The Power of Secret Obedience: A Journey Through Judges Chapter 6

 

The Power of Secret Obedience: A Journey Through Judges Chapter 6

The Book of Judges can be likened to a spiritual roller coaster. It begins on a high note, following the victorious era of Joshua, where the Israelites, challenged by Joshua himself, declared their unwavering commitment to serve the Lord and obey His Word  (Joshua 24:15,24). However, this period of triumph quickly gave way to a stark decline.

The Peril of Compromise: Flagging Leadership and False Gods

Soon after Joshua, Israel began to fall away, turning to the gods of the land and proving unfaithful. God, in turn, allowed them to fall into the hands of their enemies as a lesson. While God would raise up deliverers (judges) when they cried out, leading to temporary periods of revival, the overall trajectory of their spiritual life was one of gradual decline. Even their "ups" became progressively lower. The life of Samson, the last judge mentioned in Judges, epitomizes this compromise, showing a life "through and through compromised" and not committed to God.

The core reason for this moral and spiritual freefall is repeatedly highlighted in the Book of Judges: "In those days, there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 17:6, 18:1, 19:1, 21:25) . This wasn't merely a political statement; it revealed a critical spiritual vacuum. When godly leadership lacks, spiritual decline becomes imminent. This principle applies not only to nations but also to our individual lives, families, and churches today.

Instead of trusting the Lord who had redeemed them from Egypt, the Israelites turned to Canaanite deities:

• Baal: They worshipped Baal, the god of atmosphere, believing he would provide good weather, crops, and food. This was a direct abandonment of God's promise to provide for them in a land that depended on Him for rain.
• Ashera: They also worshipped Ashera, the goddess of fertility, seeking increased population and children from her rather than depending on God to multiply them.

Gideon: A Man in Hiding, A Heart for God

In such desperate times, God intervened. After sending a prophet whom the people ignored, God sent His angel to a specific man: Gideon, son of Joash. Gideon was found hiding in a winepress, secretly preparing food to avoid Medianite oppressors. Unlike the rest of the nation, who couldn't hear or obey God's voice, Gideon, even in his hiding, was able to hear and respond.

When the angel told him to go and save Israel, Gideon responded with humility and fear, asking, "Who am I?". But God gave him a promise: "I will be with you" (Judges 6:16).

God gave Gideon a critical task: to pull down his father's altar to Baal and the Asherah pole beside it, and to build an altar for the Lord, offering the best bull. Gideon obeyed this command, but significantly, he did it at night, taking ten servants, because he was afraid of his family and the townspeople (vs. 27). 

This act reveals a powerful lesson: Even when facing opposition or fear, if we possess the zeal and willingness to obey the Lord, we will find a way to do it. Gideon's secret obedience, driven by a desire to follow God's Word, allowed him to fulfill the command despite his apprehension (fear & doubts).

The next morning, the townspeople discovered the destroyed altar and demanded Gideon's death. His father, Joash, confronted them with a courageous response: "Will you contend for Baal? Will you save him? Whoever contends for him shall be put to death by warning? Who is a God that he cannot content for himself? Because he saw nothing. He has been broken down." . The lecture suggests that these bold words, and the subsequent naming of Gideon as Jerubbaal (meaning "let Baal contend against himself"), likely came from Gideon's own mouth, demonstrating his newfound courage to stand for the Lord, even challenging his own father's prior compromise. Despite his father's previous desire to please others by maintaining the idols, Gideon, who previously lacked the courage to directly confront his father, now possessed the courage to obey God's voice, even if it meant doing so in secret or at night.

God Sees the Heart: The Bruised Reed and Faintly Burning Wick

Gideon's story culminates in a profound truth about God's nature, beautifully captured in Isaiah 42:3, a verse also quoted in Matthew's Gospel chapter 12:

"A bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice."

This passage illustrates that God does not completely break what is already bruised but rather binds it, encouraging it to burn brighter. It means that even a "little bit" of burning, a "little bit" of obedience, or a "little bit" of faith is enough for God to use. Just as five loaves and two fish were sufficient to feed five thousand people, God desires to use the seemingly small things we possess to bless others.

God looks beyond outward appearances. He sees what is within us, even when we are in hiding. As Jesus taught in Matthew's Gospel chapter 6, "your Father who sees in secret" is intimately aware of our lives. God saw David, a shepherd boy, and knew his heart to be "a man after his own heart," eventually bringing him forth.

People may not recognize or appreciate our efforts, but if we possess even a "little bit of zeal for God, God is seeing that. He wants to use you and me.".