Seeking God's Will in the Old Covenant

(part two in a series on God’s will)

Is there anyone here today that does not know the story of Gideon in Judges 6?

What is it about this account that draws the most interest?

The notorious fleece – Gideon’s fleece.

I still see the pictures from my Sunday school lessons that showed Gideon ringing water out of the fleece into a bowl. Thus, as a young person I used to set a coffee can out and pray, “Lord if you want me to be a missionary, would you put water in the can?” There was a time (I suppose I was 12 or 13) where I would look into that can quite often waiting to see if God wanted me to be a missionary.

What do you think, Mr. Missionary Paul Healy – good plan or bad plan? Bad plan – thank you.

The seeking of God’s will is not new to the NT or New Covenant believers.

Look at what I found in Exodus 18:15.

EX 18:15 Moses answered him, "Because the people come to me to seek God's will. 16 Whenever they have a dispute, it is brought to me, and I decide between the parties and inform them of God's decrees and laws."

seek will (darash)

God's ( 'elohim)

seek will (darash)

Notice:

No OT prophets of Israel had written yet.

There was no wisdom of Solomon – Proverbs or Ecclesiastes had been given yet (Proverbs 3:5-6).

The Psalms of David had not been sung or recorded – “Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (Psalm 119:105).

Samuel and Saul were yet to come.

The strange and strained times of the book of Judges when “everyone did that which was right in their own eyes” (Gideon, Jephthah, Deborah and her side kick Barak, and of course our all time favorite the long-haired righteous reprobate Samson).

The walls of Jericho have not fallen (God’s direct instruction on what to do).

Joshua has not began to lead.

The conquest of the promised land has not taken place yet.

The wilderness wanderings have not begun.

The 12 spies were not sent out (10 were bad and 2 were good – lets hear it for Joshua and Caleb!).

The rebellion at Kadesh-Barnea hadn’t happened (Number 13 & 14).

The law had not been given to Moses yet.

The notorious “Ten Commandments” were not yet carved in stone – we are getting close; that is Exodus 20.

The important old covenant (as we properly call it; it was quite new to them) was about to be offered and agreed upon in Exodus 19 and 24.

Before all of this – comes what we read in Exodus 18:15.

That is what we call trying to set a passage in its context. Not just the context of the chapter and book that it is in, but the context of all of what we have been given in Scripture.

Does this make a difference?

seek will (darash)

God's ( 'elohim)

seek will (darash)

Everyone who knows God always wants to know what He is doing and what He wants done.

People seeking God’s will before there was written inspired Scripture.

I am so accustomed to seeking God’s will in His Word (which is what we are privileged to do), that is makes me feel strange to try to think like an OT believer in Exodus 18.

It makes me feel half dressed; if you know what I mean. I used to have this dream when we lived in Bagley that it was time for me to preach and I was in the back of the church and I didn’t have a shirt on.

Seeking God’s will apart from this Inspired Word should feel strange for NT born again believers.

I have once again gone on a search concerning this important question: What is God’s Will?

After dipping my bucket in the well of God’s Will – I immediately found 58 passages to look at in the NT. All of which should be studied in their context and mediated upon. That’s just one quick dip.

But something else that caught my interest came up in that bucket too – it was Exodus 18.

All I was trying to do was find every passage of Scripture where we read the words, “God’s Will”.

This is the only OT passage the NIV translates with these words.

OT people were seeking God’s will.

NT people are seeking God’s will.

What a coincidence.

Everyone from all the different eras of history has people who seek the Living God and they want to know His Will.

That is beautiful.

What is God’s will for Warroad Baptist Church?

What is God’s will for Children’s Shelter of Cebu?

What is God’s will for you life?

You haven’t stopped asking this have you?

We will fill our part in NT Church history by being those who seek this – won’t we?

God’s will is sweet – but the working out of it in my life brings quite a variety of experiences (Matthew 6:10 – “Thy will be done”).

My will is strong and must be conformed to God’s will (Romans 12:1-2 – living sacrifice).

My strong will becomes God’s will through taking up crosses and drinking deep cups – there is no other way (Luke 22:39-46).