The Judges--God's Chosen Leaders

Before I get started I should give a bit of a what's what and who's who here. My name is Charlie Goff (that is my wife Tymberlee and daughter Mattie in the picture) and I am the Teen Sunday School Teacher and Teen Age Level Director for the Sault Ste Marie, MI First Free Methodist Church. What all of that means is that I get to try to teach teenagers, those fun and ever delightful young almost adults, the Word of God and to help guide them into a fuller relationship with Jesus. I also help them transition into adult roles within the Church as full productive members. To this end, one of my former students took her place as an adult today as she started her new role as a Sunday School teacher herself. So hats off to Sara, welcome to the club and good luck. I also have the great job of helping plan activities for the kids and teens of our church and community and then watching them have fun. With all of that said on to the meat of today's post: the lesson. Texts in bold print are taken from our lesson book.

This weeks lesson started with a couple of questions:
Where did you see God at work in the world around you this week?
Where did you see God at work in you this week?

For the 1st question, that one was easy for me. I have long been concerned about Sara and her role within our church. Many of the older members of the congregation have watched as she grew up through the church and even though she is now in college, they still see her as the little girl from 10-12 years ago. Today she was seen in a new light and stepped forward into a new role as Sunday School Teacher. It was good to see her sitting at a table with her class around her. At the same time Benjamin is home from Law School for Christmas Break. He goes back later this week. To see the confident young man he has grown into from the somewhat shy boy that moved to our church 9 1/2 years ago is good. These young adults who sat in my class and watched me stumble and fall have gone on and are doing great things, so I must be doing something right.

As for where I have seen God working in me, I feel God is giving me a new sense of patience in dealing with difficult situations both at home and work. I have been dealing with new employees who need a great deal of guidance and a very strong willed 5 year old daughter, she obviously takes after her mother, both of which have pushed me to the point where I thought I could take no more, and God has been there to help me.

This week's passage was Judges 6:11-24 which says:


11And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.
12And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.
13And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.
14And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?
15And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.
16And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.
17And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me.
18Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again.
19And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it.
20And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.
21Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight.
22And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O LORD God! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face.
23And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.
24Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

God gave Israel the judges to lead them on His behalf and to help them walk closer to Himself. Without godly leadership, Israel had a tendency to forget God time after time. How does this story fit into the big picture of God's plan of redemption for humanity? How do we see God at work to redeem Israel?

The handout we did as a class had the following:

• If I were Gideon I would be feeling...


• How do you imagine Gideon felt before his encounter with God? What would it be like to be attacked and ravaged by other people?


• How did it feel to hear the words, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior"?


• How do you imagine Gideon felt when he found out he was the one chosen to rescue his people, Israel?


• What would it have been like to see fire flare up out of the rock and consume the meat and bread that were on it? How would that make you feel towards God?

As a class we decided that if we were Gideon we would have been scared. Before his meeting with God Gideon has a poor self image. He was the lowest of the low. It was also decided that being attacked and ravaged were not things anyone would enjoy. To hear the Lord call us mighty warrior would be a great rush; if God thinks we are mighty warriors who are we to argue. And to be chosen from the bottom of the list to lead the Army of the Lord would be a great feeling. As for a rock bursting into flames and burning the food, WOW, and what does God have in store for us next.

If we keep reading, we find that Gideon obeyed God and assembled a great army. God dismissed all but 300 soldiers to make sure the Israelites would know it was God who won the battle. Then Gideon followed God's orders and the battle was won.

But how does all of this connect to us? If we read on we hear:

Gideon had no idea what he had inside himself. He listened to the voices around him telling him he was weak and worthless, and telling him that God abandoned him and his people. We're going to take some time to think about how the voices around us can hide who we really are in God.

We spent sometime thinking about these questions without answering them aloud.

• What do others say about me?


• What do others say about God?


• What do I say about myself?


• What do I say about God?


• What does God say about me?

Living out the Story

The Israelites stopped loving and worshiping the one true God and instead began following the popular god of the day, Baal. What gods are popular today? What things do your friends at school give their hearts to? What might it look like for you to stand against the popular gods of today? What might need to happen in order for you and your friends to love and serve the one true God?

We decided the false god of our modern day is Facebook. Many people let Facebook and the things they read there run their lives. Without Facebook they feel at a loss, they cannot connect to the world around them in a real manner. They feel the 1000 "friends" online are more important than the one real friend they could have in Jesus. To stand against Facebook is not a popular stand. I do not have a Facebook account, or a MySpace, or any other social network type account. I do have a Twitter account where I keep in touch with different runners and athletes around the world and can track the Detroit Red Wings. I also get update from places like Quizno's and Cliff energy bars mainly for the coupons. When I want to talk to someone I go see them, call then on the phone, or send an e-mail. There is honestly no need for me to know that Ryan is eating pizza or that Sara is doing homework. If I cared I would call and ask what they are doing. To be able to love and serve God you need to put aside the distractions of the world and truly connect not only with others, but with ourselves as well. Social networks give us the illusion of connection, but they distance us from both the world and ourselves.

Even though Gideon did not think he had what it took to lead the Israelites, God said, "I will be with you." Despite what we think we can or cannot do, God can do more than we can ever imagine through us if we allow His presence and power into our lives.

So what are you capable of doing today? Are you going to listen to those little voices telling you that you can't do something or are you going to trust that God will be with you and push on to the finish?

Next Week: From Judges to King