God’s Will Confirmed

Background Scripture: Judges 6-7
Lesson Scripture: Judges 6:36-40; 7:9-15

Introduction

Consider this booklet you are holding and think about why it was made. Its purpose is to convey biblical teaching to you as the reader. Like this lesson, everything created is made for a specific purpose, from the simplest kitchen tools to the most complex inventions of modern technology. God created man and desires that his purposes be carried out through his plan for each one of us. In this lesson, we will study how God communicates and reveals his will.

Key Verse

Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass (Ps. 37:5).

Lesson Text

Judges 6:36 And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said,

37 Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.

38 And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.

39 And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.

40 And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.

7:9 And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand.

10 But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host:

11 And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host.

12 And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.

13 And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.

14 And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.

15 And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.

Studying the Lesson

The account we are studying takes place roughly 250 years after the Exodus and appears to be a result of Israel being unwilling to completely eradicate the Canaanites and their culture. Israel seemed unable to resist the ungodly and immoral influences of the Canaanite religion, and once again they had fallen into idolatry. God, ever loving and desiring his children to return to Him, allowed them to be overrun by the Midianites.

The Midianites were a race descended from Abraham and his second wife, Keturah. They inhabited the Sinai Peninsula and were a nomadic people who kept flocks and traded for a living. The Bible records different interactions of the people of God with the Midianites. Joseph was sold to Midianites; Moses fled to Midian (Exod. 2:15) and married a Midianite wife (v. 21); and Midian seduced Israel during the Exodus and was soundly punished for doing so (Num. 31).

Now, for seven years the Midianites and their cohorts, the Amalekites, and other peoples of the east, had oppressed them by invading the land and spoiling their natural resources. The situation was dire, and they were reduced to hiding in caves and planting and harvesting in secrecy. They cried out to God in the midst of their suffering, and God, being loving and merciful, chose Gideon to be their deliverer.

Gideon was not aware who it was when God first appeared to him. Sometimes it is that way with us also; God comes to us in a way that is different from what we had assumed or imagined He would, and we do not recognize Him. Like meeting someone in dress clothes when you are only used to seeing them in their everyday clothes, they may not be so easy to recognize, but once you do, they are familiar once again.

Gideon was unsure if God was truly going to use him to deliver Israel, so he asked for a sign. We often labor under the same dilemma; it is not too difficult to believe that God can do something, but we do not always believe He will. Many things we ask of God are not necessarily promised to us; they are simply favors granted, and, consequently, we have no right to expect they will be accomplished. However, many other things we ask of Him are truly based on a firm promise. Those things we can be assured of, and we must believe that He will do them. Is this why Gideon was hesitant when he asked God the second time for a sign? Perhaps he may have recognized it would be better to simply trust that God would perform the things He had said He would.

Even after two miraculous signs, there was apparently a little doubt still left in Gideon’s mind. This was probably not helped by the fact that God had downsized his army to 300 men, and they were to go up against an innumerable host. As he went down to the camp on God’s advice and heard the dream and its interpretation, his faith was strengthened immensely, and he worshiped God. At last, he knew without a doubt that God would deliver them from their enemies.

Do the spiritual battles we face feel as though they also present overwhelming odds? Does our courage wane and falter? Thanks be to God we live in the day of grace. We do not need a sign in order to press the attack to the Evil One. God wants us to move forward in faith, and He is still the same today as He was in Gideon’s time. He wants to reveal his power in us.

Practical Truths for Today

It appears that Gideon might have been a fearful man. Did God choose him so his power alone could shine forth? God did not become exasperated with Gideon and his need for a sign, but He patiently gave him the signs he requested and needed to build Gideon’s faith. Perhaps it would have been better for Gideon to proceed in faith rather than seeking a sign, but evidently it pleased God to clearly show Gideon what his will was and how to carry it out. God still performs signs and miracles today in the same way. Ultimately, his will is confirmed and brought to fulfillment, bringing honor to Him. God is willing to work with us, using us as we are in our human frailties, if we are willing to work for Him.

Throughout history God has used various means to communicate with his people. God put the stars and planets in place “for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years” (Gen 1:14). At times He has come appearing as a man to speak to his children, as He did to Abram. He has spoken in dreams and visions and has even spoken out loud. He has spoken often through prophets and through the written word. Now in these last times, He speaks by his Spirit in a still, small voice.

In today’s complex and busy times, it can be difficult to hear the still, small voice if our lives are too noisy. Customers call and phones chirp with persistent messages. We are constantly rushing from one project or social gathering to the next, and we are harried with advertisements, news feeds, and group chats. With all of this, is it possible to hear the still, small voice, or is it being drowned out? God’s will for us cannot be confirmed if we cannot even hear his voice. Satan does not physically persecute the people of God as he did in times past, but he has chosen to try to drown out the voice of God instead. We will have to persecute ourselves by laying down our busyness and involvements to find the time for the quiet hours of refreshing where God can speak to us.

Sometimes God calls us to a work that is out of our comfort zone. It may be a large thing: a change in livelihood, helping start a new congregation, spending time in the mission field, or being houseparents in a service unit. Maybe it is a smaller thing: just speaking to a reticent neighbor or being the first to try to mend a broken relationship with an offended brother. How do we come to an assurance that God is calling us to these endeavors and that He will be with us?

God’s way is a way of peace and quietness. It is never turbulent, and it will lead to rest in the heart though the outside circumstances may be stormy. It is a way of quiet confidence. While God may test our faith at times, we can be assured that He will open doors for us. If we find we are having to force the doors open, it is unlikely that we are doing God’s will.

It is also good to share with our brethren to see if they have the same feeling of rest with our proposed venture. Satan can put trials in the way, but when a person has the confidence of the brotherhood given to him, those difficulties can safely be seen as only trials and not closed doors. They can be overcome with prayer, patience, and diligence, and we can still be assured of God’s will.

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). It is imperative to try to understand the spirit behind the voice, impression, or direction to see if it is of God. When the direction is not clear, let us be patient and give God time to speak more clearly. God does have his own timing, and in faith we can wait, trusting that in his time He will make his will for us clear.

Illustration

In 1 Kings 13, there is a fascinating story of an unnamed man of God from Judah who was given clear direction to go to Bethel and prophesy against Jeroboam and his evil activities. He was to go, deliver his message, and return by a different road. He was not to eat or drink anything. He perfectly understood that this was God’s will, for he even told the king, “I was commanded by the Word of the Lord” (v. 9 NIV). He went to Bethel, denounced the king as commanded, then turned and healed the king whom God punished for resisting the message. When the king offered him a gift and a meal, he stood firm and refused the king’s wishes.

On his way home, he was waylaid by a false prophet. The prophet deceived him by saying he was also a man of God and had word from God that superseded his own and that he should come to his house for a meal. How easily the man of God was deceived by a lie! What a drastic change in his conviction! God judged his disobedience, and he lost his life to a lion’s attack.

Questions

1. Does God have a perfect will for us, or does He also have a permissive will?
2. Is God’s way always the peaceful way?
3. How does God speak to those who are not Christians? Is it different from his children?

Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).