First the recap from last week.- Joshua had died and there was a new leadership structure of Judges
- The Mission to fully drive out the heathen nations was incomplete although this was planned by the Lord.
Judges 3:4
“Or what king would ever dream of going to war without first sitting down with his counselors and discussing whether his army of 10,000 is strong enough to defeat the 20,000 men who are marching against him? “If the decision is negative, then while the enemy troops are still far away, he will send a truce team to discuss terms of peace. So no one can become my disciple unless he first sits down and counts his blessings—and then renounces them all for me.
Luke 14:31-33
Gideon got together an army of 32,000 men, some considerable organisation and a big achievement on his part. Remember he is from the poorest tribe and is the least thought of in his family. Remember he was terrified by what he’d seen the Angel of the Lord do to the goat and bread offering 😊 Isn’t it amazing how the fear of the Lord can motivate you. Something else had shifted though. Gideon had gained a reputation from destroying the family altar to Baal. The Nobody suddenly caught everyone’s attention. God used the perceived courage of one lone man to challenged the men of Israel. Big doors swing on little hinges.
Knowing his pessimistic view of reality, Gideon may have reasoned his chances were about 25% since there were 32,000 up against 135,000 Midianites. Help me Lord, I need more troops ! This looks very familiar. We look at what the Lord is asking us to do and we pray, Lord I need more finances. I’ve managed to scrape together about 1/4 of the target and I don’t dare ask my parents again. Ok Lord, it’s Vegas or bust just don’t zap me like that meat.
Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon—his other name) and his army got an early start and went as far as the spring of Harod. The armies of Midian were camped north of them, down in the valley beside the hill of Moreh. The Lord then said to Gideon, “There are too many of you! I can’t let all of you fight the Midianites, for then the people of Israel will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength!
Judges 7:1-2
The Spring of Harod is in the Jezreel Valley not that far from Megiddo where the Battle of Armageddon will be so pay attention for it’s future implication. I’m sure Glenn would like me to add that it’s not too far from Mt Tabor either which we shall discuss next time.
If you remember, Gideon’s nickname Jerubbaal means "Let Baal take care of himself", which is a mockery of Baal who is stone dead 😂. But the true Lord our God is alive and doesn’t need any help! There isn’t anything of value that we can bring to the Lord’s Mission other than our faith and obedience. He’s the one who’s going to do it, all we really need is to believe him and act on his instructions. I had to pause after I re-read my own words because that is easy to say but does that mean all that we do, our service, our prayers, our projects don’t amount to anything ? No it is not saying that. It’s not that we should do nothing and just wait on the Lord. It’s saying that we need to stay humble. We need to realise that for all our efforts, finally the Lord can hit the reset button so don’t become set on our agendas. Keith Green sang ;
"You just keep doing your best, pray that it's blessed and Jesus takes care of the rest".
Jesus put it this way;
“Yes, I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in me and I in him shall produce a large crop of fruit. For apart from me you can’t do a thing.
John 15:5
Gideon had made some effort to put together an army, now the Lord was going to take almost all of it away in order to win the battle the Lord’s Way. It could have been a little galling for Gideon. It’s as if the Lord is saying, that’s nice Gideon but I don’t need it. That can be a little offensive to our ears. We are not the star of the show. Build a Church as beautiful as the Notre Dame if you like but only the Lord can fill it. He may decide on a tent as he did in the Wilderness for 40 years, when we’re thinking Cathedral.
We can start by humbling ourselves. There is nothing we can do to contribute to ours or anyone else’s salvation. Not a thing.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9
So now the Lord goes about pruning back all of Gideon’s work.
Send home any of your men who are timid and frightened.” So twenty-two thousand of them left, and only ten thousand remained who were willing to fight.
Judges 7:3
Just like that, two thirds of the army depart. When our work comes under scrutiny it may not be up to much. Sure we have an impressive looking house but are the foundations any good, what about the workmanship ? Those apartments at Sacramento in Botany looked pretty good when they were first built at the turn of the Millenium. We thought about buying one as an investment property. But they may as well have been made of cardboard the first winter when they started leaking water through the walls. Sacramento owners' lawyer Paul Grimshaw said at the time a third of the complex was so rotten that demolition was the only option - "It's beyond repair."
Paul said something similar to the Corinthian Church which looked impressive from the outside but was already rotting.
God, in his kindness, has taught me how to be an expert builder. I have laid the foundation and Apollos has built on it. But he who builds on the foundation must be very careful. And no one can ever lay any other real foundation than that one we already have—Jesus Christ. But there are various kinds of materials that can be used to build on that foundation. Some use gold and silver and jewels; and some build with sticks and hay or even straw!
1 Corinthians 3:10-12
The foundations were right, the Church had been built on the Gospel, the message of the Cross. But beyond that there had been some building shortcuts. Paul sounds pretty scathing about Apollos’s work. He continues...
There is going to come a time of testing at Christ’s Judgment Day to see what kind of material each builder has used. Everyone’s work will be put through the fire so that all can see whether or not it keeps its value, and what was really accomplished. Then every workman who has built on the foundation with the right materials, and whose work still stands, will get his pay. But if the house he has built burns up, he will have a great loss. He himself will be saved, but like a man escaping through a wall of flames.
1 Corinthians 3:13-15
Perhaps Paul’s words were the inspiration for the Three Little Pigs. It’s a good lesson.
Do not worry about what people think about the speed of success in your Mission if you are building the right way with the right materials. Don’t spread yourself too thin and have too many projects on the go at once. Take the time to pray and understand exactly what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t rush in all guns blazing. Do the preparations, measure accurately, get quality materials, cut each piece square and use a good technique to hammer the nails. More haste, less speed they say ! Build to the standard. You don’t want the Council telling you to pull it down.
But the Lord told Gideon, “There are still too many! Bring them down to the spring and I’ll show you which ones shall go with you and which ones shall not.” So Gideon assembled them at the water. There the Lord told him, “Divide them into two groups decided by the way they drink. In Group 1 will be all the men who cup the water in their hands to get it to their mouths and lap it like dogs. In Group 2 will be those who kneel, with their mouths in the stream.” Only three hundred of the men drank from their hands; all the others drank with their mouths to the stream. “I’ll conquer the Midianites with these three hundred!” the Lord told Gideon. “Send all the others home!”
Judges 7:4-7
Group 1 sound like the weak group - the dogs. Group 2 use a popular method. But the Lord loves to use the unpopular, the weak, the nerds, the unorthodox, the least qualified. It’s so we don’t become proud. It‘s so it proves that it was him that did it ! 😊 I love those Inspector Clouseau movies. He succeeds in spite of himself.
So after Gideon had collected all the clay jars and trumpets they had among them, he sent them home, leaving only three hundred men with him. During the night, with the Midianites camped in the valley just below, the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up! Take your troops and attack the Midianites, for I will cause you to defeat them! But if you are afraid, first go down to the camp alone—take along your servant Purah if you like— and listen to what they are saying down there! You will be greatly encouraged and be eager to attack!” So he took Purah and crept down through the darkness to the outposts of the enemy camp.
Judges 7:8-11
Gideon was indeed still afraid. In fact he’s probably more scared now than when he first got his call. A few clay pots and trumpets and 300 men to go to battle against the 135,000 strong fully equipped Midianite army. Gideon is not David. He is not excited by the prospect of beating a Giant. Even if the glass were half empty, it’s as good as empty and broken to Gideon. The Lord has already said he will conquer the Midianites with the 300. This was guaranteed success. The Lord is very kind to Gideon, he knows he is trembling in his boots so he gives him a sign he didn’t even ask for. Remember the New Testament story we recalled last week;
As evening fell, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.”
Mark 4:35
Jesus had already said they would be going to the other side of the lake. When the storm came up the disciples were afraid they were going to die. After Jesus calmed the storm and they got to the other side of the lake, the next test of their courage came. They encountered the man possessed by a legion of demons. This wasn’t some small mission they were on, they were up against an army. That wasn’t in the fine print Lord, I didn’t sign up for this ! But again there was nothing to be afraid of. When we are going into battle for the Lord, there is nothing to be afraid of when he has told us what to do and we are doing it. He’s going to win the battle.
The vast armies of Midian, Amalek, and the other nations of the Mideast were crowded across the valley like locusts—yes, like the sand upon the seashore—and there were too many camels even to count! Gideon crept up to one of the tents just as a man inside had wakened from a nightmare and was telling his tent-mate about it. “I had this strange dream,” he was saying, “and there was this huge loaf of barley bread that came tumbling down into our camp. It hit our tent and knocked it flat!” The other soldier replied, “Your dream can mean only one thing! Gideon, the son of Joash, the Israeli, is going to come and massacre all the allied forces of Midian!” When Gideon heard the dream and the interpretation, all he could do was just stand there worshiping God! Then he returned to his men and shouted, “Get up! For the Lord is going to use you to conquer all the vast armies of Midian!”
Judges 7:12-15
Gideons transformation from Chicken to Mighty Warrior was complete. How did the Midianite soldier interpret the dream to understand little Gideon was the Giant barley loaf coming to wipe them out ? Had even they heard about the Angel appearing to him on the wheat threshing floor and zapping the meat ? They were more scared than he was ! He was suddenly filled with Holy Spirit irrational courage. It’s amazing what encouragement from anyone let alone the Lord can do 😊
He divided the three hundred men into three groups and gave each man a trumpet and a clay jar with a torch in it. Then he explained his plan. “When we arrive at the outer guardposts of the camp,” he told them, “do just as I do. As soon as I and the men in my group blow our trumpets, you blow yours on all sides of the camp and shout, ‘We fight for God and for Gideon!’” It was just after midnight and the change of guards when Gideon and the hundred men with him crept to the outer edge of the camp of Midian. Suddenly they blew their trumpets and broke their clay jars so that their torches blazed into the night.
Judges 7:16-19
Now for the fun, the Devil is on the Run.
Then the other two hundred of his men did the same, blowing the trumpets in their right hands, and holding the flaming torches in their left hands, all shouting, “For the Lord and for Gideon!” Then they just stood and watched as the whole vast enemy army began rushing around in a panic, shouting and running away. For in the confusion the Lord caused the enemy troops to begin fighting and killing each other from one end of the camp to the other, and they fled into the night to places as far away as Beth-shittah near Zererah, and to the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath.
Judges 7:20-22
Everything looks easy in hindsight. We recall Gideon and we might say to ourselves, why didn’t he just trust the Lord from the beginning ? Most of us are more like Gideon than David aren’t we. We don’t think we are Mighty Warriors but we are.
John said
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
1 John 4:4
In this story I see how the kind the Lord is despite our weaknesses. He knows we’re weak. In fact that’s almost certainly why he picked us.
Each time he said, “No. But I am with you; that is all you need. My power shows up best in weak people.” Now I am glad to boast about how weak I am; I am glad to be a living demonstration of Christ’s power, instead of showing off my own power and abilities.
2 Corinthians 12:9
The Lord will encourage us every step of the way. Just when we think we can’t do it, along comes another gust of wind to push us along. The Lord will give us the signs, we don’t have to ask for them like Gideon did. It’s his Mission, he’s going to do it ! We cannot imagine all that he is going to do, let’s get on with it.
Next time we’ll look at the aftermath of the battle. A great victory had been won but that’s not a good reason to rest on our laurels. Laurels quickly crumple and die. If we’re going to leave a legacy and not just history, what we do next is critical...
- Six Northern tribes had compromised all of Israel
- Israel came under judgment suffering the consequences of making peace deals with the enemy and worshipping false gods. A lot like Western Democracy which thinks we can win the war against crime by being best friends with the criminals.
- Gideon was chosen from the poorest tribe and was the least thought of in his family.
- Gideon was KFC, hiding when the Lord sent the Angel to him. Life had taught him to be afraid and to expect the worst.
- Gideon made a start on his mission motivated by his fear of the Lord
“Or what king would ever dream of going to war without first sitting down with his counselors and discussing whether his army of 10,000 is strong enough to defeat the 20,000 men who are marching against him? “If the decision is negative, then while the enemy troops are still far away, he will send a truce team to discuss terms of peace. So no one can become my disciple unless he first sits down and counts his blessings—and then renounces them all for me.
Luke 14:31-33
Gideon got together an army of 32,000 men, some considerable organisation and a big achievement on his part. Remember he is from the poorest tribe and is the least thought of in his family. Remember he was terrified by what he’d seen the Angel of the Lord do to the goat and bread offering 😊 Isn’t it amazing how the fear of the Lord can motivate you. Something else had shifted though. Gideon had gained a reputation from destroying the family altar to Baal. The Nobody suddenly caught everyone’s attention. God used the perceived courage of one lone man to challenged the men of Israel. Big doors swing on little hinges.
Knowing his pessimistic view of reality, Gideon may have reasoned his chances were about 25% since there were 32,000 up against 135,000 Midianites. Help me Lord, I need more troops ! This looks very familiar. We look at what the Lord is asking us to do and we pray, Lord I need more finances. I’ve managed to scrape together about 1/4 of the target and I don’t dare ask my parents again. Ok Lord, it’s Vegas or bust just don’t zap me like that meat.
Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon—his other name) and his army got an early start and went as far as the spring of Harod. The armies of Midian were camped north of them, down in the valley beside the hill of Moreh. The Lord then said to Gideon, “There are too many of you! I can’t let all of you fight the Midianites, for then the people of Israel will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength!
Judges 7:1-2
The Spring of Harod is in the Jezreel Valley not that far from Megiddo where the Battle of Armageddon will be so pay attention for it’s future implication. I’m sure Glenn would like me to add that it’s not too far from Mt Tabor either which we shall discuss next time.
If you remember, Gideon’s nickname Jerubbaal means "Let Baal take care of himself", which is a mockery of Baal who is stone dead 😂. But the true Lord our God is alive and doesn’t need any help! There isn’t anything of value that we can bring to the Lord’s Mission other than our faith and obedience. He’s the one who’s going to do it, all we really need is to believe him and act on his instructions. I had to pause after I re-read my own words because that is easy to say but does that mean all that we do, our service, our prayers, our projects don’t amount to anything ? No it is not saying that. It’s not that we should do nothing and just wait on the Lord. It’s saying that we need to stay humble. We need to realise that for all our efforts, finally the Lord can hit the reset button so don’t become set on our agendas. Keith Green sang ;
"You just keep doing your best, pray that it's blessed and Jesus takes care of the rest".
Jesus put it this way;
“Yes, I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in me and I in him shall produce a large crop of fruit. For apart from me you can’t do a thing.
John 15:5
Gideon had made some effort to put together an army, now the Lord was going to take almost all of it away in order to win the battle the Lord’s Way. It could have been a little galling for Gideon. It’s as if the Lord is saying, that’s nice Gideon but I don’t need it. That can be a little offensive to our ears. We are not the star of the show. Build a Church as beautiful as the Notre Dame if you like but only the Lord can fill it. He may decide on a tent as he did in the Wilderness for 40 years, when we’re thinking Cathedral.
We can start by humbling ourselves. There is nothing we can do to contribute to ours or anyone else’s salvation. Not a thing.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9
So now the Lord goes about pruning back all of Gideon’s work.
Send home any of your men who are timid and frightened.” So twenty-two thousand of them left, and only ten thousand remained who were willing to fight.
Judges 7:3
Just like that, two thirds of the army depart. When our work comes under scrutiny it may not be up to much. Sure we have an impressive looking house but are the foundations any good, what about the workmanship ? Those apartments at Sacramento in Botany looked pretty good when they were first built at the turn of the Millenium. We thought about buying one as an investment property. But they may as well have been made of cardboard the first winter when they started leaking water through the walls. Sacramento owners' lawyer Paul Grimshaw said at the time a third of the complex was so rotten that demolition was the only option - "It's beyond repair."
Paul said something similar to the Corinthian Church which looked impressive from the outside but was already rotting.
God, in his kindness, has taught me how to be an expert builder. I have laid the foundation and Apollos has built on it. But he who builds on the foundation must be very careful. And no one can ever lay any other real foundation than that one we already have—Jesus Christ. But there are various kinds of materials that can be used to build on that foundation. Some use gold and silver and jewels; and some build with sticks and hay or even straw!
1 Corinthians 3:10-12
The foundations were right, the Church had been built on the Gospel, the message of the Cross. But beyond that there had been some building shortcuts. Paul sounds pretty scathing about Apollos’s work. He continues...
There is going to come a time of testing at Christ’s Judgment Day to see what kind of material each builder has used. Everyone’s work will be put through the fire so that all can see whether or not it keeps its value, and what was really accomplished. Then every workman who has built on the foundation with the right materials, and whose work still stands, will get his pay. But if the house he has built burns up, he will have a great loss. He himself will be saved, but like a man escaping through a wall of flames.
1 Corinthians 3:13-15
Perhaps Paul’s words were the inspiration for the Three Little Pigs. It’s a good lesson.
Do not worry about what people think about the speed of success in your Mission if you are building the right way with the right materials. Don’t spread yourself too thin and have too many projects on the go at once. Take the time to pray and understand exactly what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t rush in all guns blazing. Do the preparations, measure accurately, get quality materials, cut each piece square and use a good technique to hammer the nails. More haste, less speed they say ! Build to the standard. You don’t want the Council telling you to pull it down.
But the Lord told Gideon, “There are still too many! Bring them down to the spring and I’ll show you which ones shall go with you and which ones shall not.” So Gideon assembled them at the water. There the Lord told him, “Divide them into two groups decided by the way they drink. In Group 1 will be all the men who cup the water in their hands to get it to their mouths and lap it like dogs. In Group 2 will be those who kneel, with their mouths in the stream.” Only three hundred of the men drank from their hands; all the others drank with their mouths to the stream. “I’ll conquer the Midianites with these three hundred!” the Lord told Gideon. “Send all the others home!”
Judges 7:4-7
Group 1 sound like the weak group - the dogs. Group 2 use a popular method. But the Lord loves to use the unpopular, the weak, the nerds, the unorthodox, the least qualified. It’s so we don’t become proud. It‘s so it proves that it was him that did it ! 😊 I love those Inspector Clouseau movies. He succeeds in spite of himself.
So after Gideon had collected all the clay jars and trumpets they had among them, he sent them home, leaving only three hundred men with him. During the night, with the Midianites camped in the valley just below, the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up! Take your troops and attack the Midianites, for I will cause you to defeat them! But if you are afraid, first go down to the camp alone—take along your servant Purah if you like— and listen to what they are saying down there! You will be greatly encouraged and be eager to attack!” So he took Purah and crept down through the darkness to the outposts of the enemy camp.
Judges 7:8-11
Gideon was indeed still afraid. In fact he’s probably more scared now than when he first got his call. A few clay pots and trumpets and 300 men to go to battle against the 135,000 strong fully equipped Midianite army. Gideon is not David. He is not excited by the prospect of beating a Giant. Even if the glass were half empty, it’s as good as empty and broken to Gideon. The Lord has already said he will conquer the Midianites with the 300. This was guaranteed success. The Lord is very kind to Gideon, he knows he is trembling in his boots so he gives him a sign he didn’t even ask for. Remember the New Testament story we recalled last week;
As evening fell, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.”
Mark 4:35
Jesus had already said they would be going to the other side of the lake. When the storm came up the disciples were afraid they were going to die. After Jesus calmed the storm and they got to the other side of the lake, the next test of their courage came. They encountered the man possessed by a legion of demons. This wasn’t some small mission they were on, they were up against an army. That wasn’t in the fine print Lord, I didn’t sign up for this ! But again there was nothing to be afraid of. When we are going into battle for the Lord, there is nothing to be afraid of when he has told us what to do and we are doing it. He’s going to win the battle.
The vast armies of Midian, Amalek, and the other nations of the Mideast were crowded across the valley like locusts—yes, like the sand upon the seashore—and there were too many camels even to count! Gideon crept up to one of the tents just as a man inside had wakened from a nightmare and was telling his tent-mate about it. “I had this strange dream,” he was saying, “and there was this huge loaf of barley bread that came tumbling down into our camp. It hit our tent and knocked it flat!” The other soldier replied, “Your dream can mean only one thing! Gideon, the son of Joash, the Israeli, is going to come and massacre all the allied forces of Midian!” When Gideon heard the dream and the interpretation, all he could do was just stand there worshiping God! Then he returned to his men and shouted, “Get up! For the Lord is going to use you to conquer all the vast armies of Midian!”
Judges 7:12-15
Gideons transformation from Chicken to Mighty Warrior was complete. How did the Midianite soldier interpret the dream to understand little Gideon was the Giant barley loaf coming to wipe them out ? Had even they heard about the Angel appearing to him on the wheat threshing floor and zapping the meat ? They were more scared than he was ! He was suddenly filled with Holy Spirit irrational courage. It’s amazing what encouragement from anyone let alone the Lord can do 😊
He divided the three hundred men into three groups and gave each man a trumpet and a clay jar with a torch in it. Then he explained his plan. “When we arrive at the outer guardposts of the camp,” he told them, “do just as I do. As soon as I and the men in my group blow our trumpets, you blow yours on all sides of the camp and shout, ‘We fight for God and for Gideon!’” It was just after midnight and the change of guards when Gideon and the hundred men with him crept to the outer edge of the camp of Midian. Suddenly they blew their trumpets and broke their clay jars so that their torches blazed into the night.
Judges 7:16-19
Now for the fun, the Devil is on the Run.
Then the other two hundred of his men did the same, blowing the trumpets in their right hands, and holding the flaming torches in their left hands, all shouting, “For the Lord and for Gideon!” Then they just stood and watched as the whole vast enemy army began rushing around in a panic, shouting and running away. For in the confusion the Lord caused the enemy troops to begin fighting and killing each other from one end of the camp to the other, and they fled into the night to places as far away as Beth-shittah near Zererah, and to the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath.
Judges 7:20-22
Everything looks easy in hindsight. We recall Gideon and we might say to ourselves, why didn’t he just trust the Lord from the beginning ? Most of us are more like Gideon than David aren’t we. We don’t think we are Mighty Warriors but we are.
John said
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
1 John 4:4
In this story I see how the kind the Lord is despite our weaknesses. He knows we’re weak. In fact that’s almost certainly why he picked us.
Each time he said, “No. But I am with you; that is all you need. My power shows up best in weak people.” Now I am glad to boast about how weak I am; I am glad to be a living demonstration of Christ’s power, instead of showing off my own power and abilities.
2 Corinthians 12:9
The Lord will encourage us every step of the way. Just when we think we can’t do it, along comes another gust of wind to push us along. The Lord will give us the signs, we don’t have to ask for them like Gideon did. It’s his Mission, he’s going to do it ! We cannot imagine all that he is going to do, let’s get on with it.
Next time we’ll look at the aftermath of the battle. A great victory had been won but that’s not a good reason to rest on our laurels. Laurels quickly crumple and die. If we’re going to leave a legacy and not just history, what we do next is critical...
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