Asking for a Sign

O. T. #519  "Asking for a Sign"
May 18, 2015
Judges 6-Part 2
Gideon replied, "If now I have found favor in Your eyes, give me a sign that it is really You talking to me." Judges 6:17

LET IT GLOW

There have been several times that I asked God for a sign, to confirm my understanding of what His will was in a certain decision. I am embarrassed to tell this, but one time I did not take the sign that was a "NO" and went ahead anyway, which was disobedience. Oh, what a bad experience that was. My family suffered for my wrong doing, of which I was and still am very sorry. I wasn't willing to wait for a yes sign later. So if we ask for a sign from the Lord, we had better be prepared to take a no if it is a no answer that He gives us. (Of course, the yes is often easy to do.)
Are you ready to see what happened when Gideon asked for a sign?

Seven years of bondage under the Midianites had brought Israel to its lowest level. Instead of riding on the high places (Deut. 32:13), they were hiding in the dens! The Israelites were not even allowed to harvest their grain, which explains why we find Gideon hiding in the winepress. Christ Himself visited Gideon to prepare him for his victory. (Wiersbe)

Gideon was living in a situation of serious distress. He would only produce a small amount of grain from his work, since he is doing the threshing instead of having cattle tread it. It is not on the threshing floor made of wood, but in a winepress remotely under a tree out of view. The fear of the Midianites cause this.  (MacArthur)

There is the background of Gideon's situation. Then the angel of the LORD, Christ Himself (a theophany), appeared to Gideon as He sat under an oak tree. What did He say in verse 12? The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.

The word valour, in the Hebrew language, has various meanings: a force, whether of men, means, or other resources; an army, wealth, virtue, strength, might, power.

Obviously, Gideon did not consider himself a man of strength that could defeat the Midianites. He was not part of the generation who experienced and saw first hand the mighty works of God-parting of the Red Sea, falling walls of Jericho, removing the enemies of Israel who occupied their Promised Land. Had he even heard of such miracles? Israel was in idolatry.

But, God continued to love and forgive His children of their sins. He has a plan of deliverance and is revealing it to the one chosen to deliver-Gideon.
Perhaps Gideon considered it all a joke or a mockery. However, God could see what Gideon would become by faith.
We can see Gideon's unbelief when he questioned God with sentences using: "If, why, where, how, if?" How could the Lord use a poor farmer to deliver the nation?

God met his unbelief with a series of promises found in verses 12 and 14:

• The Lord is with you.
• You shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites.
• Have I not sent you?
• Surely I will be with you.
• You will strike down all the Midianites together, as one man.

Do we know the promises that God gives us, as He did to those in the Bible times? God's people cried out to the Lord in their distress; He heard; He comes to prepare a deliverer to rescue His children from this devastation. Gideon heard the word of the Lord directly from His mouth.
Do we hear them? God is with us. He sends us. He is with us. He gives us victory.


LET IT GROW

I don't want to call Gideon a coward, but he sure was lacking strong faith in the faith department. (Been there myself at times.)
After hearing all those reassurances and told to G-O, go, what does he do? Gideon asks for a sign. Well. I can't say, "For Pete sake, Gideon, get up and go like the Lord told you." No, I have done the same thing, friend. I have been unsure of God's leading and instructions. I, too, have asked for a sign to confirm a direction, lacking in the faith department. Have you?

In verse 17, Gideon asks, if he found grace in His sight, for a sign, which means evidence. (Strong's Concordance)

In spite of these promises, Gideon still asked for a sign to confirm the angel's message. He was requesting a supernatural event to confirm the fact that this was no mere angelic being, but an appearance of God Himself!  (Falwell)

Other things happened:

• Gideon asks is for the Lord to stay until he brought Him a present (a sacrificial offering).
• The Lord agreed to wait.
• Gideon prepared a kid and unleavened cakes, put meat in a basket and the broth in a pot, then presented it to Him under the tree.
• Christ told Gideon to place the bread and meat on a rock and pour the broth over it. He obeyed.
• Christ touched the tip of His staff to the meat and bread. A fire flared from the rock and consumed both the meat and bread.
• Then He disappeared.
• Gideon realized he had seen the Sovereign Lord face to face and lived.
• The Lord reassured Gideon by speaking peace, telling him to not be afraid, and that he was not going to die.
• Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it The LORD is Peace.  

We are going to leave Gideon standing in awe of God. Such an experience for him and for us to read. Let it soak in, friends. A Holy Savior came to speak to a lowly farmer, with a task of deliverance of His people. What an experience indeed!

It reminds me of what happened when God commissioned Moses to deliver His people from slavery in Egypt. Moses took his shoes off, for he was standing on holy ground before a Holy God, conversing with Him.

Wow! is all I can say, and fall to my knees in worship. Will you join me?

LET IT GO

Come before into the presence of a Holy God, on bended knees, asking for the blood of Jesus to cover this sinner in need of a Savior.

Listen to what He has for me to do today.

Obey.