“Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”—1 John 5:21

All successful people have had their share of failure. What sets them apart from others who give up is that they learn from their failure. They keep getting back up, seeking to remedy problems, and working toward solutions until they succeed.

One of the many great realities of the Bible is that it not only highlights the successes of those who followed God in faith, but it also reveals their failures and weakest moments as well. The good news here is that God doesn’t seem to have His overarching purposes constrained, intimidated, or thwarted by the missteps of his people. His grace is always redeeming the broken parts of their story—our story—so that we can learn and grow from failure.

As we come to the conclusion of our devotional series in the study of Gideon, we see that one of Israel’s most famed heroes doesn’t finish strong as a leader. The pinnacle of Gideon’s success is surely his ‘overcoming-all-odds’ triumph over the Midianites (Judges 7). But in Judges 8, things become less spiritually romantic about his life.

The end of Gideon’s story is a bit tragic. His brutal destruction of the inhabitants of Succoth and Penuel for refusing to help his men after the battle seems a bit disproportionate to the offense. Almost overnight, Gideon goes from a humble and meek recruit in the Lord’s army (timid farmer to courageous warrior) to violently hacking down anyone who crosses him. Though he refuses to become Israel’s king, he doesn’t stay vigilant in his faith. Let’s remember that it was because of idolatry, the allowance of other things to take the place of God in their lives, that the people needed to be rescued by Gideon’s leadership in the first place. The very thing that Gideon first boldly confronted in his father’s house—misaligned worship—became a pitfall for Gideon. After the greatest missional success of his lifetime, he created an idol and things went downhill from there.

Gideon made an ephod and put it in his city, in Ophrah, “And all Israel whored after it there, and it became a snare to Gideon and to his family.” We see from other references that this was commonly connected with idolatrous worship in ancient Israel (Judges 17:5, Hosea 3:4), likely used for purposes of divination as wayward kings inquired of false gods rather than inquiring of the Lord (2 Kings 1:2, 3).

Regardless of how far Gideon went with this form of idolatry, we do know that it was enough to be a “snare” to himself and to those he was supposed to be leading. The lessons we can learn from his failures are just has important as those we can learn from his successes. The biggest takeaway from the last chapter of his story is that we must stay vigilant in our faith. We like to think of “idolatry” as a stigma of those blood-thirsty pagan kings in the Old Testament, not necessarily as something small and seemingly innocent that might grow to become a snare to us in our daily lives. The ephod was innocent as a fitting garment worn by a priest, but when it became a transportable idol to the people, they became spiritual harlots.

Many little things can become transportable ephods in our lives—the way we view money, ambition left unchecked by a biblical worldview, or the need for social status and acclamation. Pleasure, entertainment, and hobbies can all become transportable ephods once they begin to take something away from our wholehearted devotion to Christ. Worry, fear, or unbelief can become ephods if we don’t worship God in faith, trust, and declaration of His goodness over all of our concerns. Pride can be that ephod when we fail to give God the rightful credit and glory for all of our successes.

Don’t let little ephods become big snares to you or to those in your realm of influence. Guard your heart with all diligence, stay vigilant in your faith, and remain intentional in your worship. Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.

PRAYER

Dear Lord, help us to learn from Gideon’s failures just as we have learned from his successes. Even when we find ourselves drifting in our faith, turn our hearts back to You by the work of your grace. Keep us from letting those little ephods become big snares in our lives. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Questions for personal reflection, small group discussion, or dinner table conversations:

1. When have you seen success or popularity change a person in a negative way? Why does success so easily lead to pride?
2. How did Gideon respond to those who refused to help Israel? (Judges 8:7-9) Why did Gideon begin to take the battle against the Midianites into his own hands?
3. How did Gideon respond to his newfound popularity? (vv23-24) What did Gideon ask the Israelites for and what did he do with it? (v24) In the end, what unfortunate outcome resulted from Gideon’s success? (v27)
4. What happened in Israel after Gideon died? (v33) What role did pride play in Gideon’s life? What are some good things that you think can cause Christians to become proud or lose their focus on serving God?
5. Where has pride or idolatry crept into your life? Is there a need for humility and repentance?

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The post Failure Is a Part of The Story appeared first on Jimmy Larche.

“The Lord said to Gideon, ‘The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’” —Judges 7:2

For many, 2020 has been a year of downsizing and scaling back. A pandemic has affected every sector of our societies. Businesses have had to reduce their staff in order to stay afloat. Churches and ministry organizations have had to make budget cuts. Families have had to scale back vacations, travel, and holiday gatherings for social distancing measures. The inconvenience of reducing our “norms” has taken a significant toll on our lives.

But what if I tell you that downsizing is something that God has used throughout history as a peculiar means of positioning His people for something really big? Consider how Jesus’ following decreased markedly after multitudes were offended by one of His hard teachings about discipleship (John 6:60-71). If Jesus believed that preserving large numbers was the key to empowering His church, then surely He would’ve been more careful about not offending the masses, right?

We see a similar pattern in the story of Gideon as he reaches the prime of his calling as a judge in Israel’s spiritual roller coaster journey. His legacy is one of an unlikely and unqualified leader who galvanizes a dubious band of warriors and, against all odds, wins an improbable battle over their people’s generational oppressors. But the way in which God had him prepare for this epic showdown seems a bit counterintuitive.

Gideon will have to go up against a Midianite army numbering 132,000 experienced and well-trained militants. After he is able to muster together a willing mission team of about 32,000 men, the Lord tells Gideon, “The people with you are too many.” Is God making a joke out of Gideon? He’s already outnumbered four to one and now God says he has too many people to take into battle. Then the Lord says that anyone who is afraid must stay home. Suddenly Gideon’s army is scaled down to 22,000. Now he’s outnumbered six to one and after another very mysterious test, the army is reduced to 300.

‘Thank you, Lord, now you’ve got us outnumbered forty to one,’ Gideon might’ve wisecracked. The Las Vegas odds makers are really having a hard time keeping up with this one. Yet Gideon’s 300 troops go into battle and the Midianites are miraculously routed. Verse 22 says, “When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords.” It was such an extraordinary victory that, given the odds, none of Gideon’s underdogs could’ve possibly taken the glory for themselves. God wasn’t going to give them any margin to rob Him of His glory in that season of triumph.

Why did God use this pattern of downsizing as His battle-winning strategy? His word gives us the answer: “lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’” The Lord loves to win at such odds! He has always given major victories to unqualified people with inadequate resources who simply took Him at His word. He orchestrates all kinds of mismatches and impossible situations so that we will see how big He is and not rob Him of His glory by thinking we did it in our own cleverness. I love how Ron Hutchcraft says it:

“God knows we all have pride issues, we tend to be controlling people, and we tend to rely on the methods that have always seemed to get it done for us. But God puts us in situations where, like Gideon, we’re left saying, ‘If there’s a victory here, it’s going to have absolutely nothing to do with me.’ So if you find yourself out-manned, out-gunned, and under-resourced right now—if it seems like God has been cutting you back and putting limitations on you—realize this may very well be the prelude to an amazing victory!”

Consider this, beloved: If this season of downscaling has been frustrating for you, just try to imagine what God is setting you up for next. Or perhaps you can’t imagine… maybe that’s the point—“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20)

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, as the song says, ‘I’m gonna see a victory… For the battle belongs to You Lord… I’m not backing down from any giant… for I know how this story ends.’ It always ends for Your glory and my good. Help me to trust in your goodness and your faithfulness when faced with overwhelming odds. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Questions for personal reflection, small group discussion, or dinner table conversations:

1. When have you ever been part of an amazing or unlikely victory?
2. Why did God say that Gideon had too many fighting men? (Judges 7:2) How did Gideon feel about attacking the Midianites with only three hundred men? What did the Lord do to encourage Gideon? (vv. 9-15)
3. What leadership qualities did Gideon display? What important lesson did God teach Gideon and Israel through these events?
4. In what circumstances do we tend to depend on ourselves? When have you ever faced a challenge that seemed too big for you to handle? What does this passage say about giving God the glory for success in life?
5. What can you do today to give the Lord credit for victories you have experienced in your life recently? What specifically can you do to depend on the Lord for help?

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The post Downsizing: How God Sets You Up for Success appeared first on Jimmy Larche.

Text: Judges 6:33-40

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” —Philippians 1:6

Maybe you’ve heard the expression “putting out a fleece” before the Lord. It comes from Judges chapter 6 when Gideon puts God to the test in order to guarantee an improbable victory. Was it commendable, or was it the desperate act of a weak and insecure faith?

When I was very new to the Christian faith in my late teens, seeking a physical sign of God’s guaranteed presence proved to be too tempting. One day when I was on a riding lawn mower, I approached a bush only to realize that it had a hornet’s nest inside. A few of the hornets were visibly agitated but I was determined to “test” the Lord’s protection over my life! So I threw caution to the wind and began circling the bush over and over again like a rowdy redneck at a NASCAR short track. Let’s just say that the Lord was very gracious to my foolery that day.

I’m not one to suggest that it is never appropriate to put out a “fleece” before the Lord, but there is a great contextual lesson we can learn from Gideon’s actions. Gideon is not seeking to find God’s will as he already has a clear instruction from the Lord. It’s important to note that God had already promised to lead Gideon in victory over the Midianites (Judges 6:16), and had provided the timid leader a clear sign of His favor (Judges 6:20-22). But Gideon still asked God to do a second miracle to confirm His word, and then a third miracle to confirm it again.

Gideon reveals a weak and imperfect faith. Yet let’s not be too critical of the young man. We should consider the mammoth challenge he had to face. It was a bold, life-endangering mission. Many of us would’ve conveniently written off such a call as too much Mexican food in our system, not even earnestly seeking confirmation. Gideon’s weak faith was still greater than no faith. That’s why his example is recorded in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11:32.

Nonetheless, this entire episode is about a lack of faith or trust in God’s promise and presence. It’s unbelief at the root. Gideon must’ve been subconscious of this when he asks, “Do not be angry with me… allow me one more test…” (Judges 6:39). God had fulfilled the sign once, and Gideon said that would be enough for him. But then he went back on his word, requesting another sign from the Lord. Herein we see the graciousness and mercy of our God. Or as one scholar humorously observed: “This is an outstanding example of God’s gracious patience with a troubled child.”

At the very heart of the problem, Gideon lacks a willingness to trust the Lord and take him at his word. Hence the fleece incidents are about his unbelief and timid response to God’s call on his life. God is never duty-bound to answer such “fleece” petitions, and if He does, it is solely in relationship to His grace and patience with us.

The real lesson in this passage is about learning how to trust God and to live by faith and not by sight. Rather than being driven by signs and visible confirmations, God longs for us to grow up in a childlike faith that trusts in His steadfast love and enduring presence in our lives. We should also not overlook the real hero in this story, which is not Gideon, but the Lord himself. God is faithful to a faithless Israel, a constant guide to the fearful and unbelieving Gideon, and merciful to those who often find themselves falling short of a perfect faith.

Consider that we should marvel at the enormity of God’s mercy as He pursues the timid, heals the broken, remains patient with the double-minded, and carries the weak in faithfulness and love. We may stagger and stumble, yet He always remains constant. It’s WHO HE IS. Let this God be your overarching Hero as you seek to abide in Him this week.

PRAYER

Dear God, remind us of your timeless truths and your precious promises to us. You have already confirmed to us over and over again, your steadfast love and faithfulness. May we resist the temptation to question your goodness when it is luring us through a lens of unbelief. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Questions for personal reflection, small group discussion, or dinner table conversations:

1. Have you ever wanted or sought a visible sign from the Lord? How did that turn out?
2. What further tests did Gideon put before the Lord? Why? (Judges 6:36-40)
3. How did the Lord show His patience and love to Gideon? (vv. 38, 40)
4. What should we do when we are not sure whether God is leading us to go a certain way? What step do you need to take while feeling hesitant to move forward?
5. What can you learn from this story about God’s patience and love for you? In what practical ways can you abide in this patience and love?

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The post Putting a Fleece Before The Lord appeared first on Jimmy Larche.

“But the Spirit of the LORD clothed Gideon, and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him.” —Judges 6:34

Have you ever felt like God required something of you that you were not capable of delivering? Maybe the call was to “fear not” in a moment that screamed of uncertainty. You tried to act out your best “big boy” or “big girl” persona only to feel like a hypocrite for trembling so much on the inside. You felt terribly inadequate.

As a young new believer in my late teens, God’s Word and the way of the cross was challenging me to do something I just knew I didn’t have the capacity to do. God wanted me to forgive the person responsible for my deepest childhood pain, the man who nearly dehumanized me through fusillades of abuse. I didn’t have it in me to forgive. But it was in a moment of humility when I got down on my knees in obedience to God, that He began to fill my heart with a prayer that I didn’t think I could pray. The words began to flow and a real surrender soon followed.

Forgiveness didn’t just release my biological father from being the main villain in my story, it released me to recognize Jesus as the central Hero to that story. I often say that it wasn’t me who provided the forgiveness, it was God “clothing” me in something He knew I was too inadequate to produce on my own. But this is what our God does over and over again throughout our journey of following Jesus. The Bible says that “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). God doesn’t just command us to live godly lives, He actually provides the “godliness” for us that we lack in our own flesh.

We see this beautifully depicted in our continued devotional series on the life of Gideon. When God calls Gideon to take up the mantle of leadership in Judges 6, it says that the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon. That is, the Holy Spirit came upon Gideon to divinely empower his leadership and fill up the deficiency in his adequacies. As the Lord clothes Gideon, and he sounds the trumpet, forces come out of the woodwork to get behind a ‘bigger-than-Gideon-himself’ mission.

The Hebrew word translated “clothed” is labash, meaning to be fully clothed, as in being wrapped around completely by a garment. It’s the same word used in Genesis 3:21 to describe how God covered Adam and Eve with “coats of skins” after they had sinned against him, and the word used to depict how Esther put on her “royal garments” before she went into the king’s chamber to boldly advocate for the deliverance of her people.

Gideon learned that God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called. God will never call us into something for which He isn’t already prepared to equip us. He never leads us into a battle that He isn’t ready to dress us for accordingly. He never demands something of us without already considering how He will “cover” for our insufficiency. For example, the same God who says, “Be holy, for I am holy,” doesn’t sit back in disdain at all of our failures and shortcomings; rather, He in a sense says: Be holy… as I clothe you in the holiness that Jesus Christ has purchased on your behalf at the cross. We aren’t required to come up with our own “holiness” wardrobe; we simply “put on” that which the Lord has already provided for us (Romans 13:14, Galatians 3:27).

Consider: You can have full confidence when you come to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16), because you don’t come naked in your own sinful flesh; you come clothed in the righteousness of Christ. You can lead boldly because Christ is Himself the strength perfected in your weakness. You can forgive and reconcile because God will produce the forgiveness and reconciliation on your behalf as you determine to humble yourself in surrender. You can rise above shame, regret, the disparagement of others, and the condemnation of Satan because His labash has you covered. It’s on God to provide our clothing–and He already has; it’s on us to choose to wear those garments every day, making a deliberate faith-choice to “put on” His truth. Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.

PRAYER

Father, teach us how to put on truth as our wardrobe, to see ourselves in the light of your grace, atonement, and sufficiency. Help us to look less at our own inadequacies and look more at the fullness of Christ’s sufficiency in us. May our confidence always be not in what we see in ourselves, but in WHO clothes us. To your glory, and in the name of Jesus’ we pray, Amen.

Questions for personal reflection, small group discussion, or dinner table conversations:

1. When have you felt terribly inadequate to do something God required of you? When, if ever, did you come to the realization that you could never live up to the Christian life in your own flesh?
2. What has been your biggest take away from the Gideon story at this point in our devotional series?
3. Read 2 Corinthians 9:8. What gives you the most comfort, encouragement, or relief from this verse?
4. When it comes to being “clothed” in God’s sufficiency, what do you think is the role of the Holy Spirit and what is required on our part?
5. What can you do this week to walk in the sufficiency of Christ over your own feelings of inadequacy?

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The post God Doesn’t Call the Equipped, He Equips the Called appeared first on Jimmy Larche.

“For You are great and do wondrous deeds; You alone are God.” ­­—Psalm 86:10

I’ve never been much of a chef. Yet in the honeymoon stage of our marriage I often tried to cook up something special to impress my wife. I mixed all kinds of seasonings and spices to try and harvest something delectable. But there was a common response that I often got from my wife at the dinner table: “Hmm, that tastes… interesting.” It was her polite way of saying, “It sure doesn’t taste like it is supposed to, but I greatly appreciate your effort.”

The religious culture we find in the sixth chapter of Judges reminds me of my culinary aspirations as a newlywed—often blending things together that don’t belong in the same mix! The Israelites had attempted to season their worship of Yahweh with the spice of Baal worship. This was a form of syncretism, when one tries to merge contradictory religious practices and beliefs in order to appease a cultural divide, or blend opposing worldviews. The intent might be to make our faith more “tasteful” to the world, or adaptable to society, when in reality it only robs the Christian message of its true potency.

Last week we saw that when God called Gideon to rise up and make a difference in his generation, He first spoke to Gideon’s identity over his circumstances. This young man needed to be reassured that God still had a plan for the future though the present had been very bleak. After God gave him a sign of confidence, Gideon built an altar to the Lord. In other words, worship became the catalyst for everything that happens next in this redemption story. When Gideon made himself responsive to God in wholehearted worship, the hand of the Almighty guided him through his next faith steps.

That same night the Lord gave Gideon his first missional assignment. The context was within his own household and the mission was to destroy the altar of Baal, a form of idolatry his father had propagated. In this syncretistic culture, the people worshiped Baal right along side of Yahweh. Confronting this idolatry, Gideon had to get his own house in order before he could lead a rescue mission to save others. Late into the night, Gideon and ten of his buddies cut down those idols and burned them in a sacrifice to the one true God. When the men of the town rose early in the morning and saw the altar of Baal broken down, they wanted to kill Gideon. But God knows how to defend those who defend His truth. Gideon still has his greatest conquests to come, but this brave confrontation with the idolatry in his own home is a very crucial faith step toward more epic heroics to come.

God’s response to religious syncretism is much more direct and candid than my wife’s response to culinary syncretism. His word blatantly commands that we have no other gods before Him (Exodus 20:3; 34:14, Deuteronomy 4:39, Isaiah 45:5-6). Martin Luther said, “Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your god, your functional savior.” Gideon’s father may have believed in Yahweh, but Baal had become his “functional” god.

Functional gods can be anything that competes with God at the center of our worship, misplaces our trust or misaligns our hope, or hijacks our sense of identity or our sense of security. They can be anything that we allow to control our emotions or fuel our anxieties, anything that robs us of our devotion to Kingdom priorities, or anything that steals our joy, fulfillment, and contentment in Christ. May we, like Gideon, have the humility and bravery to confront these functional gods and the syncretism in our own hearts as the Holy Spirit reveals them to us.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, it is in you that we live and move and have our being. You alone are worthy of our utmost worship. Holy Spirit, confront places in our hearts where we tend to drift in serving those other little ‘functional’ gods that can never deliver what they promise. Only in YOU can we derive our true sense of security, salvation, peace, and contentment. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Questions for personal reflection, small group discussion, or dinner table conversations:

1. When has God’s instruction necessitated a bold response on your part?
2. What specific instructions did the Lord give to Gideon? (Judges 6:25-26)
3. How did the Israelites react to what Gideon had done? (6:28-30) What do the Israelites’ actions reveal about their spiritual state? (6:28-30) What reasoning did Gideon’s father use to save Gideon’s life? (6:31)
4. What further tests did Gideon put before the Lord? Why? (6:36-40) How did the Lord show His patience and love to Gideon? (6:38, 40)
5. What can you learn from this story about God’s patience and love for you? What kind of “functional” gods may the Holy Spirit be confronting in your own life?

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The post Syncretism and Those “Functional Gods” appeared first on Jimmy Larche.

“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” ­­—2 Timothy 1:7

I once heard a child psychologist say that for every negative statement a child hears about oneself, they need seven positives to reinforce their self-esteem. That’s why we have been using an “Edification Chair” as a tradition at our youth camps for years. It’s always amazing to see the confidence swell in a child sitting in that chair as adults and peers around the room speak positive statements over them. I like to tell the young people to look one another in the eye when these statements are made. It’s a dignity-restoring tool in youth ministry.

In Judges 6, when God is about to use a young person to make an extraordinary impact upon his generation, He seems to use a similar approach. Gideon’s esteem was reeling in discouragement when the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” Considering his dire circumstances, this could’ve sounded sarcastic or insensitive—even insulting. Gideon had been surrounded by so much negativity and yet God addresses him with such a bold, positive affirmation. This statement didn’t seem to fit Gideon’s Instagram “selfie” at the time. That’s why Gideon responded with such a huge question mark:

“Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

Gideon lived during a scary time when his people were being bullied and oppressed by the Midianites. As we saw last week, the Israelites had abandoned their faith and were suffering terribly as a result. God hadn’t abandoned them, they had abandoned God. Now they were cowering in shame. So Gideon certainly didn’t feel very “mighty.” He didn’t look like William Wallace in Braveheart. He looked more like Napoleon Dynamite getting bullied in the school hallway. But then God showed up!

The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” Then we see Gideon’s inferiority complex kick in. “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” There wasn’t much left to Gideon’s dignity, that’s why when God showed up the first thing He spoke to was Gideon’s identity—not his circumstances.

The Lord didn’t want Gideon seeing himself in the shadow of his circumstances, but to define his existence in the light of his true identity. He would have to renew his mind so that he could understand that he didn’t just randomly exist, but that he was marked by the hand of God and destined for something greater than mere survival. He was a man on a mission—sent by the authority of God to make a difference in his generation. Thus, his identity is critical to the restoration of his dignity and the success of his mission.

This transformation changes everything. When we shift from seeing ourselves in the shadow of our circumstances to being defined in the light of our God-given identity, we can have the kind of faith that the psalmist expressed when he said, “For by you I can run against a troop, and by my God I can leap over a wall” (Psalm 18:29). Gideon will soon be doing the improbable, not because of his own strength, but because he learns to trust what the Lord wants to do through him.

PRAYER

Lord, help us to live boldly from our core identity, not from those negative emotions, social stigmas, or unfortunate circumstances in which we might find ourselves. Like you did with Gideon, remind us of how mighty we can be, and what kind of warrior we can become, not due to our own strength, but because of WHO lives within us. Holy Spirit, grant us the power to live from that core this week. We pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Questions for personal reflection, small group discussion, or dinner table conversations:

1. What kinds of things tend to define us in life? In what ways might we derive our identity vicariously through others?
2. Why did the angel of the Lord appear to Gideon? (6:11-14) What is significant about the way the Lord addressed Gideon? Why do you think that surprised Gideon?
3. For what reasons did Gideon doubt whether the Lord was with Israel? (6:13)  When have you ever questioned whether or not God was with you due to circumstances?
4. What did the angel of the Lord challenge Gideon to do? (6:14) How did Gideon respond to the challenge of the Lord? (6:15) What encouragement did Gideon receive from the Lord? (6:12, 14, 16)
5. What does this passage tell us about the kind of people God uses to fulfill His purposes? How can you go about your week with a confidence in your God-given identity rather than what your circumstances might be speaking?

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The post When We Need the “Edification Chair” appeared first on Jimmy Larche.

Text: Judges 6:1-10

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” —Hebrews 13:8

During our recent fall break camp for at-risk children, our campers did a study on the life of Gideon. It was quite the emotional week. We went from moments of tears—as children affected by parental incarceration wrestled with deep-seated feelings of abandonment—to rapturous moments of laughter when those same children amusingly acted out the Gideon story on the stage of their talent show. Seemingly overnight, we saw God transform fear into faith, pain into courage, and a sense of aloneness into a place of belonging. Our kids learned that God is a faithful Refuge, no matter how bad life gets.

Gideon’s story in the sixth chapter of the book of Judges begins in a time of crisis and desperation. The Israelites had drifted far from God’s decrees as they gave themselves to idolatry and disobedience. As a result of their sin and rebellion, the Lord allowed them to be oppressed by the bullying tactics of the Midianites. For seven long years, a people who were called to show forth the power of God in their generation, instead found themselves hiding in caves. Rather than thriving in bearing the image of their God-given dignity and strength, they were barely surviving in isolationism and weakness. The shame of their spiritual waywardness drove them into a place of cowardice and fear.

The people began to cry out to God in despair. Notice that prayer wasn’t their primary act of worship, just a last resort due to their ill-fated circumstances. Yet herein we see the graciousness and the loving-kindness of our God as He sends them an unnamed prophet, reminding them of all that the LORD had done for them in the past (Judges 6:8-9). In order to face their current crisis, Israel needed two reality checks. First, they needed to be reminded of WHO God is, and secondly, they needed the unpleasant rebuke of WHAT they had done to put themselves in this unfortunate place (v.10).

To get unstuck, we need to face both of these realities. God is faithful. He never changes. His love is unconditional and His mercies are new every morning. We are fickle. Easily distracted. Enticed by the world. Prone to wander. Oftentimes the backslider blames God for allowing misfortune to happen instead of rightly taking introspection of his or her own wandering heart. This isn’t to imply that all misfortune is a result of disobedience—of course NOT. But it is an emphatic reminder, in the context of Judges 6, of how important it is to examine our hearts as we traverse the idol-minefields of our daily lives. Paul told the early Christians to do this examination every time they took the Lord’s Supper together (I Corinthians 11:28).  

God’s message to those wayward Israelites was this: The same mighty hand that was faithful to deliver them from Egyptian bondage in the past was still powerful enough to deliver them from the Midianites in the present. His sufficiency has never diminished. Not for those drifting Israelites, and not for us today.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8), and when we turn to him in repentance for the forgiveness of our sins, all of the resources of Heaven’s throne align for our deliverance and liberation. We never have to live like spiritual cave dwellers because Christ took all of our sin and shame upon Himself when He triumphed over Calvary’s old rugged cross. To the contrary, repentance in His name will free us to look like those bold image-bearers of a glorious redemption that our God has always imagined. That truth will always call us to come out of the cave of shame and humiliation. Think about that as you seek to abide in Him this week.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, you have always been, and always will be, MIGHTY TO SAVE. No matter how far we have wandered, your arm of deliverance has never been shortened. Thank you for your gracious pursuits, even when we run in shame, to remind us of your enduring faithfulness. May your grace keep us from becoming spiritual nomads and faithless cave dwellers. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Questions for personal reflection, small group discussion, or dinner table conversations:

1. What would you say are some of the costs of being a Christian in today’s world? What risks have you had to take because of your faith in God?
2. Have you ever found yourself looking more like a spiritual cave dweller than a bold image-bearer of God’s strength, power, and dignity? Explain.
3. In what familiar situation did the Israelites find themselves? (Judges 6:1-2)  How were the Israelites oppressed by the Midianites? (vv.2-5) How did God respond to the cries of Israel? (vv.6-8)
4. What message did the prophet bring to Israel from the Lord? (vv.8-10) Has God ever used an ordinary, little-known person to help your faith get back on track?
5. How can your faith shape the way you flesh out being an image-bearer of God’s redemption instead of hiding in a cave of shame, regret, or fear?

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