yet God chose Gideon to be the next great deliverer of God's people.

But before Gideon could become a deliverer, he had to become a reformer. Gideon had to attack the real root of the problem, and that was not the Midianites. God was only using the Midianites because Israel had turned their backs upon God and were worshiping idols. Listen to these words of instruction which God gave to Gideon: That same night the Lord said to him, "Take the second bull from your father's herd, the one seven years old (let me just pause here and say that this bull had been born the same year that the Midianites had gained control over Israel) Tear down your father's altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. Then build a proper kind of altar to the Lord your God on the top of this bluff. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering." (Judges 6:25-26).

Israel could not be delivered from the grip of the Midianite oppression until the sins which had caused the problem had been dealt with. Gideon's first act was not against the Midianites, but against the very pagan altar which his own father had built. Notice that Gideon could have gone around the nation proclaiming that God wanted all the pagan altars torn down. It is pretty easy to tell someone else what they should be doing. It is quite another thing to do it yourself. And yet, that is exactly what Gideon did. In essence, he practiced what he would later preach.

Now, verse 27 states that Gideon tore down this altar which was right in his own back yard late at night when no one was around. His heart was still very fearful. But, fearful or not, he did as God had commanded him.

But, I want us to notice another precious and important truth found in verse 28. There we read: In the morning when the men of the town got up, there was Baal's altar, demolished, with the Asherah pole beside it cut down and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar! Reformation is not only about tearing down that which is offensive to God, but also about building that which is pleasing to God. The great Reformer Martin Luther, not only published articles and spoke against the evils which he viewed in his day, he also spoke on how the people could get themselves right with God.

It is not enough for us today to shout against the evils of our time, although I must admit at times I think we need to shout louder. But we also must work together to build God's truths into the lives of those around us. This is one of the express purposes of the Village Schools, to help people come to an understanding of how God has made known to us His will through His Word. Please pray that we will never lose sight of that purpose.

Father, how thankful I am that Gideon not only destroyed his father's altar, but that he built in its place an altar pleasing to You. And how thankful I am for the Village Schools and how You have chosen to use it to help people build into their lives an understanding of Your purpose and Your will. Keep us ever faithful. We pray in Christ's name. Amen.

TO FLEECE OR NOT TO FLEECE? THAT IS THE QUESTION
Judges 6:36-40

If there is any one aspect of the story of Gideon with which most Christians are familiar, it is the account of his testing God with the fleece. In my many years of ministry experience, I have found that one of the chief desires of most believers is to know the will of God for their lives. And this is an honorable desire. Remember Paul's words to the Romans, in that oft quoted verse in Romans 12: Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing, and perfect will (Romans 12:2).

So, was Gideon's testing of God's will with the fleece a proper one? I believe that in Gideon's case the answer is negative. Let me share with you my reasons. I will couch them in the form of some questions. First, had not Gideon encountered the angel of the Lord and had seen the powerful display when he offered his meal to him? (See verses 19-22) Second, had not God strengthened Gideon causing him to destroy the pagan altar which his own father had built? (See verses 25-28). Finally, had God's plans for Gideon changed any? No, God's plans had not changed any. Gideon had already received confirmation of what he was to do. The fleece was unnecessary and certainly did nothing to change God's plans. I believe that Gideon was hoping that God might change His mind and relieve Gideon of the great responsibility which had been thrust upon him. But God did not change His mind.

Now, you might ask me if I have ever used a fleece like Gideon did. The answer is a qualified yes, only when I was uncertain of the Lord's direction and when the two alternatives for ministry appeared equal. I remember using a fleece when it seemed that God was calling us away from our ministry in Chicago and back to Iowa. I had already said no to the church who was seeking us. Yet, months after expressing our desire to remain in Chicago, this same Iowa congregation called and asked if we had changed our mind. Because Marlys and I could not reach a definite understanding of God's will, we put out a fleece before God. His answer to our fleece helped us in our decision to move from Chicago to Iowa. And when we arrived, we knew we were where God desired us to be.

The question we should ask ourselves is not about the fleece, but about our desire to obey what we know God is already telling us to do. Gideon knew God wanted to use him to deliver Israel. Gideon just wasn't sure he wanted to obey or not. I have found that this is true of most when the issue of the fleece occurs. We already know God's will, we just don't know if we want to obey.

Friends, if God has shown you what He wants, then don't waste time with the fleece. Just move forward, knowing that God will direct your footsteps with His presence. But, if you have an uncertainty about what God is asking, then carefully lay a fleece before God. But do it with a heart that is fully prepared to obey whatever God asks of you.

Father, I am thankful for the way You lead Your children. I am thankful for Your will which You make known to us. Lord, if there are any joining us today who are uncertain about Your desires for their lives, I would pray that You would work in a way that they might know beyond a shadow of a doubt what Your plan is. Then help them to walk in obedience to that will. We love You, Father, and thank You for Your faithfulness. Amen.

Judges 4-5 Return to the Table of Contents Judges 7