Now this afternoon as we come to this portion of the book of Judges, in particular the verses 33 to 40 of chapter 6, I want to speak today on the subject of how not to find the will of God. How not to find the will of God. Last week we were introduced to Gideon, the man who would become the next judge of Israel. The people of Israel were under great oppression from the Midianites. The Midianites have not only ruled over the Israelites, but they've actually sought to destroy them. They have stolen their crops and their livestock and have left them with basically nothing to live upon. The angel of the Lord approached Gideon while he was threshing corn in the winepress. attempting to hide from the Midianites and God has told Gideon that he is the man chosen to lead Israel in battle against the Midianites and he has promised him that he will be victorious. However, his first task was to tear down the altars of the false gods that were standing in his father's own backyard. And we've seen Gideon do that as he had been commanded. He did it in the middle of the night so as not to arouse suspicion and in the hopes of perhaps remaining anonymous. But nonetheless, he is on his way to becoming the judge who would deliver Israel once again from their bondage. Now, we're going to look this afternoon at the next encounter that Gideon has with God. where we find them actually questioning God's marching orders. And Gideon's response is one that has brought a great deal of debate amongst Christians as to whether or not we should follow his example of seeking God's will in this type of manner. And I say that because It has become into Christian usage to use the term of throwing down the fleece in order to check whether something might be God's will or not. So we want to see whether these are examples to follow or whether to be avoided as we seek God's precious will. after turning down the altars to the false gods was to raise an army to assemble the fighting men of Israel to go and do battle against the Midianites. And so Gideon is sought to be obedient to that instruction, to gather an army that will go out and do battle against the foe. Now, you'll remember that God originally gave these instructions to Gideon back in verse 14. The Lord said unto him, Go in thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have not I sent thee? The Lord has given him his orders and has promised him victory. And he said unto him, O Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. And with that great hope, Given to him, he tore down the altars to Baal in his father's house. We're told that the spirit of the Lord came upon him. He has assembled the army. They are ready to go into battle. However, right on the eve of battle, Gideon starts having second thoughts. And he asked God for a sign that if he really will save Israel by his hand, as he has said, that he's asking for a sign, that he'll put down the fleece and wool on the floor, and in the morning let the fleece be wet and the ground be dry. And if you do that, he said, then I know that you'll see of Israel by my hand. And of course the Lord did that for him. He was able to wring out of the fleece a bowl full of water while the ground round about was dry. But Gideon's still not content, still not convinced, and he asks the Lord a second time, let me put out the fleece again, only this time let it be dry upon the fleece and wet upon the ground. And the Lord did so again that night. So Gideon's asking for a sign from God, and he sets the terms. He lay out the fleece overnight, and if God would have him to be victorious, the groin will be dry, the fleece will be wet. Of course, that's exactly what happened. But he still is Dutch, and you might say rightfully so. You can understand why he might have doubts over the sign because he's asking for something that might naturally occur. You see the wool attracts the dew and even while other objects around it will remain dry, the wool will attract the dew in the air and you would naturally expect the fleece to be wet with dew. But once the dew had evaporated from the ground upon the grass round about, the fleece would stay damp for a considerable period of time longer. So God gives him the sign that he asked for, but he's not convinced that this might actually be a sign at all that God was in it. After all, it could just have been a coincidence. So the next time he comes, he asks for a reversal. So he's not asking for something natural this time, he's asking for something supernatural. If God was really going to protect him, make the fleece dry in the morning and the ground roundabout wet. And once again, God answered Gideon's request. The fleece was dry, the ground was wet. So Gideon has used this fleece in two different occurrences, two different times, to inquire of God as to whether or not he had truly planned to deliver Israel by his hand. And as I've said, Gideon's use of this fleece has caused a great deal of debate amongst Christians as to whether or not we should emulate what he has done. As I've said already, we often use this record in Judges chapter 6 with a view to discerning God's will when we hear people saying about throwing out the fleece, they're looking for some outward sign to indicate or to confirm the will of God to them. So there are two basic camps with regards to the story. There are some who exonerate Gideon. They look at his actions and they conclude, well, this is a way for us to inquire as to God's will and know his perfect planning. And they argue that since God gave Gideon the answer to the signs that he was asking for, that that's evidence enough for us to know that God wants to speak to him through such outward signs. And so they argue that when we're struggling with not knowing what to do or what way to turn, that we can legitimately then do the same thing. I am however reminded of the story of a man who was driving past a donut shop And he prayed, Lord, if it's your will that I have some donuts today, let there be a parking spot outside the door of the donut shop. And he says, and wouldn't you know it, the fifth time I circled around the block, there it was. Most of us have been in the situation at some time or another where we're faced with a decision to make, something that troubles us. We have a choice. And we're not sure what the right thing to do is, and so we lay out a fleece before God. It may not be a literal fleece, like Gideon did, but we engage in fleece laying nonetheless. Lord, if you want me to sell this house, make it so that I get an offer that I can't refuse over my asking price. If you want me to buy this thing, let it be unsealed the next time I go to the shop. If I'm supposed to begin a relationship with this person, then let me run into them when I'm just going about my daily business somewhere. Naturally occurring things, and yet we throw out fleeces to the Lord all the time. We're putting stipulations before the Lord, if these things happen, then we'll take it as being your will. Trying to get a tangible answer from the Lord. And I suspect that we all have done this in one form or another at some time or another. And so some will exonerate Gideon for doing these things. Others, however, very quickly condemn him. And they look at his request for signs and wonders from God and ask, why then is God's word not sufficient for Gideon? and they put Gideon in the category along with those of whom the Saviour spoke about there in Matthew chapter 12 when he spoke of an evil and an adulterous generation that seeketh after a sign. and they say that it simply proves that Gideon's heart is still full of unbelief and this demand for signs and wonders rather than leading him to faith in the things of God only truly strengthens his unbelief because he's not trusting God's word. And he's demanding extra evidence that what God has said is true. And that's not a good place to be as a Christian, where we're demanding evidence to prove what God has said is right or not. So what are we to think? The question before us is, do we exonerate him or do we condemn him for what he has done? Well, I think truly the question is whether or not we are to do similar things. Is his example one to follow or a warning to be heeded? I'm inclined to think that Gideon's actions in laying out the fleece were not a demonstration of faith, but rather show a lack of faith. And I say that for this reason solely, that Gideon already knew what God wanted him to do. God had already clearly told him that he would lead the children of Israel into battle against the Midianites and that he would be victorious because the Lord himself had promised to be with him. But that wasn't enough for Gideon. He wanted something more than God's Word. He wanted something that was tangible, something that he could touch and feel and see, something that he could trust more than God's promise. Do you see why we have an issue with this? Gideon is placing far too much trust on signs that he could see and touch, rather than actually hearing from God's Word itself. And sadly when it comes to us laying out the face in similar circumstances, that truthfully we're guilty of the same thing as what Gideon was guilty of. We are unwilling to actually trust what God has said. But if Gideon's actions show a lack of faith, then why did God do what he asked? I think for the very simple reason that God was being gracious to Gideon. The Lord didn't have to perform these signs for Gideon as he had been requested. In fact, he could very simply have moved on from Gideon and chosen someone else to lead the soldiers into battle, but that's not what the Lord did. And the Lord was extremely gracious and long-suffering towards Gideon even though he lacked faith in God himself. That's good news for us because we are often in the same position. We lack faith and God doesn't cast us away either. Gideon is still growing in his faith. And facing a multitude of Midianites was not an easy task. And perhaps his faith did need to be encouraged. It needed to be strengthened. The Lord Jesus took the attitude concerning those that were weak in faith. He spoke from the book of Isaiah on the subject. And he said, a bruised reed shall he not break? And a smoking flax shall he not quench? He spoke about strengthening the weak of faith and encouraging them. And when we remember that Gideon, up until a few moments ago, was living in a pagan society and perhaps even engaged in the worship of false gods rather than the one true God, He's been worshipping a God of his imagination for so long, and the only way that you can get answers from such a God is to look for signs in the mundane things of life, because a false God can't speak to you or perform any kind of supernatural signs, so you look for them in the natural things, in the laying down of fleeces, of getting wet or not getting wet. So Gideon's fleece-laying activities are not an activity of faith, and I certainly don't recommend them as an example to follow. They're simply the actions of one who is new to the faith, who's treating the true God of heaven in the same way that he treated the false pagan God that he'd worshipped for so long. And the fact that his requests were answered by God doesn't prove that Gideon's actions were valid, but simply that God's character is gracious. So what are we to do? If fleece-laying isn't some kind of ultra-spiritual approach to discern God's will, as some would have us to believe, then what is the right approach? How do we make decisions in accordance with the will of God? How can we be sure that we're going the right way and doing the right thing? And that's a question that has spawned a whole myriad of books and sermons on the subject of knowing the will of God. So what is the answer? Well, I think sometimes our problem is that we have We have reduced the will of God to be some kind of mysterious blueprint that has been hidden from us, and it takes effort to discern and to discover. And if we're really diligent, perhaps we might find what the next step of the journey might be. I don't necessarily think that that's true, that God's will has to be sought out and found in that regards. I believe that the Lord has a plan for our life. I do believe that. That there is a divine blueprint. But I don't know that it's necessarily hidden from us. And I believe that there are occasions when the Lord will give us several good options to choose from. So rather than labouring over the situation to try and find what is that one perfect decision in every situation, I think a better approach for us might be is to ask how can I make a decision that's wise and God-honouring. I don't necessarily think there's only one way of doing things. And I think that's where people struggle with the will of God. They think, well, if I make the wrong decision here, that means I'm off track for the rest of my life and will never be in the will of God ever again. I believe there are many ways to fulfill God's will. So let's try and answer the question as to how we can seek to make decisions that will honor God. Well, the first answer is this. Look in your Bible. Consider what it is that God has already said. Truthfully, Gideon didn't need to go through this whole fleece-laying exercise because God has already told him what He exactly wants him to do. The problem is he just didn't trust God enough to actually do it. Now the Lord doesn't speak to us perhaps in the same way that he spoke to Gideon that day, coming alongside him and appearing before him and speaking directly to him, but he does still speak to us. Every time we open our Bibles and we begin to read from the pages of Scripture, we are reading God's word. God's word gives us great insight into the character of God as well as providing us with precious promises to claim and specific commands to follow. And our first step then to discerning and knowing the will of God should always be God's word itself. If God has given us a clear answer in the scriptures then there's no reason for us to try and find an answer by any other means. This is where we start. So how do we search the scriptures for answers to our questions and our decisions? And again, it's not by simply closing our eyes, opening the pages, putting down our finger and seeing what that verse says. You might as well lay a fleece upon the ground again. It's just another way of laying out a fleece. Lord, make the first verse that I turn to be the one that speaks to me. That's not how God works. Search the scriptures. Read your Bible. Seek to understand God's character. Make note of the place where God is telling us things to do that please him. Make note of the things that he says to avoid the displeasing. And if we're regularly reading our Bibles and studying the Scriptures, then we'll already have a pretty good idea of what the Bible teaches on certain subjects. And we won't have to ask for signs and wonders. We'll be already familiar with what God desires from us. If however there's still a subject that comes up or a decision to be made and we're not sure as to what the Bible says of the subject, speak to someone. Talk to a Christian friend. Talk to your minister. Consult a good book or commentary that gives Bible answers to questions. And if God's word has direction for us, then we already have our answer. If it's there in black and white, we don't need anything else. Again, here's our problem. Sometimes we don't like what God's word says. So we try to find seemingly other spiritual ways to confirm what we do want. Some of you have probably seen or been familiar with the little children's toy, the magic eight ball. You ask the ball a question and you give it a shake and it comes up with an answer for you. And what happens if it gives you an answer you don't like? Well, you shake it again and you go a second or a third time until it gives you the one that you're looking for. Well, that's sometimes how we treat God's word. We don't like what it says. The first time you look for something else, Let God's word be our guide, even if it says what we don't want to hear. Let that be the answer that God has given. Let me give you some examples of what that might look like. We're asking the question, should I begin a relationship or enter into a business relationship with this person? God gives us some clear guidelines with regards to that subject already. First question, are they a Christian? Do they encourage my faith? Are they seeking to follow God's commands in their lives as I'm seeking to follow God's commands in mine? If the answer is no to any of those questions, then it's very clear from God's word that we should not be unequally yoked to such a person. We don't need to ask for signs. We don't need special guidance. The answer's already there. Suppose I'm thinking, should I take this job or should I take that job? Again, this asks some questions. What's my motivation for taking this job? What's my motivation? Is it the power, the prestige, the position, the money? But how will this job impact on my worship of the Lord? Will this job prevent me from getting to the services on the Lord's Day? What about the midweek meetings? What about time with my family and looking after my wife, my husband, my little ones, whatever it might be? How does this job line up with my other responsibilities as a father, as a husband, as a member of a local church? There's where our answer will be found. Maybe you're struggling with the thought of whether I should forgive this person who has wronged me. Well, that one's pretty simple. We're always to extend forgiveness. We don't need a sign. Well, what about, should I go to church or should I spend my one free day of the week doing other things that I enjoy? Well, again, let's ask the question, what do you think God values more? our time with the Lord, to be sacrosanct, to be set aside, nothing should intrude upon it if at all possible. There are biblical answers to all of these questions. We know what God's priorities are for our lives, and it is that we grow in holiness and in likeness to the Savior. And so many things that we ask questions about, can I do this? Can I go there? Can I be with this person? Can all be answered if we ask the question, does this bring me closer to the Lord or further from him? And if we are willing to align our priorities with God's priorities, then we're not going to go astray. So the first thing that we do is we read our Bibles and we ask what God has said. And then we listen for God's guidance in order to make wise decisions. That can only take place after we have read God's word, God's word, Well, that's our primary mean for discerning God's will. Then we rely upon the Spirit of God to guide us. Sometimes we may feel strongly about a particular thing or a particular situation. And it may be, I say it may be, the Spirit of God prompting us and guiding us and directing us. We do have to be careful, however, because we still have an old sinful nature that's very quick to point us in the wrong direction. So we always have to check what seems to be the Lord's guiding of our lives to make sure that it's still in accordance with what the Bible says because the spirit will not lead us contrary to what God has already revealed. We don't use, well, I felt led of the spirit to do these things if it's actually something that's concrete of what God has said. We don't want to be leaning overly heavily upon our feelings when making decisions under the guise of being spiritual. We do that sometimes, we say, oh, I'm waiting until I have peace about the subject, or until the circumstances seem perfect, or it seems that the spirit is leading me to do these things. The Lord can certainly give us all of those things. But if we're honest, we're simply just trying to buy time to get the answer that we want sometimes. God's guidance primarily comes through his word. And then on occasions he'll open up the circumstances to make the way before us clear. He'll prompt us by his spirit to give us direction. And all of these things will be in alignment one with the other. One will not be contrary to the other. And then thirdly, we try to make a wise decision. As I've said already, sometimes we're faced with decisions and there are several options before us and maybe all of them can be God glorifying options. Maybe it's not sinful for us to engage in any of the options set before us. So we have to make a decision and that's why God gave us brains to use, to reason about things and to consider things. We should think about our decisions. We should be able to weigh the pros and the cons of each option and then decide what we believe to be the best of those options. And I think sometimes we labour over simple decisions when God would be pleased with us no matter which option we choose. It's very silly to exhaust ourselves debating whether, well, whether I should wear a blue tie today or a red tie to match this shirt. I mean, both of them are good options depending on the color scheme and the pattern, but we're to use our own good judgment for certain things. And then fourthly, seek help. Seek the inside of other believers. Sometimes others can see our situation more clearly than what we can see it ourselves. Sometimes we're too close to things to be able to see the way that seems obvious to everyone else. And we can take advice from others, and we can look for insight, and we can take mature believers and ask them to their opinion. It doesn't mean we have to take it, but it's good to get a second opinion upon it. And again, all of these things we weigh up in light of what God has said. And if someone advises you to do something that's contrary to God's word, then you know that they've advised you wrongly. But if they're genuinely seeking to help you honor God in your life, then listen to their advice, take their counsel, weigh up their thoughts, and then in light of all of these things, make your decision before the Lord. So Gideon's story, just to come back to it again, is not really a story of how to find God's will. It's really a story about his lack of faith. But it's also a story of grace, that the Lord was merciful to Gideon. And it's a reminder to us that God deals with us graciously Even when we don't deserve it, even when we know what the right thing to do is and are reluctant to do it, the Lord still comes along and encourages and prompts us and pushes us in the right direction. So it's a reminder to us that sometimes knowing the will of God isn't the difficult part, it's the doing of it that's the hard part. And that's what we need encouragement. to do what God has said. We already know what he wants us to do. We just want an excuse not to do it, at least not just yet. So that's what Gideon is engaged in here, I believe. He's scared. He's afraid to do what God has commanded, even though God's command was very, very clear. So I trust that this will be a story that challenges us. And that it will challenge us because it reminds us just how difficult it can be sometimes to walk in obedience to the Lord. Because sometimes the Lord will ask us to do difficult things and things that perhaps we might not naturally want to do that goes against our nature. But we remember that God loves us. And even when we're slow to understand and slow to follow that he does look upon us with eyes of fever. He does have blessing in store for us. He does plan to use us in the work of his kingdom. And we simply have to trust him in all of our affairs and know that his ways are and will be perfect. And if we had only, well, if Gideon had only, and if we had only followed like him, listened to what God had actually said to begin with, there would be nothing to be afraid of. Not only would he be victorious, but the promise given to him is that the Lord would be with him. There's our great prayer. Lord, in the decisions of life, at each and every crossroads that I face, Help me to make the decision that ensures that I'm walking with you. That we're not separating and going a different way from the Lord. But our desire at each step, at each junction, is to go God's way. And knowing that He leads the way, and that we follow on, and that the path to victory is secured in Him, We simply need to stop making excuses and to start following as we know the Lord has led. May the Lord help us in this regard, not only to know his perfect will, but with his grace and help to do it unto his glory and to his honour. Amen.