Articles
How Can I Be Sure?
“The Lord is with you, O valiant warrior.” (Judg. 6:12)
Why Lord, why?! A common question of frustration when people do not understand why things happen. Especially when the perception is that bad things are happening to good people. The simplest response is to question or blame God for anything that seems wrong. It is easy to divert responsibility away from self and onto others. Does God have to defend Himself? Is He guilty of an individual’s decisions? Personal consequences must be considered. Think first of our actions. God has provided a plethora of examples in Scripture. Let’s look at one during the period of the judges.
Rarely did Israel reflect on their sinful actions. We can learn much from their failings and God’s continual deliverance during the time of the judges. Shortly after Joshua died, Israel began to deteriorate into immoral behavior (Judg. 2:10ff). This was a recurring problem throughout the time of the judges (3:7, 21:25, etc.). Israel involved themselves in a vicious cycle of evil, crying out for deliverance, God delivers, and then the Israelites revert to their same old ways. Any ordinary parent watching their children misbehave and never learning from their mistakes would grow frustrated with the constant disobedience. Fortunately, God is long-suffering.
One of the judges, Gideon, demonstrated God's ability to use the most unexpected person (Judg. 6:11ff). Here is an example for anyone who may feel that they are unable or inadequate to serve the Lord. Gideon said of himself, “Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house” (v.15). God dismisses any excuse that someone can’t be useful for His purposes. He allows Gideon to request multiple times for signs that God will be with him (6:17, 37 & 39). God could have easily denied these requests, but in this case, Gideon was granted assurance of Israel's deliverance.
What would have been an impossible feat for man was not inconceivable for God. The Lord uses a small force of 300 to deliver His people from their enemies (7:6ff). He did it in such a way that there was no denying God’s involvement. The Lord informed Israel’s adversary, Midian, of His plan regarding their impending defeat in a dream (vv. 13f). God, still validating His promise to Gideon, provides an extraordinary sign. The works of the Lord are marvelous!
The saying, “You can’t please/satisfy everyone,” was true even in Gideon’s day. Part of Israel complained instead of thanking God and Gideon (8:1ff). Maybe it was because they wanted glory for themselves, or they didn’t want to thank a youngster. Some were taught a lesson with their lives (vv. 15ff), possibly a bit harsh, but an example that would make a lasting imprint.
The greatest lesson that we can learn from Gideon is that he succeeded and failed at the same time. After Israel was delivered from Midian, the men came to Gideon and said, “Rule over us” (8:22). Gideon’s response indicated that he didn’t want nor was worthy of the Lord’s rightful place in Israel. He said, “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the LORD shall rule over you” (v. 23). However, part of his heart was devoted to earthly things (vv. 24ff). Because of these actions, the people were again drawn away from the Lord (v. 27).
Israel’s history is a fascinating one, especially the period of the judges. Undoubtedly, the timeframe of the judges proved to be a turning point. The people lacked devotion to God’s law, even though the Lord had provided His direct commands (cf. Ex. 20; Deut. 5). They had no excuse for their unfaithfulness, and the Lord forewarned them of their impending disobedience (cf. Deut. 4:25ff; 17:14; 31:16ff). Over and over, the Lord was merciful when the children of Israel cried out (cf. Judg. 3:9; 10:10).
Thankfully, the faithful Christian has a loving Savior that will hear petitions if they are according to His will (cf. 1 Jn. 5:14).
