Friday, October 12, 2007

By Faith... the Judges, Part 1 of 62

TEXT: "And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets" (Hebrews 11:32).

IDEA: The writer of the letter to the Hebrews names four characters from the book of Judges who are noted for nothing other than their faith.

PURPOSE: To help listeners see the danger of drawing moral lessons from the mistakes of these people.

Do you think that it’s a good idea for people to read and study the Bible?

Do you think there is a danger as well as a benefit when you read and study the Bible?

I. One danger is reading about the characters in the Bible, making them examples for conduct today.

The Bible is a revelation about God. That is why He has given it.

It is not given for examples of how to be a courageous person or to lead a good life or even how to discover God’s will.

II. Gideon is often misused as an example of the wrong thing.

The writer of Hebrews mentions him for his faith. In all the muddled things he did, he took God seriously. It was at best an imperfect faith, but God thought it was enough to include him in Hebrews 11.

If people have heard of Gideon at all, what lesson do they extract from this story that could lead them astray?

Gideon put out a fleece to assure himself that what God had already said, God meant.

That’s the wrong lesson and people who base their conduct on that lesson can be led astray.