Guidance Part 1: How not to find a wife, and other stories (Judges 6; 1 Sam 14)
- How NOT to find a wife (George Whitefield),
- ‘Fleeces’ the good, the bad & the ugly,
- and three things we can mean by ‘God’s will’.
Play Audio:
1. How not to find a wife, by George Whitefield
Judges 6:14–40
- Then the LORD himself turned to him and said, “You have the strength. Deliver Israel from the power of the Midianites! Have I not sent you?”
- Gideon said to him, “But LORD, how can I deliver Israel? Just look! My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my family.”
- The LORD said to him, “Ah, but I will be with you! You will strike down the whole Midianite army.”
- Gideon said to him, “If you really are pleased with me, then give me a sign as proof that it is really you speaking with me.
- Do not leave this place until I come back with a gift and present it to you.” The LORD said, “I will stay here until you come back.”
- Gideon went and prepared a young goat, along with unleavened bread made from an ephah of flour. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He brought the food to him under the oak tree and presented it to him.
- God’s messenger said to him, “Put the meat and unleavened bread on this rock, and pour out the broth.” Gideon did as instructed.
- The LORD’s messenger touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of his staff. Fire flared up from the rock and consumed the meat and unleavened bread. The LORD’s messenger then disappeared.
…
- Gideon said to God, “If you really intend to use me to deliver Israel, as you promised, then give me a sign as proof.
- Look, I am putting a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece, and the ground around it is dry, then I will be sure that you will use me to deliver Israel, as you promised.”
- The LORD did as he asked. When he got up the next morning, he squeezed the fleece, and enough dew dripped from it to fill a bowl.
- Gideon said to God, “Please do not get angry at me, when I ask for just one more sign. Please allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make only the fleece dry, while the ground around it is covered with dew.”
- That night God did as he asked. Only the fleece was dry and the ground around it was covered with dew.
NET Bible
1 Samuel 14:6–15
- Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Come on, let’s go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised men. Perhaps the LORD will intervene for us. Nothing can prevent the LORD from delivering, whether by many or by a few.”
- His armor bearer said to him, “Do everything that is on your mind. Do as you’re inclined. I’m with you all the way!”
- Jonathan replied, “All right! We’ll go over to these men and fight them.
- If they say to us, ‘Stay put until we approach you,’ we will stay right there and not go up to them.
- But if they say, ‘Come up against us,’ we will go up. For in that case the LORD has given them into our hand — it will be a sign to us.”
- When they made themselves known to the Philistine garrison, the Philistines said, “Look! The Hebrews are coming out of the holes in which they hid themselves.”
- Then the men of the garrison said to Jonathan and his armor bearer, “Come on up to us so we can teach you a thing or two!” Then Jonathan said to his armor bearer, “Come up behind me, for the LORD has given them into the hand of Israel!”
- Jonathan crawled up on his hands and feet, with his armor bearer following behind him. Jonathan struck down the Philistines, while his armor bearer came along behind him and killed them.
- In this initial skirmish Jonathan and his armor bearer struck down about twenty men in an area that measured half an acre.
- Then fear overwhelmed those who were in the camp, those who were in the field, all the army in the garrison, and the raiding bands. They trembled and the ground shook. This fear was caused by God.
NET Bible