The peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced a very dif\u00adfi\u00adcult time a few years after their ent\u00adry into the Pro\u00admi\u00adsed Land. Over a peri\u00adod of seven years they were plun\u00adde\u00adred and pil\u00adla\u00adged by the Midia\u00adni\u00adtes. To lead the peo\u00adp\u00adle out of their mise\u00adry, God calls the fear\u00adful Gideon out of hiding and addres\u00adses him as a \u00abhero\u00bb of all things. When God wants to inter\u00adve\u00adne in a situa\u00adti\u00adon, he often calls ordi\u00adna\u00adry peo\u00adp\u00adle who feel weak. A coward pai\u00adred with God\u2019s strength makes a hero.<\/p>\n
Some\u00adti\u00admes you hear the say\u00ading: If God is all-powerful, why does\u00adn\u2019t he inter\u00adve\u00adne? Why does\u00adn\u2019t he pre\u00advent thou\u00adsands of child\u00adren from star\u00adving to death every day in Afri\u00adca? Why does\u00adn\u2019t he help all the despe\u00adra\u00adte and hope\u00adl\u00adess, all tho\u00adse who are afraid or sick? Why does\u00adn\u2019t he get my addic\u00adted col\u00adle\u00adague or the depres\u00adsed neigh\u00adbour out of the hole? God wants to help. God wants to inter\u00adve\u00adne so that his king\u00addom spreads in this world: that peace, joy, jus\u00adti\u00adce, recon\u00adci\u00adlia\u00adti\u00adon, heal\u00ading, grace and love spread. But how does this happen? \tHe sends a pro\u00adphet to remind Isra\u00adel of all that God has done for them and how He com\u00adman\u00added them not to wor\u00adship the for\u00adeign idols. \u00ab[\u2026] Yet you have not lis\u00adten\u00aded to me!\u00bb (V.10 NL<\/span>). God knows who you are. He also knows this Gideon. The ques\u00adti\u00adon is not: What do you dare to do? The ques\u00adti\u00adon is: What can God do? What does He want to do through you and me! God is not loo\u00adking for heroes. He is not loo\u00adking for the strong. Paul also descri\u00adbes this: \u00abRemem\u00adber, dear brot\u00adhers, that when God cal\u00adled you, few of you were wise or powerful or respec\u00adted in the eyes of the world\u00bb (1 Corin\u00adthi\u00adans 1:26 NL<\/span>). But whe\u00adre one allows hims\u00adelf to be nee\u00added by God, the\u00adse weak ones sud\u00adden\u00adly beco\u00adme heroes. Ins\u00adtead of being para\u00adly\u00adsed by their own infe\u00adrio\u00adri\u00adty, such peo\u00adp\u00adle count on the power of God. Just as it was later the case with Gideon. The angel\u2019s address to Gideon, \u00abYou strong hero\u00bb, was not a trick he lear\u00adned in angel school, along the lines of: a litt\u00adle prai\u00adse does a per\u00adson good. No, when God says, \u00abYou strong hero\u00bb, it is true. The ques\u00adti\u00adon is: do you belie\u00adve the word of God? Do you belie\u00adve like Paul: \u00abFor all things are pos\u00adsi\u00adble for me through Christ, who gives me the strength I need\u00bb (Phil\u00adip\u00adpians 4:13 NL<\/span>). God is not loo\u00adking for heroes. He is loo\u00adking for peo\u00adp\u00adle who trust Him and do what He says. That is how He forms His true heroes. \tWhy did Isra\u00adel get into this pre\u00addi\u00adca\u00adment? Does the prin\u00adci\u00adple still app\u00adly today that cha\u00ados grows out of idolatry? The peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced a very dif\u00adfi\u00adcult time a few years after their ent\u00adry into the Pro\u00admi\u00adsed Land. Over a peri\u00adod of seven years they were plun\u00adde\u00adred and pil\u00adla\u00adged by the Midia\u00adni\u00adtes. To lead the peo\u00adp\u00adle out of their mise\u00adry, God calls the fear\u00adful Gideon out of hiding and addres\u00adses him as a \u00abhero\u00bb of all things. When God\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[63],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":{"0":"wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","1":"wpfc_sermon_series-wie-du-und-ich","2":"wpfc-sermon-single","3":"post-3237","4":"wpfc_sermon","5":"type-wpfc_sermon","6":"status-publish","7":"hentry","10":"wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"},"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t
\nIsra\u00adel had final\u00adly come to the Pro\u00admi\u00adsed Land after the 40-year desert peri\u00adod. They expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced how God repea\u00adted\u00adly per\u00adfor\u00admed mira\u00adcles in the con\u00adquest of the land. Let us think of the migh\u00adty city walls of Jeri\u00adcho, which col\u00adlap\u00adsed sim\u00adply becau\u00adse the peo\u00adp\u00adle mar\u00adched around the city with trumpets and loud shou\u00adting. Isra\u00adel also had to fight. But they expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced: God gives vic\u00adto\u00adry. Joshua, their lea\u00adder, was final\u00adly able to hand over a share of the land to each of the tri\u00adbes. All the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes con\u00adfirm\u00aded their coven\u00adant with God once again: \u00abWe will ser\u00adve the LORD<\/span>! \u00abThe peo\u00adp\u00adle ans\u00adwe\u00adred: \u00abWe will never lea\u00adve the Lord to ser\u00adve other gods\u00bb \u00bb (Joshua 24:16 NL<\/span>).
\nAfter the death of Joshua, the peo\u00adp\u00adle quick\u00adly for\u00adgot all that they owed to God. After the hard time in the desert, the\u00adre was final\u00adly some pro\u00adspe\u00adri\u00adty. We know that too! We are doing well. The care\u00ader lad\u00adder is going up. Pro\u00adspe\u00adri\u00adty is incre\u00adasing. And God \u2013 fades more and more into the back\u00adground. Only when the\u00adre is a fire in our lives and all our self-made attempts to put it out fail, do we call out again for the hea\u00adven\u00adly fire\u00adfigh\u00adter: God, whe\u00adre are you? In the book of Jud\u00adges we learn how God responds to this call for help.
\nFrom ido\u00adla\u00adtry to chaos
\nIsra\u00adel had been bur\u00adning for some time. For seven years the Midia\u00adni\u00adtes had been rob\u00adbing and plun\u00adde\u00adring ever\u00ady\u00adthing that was not nai\u00adled down and bur\u00adning the crops. In addi\u00adti\u00adon, they suf\u00adfe\u00adr\u00aded one defeat after ano\u00adther. Fea\u00adring the next attacks, they hid in the mountains.
\nWhy had it come to this? The ans\u00adwer is: \u00abAgain the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes did evil in the eyes of the Lord [\u2026]\u00bb (Jud\u00adges 6:1 NL<\/span>). The LORD<\/span> God was no lon\u00adger in the cent\u00adre of their lives. They had begun to offer sacri\u00adfices to other gods and build altars to them. At home, the\u00adre are pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly no Bud\u00addhas or altars on which we make sacri\u00adfices. The modern gods look dif\u00adfe\u00adrent. The\u00adre is the sen\u00adtence: For that for which you live, that is your god. Who or what shapes our lives? Who deter\u00admi\u00adnes what we do, what we buy and what is important to us? Don\u2019t images and words of our idols (lite\u00adral\u00adly: idol, ido\u00adlatrous image) often deter\u00admi\u00adne what we think and do? What the rich, beau\u00adtiful and powerful do, say and wear is copied a mil\u00adli\u00adon times over. When idols shame\u00adl\u00adess\u00adly enrich them\u00adsel\u00adves, it is not sur\u00adpri\u00adsing that more and more peo\u00adp\u00adle are only after it: How can I get even more? Have we as Chris\u00adti\u00adans not adapt\u00aded to the life\u00adstyle of our envi\u00adron\u00adment in many are\u00adas? Often just as sel\u00adfi\u00adsh\u00adly accor\u00adding to the prin\u00adci\u00adple: \u00abI do what I enjoy!\u00bb or just as ruthl\u00adess\u00adly with others immediately.
\nThe idols in Isra\u00adel did not deli\u00adver what they pro\u00admi\u00adsed. \u00abIn their distress they cried out to the Lord for help\u00bb (v.7 GN<\/span>). How does God respond? He, the LORD<\/span>, has always loved his peo\u00adp\u00adle and is only wai\u00adting for them to rep\u00adent. No one need be asha\u00admed to come to God, even if they have been in the hole for years. God is not too embar\u00adras\u00adsed to be a fire\u00adman for us.
\nFrom coward to hero
\nGod does not respond by mira\u00adcu\u00adlous\u00adly dri\u00adving all the Midia\u00adni\u00adtes out of the land. No, God first chan\u00adges the situa\u00adti\u00adon in the land. He wants to be God and LORD<\/span> alo\u00adne again in the hearts of the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes. We often think that the others are the pro\u00adblem: the spou\u00adse, the govern\u00adment, the tea\u00adcher, the boss. God\u2019s stra\u00adtegy con\u00adsists of two steps:<\/p>\n
\n\tHe looks for a hero. When God chan\u00adges a who\u00adle peo\u00adp\u00adle or a com\u00admu\u00adni\u00adty, he looks for indi\u00advi\u00addu\u00adals who lead the way. It is noti\u00adceable that God has a pre\u00adfe\u00adrence for cal\u00adling very unim\u00adpres\u00adsi\u00adve peo\u00adp\u00adle. This time it is Gideon. Gideon is in the hole: afraid of the Midia\u00adni\u00adtes, he hides in the wine\u00adpress to thresh wheat. That may be cle\u00adver, but it\u2019s not par\u00adti\u00adcu\u00adlar\u00adly bra\u00adve. \u00abThe angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, \u00abThe Lord is with you, bra\u00adve hero!\u00bb \u00bb (V.12 NL<\/span>). Is someone taking him for a ride? Gideon asks: Whe\u00adre was God when the Midia\u00adni\u00adtes came? I, a coward, am sup\u00adpo\u00adsed to stand up to this supe\u00adri\u00ador force? But the angel does\u00adn\u2019t let him shake him off: \u00ab \u00abGo with the strength you have and save Isra\u00adel from the Midia\u00adni\u00adtes. I am sen\u00adding you out!\u00bb \u00abBut my lord,\u00bb Gideon repli\u00aded, \u00abwith what can I save Isra\u00adel? My clan is the wea\u00adk\u00adest in the who\u00adle tri\u00adbe of Manas\u00adseh, and I am the youn\u00adgest in my fami\u00adly!\u00bb \u00bb (v.14f NL<\/span>). Gideon looks to hims\u00adelf, to what he can\u00adnot do and is not. He lets hims\u00adelf be gui\u00added by his fee\u00adlings of infe\u00adrio\u00adri\u00adty. Ins\u00adtead of being solu\u00adti\u00adon-ori\u00aden\u00adted, he beha\u00adves in a pro\u00adblem-ori\u00aden\u00adted way.<\/p>\n
\nFrom the deed of love to the sign
\nGideon is like you and me \u2013 a com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly nor\u00admal per\u00adson. Not an adven\u00adturer who sets off for batt\u00adle imme\u00addia\u00adte\u00adly after the ange\u00adlic expe\u00adri\u00adence. Not a gul\u00adli\u00adble guy who goes and loud\u00adly pro\u00adclaims to ever\u00adyo\u00adne: \u00abGod told me!\u00bb How can you just run off full of faith when you haven\u2019t seen any\u00adthing of God\u2019s work for seven years? So Gideon asks, \u00abIf I have found favour in your sight, give me a sign to pro\u00adve that it is you, Lord, who is spea\u00adking to me\u00bb (v.17 NL<\/span>).Gideon was not one of the strong and cou\u00adra\u00adge\u00adous types, but he had one valuable qua\u00adli\u00adty: he was honest with hims\u00adelf. He stood by his doubts and fears. It is not for\u00adbidden to ask God for a sign. It is only important that we then accept God\u2019s answer.
\nBy the way, the stron\u00adgest sign that God is with us and is for us, he gave 2000 years ago. When God gave his Son Jesus. The\u00adre on the cross hangs God\u2019s clea\u00adrest sign of love. He died so that we can come out of the hole and run to the Father in heaven.
\nGideon has a lon\u00adging that the signs and won\u00adders would hap\u00adpen again. In all his weak\u00adne\u00adss, he has a lon\u00adging for God to start working again. What is it like for us? Do we just resign our\u00adsel\u00adves to the fact that so litt\u00adle is hap\u00adpe\u00adning spi\u00adri\u00adtual\u00adly in our coun\u00adtry? Yes, why don\u2019t we expe\u00adri\u00adence more of the migh\u00adty acts of God? Why don\u2019t more peo\u00adp\u00adle find them\u00adsel\u00adves in a rela\u00adti\u00adonship with Jesus Christ? God is not just a fire\u00adman when we have a fire. Jesus is about us fin\u00adding the mea\u00adning and pur\u00adpo\u00adse for our lives. That we live the life for which he crea\u00adted you and me. I pray with Gideon: Lord, show us more of who you are today!
\nAfter the request for a divi\u00adne sign, Gideon does not sim\u00adply remain sea\u00adted, but does what is due. By fet\u00adching food and ser\u00adving it, he thanks the angel for coming. Gideon gives the angel what he has. And then it hap\u00adpens! Ins\u00adtead of eating, the angel takes a staff and sets fire to the bread and meat so that ever\u00ady\u00adthing burns. The ever\u00ady\u00adday acts of love that we do for others can work miracles.
\nGideon is frigh\u00adten\u00aded and afraid that he will die. The clo\u00adser God comes to us, the more we are frigh\u00adten\u00aded. The\u00adre is not always a hal\u00adle\u00adlu\u00adjah mood, but often tears over our own fail\u00adures. But then the Lord repli\u00ades: \u00abPeace be with you. Do not be afraid. You will not die\u00bb (v.23 NL<\/span>). And Gideon builds an altar to his God on the spot. This is Gideon\u2019s sign: You are my God! My life shall be yours! You may use me! God does not need heroes. But he is loo\u00adking for peo\u00adp\u00adle who belie\u00adve his pro\u00admi\u00adse: You, you are a strong hero! You can make a dif\u00adfe\u00adrence in this world. Come out of your hole! Don\u2019t be afraid, I am with you! If we take the first steps and offer God what we have \u2013 with all our weak\u00adne\u00ads\u00adses \u2013 then faith will grow. It is time for us as Chris\u00adti\u00adans to come out of our holes. After all, Jesus says: \u00abAll aut\u00adho\u00adri\u00adty in hea\u00adven and on earth has been given to me\u00bb (Matthew 28:18 NL<\/span>). It is true: through fear\u00adful peo\u00adp\u00adle like Gideon, through you and me, God inter\u00adven\u00ades in this world to this day. God under\u00adstands this and loves to form heroes out of cou\u00adra\u00adge\u00adous weaklings.
\n
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\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small groups
\nRead the Bible text: Jud\u00adges 6:1\u201324<\/p>\n
\n\tHow do you think it felt for Gideon to be cal\u00adled to res\u00adcue Isra\u00adel from the Midianites?
\n\tWhy does the angel address Gideon as \u00abhero\u00bb?
\n\tWhat was it about Gideon that ulti\u00adm\u00adate\u00adly made him not chi\u00adcken out but go for the job?
\n\tWhat was Gideon\u2019s first act after the cal\u00adling? What could be the first step for us to make the world a litt\u00adle bit better?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"