Good morning on this Monday! It’s great to start the week with you in the Pastor’s Workshop.
Last week we began a new series, “Ready to Reopen?” It’s based on Judges 6 and 7. We looked into the question so many are asking, “Are we ready to reopen?”, through a perspective of faith using the story of Gideon.
Our opening message was entitled, “Ready to Reopen? Recover Your Confidence”. We explored how essential it is to have confidence as we begin to answer the question, “Are we ready to reopen?” As we looked into the Biblical narrative from Gideon we saw how we can gain confidence through remembering the Covenant we share with God (where God is the Lord) and recalling our Commission (where as God’s people we have God’s work to do in God’s world).
This week we’ll continue our journey in answering our guiding question. As we read the story of Gideon we see that recovering confidence is not as easy as it seems. Even when we remember the Covenant and recall our Commission we may still have questions, doubts and fears.
Gideon certainly did. To reassure his fears, Gideon needed signs from God. Our text this week is Judges 6:14-21, 36-40. It is a well known story about Gideon, God and “the fleeces”.
Judges 6:14-21
14 Then the Lord turned to him (Gideon) and said, “Go in this might of yours and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian; I hereby commission you.” 15 He responded, “But sir, how can I deliver Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” 16 The Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike down the Midianites, every one of them.”
17 Then he said to him, “If now I have found favor with you, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me. 18 Do not depart from here until I come to you, and bring out my present, and set it before you.” And he said, “I will stay until you return.”
19 So Gideon went into his house and prepared a kid, and unleavened cakes from an ephah of flour; the meat he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a pot, and brought them to him under the oak and presented them. 20 The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened cakes, and put them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And he did so.
21 Then the angel of the Lord reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened cakes; and fire sprang up from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened cakes; and the angel of the Lord vanished from his sight.
Judges 6:36-40
36 Then Gideon said to God, “In order to see whether you will deliver Israel by my hand, as you have said, 37 I am going to lay a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will deliver Israel by my hand, as you have said.” 38 And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not let your anger burn against me, let me speak one more time; let me, please, make trial with the fleece just once more; let it be dry only on the fleece, and on all the ground let there be dew.” 40 And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew.
Read this text several times. Are there words or phrases that stand out for you? Read the passage using several translations or paraphrases (biblegateway.com). What captures your attention? How does this text stir your “holy curiosity and creativity”?
Since it’s Monday, it’s time to get started. I invite you to “jump on in”!
I look forward to what you’ll find. And I’ll see you tomorrow in the Pastor’s Workshop.
Prayer: Gracious God, thank you for the beginning of a new week. Thank you for the Scripture which is Your light of truth that guides us. Thank you for the ways that when we have questions, doubts and fears You have patience. We trust in Your reassurance as we move forward in faith. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.