Gideon Conquers

Introduction

As we have mentioned and as we will continue to, the most important thing to notice know about this book is the cycle that is found throughout: Sin, Judgment (Chastening), Repentance & Deliverance. And then in order to deliver the COI, God would raise up a Judge - a leader of the people who would then stand against the enemies of God’s people and deliver them out of bondage.

Through this series we’ve examined several Judges: Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar & Deborah (w/ Barak and Jael). I’ll not review those again this week, but if you missed them, I do encourage you to go back & listen online.

Last week, we began a 3-part series on the next Judge - a man by the name of Gideon. I do want to take a moment and review the first message titled ‘Gideon Cleans House’ based on Jg. 6.

In that message we saw:

Israel’s Condition

The Evidence of Sin (v1) How God sees regardless of what man does

The Effects of Sin

It brought Dishonor, Dissatisfaction, Destitution & (Prayerfully) a Different Direction (v6-8a)

Gideon’s Confusion

His Lack of Discernment (v7-13)- He thought God abandoned them

His Lowly Disposition (v14) - He was looking at his weakness instead of God’s greatness

His Longing for Demonstration (v17-24)

Which at the time was a Lack of Faith

Gideon’s Cleansing

God instructs Gideon to first clean up his home before he can go and rescue a nation

Images needed casting Down

Impediments needed Consumed

Offerings Needed Consecrated

But now that Gideon had Cleaned House, it’s now time to do what God called him to - and that is deliver the Nation of Israel out of the hand of the Midianites.

The first thing that we see in this portion of Gideon’s life is ‘The Purging’

I. The Purging

In order to get Victory in your life, sometimes things & possibly some people need purged from it.

God recognized this, therefore He gave Gideon instruction on who needed to be purged from his company.

Those who Lacked Courage (v3)

God gives the instruction, so Gideon goes forward and says ‘Hey, if y’all are scared, go home!’ - and more than 2/3rds goes home!

Now think about that for a moment, as it will make us appreciate Gideon the more later on… The Midianites, the Amalekites & the children of the East are LIKE GRASSHOPPERS! LIKE SAND BY THE SEASIDE (v12) - and 2/3rds of his army is too afraid to fight, so they go home.

Notice this: it wasn’t just that they were afraid - but rather they lacked the courage to continue. (fearful AND afraid - v3)

These were GOD’s PEOPLE - they were part of the COI, yet some of them - MOST of them - didn’t have the courage to fight for God!

We as God’s Children, we must recognize a truth. Not everyone is willing to Stand for Jesus and go to war with the Devil. They’re just not. In fact - more WON’T than WILL! They’re not willing to risk themselves for the Cause of Christ. They’re not willing to take the hits. They lack the courage necessary to do so.

Also we must understand that courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is moving forward IN SPITE of fear.

Courage is knocking on that door even though you’re fearful of what the reception is going to be!

Courage is doing right when all around you are doing wrong in spite of being afraid of rejection & alienation.

Courage is letting God direct your steps though you’re fearful of where that might take you.

The point is this: Even though many lack the courage to stand for Jesus - DON’T LET THAT HINDER YOU! DON’T LET THEIR DECISIONS BE YOUR DECISIONS!

God Purged Those who Lacked Courage

Those who were Careless (v5-6)

Now we are getting to the 2nd purge, and God shows Gideon how to separate them. Now to understand why I say careless, you must picture the scene. (Describe the scene) Most dropped down on all fours and drank, while 300 took their hand down and drank from it.

The difference was that most were more concerned about the need of the flesh while the few were concerned about staying prepared for battle - they were careless.

There are some of God’s people who are careless. They entertain the cares of the flesh & let their guard down - and if they do that too often, it’s not long before the enemy attacks & can destroy them.

So God looked upon them and said ‘Gideon, they aren’t fit for battle. Send them home. They will only hinder the work that I desire to do’.

Church, let me say this: God has a work that He desires to do - and He desires for His children to do it. Unfortunately, some are more concerned with pleasing the flesh and make themselves easy targets for Satan to destroy. Some are careless and will suffer for it - we must make sure that regardless of what others do - we must be diligent! The Bible tells us: 1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”

He Purged Those who were Careless

That God would be Considered (v2)

God purged those so that He would shine!

When God Shines, then God is Considered by those who don’t know Him! When God is glorified, when Jesus is magnified, then others are drawn unto Him!

Jesus said: John 12:32 “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.”

There are some of God’s Children who lack courage.

This is a shame. I’ll just say this: I’m glad Jesus didn’t! I’m glad Jesus in spite of His dread & fear He drank that cup & went to the Cross of Calvary! His followers owe Him nothing less!

But nevertheless, those who lack courage hinder the fight

Then there are those who are Careless

There’s have Courage but lack Discretion.

(Ill.) I read a story about pastor that killed himself over the past week or so in Alabama. This man evidently had some courage as he pastored a church, but he certainly lacked discretion. He was careless and allowed Satan the opportunity to attack him and he destroyed him, his family & church.

Ultimately those who are Careless hinder the fight as well.

Church God desires to be magnified! God DESERVES to be GLORIFIED! Those that lack Courage and those who are Careless cannot magnify God, so God told Gideon to send them home, so that God would be Considered by the Heathen!

We see the Purging

The Purging. Next we see the Preparation - I’m speaking of Gideon

II. The Providence

Before God put Gideon in the position to deliver the COI, I want you to see something that He provided for him.

God Provided a Call (v9)

Now God has already depleted the army that Gideon started the day with. He started the day with 32,000 and now he’s down to 300. Imagine you’re Gideon for a moment. Gideon had already shown great faith, but I can imagine that it’s beginning to wane. So what does God do? He says ‘Gideon, there’s one more thing that I want you to do.’ And he gives him instruction to do down to the enemy camp!

Now before we get into the purpose of all that, I want to use this point to show you something and that was that God provided this call - as He had others in the past - to give Gideon the instruction for what to do next!

I love the verse: Psalm 119:105 “NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And a light unto my path.”

This is a two-fold work of the Word - a lamp and light - in other words, God’s Word not only shows us the path (which is the long term plan for our life) but it also is a lamp to our feet (which shows us the very next step!)

Back in Jg. 6:14 God’s Word gave Gideon a Light for his Path. Then we’ve been seeing and here in v9-11 God’s Word is giving Gideon a Lamp to his Feet.

God Provided a Call

God Provided a Companion (v10)

Next we see that God shows Gideon grace and says ‘Hey, if you’re afraid, take Phurah down with you’.

I say God gave Gideon grace, but God also understood that His Commands were getting increasingly difficult which continued to require more and more faith. So God gave Gideon a Companion to help shoulder the load.

I’m thankful that God provides us Companions to help us through this life. There are certainly times when what God has called us to do gets difficult - but thank God He provides for us Companions to help us through it!

God Provided a Companion

God Provided Confidence (v13-15)

So Gideon and Phurah go down into the enemies camp, and they overhear one soldier recalling a dream

God had not only told Gideon that He was going to use him to destroy the Midianites, but He went ahead and told the Midianites too! This of course gave Gideon great confidence to complete the task at hand.

Church, whenever you place a little faith in God, He’ll give you a little victory. Then you place greater faith in Him, you get greater victories. Before too long you’re placing great faith in God and God is giving you great victories!

God will provide that confidence for you! God will prove Himself! Psalm 34:8 “O taste and see that the Lord is good: Blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”

God Provided the Confidence that Gideon needed to do the work that God called Gideon to do

We see the Purging and the Providence. Lastly, we see the Performance

III. The Performance

We’re speaking of the Victory that God performed for Gideon

Victory came by Belief in God’s Word

Notice the manner in which God declared the battle:

Judges 7:9 “And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand.”

Judges 7:14 “And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.”

Judges 7:15 “And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.”

Gideon believed God! Faith is the Victory! God had already declared it before the battle had even taken place - AND GIDEON BELIEVED GOD!

Church - if you want to live a life of victory, it must be a life of faith!

Hebrews 11:1–2 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report.” Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Faith is not blind, faith has substance!

God is not asking you to believe blindly - Mine eyes have not yet seen the Son of God, but I have certainly seen His Work!

His Work in Nature

His Work in Preserving His Word

His Work in Me!

God certainly gave Gave Gideon reason to believe, and He’s given you and I more!

Victory comes by Faith in God’s Word

Victory came by a Broken Vessel and a Blown Trumpet (v19-20)

Notice it didn’t come by a sword. They had a trump in the Right hand and the Broken vessel in the Left. Talk about faith!

I want to consider these two things and how we can apply them here for a moment:

If you want victory for your life, you need to be broken.

You Will

Your Desires

Your Carnal Mindset

All of these things need to be broken if you’re going to live in Victory!

You can’t have Victory in the Will of God if you’re seeking your own

You can’t live Victorious in Christ being led by YOUR desires

Your can’t have Victory over the World with a Carnal Mindset

All these things must be broken. You must be a broken vessel to have victory in your life!

That’s the Broken Vessel, next we see the Blown Trumpet

If you want victory for your life, you need to blow the trumpet

What I mean by that is that God has given us a command to ‘Sound the Horn’

Ezekiel 3:17–19 “Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.”

If you want true victory, you must sound the horn of warning unto a lost & dying generation!

Victory came by a Broken Vessel & a Blown Trumpet

Victory came because the Battle wasn’t Gideon’s, it was God’s

Gideon recognized this: Judges 7:18 “When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon.”

Gideon recognized that the battle was God’s. Gideon was just the vessel.

Church, God will use you as His vessel if you let Him. And God will bring the victory, because He can! You may face fiery trials, yet God is able church! He doesn’t expect you to WIN, He just expects you to be USED!

Victory came because of Faith, Because of a Broken Vessel & a Blown Trumpet & because the battle was God’s and He is able to bring victory against any foe and against all odds!

Conclusion

Church let me ask you. Do you want victory in your life? What are you willing to do for it?

Two things is all you need: Submission & Trust. Will you Submit to Him? Will you trust Him today?