The Hornet’s Nest – Part 2 (Part A)

The course was happening years before God to bridge the land of the invaders got a deal with the pagan invasion invasion of the people that are called to follow him and him alone is got a deal with the violation of the first commandment also have no other gods before me in the commandments go on no images of me. Even if you want to try to go around the first command so I'm going to make an image but it will be of Yahweh that's forbidden because Gideon to attack the hometown idolatry. No matter what anyone thought Gideon does is going to be trouble. This is cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher. Rick asked Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the book of Judges, please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching, but for now let's join Pastor Rick and Judges chapter 6 with his continuing study called the hornets nest. Peter just prayed that God would guide us and strengthen us through his word and this is an excellent story but just that very thing.

Life Gideon is before us now. This is part two that we started last session and Judges chapter 6.

We will resume it verse 25 but before we get going. Do a little bit of a review.

The hornets nest. That's what it was entitled last session will keep that part to the hornets nest.

This all started with of course the people of God delivered in the days of Deborah and borrower can then they drifted back into idolatry. So God let the surrounding peoples invade the land and gotten had gotten so bad that many of the Jews were hiding in the caves and is just trying to get away and survive because these hordes of people came into the land and stripped it of all of its produce, and they brought their livestock with them, which of course stress to help the pastors for their own animals and the people began to cry out in God begin to go to work on raising up a deliverer and it was Gideon. Gideon did not know this right away. In fact, he's hiding keeping a low profile from the invaders. He's thrashing wheat and the winepress when the angel of the Lord shows up and just sort of observed him sits under a tree while Gideon is thrashing the week and then enters into dialogue. Gideon doesn't know it's the angel of the Lord will going to talk about in a moment, and they had this conversation about why the people are suffering the angel the Lord addresses Gideon is this man of valor and he said you kidding me I'm not any such thing. I'm hiding and of course where is God. Gideon said as he was with our fathers is not with us while in the course of the conversation.

Gideon began to be stirred and said don't go anywhere. I'm going to bring an offering, he brings out an offering a laser on the rock in the angel of Lord Posada staff and fire comes down and consumes the offering and much this was in the days of Moses and Aaron when they established the first altar in Israel.

Fire comes down from heaven and ignites the altar and an adjuster with divine miraculous moment and it is a Gideon of course he built an altar there on that rock would he put the offering before the angel of the Lord, who is this angel of the Lord that has started all of this all the Scriptures show that is it is God and mostly in pre-incarnate manifestation of Christ, the son of God in Genesis 16, this angel of the Lord appears to Hagar and she recognizes that she was in the presence of God. She refers to him as the God who sees Genesis 16 verse 13.

Then she called the name. Then she called the name of Yahweh, who spoke to her.

You are the God who sees she said I also here seen him who sees me. Here I am.

I have seen him who sees me. So Hagar recognized that this was a manifestation in human form of God and the Bible contributors. The scribes of the word, the historians of the word.

They recorded it in such a way that the evidence is convincing. It's not veiled just have to read the verses and you come to the conclusion go the words right there speaking to Abraham.

Abraham, on Mount Moriah. The angel identified himself as Yahweh. Genesis 22 verses 15 and 16. Then the angel of Yahweh called to Abraham. The second time out of heaven, and said by myself I have sworn, says Yahweh because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son. They the angel of lawyers. The same God is referred to as the angel of the messenger. The message that comes in uncreated angel. That's the distinction Angels are created beings, but this messenger is God directly speaking to human beings, not always in human form as it was there and will be in another spot with Moses, Jacob heard the angel introduce himself as the God of Bethel, Genesis 31 verse 11 then the angel of God spoke to me in a dream saying Jacob and I said here I am, and he said lift your eyes now and see all the rams which leap on the flocks of streaks speckled and gray spotted, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you.

I am the God of Bethel where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to me. You see it said in beginning in verse 11 of Genesis 31 then the angel of God spoke to him, but it's developed to make sure that we understand this is not a created angel such as the Gabriel or Michael, or an unnamed angel. The specifications accompanied the distinction the angel of the Lord. When Jacob struggled with the angel struggled with God when he wrestled all night with the angel, it was God himself in human form, allowing Jacob to use all his human strength so that God could change his walk forever. Hosea fix this one. Hosea chapter 12, he took his brother by the heel in the womb. Okay that's Jacob, and in his strength. He struggled with God you want to struggle with God in your strength.

You go right ahead he's gonna let you exhaust yourself and if you stay true to him.

You will not walk the same which you may have a limp.

Yes he struggled with the angel and prevailed and wept, and saw sort favor from him. He found him in Bethel and there he spoke to us. So the distinction he struggled with the angel and prevailed the blessings of Joseph were being given by Jacob to the lads of Joseph. Genesis 48 verse 15 then he blessed Joseph and said God before whom my father's Abraham and Isaac walked the God who has fed me all my life all my lifelong to this day the angel who has redeemed me from all evil.

Bless the lads let my name be named among them in the name of my father's Abraham and Isaac and let them grow in a multitude in the midst of the earth. And so there is Jacob on his death bed, or close to it.

Of course close to death in his blessing the sons of Joseph E from and Manasseh, and he goes back and he says it was the angel of the Lord. That is blessed me that blessed my father and my father's father at the burning bush, Moses stood before the angel of the Lord appeared to him. We know that from Exodus chapter 3 verse two Moses hit his face. It says afraid to look at God and then we go to verse six of Exodus 3, moreover, is that I am the God of your father the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob and Moses hit his face, for he was afraid to look upon God. In verse again verse two of Exodus 3 it says this was the angel of the Lord appeared to him from the bush that did not burn, and then people of Israel. They were led by this pillar of cloud forcing the day in the fire by night. Exodus 13 verse 21 tells us, and Yahweh went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them. By the way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night, but then Exodus 1419 says this about that very presence in the angel of God who went before the camp of Israel moved and went behind them in the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind. So there is a theophany as opposed to a Kristof and he is safe manifestation of God through a created item that's with a theophany and a Kristof and he is a human manifestation in appearance of God as the angel that rest wrestled with Jacob Didion here in the sixth chapter that were considered considering, of course, he feared that he was going to die because he saw the angel of the Lord. We talked about that little bit. It goes back to the days of Moses.

Verse 22 of Judges chapter 6 of Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord. So Gideon said alas.

Oh, Yahweh, God or at Oneida. Yahweh Lord God Lord Yahweh that is why have seen the angel of Yahweh face-to-face. Then Yahweh said to him, peace be to you.

Do not fear you shall not die and then there is Manoa, the father of Samson and he asked the name of the angel of the Lord when he appeared to him.

Judges 13 verse 18 on the angel of the Lord are the angel of Yahweh said to him, why do you ask my name, seeing it is wonderful will. Isaiah gives us commentary on to the and on that front to us is born child unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called wonderful Counselor, mighty God, the everlasting father, the Prince of peace. Wonderful, his name shall be called wonderful.

It is the superlative that is distinct in context for Yahweh is a convincing proof from our Scripture that the angel of the Lord, referred to in the Old Testament is a reference to God himself. And so this is the angel of the Lord sees that what parent would tell any child to go kick the hornets nest will stir up trouble to bite off more than he can chew.

While the God that could protect him from the hornets vets who this is the story throughout the Bible of God's saints being dispatched to do his business. Sometimes he call them home because it was time of the times he would protect me. Told Paul that he would protect him, but he also said he would suffer many things. Now we look at our 25th verse, we continue with the story that started with this angel of the Lord coming to Gideon, the altar being established, and now verse 25. Now it came to pass the same night that Yahweh said to him, take your father's young bull. The second goal of seven years old and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has and cut down the wooden image that is beside it. Well, where he says now it came to pass that same night that the Lord said to him, so after Gideon has established assaulter and God has blessed by consuming the offering that one of them getting built structure around it for over the rock that same night, God speaks to him established a relationship with Gideon and now is going to put Gideon to work and he's going to send him on a dangerous mission. Gideon doesn't know that at this point, but that we does now here verse 25. Resist. Take your father's young bull. The second goal of seven years old now. The second goal.

It's not clear exactly what that means, leads us to come is awarded. It has to be a distinction between the first bull in the second ball and maybe there's some pagan significance to offering more, or prohibiting from being offered. The second bowl or whatever it is, Gideon new, but it's not two animals I should point that's more my whole point of saying that this evidently his father had two bowls and what we would think is the lesser of the two. The second bowl is taken. Whatever pagan requirements or rules surrounded this when we don't. Not only do we not know we don't care were more interested what God has to say and so Gideon is likely going to use this bull to tear down this elaborate altar as the pagans were known to build to help pull down this altar is going be a lot of work going to be a long night that's coming up for Gideon. The word for the wooden image referred to at the bottom of verse 25 in the Hebrew actually is a reference to*the pagan goddess of course, immoral practices that were associated with with worshiping her people were engaging themselves with an God is now dealing with.

So this is a community shrine therein. Offer of the city of Gideon town, village of Gideon and his dad Joash is an idolatrous zealot. He might even be a priest because he has the zeal for valor to come out in the store in a moment, but of course what's happening years before God converge the land of the invaders. He's got a deal with the pagan invasion invasion into the people that are called to follow him and him alone.

He's got a deal with the violation of the first commandment also have no other gods before me in the commandments gone no images of me. Even if you want to try to go around the first command so I'm going to make an image but it will be of Yahweh that's forbidden is a cause Gideon to attack the hometown idolatry. No matter what anyone thought Gideon does is going to be trouble you knew that the people were wrong and God was now raising them up to deal with this and it was something that was already in his heart that came out a little bit in the conversation that he had earlier with the Anglo angel of the Lord now to kick a hornets nest proverbially speaking or in metaphor you don't want to do it without God's instruction and confirmation is not something to take upon yourself. Read about that in the book of acts seven sons decided to mess with the devil they didn't even know Jesus themselves and they were of course pounced upon what to not comply with God when he tells us to do something that we are not ready to do willing to do. Or maybe just afraid to do to not comply is even more foolish. So you have you puts us in a spot and a we don't get ahead of the Lord and attack the enemy until we are. We have leading from the spirit in most circumstances other sometimes it's obvious and be if we are commanded that we better do it and see to not do it is very bad news because God will get somebody else more than likely not always because it is think of Jonah God was the persistent rich owner instead of firing him.

He just impressed upon Jonah how important it was for Jonah to be compliant with God's commandment so we look at this verse we say that God is telling him to take this bowl that belongs to his father. What right does Gideon have, to take his father's ball and then go and tear down this altar with the bull that evidently is as something to do with this pagan worship is every right. Incidentally, why should that this to stone his father for this sin in Israel that was there law like I we have a Constitution they had a Constitution. The Constitution was the commandments of God. The laws of Moses given to them through Moses. The Jews had heard a lot about God without learning a thing just like Gentiles, just like many who claim to be Christ course we want to be not only attentive to the spirit teachers but responsive verse 26 now God's continuing his instruction to take that second bowl and tear down that altar and build an altar to Yahweh your God.

On top of this rock in the proper arrangement and take the second bowl and offer a burnt sacrifice with the word of the image which you shall cut down so build an altar to Yahweh your God tear down that route monstrosity and replace it with truth on this rock I think it's said that way to make a distinction from the rock that Gideon had already established a sacrifice on offering on to the Lord of this is a different one and that will come out in verse 28 that the two different altars going on here, but it's is not laid out is clearly as you would like a gap to dig into the text to come to this conclusion is the only way it works, and in the proper arrangement God wants this done right and take the second bowl that's not another bowl. That's the one that he referred to earlier that was used to tear down the altar and butcher him kill it, slaughter it, butcher it and burn it up with the wood you with the word of the image which you cut down so Gideon's father's idolatry is going to cost him and his son Gideon is going to deliver the bill God wanted no association with idolatry as he was about to work no fate. God was going to get any of the credit is not going to be of this joint venture with the only true God, and the make-believe God's.

The man-made versions and so he's making this statement right at the beginning before he deals with the Midianites and the all of the other people that have invaded the land he's going to deal with the pagan invasion in the hearts of his people. He says the word of the image. Literally that's the pole of Astra so they had this altar for the pagan God, and next to it was the shrine that was slightly phallic. As many of them were the two marked their perversity. They would often say all this fertility with that fertility includes sexual perversions and we have it today to this very day some form under some name men are doing, and men and women are doing honor to these sexual perversions, and by that I mean would God and I had not intended to be.

They have twisted and there is your perversity and the very indignant about it and want to, but also some reasons why they should have no guilt and it is a big problem is always been a big problem but it that the purpose of bringing it up is to say that we have to do it sin all the time.

No way around it and you have to name names when it comes to synonyms. If this is the sin. This is what this is golf the 10 Commandments names descendents does nothing use.

Thou shall not steal.

The longer you don't take it for yourself. Well, God treated these devilish images of this devilish image singular. In this case it was off the ballot master. They were together and he treats them for what they use them or they are pieces of wood, Isaiah and Jeremiah going to mock these things you cut down a tree and you carbon image doing a piece of wood used eat the fire. Another visa would you bow down to Mrs. pookie and Sue got insane just cut that thing down and just use it for fuel as would is nothing but would and that is what Gideon's is going to do dealing with society's favorite thing their opinion about God against God's revelation about God again in the Bible is relevant because everything it deals with in human behavior is being dealt with. To this day. Nothing new under the sun. So to be publicly use the public had to take a stand with Gideon. He had to kick the nest Exodus 34 verse 12 and 13 take heed to yourself Moses speaking to the people, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be a snare in your midst, and that's what they did. They made covenants with the people of the land and it included their gods and it was a snare. Moses continues verse 13 of Exodus 34, but you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars cut down their wooden images.

You have a Christian knees. Ozzie at work he or she is at work in the person is telling them all the pagan ideas. We interrupt them as I'm sorry I don't believe this study is a lie I think comes right out of hell. I think that the word of God is God's revelation to man and all that other stuff, speculation, and I can back it up. I get back it up with the prophecies I can back it up with the logic that is breaking down the altars not letting them get away with on their times. God systems anything but we know in those times are as opposed which is so scared to say something.

What worked for me… I just love the message at best. I never was afraid to share the message because I loved and that I never thought about the consequences. I just thought about no, I don't believe in that an immaculate you tell me what you believe Anna can tell you what I believe is this work that way you want to talk about all the sins you commit with glee will I'm going to send. I'm trying not to commit with good for us right now, think about choking, but I'm restraining myself because of God. Aren't you glad (verse 27 so Gideon took 10 men from among his servants and did as Yahweh had said to him, because he feared his father's household and the men of the city too much to do it. He did it by night move.

Thanks for tuning in to cross reference radio for this study in the book of Judges cross reference radio is the teaching ministry pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel in Mechanicsville, Virginia. If you'd like more information about this ministry, we invite you to visit our website cross reference radio.com you will find additional teachings from Pastor Rick available there, and we encourage you to subscribe to our podcast by doing so you will be notified of each new edition of cross reference radio. You can search for cross reference radio on your favorite podcast that work just follow the links and cross reference radio.com that's all the time we have for today. Join us next time to continue learning more from the book of Judges right here cross reference rate