C.A.C SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON FOR April 12, 2020. Unit Two / LESSON 7 : TOPIC – GOD RULES THROUGH GIDEON AND JEPHTHAN
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C.A.C SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.
God in the Administration of Man.
Unit Two: THROUGH THE JUDGES / LESSON SEVEN
April 12th, 2020
TOPIC: GOD RULES THROUGH GIDEON AND JEPHTHAN
MEMORY SCRIPTURE
Then the Lord turned to him and said “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” (Judges 6:14)
God’s finger is very clear in the choices of Gideon and the support for His exploits. Are you sure of these in your administrative efforts wherever you are?
BRIEF COMMENT
Our God has plan and purpose for doing things, because He is God of orderliness. He had prepared Gideon ahead of the great task given to him. God assured Gideon of His backing to do the special work for Him. And surely, God was with him. God promised to give Gideon the strength he needed to overcome the opposition. However, in spite of this clear promise, Gideon made excuses, considering only his limitation and weaknesses. Gideon failed to see how God could work through him, because the Israelites had lost their freedom to carry out the ordinary functions of life. They were unorganised people with no resistance to foreigners who without opposition, raided them continually for the GT proposed produce of their farms. However, God knew the character of Gideon before Gideon himself realised his leadership ability. Gideon made a series of excuses ranging from poor family background, to financial incapacitation, but God told him clearly, He had sent him. Like Gideon, we are called to serve God in special ways. God promises us the tools and strength we need. We often make excuses to stop doing the work. We should stop that and spend time in doing what God has asked us to do for His Kingdom.
Devotional Bible Reading For Week One
Mon. 6: God still has interest in Sinners (Psa. 86:15; Rom. 5:8)
Tue. 7: God wants Our Obedience (Jn. 14:15; 1 Jn. 5:3)
Wed. 8: God’s Presence is with the Righteous (Zeph. 3:17; Rom. 8:31)
Thur. 9: God Chooses and Empowers Leaders (Num. 11:17; 1 Cor. 12:28)
Fri. 10: God Promotes in the Righteous (Dan. 2:28; 5:11)
Sat. 11: God Connects People for His Purposes (Exod. 18:13-26)
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHTS
1. God will turn every situation around to suit His purposes among men, for His glory and their blessings.
2. Lack confidence and courage cannot change the plan and purpose of God for man. God uses men, in spite of our limitations and failures. No situation is too difficult to disturb what He has in mind. His will would come to pass, regardless of the seeming hindrances.
BACKGROUND SCRIPTURES: Psalm 32:8
AIM AND OBJECTIVES
AIM: To establish that when God is ready to use anybody, the weakness or limitations of such cannot hinder Him from doing His will.
OBJECTIVES: At the end of this two-week lesson, readers should be able to:
i. show that God works through man’s inability to carry out His eternal redemptive plan and purpose;
ii. show that God does not reject or condemn anybody, because of His universal love for man;
iii. prove that through the Spirit of God, man can do exploits for Him, and outside Him, man can do nothing; and
iv. discuss relevant lessons they have learnt from the different calls of Gideon and Jephthan to represent God in the administration of His people and their attitudes to the calls.
INTRODUCTION
TEXTUAL SOURCES: JUDGES 6:1-7, 20; 8:22-35; 11:1-50; 11:1-40; 12:1-7
Thank God for last week’s lesson: EHUD AND DEBORAH JUDGE GOD’S PEOPLE. There, we were encouraged to take up the challenge in our God-given duties, like Ehud, who rose, in response to God’s prompting in him, to silence Eglon who had been a thorn in the flesh of God’s people, with his dagger, to give God’s people peace in the land; whose being a left-hander was not a minus. We also saw how God used Deborah, a woman of faith and valour, to lead her people out of oppression. May we be forever useful and relevant, everywhere God wants us, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
The current two-week lesson centres on GOD RULES THROUGH GIDEON AND JEPHTHAN. Here, we shall be discussing God’s providential and deliberate effort in the deliverance of His people, as He empowered Gideon against the Midianites, who had long oppressed them. We would also mention some of his errors as well, and also discuss Gideon’s commitment to God in pulling down idolatry and raising the altar of righteousness. His exploit was not by his own strength, but by God’s Spirit upon him. His men actually gave the kudos to him, but he instead returned it to God, who sent, backed him up, and properly administered the whole things.
Similarly, the magnanimity of God is very clear in the choice of the abandoned Jephthan to save His people from slavery in the hands of the Ammonites. Though his people later surrendered to him and even saw him as lord, all glory was, and is to God. Even neighbours who stood on his way were pulled down as God’s hand was upon Him. God’s Spirit was his director, and he acknowledged this by offering a vow of his only daughter who unto Him. The fulfillment of this vow would be a great lesson for us today, as we walk with our Saviour.
May God enable us to always rely on Him to carry out His will among us, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
INTRODUCTION TO EACH DIVISION
This lesson has two major divisions I and II, with a further subdivision into parts A and B, respectively.
DIVISION I: GIDEON: THE MIGHTY MAN OF VALOUR
In this division, we saw that the Midianites had held Israelites under bondage for seven years. So terrible was it that the people hid themselves in caves and dens, and were hunted in the mountains. But again, they cried unto the LORD. Gideon was called to act as their deliverer. He broke down the altar of Baal and restored the worship of God. He was used by God to defeat the Midianites with his band of 300 men with their pitchers and hours.
DIVISION II: JEPHTHAN: A MAN OF HIS WORD
This division is premised on how God used Jephthan, an illegitimate son of Gilead, to fight for His people. The way of God is differs from man’s way and thinking. God is sovereign in His choices. No one can choose for Him. Background means nothing to Him when He is ready to use any life that is ready for Him. And Jephthan did not disappoint God, who showed loved to him. He expressed his gratitude to God by fulfilling his vow, despite the difficulty. And God gave him the grace to judge over Israel for 6 years.
LESSON OUTLINE
I. GIDEON: THE MIGHTY MAN OF VALOUR
A. LEADS GOD’S PEOPLE TO VICTORY
B. LEAVES A BAD LEGACY, HOWEVER.
II. JEPHTHAN: A MAN OF HIS WORD
A. SUCEEDS; FULFILLES HIS WORD
B. SIX YEARS OF SUCCESSFUL LEADERSHIP
LESSON EXPOSITION
I. GIDEON: THE MIGHTY MAN OF VALOUR (Judges 6:1-7:20; 8:22-35)
There is no victory is human’s knowledge and wisdom. When we rely on God, have total trust in Him, and humble ourselves under His mighty hand, God is ready to make use of our lives to do exploits for Him. We can only be victorious, when we have the Spirit of God and make use of His Spirit to do anything He asks us to do for Him. This is evident in Gideon’s life. “Mighty man of valour” refers to God’s strength and ability in Gideon.
A. LEADS GOD’S PEOPLE TO VICTORY (6:1-7:20)
And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valour!” (v. 12).
i. vv. 1-6: God used the Midianites to oppress His people because of their apostasy (cf. Hos. 9:10). They renewed their sins; their troubles must be repeated. Thank God, they resorted to calling upon Him (Rom. 10:13). He who leave Him now, discovers His indispensability later. Be warned!
ii. vv. 7,8: The Lord sent a Prophet to them to remind them of His past deeds among them (vv. 8-10), and commissioned Gideon, the son of Joash, as answer to their cry for deliverance (vv. 11ff). Though He allowed their oppression, He would not leave them comfortless (cf. Jn. 14:18). God always seeks ONE person.
iii. vv. 14-16: Have I not sent you? Though, Gideon was a poor and humble background, God’s choice is unquestionable and without mistakes (cf. 1 Cor. 1:26ff). His hand upon him will make him strong as to defeat the enemies (cf. v. 5).
iv. vv. 25-26: God moved him to pull down idolatry, and he yielded (vv. 27-34). For Him to intervene in His people’s affairs, idolatry must be dislodge and the altar of righteousness lifted (Lev. 19:4; Prov. 14:34). Who you allow to rule your life, home, business, etc. determines your life and success (Rom. 6:16; Jn. 8:34).
v. vv. 27-34: God needs and stirs the spirit of people, like Gideon and Joash, to boldly say, Will you plead for Baal? (cf. Exod. 23:2; Eph. 5:11), openly and fearlessly (cf. Jn. 16:33).
vi. 7:1ff: Look at the Finger of God supervising the choice of the few to go with Gideon to subdue the Midianites who were no mean men, and how He reduced the elephant to a grasshopper. We must learn to just obey (CACGHB 452).
vii. vv. 14-20: It is the sword of the Lord in action, using Gideon (cf. Zech. 4:6). Though the people lifted their boss for their victory, he would not take it, for victory belongs to God (Exod. 15:6; Psa. 98:1). In all our life’s achievements, only God must be praised (cf. Acts 12:21-23).
viii. Gideon made the people understand that God gave him victory. He did not have power to fight. In fact, it can be said that he was the fidgeting type who God took time to work on. He made the Israelites understand the theocracy of Israel. And that they should not have any central leader and government in order that will be no distraction from the centrality of their King and Governor in Heaven.
B. LEAVES A BAD LEGACY, HOWEVER (8:22-35)
Then Gideon made it into an ephod and set it up in his city, Oprah. And all Israel played the harlot with it there. It became a snare to Gideon and to his house (v. 27).
i. vv. 22,23: The men of Israel suddenly forgot that it was God who gave them victory; they focused on a mortal (cf. 8:7). But God pointed them back to Himself. Don’t allow people to idolise you for the exploits God performs through you (cf. Acts 12:1ff; 14:7ff).
ii. vv. 24-27a: That each of you would give me the earrings from his plunder. Gideon collected the people’s donations of gold, etc. (God’s gift and property) to set up a memorial worship place. Did God command him? No! No wonder the the aftermath was a snare to him and his household. Don’t create a god.
iii. v. 27: Leadership error. Beware of what you are building now (monument or altar), because of your growing influence, lest you create problem for your posterity.
iv. vv. 30-35: Gideon died at a good old age, but he pissed God off by another leadership error — had many wives. Polygamy and idolatry are characteristic of the heathen (Ezra 9:2; 10:2; Mal. 2:15). God strongly warns us to beware of the danger of respite —complacency. Thus, the people apostatised, again (vv. 33-35), and the bastard son later became a terror (9:5; cf. Tit. 1:6-9).
v. We must not allow pride to make us lose our heritage in God. God loves us, but we must not allow flesh to take His position in our lives. It is very dangerous. In any victory we have, all glory must be given to God. We must not allow people to push us to arrogate God’s glory and praise to ourselves, lest disaster sets in, God forbid!
LESSON DERIVED
1. God’s answer to the cry of sinners is among them. His mercy singles out individuals and empowers them to do beyond their capacities.
2. Those who are used of God must be careful not to destroy their relationship with Him as they exit the stage, for there is no success where there is no sustainability.
WORK TO DO
Explain the reason behind God calling Gideon, who himself was hiding from their enemies, to lead His people to victory and deliverance.
SUGGESTED ANSWER TO WORK TO DO
i. Refers to division I.
ii. God saw in Gideon what he didn’t know of himself. His foreknowledge of us is beyond what our human faculty can fathom.
iii. Gideon was actually hiding himself because of the onslaught and devastation the people were experiencing in the hands of the enemies.
iv. When visited by God, Gideon saw himself as unfit because of his poor family background.
v. God saw the spirit of industry in Gideon. That he could still endeavour to do his business, though in hiding, shows that he was not a lazy man. God doesn’t use the slothful (Prov. 22:29).
vi. Gideon’s heart was not after the idols. His heart was after the Lord God of Israel. He wasn’t also after position and wealth. Gideon’s only focus was on YAHWEH for the victory from the hands of the enemies.
vii. The Lord is the ruler of Gideon’s heart. While he hid himself, it is likely he sought the face of God. Inteeceding for Israel’s total deliverance.
viii. Why won’t God use a man like this? Are we really ready for His use?