神在哪裏？
士師記六章11至24節
11耶和華的使者到了俄弗拉，坐在亞比以謝族人約阿施的橡樹下。約阿施的兒子基甸正在酒醡那裡打麥子，為要防備米甸人。
12耶和華的使者向基甸顯現，對他說：“大能的勇士啊，耶和華與你同在！”
13基甸說：“主啊，耶和華若與我們同在，我們何至遭遇這一切事呢？我們的列祖不是向我們說‘耶和華領我們從埃及上來’嗎？他那樣奇妙的作為在哪裡呢？現在他卻丟棄我們，將我們交在米甸人手裡。”
14耶和華觀看基甸說：“你靠著你這能力去從米甸人手裡拯救以色列人，不是我差遣你去的嗎？”
15基甸說：“主啊，我有何能拯救以色列人呢？我家在瑪拿西支派中是至貧窮的，我在我父家是至微小的。”
16耶和華對他說：“我與你同在，你就必擊打米甸人，如擊打一人一樣。”
17基甸說：“我若在你眼前蒙恩，求你給我一個證據，使我知道與我說話的就是主。
18求你不要離開這裡，等我歸回，將禮物帶來供在你面前。”主說：“我必等你回來。”
19基甸去預備了一隻山羊羔，用一伊法細麵做了無酵餅，將肉放在筐內，把湯盛在壺中，帶到橡樹下，獻在使者面前。
20神的使者吩咐基甸說：“將肉和無酵餅放在這磐石上，把湯倒出來。”他就這樣行了。
21耶和華的使者伸出手內的杖，杖頭挨了肉和無酵餅，就有火從磐石中出來，燒盡了肉和無酵餅。耶和華的使者也就不見了。
22基甸見他是耶和華的使者，就說：“哀哉！主耶和華啊，我不好了，因為我覿面看見耶和華的使者。”
23耶和華對他說：“你放心，不要懼怕，你必不至死！”
24於是，基甸在那裡為耶和華築了一座壇，起名叫“耶和華沙龍”（註：就是“耶和華賜平安”的意思）。這壇在亞比以謝族的俄弗拉，直到如今。
信息分享
第1節告訴我們：「以色列人又行耶和華眼中看為惡的事。」他們在敵人手中經歷了七年的壓迫，才懂得呼求神的幫助（6節）。
以色列的神立即回應他們的呼求（7-10節）。祂首先派一個隱名的先知，再派一名天使向以色列民說話。天使與基甸之間的對話十分有趣。那名天使顯然是神自己向他的民顯現。
天使首先對基甸說：「大能的勇士啊，耶和華與你同在。」
基甸回答說：「你說耶和華與我們同在，但我看不見祂為我們做甚麼啊！祂不是能夠行神蹟的嗎？怎麼現在不行呢？」
你曾講過這樣的話嗎？或聽人說過：「不要在我面前談論神了！如果有神，幹嘛不在我們面前行神蹟？」聽來很耳熟，不是嗎？
天使沒有直接回答基甸的問題，但他重申神與他同在，並將一項從神而來的任務交給他。
但基甸卻反問道：「我怎能辦得到呢？（15節）我是家中最小的。」昔日神在燃燒的荊棘叢中向摩西顯現，將任務交託給他，他也是連番推卻；此刻，基甸也是一樣。不過，基甸的推卻主要是因為自卑，而並非不願意。基督徒要事奉神，首要的條件卻是要自覺軟弱。
主回答說：「基甸，你無須倚靠你的力量或才幹。我必與你同在。我的能力必在你身上顯明。我們要一起作成此事。」
神是否呼召你去作一項特殊的任務或某項事奉呢？請再讀第16節。將你的名字寫上去。這是神給你的應許，看看神怎樣為你成就吧。
GIDEON - WHERE IS GOD WHEN WE NEED HIM?
Judges 6:11-24
11 Now the Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites.
12 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, “The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!”
13 Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.”
14 Then the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”
15 So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”
16 And the LORD said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”
17 Then he said to Him, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who talk with me.
18 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.”
19 So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat, and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot; and he brought them out to Him under the terebinth tree and presented them.
20 The Angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And he did so.
21 Then the Angel of the LORD put out the end of the staff that was in His hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the Angel of the LORD departed out of his sight.
22 Now Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the LORD. So Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord GOD! For I have seen the Angel of the LORD face to face.”
23 Then the LORD said to him, “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.”
24 So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD-Is-Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
Message
Wasn't Israel his own particular nation?
The first verse tells us: 'The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord'. It took seven long years of oppression before they cried out to the Lord for help (v.6).
Israel's God answered immediately (verses 7-10) first through an unnamed prophet and then through an Angel. The conversation between the Angel and Gideon is very interesting. It is obvious that this Angel was none other than the Lord himself in visible form.This is called a 'Theophany'.
The Angel spoke first: 'The Lord is with you, mighty warrior'.
Gideon replied: 'You say the Lord is with us. I can't see anything he has done for us. Where are all those miracles he is supposed to be able to do?'
Have you ever spoken like that? Have you ever heard someone say: 'Don't talk to me about God'? Sounds familiar doesn't it?
The Angel didn't exactly answer Gideon's questions. But he assured Gideon of God's presence with him and gave Gideon a special task for the Lord.
But again Gideon questioned: 'How can I do anything? (v.15). I am the least in my family.' Like Moses at the burning bush, Gideon hesitated in the face of the task God was giving him to do. His words came however more from humility than from unwillingness. Conscious weakness is a great qualification for Christian service.
The Lord replied: 'It doesn't depend on your strength Gideon or your ability. I will be with you. It will be my strength being shown through you. We will do it together'.
Has God called you to a special task or any type of service for him? Read v.16 again. Put your name in it. Claim the promise of it and watch what God will do.