GIDEON THE MIGHTY MAN OF VALOR

PROCLAMATION

“And The Angel of The Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, ‘The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor.’ ”  Judges 6:11-12 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the Prophet Samuel.  After Deborah the prophetess and judge and Barak captain of the army defeated King Jabin and his army, the Israelites sang a song of praise to them. (Judges 5:1-31)  The land was at peace for forty years, then the Israelites again did evil in the sight of The Lord.  Then The Lord God allowed them to be taken into the hands of the Midianites and to be oppressed for seven years. (Judges 6:1-6)  When the Israelites cried out unto The Lord because of the Midianites, He sent them the prophet Gideon to rescue them. (Judges 6:7-16)  Gideon asked for a sign from The Lord and he prepared an offering for The Lord.  Then fire flared up from the rock and consumed the meat and bread offering and Gideon knew that it was The Lord speaking to him. (Judges 6:17-22)  Gideon built an altar there unto The Lord.  Then The Lord told him to go and tear down the altar that his father had built to Baal, cut down the Asherah pole beside it, build a proper altar to The Lord, and offer a burnt offering. (Judges 6:23-28)  Then the Midianites and the Amalekites joined forces to attack the Israelites.  The Spirit of The Lord came upon Gideon and he blew a trumpet summoning the Abiezrites to follow him.  Again Gideon asked The Lord for a sign by letting dew fall on a wool fleece while the ground around it is dry.  The next day he asked God to let the fleece be dry and the ground around it be wet with dew.  The Lord God did this for Gideon. (Judges 6:33-40)

 

APPLICATION

This is a case where The Lord God saw something within the man (Judges 6:12) that he did not see in himself, as he was the least in his father’s house. (Judges 6:15)  Here is a believer who had doubts that he was being chosen (Judges 6:17) and doubts about what The Lord was asking him to do. (Judges 6:36-40)  He was a believer who questioned God, but he was obedient.  We need to talk with The Lord God often enough that we recognize His still small voice when He speaks to us. (1 Kings 19:12-13)  We need to believe and we need to pray that God would remove our doubts and any unbelief. (Mark 9:24)  We need to recognize, understand, and believe that with The Lord God, all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26 and Mark 9:23)

 

OUR HEART IS IMPORTANT NOT OUR RACE ETHNICITY OR NATIONALITY

PROCLAMATION

“He said to them: ‘You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile.  But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean.’ ”  Acts 10:28 (NIV)

 

EXPLANATION

These words were written by Luke, the physician, under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Luke records that a devout and God-fearing man named Cornelius, who was a centurion in the Roman army, had a vision in which he was told to send for Simon Peter. (Acts 10:1-6)  About the same time Peter had a vision in which The Lord God told him not to call anything impure that He had made clean. (Acts 10:9-16)  While Peter was still trying to figure out his first vision, The Holy Spirit came to him and told him to go with the three men who were looking for him because He had sent them. (Acts 10:17-19)  Peter went with them and when he arrived at the home of Cornelius, he told them that their law did not allow a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile, but God had shown him that it was okay. (Acts 10:23-29)  Cornelius had invited his relatives and close friends to his home to hear the message that God had for them. (Acts 10:24)  Peter found a large gathering in the house (Acts 10:27) and preached to them until The Holy Spirit came upon all of those who heard him. (Acts 10:44-46)

 

APPLICATION

With The Lord God there is no respect of persons, (Acts 10:34 and Romans 2:11) there are only believers and non-believers.  Believers are to accept all other believers as brothers in Christ, regardless of their racial, ethnic, or national differences.  All believers possess The Holy Spirit of God within them.  Our differences do not matter.  All that is important is that they believe in Christ.  If they believe, then they are to be accepted.  If they do not believe, then we are to share the gospel with them.  It is the job of The Holy Spirit to convict, convince, and convert them. Only He adds to the church and He does so as He sees fit. (Acts 2:47)