Select Video 8 summary if you did not watch the video
God is in the business of bringing sinful people back into
relationship with him; sometimes to accomplish this goal, He calls on
surprising and unexpected people to help in the process.
In the time of the Judges the people of God went through the same cycle over and over again. Each time they rebelled and truned away from God they would face the same results; a foreign army would invade and they would end up an oppressed occupied and broken nation.
In the time of the Judges the people of God went through the same cycle over and over again. Each time they rebelled and truned away from God they would face the same results; a foreign army would invade and they would end up an oppressed occupied and broken nation.
1. Through The Story we have discovered that God
loves to use surprising people to accomplish His will. As you read about Deborah, Gideon, and Samson
in this chapter, how is each of them a surprising choice to be a leader for
God?
Deborah was a prophetess, wife and leader of Israel. It is surprising to see a woman leader. Deborah knew how to draw on the strength of
others while giving God the glory. God
can accomplish great things through those who are willing to be led by Him.
Gideon was from the “weakest clan in Manasseh and he was the least in his family”. But God saw him as a “mighty warrior”. Gideon lived up to he honor given him. Samson is best remembered for what might have been accomplished through his life. It is interesting that even though his life was dedicated to God from birth that he chose to live a life of selfish compromise. God still accomplishes His purpose and plans regardless of our choices to participate in His plan. Even though Samson could have strengthened his nation and returned his people to the worship of God and delivered them from the oppression of the Philistines and had a peaceful reign, he did eventually accomplish the purpose announced by the angel to his parents to rescue the Israelites from the Philistines (pg 112, 119). In the end, Samson recognized his dependence on the Lord and the role he was given. Interestingly, the New Testament Hall-of-Faith lists him with the others “who through faith conquered kingdoms” and does not mention his failures! |
2. Contrast how God saw Gideon with how Gideon saw
himself (Judges 6:11-16, The Story p108).
How does this breath hope into our hearts in the moments we feel God
could never do great things through us?
God saw Gideon as a mighty man of valor and addressed him that way…not as a sarcasm but as a promise if Gideon would trust in His power. We should do the same and ask God to reveal to us how He sees us and pray that we allow Him to develop us into the individuals He wants us to be.
|
3. In the continual cycle that occurs in the time
of the Judges, God’s people kept embracing the sins, religion, and behaviors of
those who lived in the land before they conquered it. In what ways do Christians today embrace the
sin, practices and culture of our day and end up sinning and feeling distant
from God?
We battle both the pull of our sin-nature and the lure of the world to be “like everyone else”. Often times we want to be accepted and perceived to be like everyone else…we want to swim with the current rather than against it. But God calls us to be holy…set apart….not to be like the world. When we identify with our sin-nature and excuse our choices or identify with the culture around us we will limit God’s working in our life for our transformation and will not be an influence on the lives that God brings across our path. Everyone wants “to be accepted” but if it leads to compromise, then our actions are not “acceptable” to God.
|
4. One of the recurring themes in this chapter of
The Story is that a new generation would rise up that did not know God and what
He had done for His people in the past.
When they forgot, they wandered.
This same tragic thing can happen in our generation. What practical things can we do in our homes
and in the church to help the next generation know and remember what God has
done in the past so they will hold on to Him in the future?
5. There seems to be consequences when we refuse to
follow God’s way. Why do you think we
continue to repeat the same sin patterns even though we know the outcome will
not be good?
I don’t think we always realize that sin is a
choice. We think we cannot help
ourselves. But the Spirit who raised Jesus
from the dead now dwells in us (Romans 8:11)!!
We need to “choose for us [each] day whom we will serve” and make a
habit of identifying the things that cause us to draw away from Him and then
intentionally stop and ask Him to help us through our daily choices so that we
can reflect Him.
|
6. Where would you be today if God had never
allowed his discipline to wake you up to the reality of sin and drive you into
His arms?
IAs Christians, we get ourselves into all sorts of trouble
because we want to live life the way we want, not God’s way. In the Lower Story we think that God has
abandoned us. But in the Upper Story,
God is waiting for us to return to Him.
His arms are wide open.
|
7. How did God strengthen Gideon and help him press
through his fears as he faced the mighty armies of Midian? How does God do this same thing today when we
feel inadequate and fearful?
Like Gideon, God encourages us and lets us know that He will
never leave us or forsake us….we just have to trust in His Word!
Hebrews
13: 5 – 6 “5 Keep your lives free from
the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,
“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6) 6 So we say with confidence, “The
Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do
to me?” (Psalms 118:6-7).
|
8. Have you faced a situation when the odds were
against you, and others said, “No way!” but you held God’s hand and pressed
on? How did the situation turn out and
how was God glorified? What area in your
life is God presently trying to get you to the place where you embrace the fact
that He is enough?
|
9. Read Movement 3 of The Story (See
definitions). How does God unfold His
story in this third movement and how does this connect with your story?
|