The WIll of God Versus Signs - Judges 6, Matthew 16 - Romans 12 - August 16, 2009

Sunday School Lesson – Will of GOD VS Signs – August 16, 2009

This is lesson three (3) in our series entitled “Finding and Following God’s Will.”

Our scripture is Judges 6:1-40; Matthew 16:1-4; Romans 12:1-2.

Our study is about asking GOD to prove Himself or confirm something with a sign.

I know when I was growing up and considering spiritual matters, I thought about GOD proving HIS existence or confirming something I had requested by some sort of sign. As I journeyed through life HE did prove HIS existence. I recall when our children were born, I thought about the human body and how wonderfully made it is and how from the coming together of a sperm and an egg produced a baby that could feel, see, hear and nurse. The baby had been breathing embryonic fluid for nine (9) months and in a matter of seconds it would go from breathing fluid to breathing air. Wow, that still boggles my mind. I looked at the world and the order of the universe. To consider that all of this came into being by random probability was beyond my comprehension. All that I saw and all that had been provided for mankind’s existence – seeds, fruits, medicines from herbs, plants, trees, air in just the right mix to sustain life was mind boggling. There was only one conclusion, there had to be a Master Designer and Sustainer. So I concluded that GOD did exist. But how could I further test and verify the existence of GOD?

I looked around to see what sort of sign I would request from GOD to prove Himself. While looking, I tried to find a surefire sign that could not be duplicated by some physical phenomena. I could not find such a surefire sign or test. It took me until I was in my thirties before I really knew GOD and CHRIST. I had to get to the end of all my exploring and seeking to give up on my effort to understand my relationship with GOD through CHRIST. Then I said, in essence, LORD I give up, take me as I am and make out of me what YOU want me to be. I need your strength to live the Christian life. In that instant, HE did and I have known that I am HIS child through the miracle of rebirth. Has my journey been easy since then? No. But I have known that I belong to HIM and my desire is to serve HIM. I still get in the way. My flesh rises up but HE lets me know when that happens.

We have to be very careful when demanding that GOD confirm something using a sign because Satan can slip in and give us something we perceive as a sign. I can hear some say, “Well, if you ask GOD, why would HE allow Satan to deceive you?” Good question – simply to teach us to know HIS leading. Yes, GOD can confirm matters with a sign but most often HE confirms them in our hearts. It is a knowing and an assurance that it is GOD’S call to a certain request.

As we study our various scriptures, it should become clearer that GOD is GOD and HE can confirm HIS call to us anyway HE chooses. It could depend upon our personality and level of understanding. The main thing GOD wants to do when HE calls believers is to communicate with them. Most often, HIS confirmation comes through HIS Word, a knowing in our heart, HIS still small voice or all three.

Let’s read Judges 6:1-40(Focus verses:14-16, 36-40):

1 The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD handed them over to Midian seven years, 2 and they oppressed Israel. Because of Midian, the Israelites made hiding places for themselves in the mountains, caves, and strongholds. 3 Whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites, Amalekites, and the eastern peoples came and attacked them. 4 They encamped against them and destroyed the produce of the land, even as far as Gaza. They left nothing for Israel to eat, as well as no sheep, ox or donkey. 5 For the Midianites came with their cattle and their tents like a great swarm of locusts. They and their camels were without number, and they entered the land to waste it. 6 So Israel became poverty-stricken because of Midian, and the Israelites cried out to the LORD. 7 When the Israelites cried out to Him because of Midian, 8 the LORD sent a prophet to them. He said to them, “This is what the LORD God of Israel says: ‘I brought you out of Egypt and out of the place of slavery. 9 I delivered you from the power of Egypt and the power of all who oppressed you. I drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 I said to you: I am the LORD your God. Do not fear the gods of the Amorites whose land you live in. But you did not obey Me.’ ”

This is a lot of scripture but it is important that we see the extent GOD goes to get the attention of HIS people. America is no different. The Israelites would turn their backs upon GOD. GOD would punish them. They would cry out to GOD and return to HIM but then stray away from HIM. Then the cycle repeated itself.

We also can see the nature of GOD at work.

In verses 1-10, GOD had allowed the Israelites to suffer at the hands of Midianites, Amalekites, and the eastern peoples. The Israelites cried out to HIM and HE sent a prophet (who is not named) who reminded them of GOD’S care for their forefathers. Then the prophet told them, in essence, GOD had not changed and HE was still as powerful as always. The problem was they had not obeyed HIM. They had abandoned the worship of the true GOD of Israel and worshipped the false gods of others. This is why HE allowed them to suffer at the hands of others. It was to get their attention, for them to see and acknowledge their sin, repent and restore their relationship with HIM. GOD was the same. HE had not changed or moved and HE had not given up on them. But it was all about choice. Now that they had cried out to HIM and HE responded, what were they planning to do? As we continue, we see that GOD does HIS part.

The LORD Calls Gideon

11 The Angel[1] of the LORD[2] came, and He[3] sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash, the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was threshing wheat in the wine vat in order to hide it from the Midianites. 12 Then the Angel of the LORD appeared to him and said: “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.” 13 Gideon said to Him, “Please Sir,[4] if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened?[5] And where are all His wonders that our fathers told us about? They said, ‘Hasn’t the LORD brought us out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and handed us over to Midian.” 14 The LORD[6] turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and deliver Israel from the power of Midian. Am I not sending you?”[7]15 He said to Him, “Please, Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Look, my family is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.” 16 “But I will be with you,” the LORD said to him. “You will strike Midian down [as if it were]* one man.” 17 Then he said to Him, “If I have found favor in Your sight, give me a sign that You are speaking with me. 18 Please do not leave this place until I return to You. Let me bring my gift and set it before You.” And He said, “I will stay until you return.” 19 So Gideon went and prepared a young goat and unleavened bread from a half bushel[8] of flour. He placed the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He brought them out and offered them to Him under the oak. 20 The Angel of God said to him, “Take the meat with the unleavened bread, put it on this stone, and pour the broth [on it]* .” And he did so. 21 The Angel of the LORD extended the tip of the staff that was in His hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. Fire came up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the Angel of the LORD vanished from his sight. 22 When Gideon realized that He was the Angel of the LORD, he said, “Oh no, Lord GOD! I have seen the Angel of the LORD face to face!” 23 But the LORD said to him, “Peace to you. Don’t be afraid, for you will not die.” 24 So Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and called it Yahweh Shalom.[9] It is in Ophrah of the Abiezrites until today.

Who is the Angel that meets with Gideon? Bible scholars believe it was CHRIST. We see that GOD calls a specific person to carry out HIS plan and purpose. Gideon was busy threshing wheat in the bottom of a wine vat. Normally, Gideon would thresh grain on top of a hill so the wind would separate the chaff form the wheat. But due to the precarious conditions in the land, Gideon was afraid to be out in the open threshing grain. He was hiding. GOD greeted him, “As mighty warrior.” Gideon felt inadequate, believed that the true GOD of Israel had abandoned them and he questioned his heavenly visitor. If GOD is with us, why are we suffering? We see that Gideon had the background and knowledge of GOD protecting and delivering his ancestors but he blamed GOD for their current plight. Notice that GOD did not answer his question directly. GOD did see that Gideon was honest with HIM and told Gideon to take what faith he had and go deliver the Israelites from the Midianites. Gideon shared the facts that he was from the weakest family. He felt inadequate. This is often a very good sign because when we feel inadequate, we must rely upon the leadership of GOD. GOD wants those HE calls to respond according to HIS plan.

I can see GOD saying to Himself, Yes. This is exactly what I want. I want a person to respond exactly as I lead him. I want all the Israelites to know it is MY power that delivers them. GOD often calls the weak to awesome tasks because when it is complete, all stand in awe of the awesome GOD WHO has revealed HIS power.

GOD assured Gideon that HE would be with him. He would defeat the entire mighty Midianite army as if it was one person. GOD brought the impossible down to the possible. Gideon likely knew that he could hold his own with anyone of the Midianites but the entire army? GOD told him to consider the entire army as one person because HE would be with HIM and HE would be HIS strength.

Gideon asked for a sign. He left and returned to the sight with meat and flour. These were offerings to the LORD. GOD told him to place the meat and unleavened bread on a rock. Then GOD gave him a sign. HE extended the tip of HIS staff and fire came up and consumes the meat and unleavened bread. Then GOD vanished. WOW!!! This was a real sign that he had encountered GOD. But was this enough?

Gideon Tears Down a Baal Altar

25 On that very night the LORD said to him, “Take your father’s young bull and a second bull seven years old. Then tear down the altar of • Baal that belongs to your father and cut down the • Asherah pole beside it. 26 Build a well-constructed altar to the LORD your God on the top of this rock. Take the second bull and offer it as a • burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down.” 27 So Gideon took 10 of his male servants and did as the LORD had told him. But because he was too afraid of his father’s household and the men of the city to do it in the daytime, he did it at night. 28 When the men of the city got up in the morning, they found Baal’s altar torn down, the Asherah pole beside it cut down, and the second bull offered up on the altar that had been built. 29 They said to each other, “Who did this?” After they made a thorough investigation, they said, “Gideon son of Joash did it.” 30 Then the men of the city said to Joash, “Bring out your son. He must die, because he tore down Baal’s altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.” 31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Would you plead Baal’s case for him? Would you save him? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead his own case, because someone tore down his altar.” 32 That day, Gideon’s father called him Jerubbaal, saying, “Let Baal plead his case with him,” because he tore down his altar.

Gideon obediently responded to GOD’S commands. Was GOD building Gideon’s faith? Yes. Gideon had to remove the barrier that separated the Israelites from GOD. The gods they had been worshiping had to come down. This was a major step for Gideon and Gideon’s father. GOD was preparing Gideon and the Israelites for the next step. Gideon’s father told the people to let Baal defend himself. This was a test between the powers of Baal versus the power of the true GOD of Israel. GOD builds trust and confidence as HE leads us.

The Sign of the Fleece

33 All the Midianites, Amalekites, and Qedemites gathered together, crossed over [the Jordan]* , and camped in the Valley of Jezreel. 34 The Spirit of the LORD enveloped Gideon, and he blew the ram’s horn and the Abiezrites rallied behind him. 35 He sent messengers throughout all of Manasseh, who rallied behind him. He also sent messengers throughout Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, who [also]* came to meet him. 36 Then Gideon said to God, “If You will deliver Israel by my hand, as You said, 37 I will put a fleece of wool here on the threshing floor. If dew is only on the fleece, and all the ground is dry, I will know that You will deliver Israel by my strength, as You said.” 38 And that is what happened. When he got up early in the morning, he squeezed the fleece and wrung dew out of it, filling a bowl with water. 39 Gideon then said to God, “Don’t be angry with me; let me speak one more time. Please allow me to make one more test with the fleece. Let it remain dry, and the dew be all over the ground.” 40 That night God did [as Gideon requested]* : only the fleece was dry, and dew was all over the ground.

Gideon asked for another sign to confirm his call. GOD granted his request. Gideon knew that he was about to push the limit with GOD. But he asked GOD to verify his call again. GOD granted his request.

Our next scripture will help us focus on the ultimate sign GOD has given all people.

Let’s read Matthew 16:1-4:

1 The • Pharisees and • Sadducees approached, and as a test, asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered them: “When evening comes you say, ‘It will be good weather because the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘Today will be stormy because the sky is red and threatening.’ You[1]know how to read the appearance of the sky, but you can’t read the signs of the times.[2] 4 An evil and adulterous generation wants a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of[3]Jonah.” Then He left them and went away.

The Pharisees and the Sadducees did not see eye to eye on religious matters but they teamed up in an effort to get rid of JESUS. These religious leaders wanted JESUS to give them a sign from heaven to prove to them WHO HE was. But GOD had already sent prophets and had given them HIS Word that provided all the information about the coming Messiah necessary for them to discern and confirm the true Messiah. These two groups of religious leaders knew the scripture better than anyone. If any group should know all the details of the coming of the Messiah, this is the group. They were trying to define the Messiah according to their terms. They would decide whether or not JESUS was the true Messiah, not the scriptures or the signs and wonders they had likely seen or heard about resulting from the ministry of JESUS. They wanted HIM to prove Himself to them. The only person JESUS had to please was HIS FATHER. The religious leaders request was not coming from a genuine desire to know the truth but coming from hearts of unbelief.

We see by JESUS’ response that was not the right question to ask HIM. They could discern the weather based upon what they saw in the sky but they could not read the scriptures and relate them to what was happening around them to discern that HE was the promised Messiah.

So what is the sign of Jonah?

JESUS explained the sign of Jonah in Matthew 12:39-41 - 39 But He answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish three days and three nights,[14]so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at Jonah’s proclamation; and look—something greater than Jonah is here!

It is the death and resurrection of JESUS. JESUS tells us all that HIS death and resurrection are all the signs anyone needs to know that HE is the SON of GOD. HE gave HIS life that all who believe in HIM will be saved from sin and eternal death.

When a person believes in HIM, he/she is washed clean of all sin, is born into the family of GOD, receives eternal life and is indwelt by the HOLY SPIRIT, WHO confirms and assures him/her of salvation. The empty tomb is the proof that JESUS is the Messiah. It is our choice to believe it or reject it.

Let’s read Romans 12:1-2:

A Living Sacrifice

1 Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.[1] 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

The Apostle Paul is writing to the Christians in Rome. Romans 12:1 is a transition verse between Paul explaining justification by faith in JESUS and how to live in the will of GOD through CHRIST. The word “therefore” is the transition word between these two concepts. He mentions three (3) things Christians can do.

First, he related the flesh or body of believers to the Jewish sacrificial system. The Jews offered animals as a sacrifice for their sins under the old system. He challenged Christians to do no less than what CHRIST did for them. They are to offer their bodies as living sacrifices. He is urging them, in essence, to die to self by presenting the most precious thing they have, their bodies, completely to GOD. Live completely for the LORD.

The second challenge for Christians is for them not to live as the world wants them to live. Do not let the world lure you away from serving the LORD. So how do you do that?

The third challenge is by being transformed, dying to self, by the renewing of your minds to obediently serve GOD in all areas of your lives. It carries the idea of metamorphosis. A beautiful butterfly has to go through metamorphosis from a cocoon to a butterfly. I heard a story, years ago, about a person watching the activity in a cocoon. The person thought they would help the process along and help the struggling butterfly by peeling away some of the cocoon. The person soon discovered that the emerging butterfly was deformed. It is the struggle that fully develops the butterfly. When the struggle is cut short, the butterfly is not fully completed.

Christians struggle in life. When a believer struggles are orchestrated by GOD, a beautiful butterfly emerges from those struggles.

Paul concluded verse 2 that by following these three (3) challenges, believers will discern the will of GOD for them. It is all about relationship. Apart from the right relationship with our LORD, it is impossible.

When believers are in right relationship with CHRIST, they are in the will of GOD. JESUS tells us to seek first the kingdom of GOD. GOD allowed Gideon to take small steps as HE led him to the greater task of delivering the Israelites from the mighty armies oppressing them. But GOD and Gideon had to build a trusting relationship. Gideon was honest with GOD. In my opinion that is step one. Be honest with GOD and tell HIM of all your fears, hang-ups, disappointments, concerns, etc. to get them into the open as why you do not serve HIM. That will be a life changing beginning. Do it now. GOD did not make us for time but for eternity. Blessings to all as you journey with our LORD.

Keep in mind that your salvation is just the beginning of the process. Hide GOD’S Word in your heart because it brings forth growth and when you spread GOD’S Word it produces results.

Isaiah 55:10-11:
10 For just as rain and snow fall from heaven, and do not return there without saturating the earth, and making it germinate and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, 11 so My word that comes from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and will prosper in what I send it [to do]* .”