From Coward To Conquerer

Intro:The Backdrop of that day. Isreal was oppressed by the Midians.

Judg 6:11-16 “Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”

PRAY!

1. When Gods people cry out to Him, God answers

Judges 6:7-8 “When the people of Israel cried out to the Lord on account of the Midianites, the Lord sent a prophet to the people of Israel. And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery.”

When God is about to give His people the expected good, He pours out a Spirit of prayer, and it is a good sign that He is coming towards them in mercy.

Matthew Henry

2.God sees us differently than we see ourselves

Gideon wasn’t an overly confident guy, he was hiding in a winepress, scared of the Midianites. He made excuses as to why God was picking the wrong man.

Judges 6:15 “And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.””

He also was afraid of his own family and the town folk

Gideon shows his lack of faith by using the word “If”

If The Lord is with us

If I have found favor

If you will save Israel by my hand

Let me test you just once more with a fleece

3x Gideon tested the Lord, because he lacked confidence in the Lord and himself

“O mighty man of valor” Many of the great men in the bible had next to no confidence in themselves.

Moses :

Ex 3:11 “But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?””

Ex 4:10 “But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.””

Jeremiah:

Jer 1:6 “Then I said, “Ah, Lord God! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.””

Peter:

Luke 5:8 “But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.””

2 Cor 3:5 “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God,”

We should be humble that God would use us for His service, but never doubt the power of the one who calls us.

The look of God:

Judges 6:14 “And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?”

the Hebrew word used here for the Lord is Jehovah, just like when the Lord looked at Peter, it pierces you.

Luke 22:61 “And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord, how he had said to him, “Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times.””

God will use seemingly impossible circumstances to show us His glory and grow our faith.

Remember the facts here. The Israelites are massively out numbered, the bible tells us the Midianites were as numerous as the sand, so numerous they couldn't be counted

3. Fear disqualifies

Fear is the opposite of faith. God wouldn't use 22k of these men because they had fear and trembling

Judges 7:3 “Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’ ” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained.”

Fear not is in bible 365x it is single most commanded phrase in God’s word.

4. Faith Qualifies

Faith in God is the #1 quality God is looking for in His people

Heb 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please him

Remember Noah? By Noah’s faith he listened and believed the word of God and constructed a massive boat to save his family and all the animals from a pending flood that would wipe all of humanity out

Josh 1:6-9 “Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.””

In verse 34 it says God clothed Gideon with His spirit

Judges 6:34 “But the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon, and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him.”

Whom God calls to work, He will qualify and give strength to

5. Trumpets and Lamps:

God works in mysterious ways, but the outcome is never in doubt

Isa 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

This reminds me of the story of Jehoshaphat, when the Lord told him put the choir out front and when they started worshiping, the Lord wiped the enemy out

It also reminds me of Joshua, when the were told by God to march around Jericho 1x a day for 7 days, then on the 7th day when you hear the trumpets blast, let up a loud shout and the city will crumble and be yours for the taking.

He brought water from a rock

He used a crow to feed Elijah

He rained bread the Heaven for 40 years for the Israelites in the desert

IN CLOSING:

BRING UP WORSHIP TEAM