8 The Call to Unlikely Heroes

The Call to Unlikely Heroes

Judges 7:9–15

Can you imagine a more unlikely hero than Gideon?

The youngest of a small insignificant family of the tribe of Manasseh

Do you know about Manasseh?

Manasseh is the First born of Joseph whom Jacob adopted as a son along with Ephraim.

Manasseh was blessed after Ephraim however.

Gideon was beating out wheat in a wine press when God called Him to become an unlikely hero

The men of Israel had forsaken God

They had worshipped foreign gods.

God allowed the Midianites to rule over Israel for 7 years until the men of Israel cried out to God.

Gideon was the answer.

Gideon was tested by leading his own family to get rid of the idols in the home.

Then he sought reassurance with the fleece.

Afterwards God pared Gideon’s army of 32,000 down to 300.

Gideon's faith needed to be encouraged, for he saw the large Midianite army camped in the valley below him.

The sight must have been awesome, a sea of tents housing over 100,000 soldiers

And a sea of camels, making a mobile army that could quickly maneuver any place it desired.

But note how God met the personal need of His dear servant:

Could it be that you and I are also called to be unlikely heroes?

God searches to and for to find a man who heart is completely His.

Perhaps He wants to call you or me to be that unlikely hero

You and I have needs

God meets our needs as well.

Often calling us to be His unlikely Heroes.

Judges 7:9–15 NASB95

9 Now the same night it came about that the Lord 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, go with Purah your servant 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 servant down to the outposts of the army that was 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 When Gideon came, behold, a man was relating 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 His friend replied, “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 When Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. He returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the Lord has given the camp of Midian into your hands.”

1. God Speaks to Fear

Judges 7:9

Judges 7:9 NASB95

9 Now the same night it came about that the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hands.

Once God has you prepared, it generally doesn’t take long for Him to have you mobilized.

God first had to get Gideon and his army into a position of complete trust and dependence upon Him.

But once that was accomplished, God sent the orders to advance.

Gideon had barely dispatched the bulk of his army when God told him to advance on the enemy.

Perhaps God did not want to take any further time, now that His servants were ready.

Or perhaps God did not want his tiny army to have too much time to ponder the precariousness of their situation.

Sometimes it is good to count the cost.

At others, it is preferable to advance immediately without further analysis.

God understood that, with his timid commander, the time to advance was now.

It generally takes much longer to prepare God’s servants than it does to use them.

You will know when you are ready for your divine assignment.

It will be when God tells you to advance. If you are not yet advancing; you are not yet ready.

Look at how God cares

2. God's Unexpected Affirmation

Judges 7:10-12

Judges 7:10–11 NASB95

10 “But if you are afraid to go down, go with Purah your servant 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 servant down to the outposts of the army that was in the camp.

God knew that the command to go had been given.

But He also knew what was in Gideon’s heart.

After all that God had done to prepare his servant, Gideon still struggled with fear.

Perhaps this is understandable since he had been asked to lead 300 men against an army of over 100,000.

At times the greater the assignment, the greater our need to be assured that God goes with us.

Notice what God said to Gideon.

V. 11 you will hear what they say; and afterward your hands will be strengthened

Isn’t it just like God to tell us that we will hear what we need to hear?

Then our hands will be strengthened.

Judges 7:12 “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.”

Yet we must also realize that his assignment was unprecedented.

No one in Scripture had been asked to take on so many with so few.

It might have seemed that God was throwing away their lives in a futile act of desperation.

Against such odds, this handful of warriors had to know that God went with them.

Just because God calls us to a task it does not mean that task will be accomplished the way we think,

God had called Jim Elliot to be involved in the salvation of a people group in South America.

I am sure Jim’s understanding of that was very different from God’s understanding.

Because God’s idea of evangelizing the Indians of Ecuador involved the deaths of 5 good men.

Certainly not the way we would have done it.

Most of us cannot fathom what it would be like to be given such an assignment.

When was the last time your divine task appeared to set you up for certain failure?

When was the last time you required an enormous miracle to rescue you from certain, cataclysmic disaster?

While we naturally shy away from such moments, they can be exhilarating all the same.

Looking back on your life,

it is those moments when God worked powerfully in your life that you will treasure above all others.

If you do not have any of those moments yet, just wait and listen for the HS to prepare you for your moment.

3. Gideon's Worshipful Response

Judges 7:13-15

Judges 7:13–14 NASB95

13 When Gideon came, behold, a man was relating 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 His friend replied, “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.”

Courageously, Gideon and his servant snuck close enough to overhear a dream being discussed by two enemy soldiers.

One soldier had dreamed about a round loaf of barley bread that came tumbling into the Midianite camp, striking a particular tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.

The two enemy soldiers themselves interpreted the dream as meaning their defeat by Gideon.

The round loaf of barley bread represented the small army of Gideon that was to strike and destroy the army of the Midianites.

Overhearing this dream, Gideon immediately knew that the enemy army would collapse, be overturned and overthrown by the miraculous power of God. Victory was assured.

God had told Gideon that his hand would be strengthened by what he heard.

Do you think the dream and its interpretation helped Gideon’s fear?

God does these things for His servants.

He calls the most unlikely to be heroes

Judges 7:15 NASB95

15 When Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. He returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the Lord has given the camp of Midian into your hands.”

As soon as Gideon could reach a safe distance, he fell to the ground, giving thanks to God and worshipping Him.

He then returned to camp and aroused his 300 soldiers, assuring them that the Lord had given them the victory

We often need our faith strengthened.

We need God to help our unbelief, our distrust.

We need extra strength to face some trial or temptation.

God will strengthen us, meet our need, and deliver us through the trial or temptation.

He met Gideon's need, and He has met the need of every believer down through the centuries who has called upon Him for help.

God has always proven faithful.

And He will be faithful to us, meeting the pressing needs of our hearts.

God will strengthen our faith, enable us to stand strongly and to march through life victoriously.

Romans 8:37–39 NASB95

37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What can separate us from the love of Christ?

Not-Life, death, angels, principalities, anything present or future, no power, height, depth or anything created.

Nothing can separate us from the love of God.

Isaiah 41:10 NASB95

10 ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

The unlikely servant has a most powerful God who gives strength, assurance, even reassurance to His servants.

You and I are created to be God’s unlikely Heroes

To be that hero the situation is often very scary in appearance.

But God will give us what we need to prosper in God’s purpose.

What we need to hear might come at church,

It might come in prayer.

It might come while we work.

But God has promised to uphold us with His righteous right hand.

He uses ordinary people, even, unlikely people to accomplish His great will

Our challenge is to learn to trust God rather than give into our fear.

329 Grace Greater Than Our Sin

1. Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,  Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt,  Yonder on Calvary's mount outpoured,  There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.  (Refrain)

2. Dark is the stain that we cannot hide,  What can avail to wash it away?  Look! there is flowing a crimson tide;  Whiter than snow you may be today.  (Refrain)

3. Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,  Freely bestowed on all who believe;  All who are longing to see His face,  Will you this moment His grace receive?  (Refrain)

Refrain:  Grace, grace, God's grace,  Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;  Grace, grace, God's grace,  Grace that is greater than all our sin.