July 13, 2023

How, when, and why do you seek clarity from the Lord?

Judges 6

Rebecca Ibarra
Thursday's Devo

July 13, 2023

Thursday's Devo

July 13, 2023

Thursday's Devo

July 13, 2023

Thursday's Devo

July 13, 2023

Big Idea

Failure: Doing what's right in your own eyes.

Key Verse | Judges 6:36-37

Then Gideon said to God, "If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said."

Judges 6

Midian Oppresses Israel

1 The people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD gave them into the hand of Midian seven years. 2 And the hand of Midian overpowered Israel, and because of Midian the people of Israel made for themselves the dens that are in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. 3 For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. 4 They would encamp against them and devour the produce of the land, as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel and no sheep or ox or donkey. 5 For they would come up with their livestock and their tents; they would come like locusts in number—both they and their camels could not be counted—so that they laid waste the land as they came in. 6 And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel cried out for help to the LORD.

7 When the people of Israel cried out to the LORD on account of the Midianites, 8 the LORD sent a prophet to the people of Israel. And he said to them, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery. 9 And I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 And I said to you, ‘I am the LORD your God; you shall not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.’ But you have not obeyed my voice.”

The Call of Gideon

11 Now the angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.” 13 And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 14 And the LORD 1 6:14 Septuagint the angel of the LORD; also verse 16 turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” 15 And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.” 16 And the LORD said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” 17 And he said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me. 18 Please do not depart from here until I come to you and bring out my present and set it before you.” And he said, “I will stay till you return.”

19 So Gideon went into his house and prepared a young goat and unleavened cakes from an ephah 2 6:19 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought them to him under the terebinth and presented them. 20 And the angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and put them on this rock, and pour the broth over them.” And he did so. 21 Then the angel of the LORD reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes. And fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes. And the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight. 22 Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the LORD. And Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face.” 23 But the LORD said to him, “Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die.” 24 Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD and called it, The LORD Is Peace. To this day it still stands at Ophrah, which belongs to the Abiezrites.

25 That night the LORD said to him, “Take your father's bull, and the second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it 26 and build an altar to the LORD your God on the top of the stronghold here, with stones laid in due order. Then take the second bull and offer it as a burnt offering with the wood of the Asherah that you shall cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the LORD had told him. But because he was too afraid of his family and the men of the town to do it by day, he did it by night.

Gideon Destroys the Altar of Baal

28 When the men of the town rose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was broken down, and the Asherah beside it was cut down, and the second bull was offered on the altar that had been built. 29 And they said to one another, “Who has done this thing?” And after they had searched and inquired, they said, “Gideon the son of Joash has done this thing.” 30 Then the men of the town said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he may die, for he has broken down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah beside it.” 31 But Joash said to all who stood against him, “Will you contend for Baal? Or will you save him? Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because his altar has been broken down.” 32 Therefore on that day Gideon 3 6:32 Hebrew he was called Jerubbaal, that is to say, “Let Baal contend against him,” because he broke down his altar.

33 Now all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East came together, and they crossed the Jordan and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. 34 But the Spirit of the LORD clothed Gideon, and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him. 35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they too were called out to follow him. And he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet them.

The Sign of the Fleece

36 Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, 37 behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.” 38 And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, “Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground let there be dew.” 40 And God did so that night; and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew.

Footnotes

[1] 6:14 Septuagint the angel of the LORD; also verse 16
[2] 6:19 An ephah was about 3/5 bushel or 22 liters
[3] 6:32 Hebrew he

S2:134 Judges 6

Listen Now

Dive Deeper | Judges 6

Gideon asks God for a double-blind test. He would have made an excellent scientist, but alas, he was meant to be a warrior. Gideon had a faith that was new and small. God proved in that testing (the wool) that He was patient, trustworthy, and incredibly faithful. Maybe you can relate? It can be difficult to place so much trust in God when you are just in the beginning stages of getting to know Him. So, should modern day Christians run down to purchase fleece material from Hobby Lobby or lay out their North Face jackets in the front yard to inquire of God? No, instead try these things:

  • Seek clarity through prayer. James 1:5-8 instructs that if you lack wisdom, go, and speak to God in prayer.
  • Seek God daily by reading His Word. Pay attention to verses that capture your attention. 
  • Seek godly counsel. Build a trusted community around you with friends who are putting God first daily.
  • Make room in your life to be still and know Him. Journal what He says to your heart.

By involving God in every aspect of your life, you will find that you don't fall into confusion every time you have to make a decision. God offers peace (1 Corinthians 14:33). Just like Gideon went to God, so can you. The Author and Creator of your life can help you wade through the indecision, confusion, doubt, and wavering trust and move to clarity. Remember God may or may not provide precise instructions, but there is one thing about which the Bible is absolutely clear: God always desires and honors faith. Faith is belief and action taken out of love for God and a correct understanding of His moral will, His power, and His heart (Hebrews 11:6, 32-33).

This month's memory verse

17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

– James 3:17

Discussion Questions

1. Gideon asks why the Lord hasn't done anything in Judges 6:13. And the angel of the Lord says Gideon is the answer in Judges 6:14. God was sending Gideon. Where in your life are you challenging God with the same questions? Where is God desiring to send you?

2. Maybe you are not ready to be sent yet. Gideon tore down the Baal altar and Asherah pole in Judges 6:28-29. Gideon needed to address the sin in his life first. What past and current sins do you need to confess to God?

3. Gideon was bold to ask God for what he thought he needed in Judges 6:36, 39. Think back to the last time you approached God similarly. What holds you back from praying and seeking God like that more often? What's one thing you can do to change that mindset today?

4. When seeking clarity from God, remember He has the ability to say much or even a simple yes or no. God in a sense said "yes" to Gideon. How do you handle being told "no" by God? Are you choosing to allow a "no" to crush or build up your faith?

As we gear up to release even more features for Join The Journey in 2025, our staff team, unfortunately, no longer has the margin to continue to support the comment functionality. We have big things in store for Join The Journey 2025. Stay tuned!

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Hugh Stephenson

Good morning, Rebecca! Love this devo and your reminder that above all else God desires and honors faith. The constant state of spiritual warfare drives me to the exact place you state- indecision, confusion, doubt and wavering trust. I’m thankful for the people in my life that walk with me and guide me through His Word and Spirit in all prayer. Q1 - Why did God do/not do _________? In Prodigal we face these situations constantly. We know God has caused or allowed very difficult circumstances and we ask why. Clearly He is sending us in some way but it’s often not clear. What is often clear is the path of obedience. It’s just not going to be easy to stay faithful. At least part of the question centers on a weak relationship with God that is more transactional than surrendered. As an old friend says, “If you don’t feel close to God…guess who moved”. Another friend notes that it’s not about what He’s doing. It’s about who He is. Q2. What sins are keeping me from responding to the call to be sent? Short answer…all of them. Mainly a desire to avoid hassles and pain. And control. And conflict. And criticism. Q3. Hmm. Asking boldly in prayer. Why don’t I? Reflecting, it seems as though I want Him to bless my path rather than surrender and seek the path He has for me. Most of the time it seems full surrender only comes when there is no other option. Q4. I don’t like it when God tells me “No”. I don’t even like it when He says “wait”. He’s teaching me to be patient and it’s easier than it used to be. But it’s not easy.
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Hugh Stephenson

I’m taught to pay attention to the amount of “real estate” given to a particular character, principle, or story. Gideon gets a lot of real estate. Three chapters. So it’s quite clear that there are very important lessons imbedded in these three chapters. I see Gideon’s reluctance. Moses and Jeremiah weren’t exactly jumping up and down either. But Gideon doesn’t show that he’s up to their level. He seems more like Barak; faithful but fearful. So what’s God trying to teach me? Teaching through testing is one lesson. What have I learned without hardship and testing? Maybe nothing. It’s seems that its all been learned the hard way. I do see how God does reveal himself in compassionate patience. And in that I learn of His empowerment of me. I see Gideon putting up a lot of “what ifs”. It links me all the way back to Abraham and Sodom and all of his “what ifs” in Genesis 18. The notes offer this very interesting method- “There are some profound spiritual implications in Gideon's assignment. 1. Baal must go before Midian can go. ... 2. God's altar cannot be built until Baal's altar is destroyed. ... 3. The place we must start is in our own backyard." "Obedience first, and then strength: this is God's order.” "The primary matter in the Gideon narrative is not the deliverance itself, but rather something more personal, namely, Gideon's struggle to believe God's promise. ...”
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Hugh Stephenson

I see much of the lessons God has for me in this passage in God’s directing Gideon to reduce his army bit by bit down to 300 men. "The reduction of Gideon's army is a familiar story often told from the perspective of emphasizing God's ability to deliver whether by many or by few. While this is true, such an explanation falls short of doing justice in this context. The context is dealing with a struggle within Gideon himself." I see a link between Gideon and the servant of Elisha in 2 Kings 6:8-23. They are surrounded by the Syrian army. Here’s the key passage for me that I link to Gideon’s struggle- “15 When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” 16 He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” And that’s what I think God wants me to know. In the life long battle of spiritual warfare I will very often feel as though a hostile army has me surrounded. What He calls me to know, in faith, is that those that surround me are themselves surrounded by a mountain full of horses and chariots of fire. And that God’s victory is assured.
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Michael Sisson

Re: Jdg 6:16 Jdg 6:16 (NASB) But the LORD said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as >>>one<<< man.” An example of “one” (Heb. “echad”) being used to refer to a compound unity of persons. (See also “One” in Dt 6:4 [i.e. “the Shema”]). Re: Jdg 6:19 Jdg 6:19 (NASB) Then Gideon went in and prepared >>>a young goat<<< and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour; he put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot, and brought them out to him under the oak and presented them. Gideon’s goat offering foreshadows his ensuing rejection by the men of his town for his role in destroying their idolatrous high place in Jos 6:27. Re: Jdg 6:27 Jdg 6:27 (NASB) Then Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as the LORD had spoken to him; and because >>>he was too afraid of his father's household and the men of the city to do it by day<<<, he did it by night. Gideon obviously understood his actions would bring the people’s wrath upon him. Re: Jdg 6:30 Jdg 6:30 (NASB) Then the men of the city said to Joash, >>>“Bring out your son, that he may die<<<, for he has torn down the altar of Baal, and indeed, he has cut down the Asherah which was beside it.” Gideon is a type of the Despised Messiah.
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Sue Bohlin

Wonderful devo, Rebecca! Bless you!! Meeting Gideon again today takes me back to my early days in my faith as a baby Christian. Probably not surprisingly, other college students had shared with me the story of Gideon's fleece; I suppose we were all trying to figure out how this Christianity thing worked, a major part of which was discerning God's will. One day, my take on this "give me a sign" story in Judges had me asking God if I was going to marry whoever I had a crush on that day. I think I asked Him to let the clouds part so the sun would shine if the answer was "yes." God did not cooperate with my form of divination. He did, however, make it ABUNDANTLY clear who I was supposed to marry when Ray asked. Discerning His will has gotten a lot easier over these 50 years of following Jesus. The other thing that leaps off the page at me in today's passage is Gideon's sense of inadequacy and unimportance when the Angel of the Lord comes to him. Yep, buddy, you got it--the Lord loves to use "the least of these" so there's no question that the power and the glory goes to HIM. Paul expounds on that in 2 Corinthians 12, where the Lord tells him, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." Then Paul responds with, "So then, I will boast most gladly about my weakness, so the power of Christ may reside in me." Paul only uses the word translated "reside" that one time. I learn that it means "of the power of Christ descending upon one, working within him and giving him help." How interesting that the Holy Spirit had the author of Judges tell us that the Holy Spirit "clothed" Gideon with His power. It's the same concept! COOL!!
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Rebecca Ibarra

Hi Everyone! I love reading all the comments from you heavy hitters in the JTJ comment section lineup every day. I recently read in The Bible Recap, mathematically that Gideon’s army had been reduced to a mere 1%. From 30K to 300 men & how this could make any leader who was already dealing with a new faith and plenty of fear to doubt how God would provide. Here’s a direct quote that I thought was worthy of repeating: “[God] comes alongside [Gideon] to emboldened him, knowing that what Gideon needs to hear most isn’t ‘You’re awesome. You’ve got this. Believe in yourself! You may be the least in your family, but it’s just because they’re jealous of you.’ NO. GIDEON NEEDS TO HEAR WHO GOD IS.” Don’t we all? I’m ever thankful for His Word, our Savior, and the guidance we have in the Spirit today.
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Michael Scaman

The judges with the longest stories are Gideon and Samson. Partly Gideon was led by a chain of events and not an isolated event. God worked through the actions of His people Gidieon's story was a chain of events like dominoes with God in it. - Gideon hid his harvest, God responded send an angel That would encourage Gideon - Encouraged, Gideon responded and tore down the altar - Being a dad, Gideon's father responded spontaneously spoke up challenged the people not to kill Gideon but to leave vengeance in the hands of Baal (ironically making Baal look bad cuz nothing happened) - Gideon responded various ideas and God honored them leading - the A;a,akites are numerous... Gideon's army smaller but too big. Needed to see it was God The oppressors had vast numbers. But Gideon would have to respond with his version of 'the 300; -God gives an Amalakite a dream which is overheard - Gidean is moved to action after hearing the dream. Time for a song! As the children VBS song about Gideon goes 'You can't count on numbers' It aint by many or by few that the Lord deliver you. If you don't put your trust in the Lord on high you got a tumbleweed's chance in a praire fire;" See Giddyup, Gettalong, Gideon http://www.praisegathering.com/Detail/839
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Amy Lowther

1. I ask God questions like Gideon when I don’t understand things that have happened. God desires me to be on this Earth and to help it be a great place. 2. Currently, I am doing pretty good in the area of listening to God when making any decision. 3. I approach and seek God frequently with confidence. 4. God provides interesting options. I think I have to work with God like God works with me. I think my “no” comes when I don’t respond to God’s advice and use the gifts He has given me. A “no” makes me reconsider how I am doing things and encourages me to be closer to God in choosing and completing anything.