02 Apr Let’s eliminate the “But”
Happy Tuesday/Wednesday everyone!
No…I haven’t lost my mind. That title up there comes from a very common human malady…the problem of the “but.” Here’s what I mean…I’ve been reading Judges. As Judges opens, God has led his people into the land of his promise. They’ve been established as God’s people; each tribe in their own allocated blocks of land. Moses & Joshua have died & the crucial command from Deuteronomy 5:33 “You must walk in all the ways that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess,” has been disregarded. Within a generation after Joshua’s death God’s people have adopted the belief practices of the pagan nations around them. They’re worshiping idols & offering themselves to other gods. As punishment, God sends the neighbouring nations to attack, harass, & take plunder from his people. In their distress they cry out to God & he raises up judges to deliver them from these enemies.
Judges 6 tells the story of one of those judges: Gideon. Here’s how that narrative unfolds in vss 14-16…
The angel of the Lord came & sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord appeared to him & said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us & handed us over to the Midianites.” Then the Lord turned to Gideon & said, “Go with the strength you have, rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!” “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, & I am the least in my entire family!” The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. You will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.”
Some quick observations.
(a) Gideon is hiding from the Midianites & is fairly certain God has abandoned his people. Even an angel showing up to encourage him doesn’t break his despair.
(b) He receives a direct command from God that assumes what God asks of him can be accomplished because God says so. “Go with the strength you have…I am sending you!” The assumption is that if God gives a command & you act in obedience to that command “the strength you have” is sufficient.
(c) What is Gideon’s immediate response? “But” His first response to a clear word from God to act on behalf of God’s people is “But” followed by an excuse that emphasizes his smallness & inability.
Why is the first reaction to God’s call to action so often “But” followed by an excuse for not doing what God has just said go do? We see it often in Scripture: Moses, Jonah, Zechariah…to name just a few examples. As the rest of the narrative (Judges 6-8) clearly shows Gideon takes some convincing, but eventually the Midianites are driven off. When Gideon obeys God’s call, he is successful, God’s people flourish, & God is glorified in his relationship with his people. BUT… Why is the first reaction to God’s call to action so often “But” followed by an excuse for not doing what God has just said go do? This is not just a problem in the Bible; it lives in each of us. When we know that God calls us to sacrificial generosity, to open-hearted hospitality, to incredible forgiveness, to bold faith sharing, regular prayer, worship & devotion to God’s Word…more often than we might imagine we precede any action on our part with “But” followed by an excuse for not doing what God has just said go do.
It’s easy in this world to feel small & ill-equipped. It’s common to see the financial challenges in our lives & hold more tightly to what we have. It IS scary to be vulnerable to others in sharing your trust in Jesus & his work in your life. There is risk associated with offering to help someone you may not know in a circumstance where you could be embarrassed. Yet, this is just who God calls us to be & what he calls us to do every day we’re alive as his people…his witnesses in this world.
When Gideon finally gets going & is mustering the army to fight the Midianites, God seemingly weakens his fighting force the night before the battle. Gideon starts with 32,000 soldiers but enters battle with only 300 so that the Israelites cannot boast “that they saved themselves by their own strength.” So look back at the original command…Gideon’s strength that he had was “I am sending you. I will be with you.” Clearly that was sufficient. All you need at any moment is God’s command & God’s presence…Oh…and eliminate the “But,” just obey & that will be sufficient.
Now…what’s the family calendar look like?
- Zoom Bible Study Catch-up
Friday 4th April 2025 @ 1:00p.m.
Join Zoom Meeting — https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81166125179 — Meeting ID: 811 6612 5179 - LWF Prayer Morning – Saturday 5th April – 10:00 a.m. @ our home…7 Gidgee Place Glenfield Park
- Sunday April 6th is a Morning Tea & GBO for CareVan Sunday…Remember to set your clocks back 1 hour Saturday night!
- Ladies Fellowship – 10th April – 10:00 a.m. @ Sue & Trevor’s home (1 John 2:1-17)
- Holy Week & Easter are fast approaching…We have some invitations you can share with friends & family. Grab a few on Sunday.
- Palm Sunday – 13th April @ 10:00 a.m.
- Maundy Thursday – 17th April @ 7:00 p.m.
- Good Friday – 18th April @ 9:00 a.m. – I’m told there’ll be hot cross buns after worship!
- Easter Resurrection Sunday – 20th April @ 10:00 a.m.
That’s probably enough for today…Starting to look busy, but let’s keep doing what God has called us to do & that will prove sufficient.
God bless your week!
John
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