How we can overthink God! – Judges 6:11-17
How we can overthink God! – Judges 6:11-17
By Pastor Lee Hemen
January 5, 2020
Amy Morin on the Inc.com website writes that “Whether you beat yourself up for a mistake you made last week, or you fret about how you’re going to succeed tomorrow, overthinking everything can be debilitating. Your inability to get out of your head will leave you in a constant state of anguish. Of course, everyone overthinks a situation occasionally. But if you’re a true overthinker, you’ll struggle to quiet the constant barrage of thoughts. Overthinking is more than just a nuisance--studies show thinking too much can take a serious toll on your well-being.” Not to mention your spiritual well-being.
Sadly, Christians can try and overthink God and then suffer the consequences of doing so. And Scripture is filled with folks who tried to overthink God. One such person was Gideon. It is here in today’s verses that we discover how Gideon gives us an example of what happens when God’s people overthink God. Let’s discover how we can overthink God…
READ: Judges 6:11-17
Overthinking can drag you down. I knew a young man who was so caught up in overthinking his life in Christ he had a hard time deciding what to do whether it was where he should eat, what he should wear, or if he should spend money to go on a retreat when there were “starving people in the world”. It paralyzed him for any kind of ministry not to mention his entire life. We discover that…
I. We overthink God when we do not listen to him! (Vv. 11-13)
The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.” “But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.”
1. What would you do if God sent you one of his messengers? Now before you answer to hastily you should consider how many responded in the Scriptures. From Balaam to Mary we find God sending his angels to tell folks what he is going to do and some believe and some do not. Gideon is one of the latter who doubts. We discover that “The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.” Do not fail to notice what is happening here. Gideon and his family live in territory that is overrun with Midianites, the pirates or marauding thugs of his day and age. And we find our “hero” Gideon hiding in a wine press threshing his wheat in secret so as to keep it from the Midianites! “When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, ‘The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.’” The irony should not be lost on you. Gideon is focused on his task at hand, trying his mightiest to hide from the Midianites when God’s angel shows up! Notice that he calls Gideon a “mighty warrior”. I can imagine Gideon looking around and wondering “Who in the world is this guy talking to?”! Certainly not a frightened man hiding in a hole in the ground and it is right here that Gideon begins to overthink God. “But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.” God knows what he is doing and who he will do it through, but Gideon doesn’t and Gideon overthinks the situation. In fact it seems as if he is questioning not only the messenger’s message but if God truly understood the situation! Gideon was so busy hiding and making excuses as to why it could not be God that he over thought God! We overthink God when we do not listen to him!
EXAMPLE: As our church begins to formulate a strategy to find another pastor we can fall into the trap of overthinking God in the process. We can have a fantastic functioning Search Team and a congregation that is in prayer but if we get caught up in overthinking God in the process we will make poor choices as individuals serving on the Search Team or as a congregation. We want to make sure we are sensitive to God being at work, the history of our church, and the future God desires for us. It depends upon how well we are willing to listen to God because we can overthink God when we do not listen to him!
Overanalyzing everything interferes with problem-solving. It will cause you to dwell on the problem rather than look for solutions. Here we discover that God had provided everything Gideon needed but Gideon did not listen. We learn that…
II. We overthink God when we do not trust him to provide! (Vv. 14-15)
The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” “But Lord,” Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
1. God is often more patient than we deserve. There are times I know in my own life that I am sure God has just rolled his eyes, shaken his head and wondered if I will ever get it. I believe that with Gideon this was such a time. Here the angelic messenger has a special pronouncement and tells Gideon that God sees him as more than he sees himself. And like we often do Gideon just can’t quite seem to wrap his mind around the notion that God is going to use him for his purposes. “The LORD turned to him and said, ‘Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand.’” Now I believe the angel could tell that Gideon still wasn’t totally grasping the situation and this is why he tells Gideon to “Go in the strength you have”. That strength wasn’t what Gideon could muster, it was the strength he had in God alone! When God is for you, who can be against you? It would be God using Gideon that would “save Israel out of Midian’s hand”. It is here I believe Gideon’s mouth dropped open in disbelief so the angel declares, “Am I not sending you?” The meaning is clear that it was God who was doing the sending and it is not lost on the incredulous young man, “But Lord,” Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel?” And of course he couldn’t but God could! God had everything already planned out and he would provide everything Gideon needed. Not even the rather lame excuse of frail Gideon could deter the Lord when he kind of mumbles back, “How can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” Isn’t that always our human reasoning? How can you do it God because I am such a doofus? Yet in doing so we forget that God already knows the outcome before we do. We often worry about things we have absolutely no control over whatsoever. We overthink God when we do not trust him to provide!
EXAMPLE: The mantra our church should take on as we are looking for a new pastor is: “No matter how I feel, God is in control and I will trust God!” Our personal planning, our frustrated worrying, or our thinking if we just wait little bit longer and pick the most perfect person for our pastor we will be blessed forgets the fact that God is in control! God was in control when he chose your current pastor, he will be in control no matter how much we try to outthink the situation, and he will be in control as we choose our future pastor. Trust God! We can overthink God when we do not trust him to provide!
We often forget that God never leaves us nor forsakes us. God does not leave us as orphans to problem solve for ourselves. The conflict comes because we have not taken the time to establish a personal relationship with him! Here we discover that…
III. We overthink God when we continually question his ability! (Vv. 16-17)
The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.” Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me.”
1. God is never deterred in what he purposes to do and he was not with Gideon either. Rather than listen to Gideon fairly lame excuses, God continues on with his plan. In fact he kind of ignores Gideon. I am so glad God works this way because if he often waited for us to get on board we would be in a huge pickle by now! Covered in wheat chaff and hiding in a hole in the ground displaying disbelief on his face and in his words, God responds to Gideon by promising him, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.” Just as Moses and Joshua stood before the Hebrew nation and reminded the Israelite nation of the promise of God when he declared to them to “‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.’ Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, ‘Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their forefathers to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. (Deuteronomy 31:6-8 NIV)’” Just as God had been with Moses and Joshua so he was with Gideon, and now with us! Gideon finally begins to realize the truth of the situation. “Gideon replied, ‘If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me.’” And of course God does give him several signs just as he does us! We have the sign of the cross of Christ, the sign of the empty tomb, and the sign of the presence and power of God in us through his Spirit! Like Gideon did we can overthink God when we continually question his ability!
EXAMPLE: We as human beings can get caught up in the “What If Game”. What if this happens, what if we choose incorrectly, what if we do not find the best pastor we can? While David isn’t always the perfect example to follow he is when it concerns following the Lord and not outthinking him. He remained steadfast in the face of a madman King who desired to murder him. He trusted God to follow through on his promises. David knew he could and sings, “But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, ‘You are my God.’ (Psalms 31:14 NIV)” And later he would declare, “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD. (Psalms 31:24 NIV)” We overthink God when we continually question his ability!
Conclusion:
We overthink God when we do not listen to him! We overthink God when we do not trust him to provide! We overthink God when we continually question his ability!
---
This article is copyrighted © 2020 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
By Pastor Lee Hemen
January 5, 2020
Amy Morin on the Inc.com website writes that “Whether you beat yourself up for a mistake you made last week, or you fret about how you’re going to succeed tomorrow, overthinking everything can be debilitating. Your inability to get out of your head will leave you in a constant state of anguish. Of course, everyone overthinks a situation occasionally. But if you’re a true overthinker, you’ll struggle to quiet the constant barrage of thoughts. Overthinking is more than just a nuisance--studies show thinking too much can take a serious toll on your well-being.” Not to mention your spiritual well-being.
Sadly, Christians can try and overthink God and then suffer the consequences of doing so. And Scripture is filled with folks who tried to overthink God. One such person was Gideon. It is here in today’s verses that we discover how Gideon gives us an example of what happens when God’s people overthink God. Let’s discover how we can overthink God…
READ: Judges 6:11-17
Overthinking can drag you down. I knew a young man who was so caught up in overthinking his life in Christ he had a hard time deciding what to do whether it was where he should eat, what he should wear, or if he should spend money to go on a retreat when there were “starving people in the world”. It paralyzed him for any kind of ministry not to mention his entire life. We discover that…
I. We overthink God when we do not listen to him! (Vv. 11-13)
The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.” “But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.”
1. What would you do if God sent you one of his messengers? Now before you answer to hastily you should consider how many responded in the Scriptures. From Balaam to Mary we find God sending his angels to tell folks what he is going to do and some believe and some do not. Gideon is one of the latter who doubts. We discover that “The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.” Do not fail to notice what is happening here. Gideon and his family live in territory that is overrun with Midianites, the pirates or marauding thugs of his day and age. And we find our “hero” Gideon hiding in a wine press threshing his wheat in secret so as to keep it from the Midianites! “When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, ‘The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.’” The irony should not be lost on you. Gideon is focused on his task at hand, trying his mightiest to hide from the Midianites when God’s angel shows up! Notice that he calls Gideon a “mighty warrior”. I can imagine Gideon looking around and wondering “Who in the world is this guy talking to?”! Certainly not a frightened man hiding in a hole in the ground and it is right here that Gideon begins to overthink God. “But sir,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian.” God knows what he is doing and who he will do it through, but Gideon doesn’t and Gideon overthinks the situation. In fact it seems as if he is questioning not only the messenger’s message but if God truly understood the situation! Gideon was so busy hiding and making excuses as to why it could not be God that he over thought God! We overthink God when we do not listen to him!
EXAMPLE: As our church begins to formulate a strategy to find another pastor we can fall into the trap of overthinking God in the process. We can have a fantastic functioning Search Team and a congregation that is in prayer but if we get caught up in overthinking God in the process we will make poor choices as individuals serving on the Search Team or as a congregation. We want to make sure we are sensitive to God being at work, the history of our church, and the future God desires for us. It depends upon how well we are willing to listen to God because we can overthink God when we do not listen to him!
Overanalyzing everything interferes with problem-solving. It will cause you to dwell on the problem rather than look for solutions. Here we discover that God had provided everything Gideon needed but Gideon did not listen. We learn that…
II. We overthink God when we do not trust him to provide! (Vv. 14-15)
The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” “But Lord,” Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
1. God is often more patient than we deserve. There are times I know in my own life that I am sure God has just rolled his eyes, shaken his head and wondered if I will ever get it. I believe that with Gideon this was such a time. Here the angelic messenger has a special pronouncement and tells Gideon that God sees him as more than he sees himself. And like we often do Gideon just can’t quite seem to wrap his mind around the notion that God is going to use him for his purposes. “The LORD turned to him and said, ‘Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand.’” Now I believe the angel could tell that Gideon still wasn’t totally grasping the situation and this is why he tells Gideon to “Go in the strength you have”. That strength wasn’t what Gideon could muster, it was the strength he had in God alone! When God is for you, who can be against you? It would be God using Gideon that would “save Israel out of Midian’s hand”. It is here I believe Gideon’s mouth dropped open in disbelief so the angel declares, “Am I not sending you?” The meaning is clear that it was God who was doing the sending and it is not lost on the incredulous young man, “But Lord,” Gideon asked, “how can I save Israel?” And of course he couldn’t but God could! God had everything already planned out and he would provide everything Gideon needed. Not even the rather lame excuse of frail Gideon could deter the Lord when he kind of mumbles back, “How can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” Isn’t that always our human reasoning? How can you do it God because I am such a doofus? Yet in doing so we forget that God already knows the outcome before we do. We often worry about things we have absolutely no control over whatsoever. We overthink God when we do not trust him to provide!
EXAMPLE: The mantra our church should take on as we are looking for a new pastor is: “No matter how I feel, God is in control and I will trust God!” Our personal planning, our frustrated worrying, or our thinking if we just wait little bit longer and pick the most perfect person for our pastor we will be blessed forgets the fact that God is in control! God was in control when he chose your current pastor, he will be in control no matter how much we try to outthink the situation, and he will be in control as we choose our future pastor. Trust God! We can overthink God when we do not trust him to provide!
We often forget that God never leaves us nor forsakes us. God does not leave us as orphans to problem solve for ourselves. The conflict comes because we have not taken the time to establish a personal relationship with him! Here we discover that…
III. We overthink God when we continually question his ability! (Vv. 16-17)
The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.” Gideon replied, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me.”
1. God is never deterred in what he purposes to do and he was not with Gideon either. Rather than listen to Gideon fairly lame excuses, God continues on with his plan. In fact he kind of ignores Gideon. I am so glad God works this way because if he often waited for us to get on board we would be in a huge pickle by now! Covered in wheat chaff and hiding in a hole in the ground displaying disbelief on his face and in his words, God responds to Gideon by promising him, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together.” Just as Moses and Joshua stood before the Hebrew nation and reminded the Israelite nation of the promise of God when he declared to them to “‘Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.’ Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, ‘Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the LORD swore to their forefathers to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. (Deuteronomy 31:6-8 NIV)’” Just as God had been with Moses and Joshua so he was with Gideon, and now with us! Gideon finally begins to realize the truth of the situation. “Gideon replied, ‘If now I have found favor in your eyes, give me a sign that it is really you talking to me.’” And of course God does give him several signs just as he does us! We have the sign of the cross of Christ, the sign of the empty tomb, and the sign of the presence and power of God in us through his Spirit! Like Gideon did we can overthink God when we continually question his ability!
EXAMPLE: We as human beings can get caught up in the “What If Game”. What if this happens, what if we choose incorrectly, what if we do not find the best pastor we can? While David isn’t always the perfect example to follow he is when it concerns following the Lord and not outthinking him. He remained steadfast in the face of a madman King who desired to murder him. He trusted God to follow through on his promises. David knew he could and sings, “But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, ‘You are my God.’ (Psalms 31:14 NIV)” And later he would declare, “Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD. (Psalms 31:24 NIV)” We overthink God when we continually question his ability!
Conclusion:
We overthink God when we do not listen to him! We overthink God when we do not trust him to provide! We overthink God when we continually question his ability!
---
This article is copyrighted © 2020 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
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