Judges 6:17-Gideon replied, "If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me.A request for a sign from God is a sign of doubt. It is like a contract signed by two parties, co-signed by witnesses and , on top of everything else, certified by the registrars-all a sign that the parties distrust each other.
Neither the appearance of the Angel of the Lord nor his conversation with Him convinced Gideon that the human-like figure was One sent by God.On the other hand, we cannot condemn him for this weakness-after all, he lacked the anointing of the Holy Spirit and was under extreme oppression from his enemies. Added to this was the idolatry that prevailed even inside his own house...His father was a follower of Baal and Asherah. In any event, his request was not taken as an insult by God, considering the positive reply it received. But under what conditions did the sign take place?
"Do not depart from here, I pray, until I come to You and bring out my offering and set it before You. And He said, 'I will wait until you come back" (Judges 6:18).
Gideon wanted more, much more than words! He wanted to have the most absolute assurance of the Divine Authority in that Person with whom he was talking, and one way of confirming this was by presenting his offering. If that Person really had come from God, then his offering would serve as fuel for the fire of God!
Fire is the result of the combustion, the simultaneous creation of heat and light. It is often used in the Bible as a symbol of the presence of God, as His presence burns the impure and enlightens the paths of the pure. Fire is a sign of God’s physical presence before men. In the covenant made with Abraham, God passed between the parts of the animals in the form of a blazing touch; the fire that came down upon Sodom and Gomorrah; the fire in God’s appearance to Moses, through the burning bush; the fire that consumed Nadab and Abihu; the fire in the consecration of the Temple; the fire that came down from heaven to consume the offering of the prophet Elijah etc.
Gideon knew that only the true God would manifest Himself through the fire. Hence why he pleaded with the Angel of the Lord for Him not to go away until he brought his offering. In spite of the economic situation in Israel in those days, Gideon still prepared a young goat and unleavened bread. This was a type of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus: in the animal, the blood, and in the unleavened bread, the body of God.
When the Bible mentions unleavened bread it is speaking of bread without yeast. This means purity in the offering, since the purpose of yeast is to increase volume and appearance of the Bread. In the law of offerings the use of yeast was prohibited. God demands purity in the offerings, that they be free of yeast, free from hypocrisy.
Gideon came back with his offerings prepared and presented them to the Lord. The goat had been cooked and placed in a basket with the unleavened bread, and the broth was in a pot, which he presented to the Lord. But the Lord told him to put the meat and the bread on a rock and to pour the broth on it.
The rock symbolised the Altar of burnt sacrifice, the Capstone, the Lord Jesus….Putting out the end of His rod, the Angel touched the offering and fire rose out of the rock, from the altar- not from heaven, and consumed the offering!In other words, when we present an offering of sacrifice to God on the altar, fire rises out as a sign that confirms God’s acceptance of our offering. The offering represents the person’s entire life. That’s why it is called offering of sacrifice, because it represents the giver’s own life. The fire of God rises out of the altar and goes straight into the heart of the giver! This fire or sign of God, is the absolute assurance, the supernatural faith, the conviction that the Lord accepts the offering and confirms the fulfilment of His promise to the giver.
If the offering is impure, if it contains yeast, the fire of the altar does not consume it because God does not accept impure offerings, and the giver comes down from the altar with no sign from God. This means that his offering was in vain.
May your offering of sacrifice from hence forth (Romans 12:1-Therefore I urge you brothers in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- This is your spiritual act of worship) be accepted by God with a sign of fire that comes from above (John 20:22)!!! And remember that until some sweet aroma leaves the earth, nothing will descend from Heaven!!
Comments from you: What verses or insights stand out to you in this reading? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!
God bless
Enim
"Do not depart from here, I pray, until I come to You and bring out my offering and set it before You. And He said, 'I will wait until you come back" (Judges 6:18).
Gideon wanted more, much more than words! He wanted to have the most absolute assurance of the Divine Authority in that Person with whom he was talking, and one way of confirming this was by presenting his offering. If that Person really had come from God, then his offering would serve as fuel for the fire of God!
Fire is the result of the combustion, the simultaneous creation of heat and light. It is often used in the Bible as a symbol of the presence of God, as His presence burns the impure and enlightens the paths of the pure. Fire is a sign of God’s physical presence before men. In the covenant made with Abraham, God passed between the parts of the animals in the form of a blazing touch; the fire that came down upon Sodom and Gomorrah; the fire in God’s appearance to Moses, through the burning bush; the fire that consumed Nadab and Abihu; the fire in the consecration of the Temple; the fire that came down from heaven to consume the offering of the prophet Elijah etc.
Gideon knew that only the true God would manifest Himself through the fire. Hence why he pleaded with the Angel of the Lord for Him not to go away until he brought his offering. In spite of the economic situation in Israel in those days, Gideon still prepared a young goat and unleavened bread. This was a type of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus: in the animal, the blood, and in the unleavened bread, the body of God.
When the Bible mentions unleavened bread it is speaking of bread without yeast. This means purity in the offering, since the purpose of yeast is to increase volume and appearance of the Bread. In the law of offerings the use of yeast was prohibited. God demands purity in the offerings, that they be free of yeast, free from hypocrisy.
Gideon came back with his offerings prepared and presented them to the Lord. The goat had been cooked and placed in a basket with the unleavened bread, and the broth was in a pot, which he presented to the Lord. But the Lord told him to put the meat and the bread on a rock and to pour the broth on it.
The rock symbolised the Altar of burnt sacrifice, the Capstone, the Lord Jesus….Putting out the end of His rod, the Angel touched the offering and fire rose out of the rock, from the altar- not from heaven, and consumed the offering!In other words, when we present an offering of sacrifice to God on the altar, fire rises out as a sign that confirms God’s acceptance of our offering. The offering represents the person’s entire life. That’s why it is called offering of sacrifice, because it represents the giver’s own life. The fire of God rises out of the altar and goes straight into the heart of the giver! This fire or sign of God, is the absolute assurance, the supernatural faith, the conviction that the Lord accepts the offering and confirms the fulfilment of His promise to the giver.
If the offering is impure, if it contains yeast, the fire of the altar does not consume it because God does not accept impure offerings, and the giver comes down from the altar with no sign from God. This means that his offering was in vain.
May your offering of sacrifice from hence forth (Romans 12:1-Therefore I urge you brothers in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God- This is your spiritual act of worship) be accepted by God with a sign of fire that comes from above (John 20:22)!!! And remember that until some sweet aroma leaves the earth, nothing will descend from Heaven!!
Comments from you: What verses or insights stand out to you in this reading? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!
God bless
Enim
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