Defeat, Poverty, Hopelessness reigned in every heart. Seven years God had not intervened. Where was his power? Where was his hand? Surely He had forsaken his people. Have you ever felt that way?

But maybe you say we where is our enemy? I am prosperous surely God has not forsaken us. I have much.

Hos 4:1-6

6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.

2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.

Seven years living a defeated life…Seven years of the enemy taking away the blessings that are rightfully your by the promise of God. What was wrong.

God had not been called. Armies had risen to fight. Men had defended their land. But friend if God does not guard your goods they are at the disposal of the enemy. The greatest worry in Y 2 K is if God is not guarding your life. Do I say to plan for tough days.. Yes. Do I say panic NO… Our God still controls the helm of your life… Never fear what God controls, because, God has set out to do you Good. Everything will work for His Glory and for your Good. That is His way.

The Situation:

Midianite army had invaded. Israel was powerless to overcome the enemy. Israel had done everything they could possible think of to win but they found no victory. When all else failed they called on the Lord.

The Solution:

Israel asked God to get involved in their lives again. They cried out to God. The root word cry here is used the first time in the cannon in Ex 2:23 Israel was in the land of Egypt. They had started out as honored guest and had ended up afflicted slaves. They began to call out for God to send a deliverer. And that God did.

God not only works on a corporate level but also on a personal level.

God told Gideon. The LORD is with thee.

Gideon’s natural response was no God can not be with me. Look at my life. I own a bunch of slaves and am having to go out to the wine press to thresh my wheat. My life is all messed up, there is no way God is with me.

But that was not true, God had not forsaken Gideon he had not even forsaken Israel. Quite on the contrary God remains steady. Israel had moved away from God. God said he would never leave us or forsake us. He would be our rock, our shield that we could build our faith upon. We can find shelter under the shadow of his wings.

What Gideon was not aware of is that God was not only intricately involved in his life but was so involved that he was talking to him face to face.

1. Examine: If God is with us why has this befallen us?

Gideon was so callused by the darkness of sin that he did not even see the atrocities of idolatry even though his dad owned the cities monastery. Seemingly totally oblivious to the sin that had reeked in the nostrils of God.

2Cor 13:5

5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?

2. Expectance: Where are the miracles God did yesterday?

He saw God as the vacationing landlord, A God who was no longer active in the lives of his people. And if God was still active at all God was working for the other guys. "God has delivered us" to the hands of the Midianities.

 

A call to dedicate our lives to nurture our children and our wives to dedicate our ears and mind. To press toward the Goal to win the prize.

Chapter 8:34

The children of Israel did not remember....Every generation must rediscover God.