Untitled Sermon (3)

Gideon and the 300

Overview of 1 Chronicles 21?

Who was Gideon and what was going on in Israel at this time?

During this time Israel did evil in the sight of God with their worshiping of the god’s of the Amorite’s. Even Gideons Father had an alter to Baal.

For 7 years the Lord delivered them up to the Midianites

The would destroy livestock and crops alike

Gideon threshed wheat for the winepress. Which he was hiding from the Midianites

The Lord appeared to him and proclaimed him to be a mighty man of valor.

Gideon destroyed the alter to baal that was on his fathers land and placed an alter to the Lord

The Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon (which David had also received) and he gathered up an army to come against the the Midianites and Amalekites.

Gideon tested the Lord with the Fleece to know that the Lord would

7 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon)

The New King James Version Chapter 6

Let Baal plead against him, because he has torn down his altar.”

and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the well of Harod, so that the camp of the Midianites was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley.

2 And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ 3 Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.’ ” And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.

Isaiah 41:10 , Rev 21:8 , 1 Timothy 6:11-12

So we are seeing that the Lord finds quality in men who do not fear and trust in Him to protect them

The phrase “fear not” appears 365 times in the Bible, as many days that are in a year

30,000 to eventually 300

The Midianites still had them way outnumbered even with the 30,000. The army of the Midianites numbered around 135,000

4 But the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ the same shall not go.” 5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.” 6 And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water.

Why do you think the Lord turned those who got down on their knees?

They were not alert and looking for danger

1 Cor 16:13 , 1 Peter 5:8 , Psalms 105:4 , Psalms 16: 8

7 Then the Lord said to Gideon, “By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place.” 8 So the people took provisions and their trumpets in their hands. And he sent away all the rest of Israel, every man to his tent, and retained those three hundred men. Now the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

9 It happened on the same night that the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand. 10 But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant, 11 and you shall hear what they say; and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outpost of the armed men who were in the camp. 12 Now the Midianites and Amalekites, all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude.

Gideon choose to take Purah because he still feared

13 And when Gideon had come, there was a man telling a dream to his companion. He said, “I have had a dream: To my surprise, a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian; it came to a tent and struck it so that it fell and overturned, and the tent collapsed.”

14 Then his companion answered and said, “This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel! Into his hand God has delivered Midian and the whole camp.”

Why a loaf of barley? Remember Gideon threshed grains that were used to make bread

The companion received insight into the mans dream. Unknown from where

15 And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel, and said, “Arise, for the Lord has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.”

We can see just how patient the Lord is with us though, time and time again the Lord provides proof that he will deliver the Midinaites up to Gideon and his followers

16 Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet into every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers. 17 And he said to them, “Look at me and do likewise; watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do as I do: 18 When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets on every side of the whole camp, and say, ‘The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!’ ”

Where do you think Gideon came up with this?

19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outpost of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just as they had posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers that were in their hands. 20 Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers—they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing—and they cried, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!” 21 And every man stood in his place all around the camp; and the whole army ran and cried out and fled. 22 When the three hundred blew the trumpets, the Lord set every man’s sword against his companion throughout the whole camp; and the army fled to Beth Acacia, toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel Meholah, by Tabbath.

The Lord caused them to attack each other

The Lord causes confussion to the enemy 2 Chron 20:22 , Exodus 23:27 , Psalm 55:9 , Joshua 10:10

Lets take a look at Zechariah 12

23 And the men of Israel gathered together from Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh, and pursued the Midianites.

24 Then Gideon sent messengers throughout all the mountains of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites, and seize from them the watering places as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan.” Then all the men of Ephraim gathered together and seized the watering places as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan. 25 And they captured two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued Midian and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side of the Jordan.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Jdg 7:1–25.

End with Psalm 20

Psalm 20 NKJV

To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble; May the name of the God of Jacob defend you; May He send you help from the sanctuary, And strengthen you out of Zion; May He remember all your offerings, And accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah May He grant you according to your heart’s desire, And fulfill all your purpose. We will rejoice in your salvation, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions. Now I know that the Lord saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven With the saving strength of His right hand. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the Lord our God. They have bowed down and fallen; But we have risen and stand upright. Save, Lord! May the King answer us when we call.