SHIELD 240912 Judges 7

ACCOUNTABILITY FOLLOW UP

09/05/2024 Judges 6: A: △: ▽: T:

Stephen Ezell: 09/05/2024 Judges 6:27 “So Gideon took ten men of his servants and did as Yahweh had spoken to him; and now it happened that because he was too afraid of his father’s household and the men of the city to do it by day, he did it by night.” A: Obedience in my own way is disobedience △: Don’t add qualifications, quantification's ▽: disobedience, coldness T: Vincent

08/15/24 John Hanner: Judges 2:2 A: Figure out what false gods are △: Do Bible Study and prayer ▽: Kids go down wrong path T: Kids boys/daughter

Tom H: 09/05/2024 Judges 6:1 “Then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the eyes of Yahweh; and Yahweh gave them into the hands of Midian seven years.” A: Stop doing what is evil △: Search me, mortify sin ▽: unconquered sin T: Debbie

Lonnie L.: 09/05/2024 Judges 6:27 A: Public obedience in prayer △: Try this week to pray publicly ▽: Ashamed of God T: Lauren

08/22/24 Lyle L.: Judges 3:16–19 A: Continue in the faith through both good and bad times △: More involved in church - use spiritual gifts ▽: Straying from Christ T: Wife

Keith Morgan: 09/05/2024 Judges 6:36–40“Then Gideon said to God, “If You will save Israel by my hand, as You have spoken, behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I will know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have spoken.” And it was so. Indeed he arose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece. And he drained the dew from the fleece, a bowl full of water. Then Gideon said to God, “Do not let Your anger burn against me that I may speak once more; please let me make a test once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, and let there be dew on all the ground.” And God did so that night. So it was dry only on the fleece, but dew was on all the ground.” A: Content where we are, don’t be anxious △: Pray - turn it over to God ▽: More anxiety T: Eileen

Mike Morgan: 08/29/2024 Judges 4:8–10 A:Battle with wife in intercession for community △: be specific in little things to see what God is doing ▽: Miss out on God’s will, His participation T: Julie

Mark Organ: 09/05/2024 Judges 6:25 “Now it happened on the same night that Yahweh said to him, “Take your father’s bull and a second bull seven years old, and pull down the altar of Baal which belongs to your father, and cut down the Asherah that is beside it,” A: Act the same night △: Be ready, watchful ▽: Shame/Coldness in relationship T: Justice

CONTEXT Judges 6

Gideon was found by the Angel of the Lord hiding while trying to save some grain from the invaders

He offered a sacrifice then was commanded by God to tear down his father’s altars - he obeyed but under cover of darkness

He then rallied an army but tested God using a fleece

TEXT ANALYSIS

I. Reducing the troops (NAC)

Judges 7:1–8 | 1 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and camped beside the spring of Harod; and the camp of Midian was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley. 2 And Yahweh said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, lest Israel honor themselves, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ 3 “So now, come, call out in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is afraid and trembling, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.’” So 22,000 people returned, but 10,000 remained. 4 Then Yahweh said to Gideon, “The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. And it will be that he of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go with you; but everyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” 5 So he brought the people down to the water. And Yahweh said to Gideon, “Everyone who laps the water with his tongue as a dog laps, you shall set him aside by himself, and so also everyone who kneels to drink.” 6 Now the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was 300 men; but all the rest of the people kneeled to drink water. 7 And Yahweh said to Gideon, “I will save you with the 300 men who lapped and will give the Midianites into your hands; so let all the other people go, each man to his place.” 8 So the 300 men took the people’s provisions and their trumpets into their hands. And Gideon sent all the other men of Israel, each to his tent, but retained the 300 men; and the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

Takeaway: God is not constrained to save by many or few 1 Sam 14.6

II. Gideon’s third thoughts (NAC)

Judges 7:9–15 | 9 Now it happened the same night that Yahweh said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hands. 10 “But if you are afraid to go down, then both you and Purah your young man, go down to the camp, 11 and you will hear what they say; and afterward your hands will be strengthened, that you may go down against the camp.” So he went with Purah his young man down to the outskirts of the armed men that were in the camp. 12 Now the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the sons of the east were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as numerous as the sand on the seashore. 13 Then Gideon came, and behold, a man was recounting a dream to his friend. And he said, “Behold, I had a dream; a loaf of barley bread was tumbling into the camp of Midian, and it came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned it upside down so that the tent lay flat.” 14 And his friend answered and said, “This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given Midian and all the camp into his hand.” 15 Now it happened that when Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. Then he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for Yahweh has given the camp of Midian into your hands.”

Takeaway: Why is it that an enemy has more credibility than God Himself has?

III. Victory at last (NAC)

Judges 7:16–25 | 16 And he divided the 300 men into three companies, and he put trumpets and empty pitchers into the hands of all of them, with torches inside the pitchers. 17 Then he said to them, “Look at me and do likewise. And behold, I will come to the outskirts of the camp, and it will be that just as I do so you do likewise. 18 “And I and all who are with me will blow the trumpet. Then you also shall blow the trumpets all around the camp and say, ‘For Yahweh and for Gideon.’” 19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set up the watch; and they blew the trumpets and smashed the pitchers that were in their hands. 20 Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers, and they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing and called out, “A sword for Yahweh and for Gideon!” 21 And each stood in his place around the camp. Then all of the camp ran, and they made a loud shout and fled. 22 So they blew 300 trumpets. And Yahweh set the sword of one against another even throughout the whole camp. And the camp fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the edge of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath. 23 And the men of Israel were summoned from Naphtali and Asher and all Manasseh, and they pursued Midian. 24 Now Gideon had sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down to meet Midian and capture the waters before them, as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan.” So all the men of Ephraim were summoned, and they captured the waters as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan. 25 Then they captured the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, and they killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and they killed Zeeb at the wine press of Zeeb. Then they pursued Midian and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon from across the Jordan.

Takeaway: There are some common occurences in judgement in Scripture. Confusion and self destruction (2 Chron 20.23), the loud sound of trumpets (Joshua/Jericho Josh 6)

What Does This Text Say About:

God: The Father, Son, Spirit | People: Believers/Unbelievers

My attitude or behavior - What is the Holy Spirit convicting me about

What is one change that I can make | What is a consequence of not making the change

Who can I teach?

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