Unlikely Victors: Deborah & Gideon (Judges 4; 6:11-16; 7:1-22)

Outline

* verses with no book listed are in Judges

Central Truth: Through faithfulness to God, even the unlikely are empowered to do His will

Focus: God uses unlikely people to accomplish His purposes & follow His call.

When God calls us, He will equip us for the task. If God calls you to it, He will see you through it.

We must not compromise our faith, mixing Christian beliefs & practices with false religions/gods.

Evangelism Emphasis: The Holy Spirit empowers believers to witness for Christ

Golden Text: “But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty” 1 Cor 1:27 NKJV

Pretext: In both cases Israel was in rebellion, disobeying God’s commands and worshiping idols. The Israelites gave no evidence of real repentance, but their affliction moved God’s loving heart. “In all their affliction He was afflicted” (Isa. 63:9). “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities” (Ps. 103:10). God in His MERCY doesn’t give us what we do deserve; and in His GRACE, He gives us what we don’t deserve.

Deborah (bee or honeybee): Judge & Prophetess (4:1-23)

unlikely to be used by God because she was a woman & women weren’t often allowed to lead in those days

only 2 judges were also prophets - Samual & Deborah

she saw herself as a mother of Israel (5:7)

Deborah’s Call (4:1-9)

Military strategy, given by God (4:6-7)

call Barak (lightning) to be commander

have Barak call 10,000 Israelites to war & gather at Mt Tabor

engage Sisera in the Kishon River basin - mostly swamp land. Additionally, God sent a violent storm & floodwaters & she gave God the glory (5:19-22)

like so many others, he was uncertain of himself but God still used him (4:8) - Moses (Ex 3-4), Jeremiah (Jer 1), Gideon (Ch 6), even Peter

Barak is named in the Hebrews Hall of Faith (Heb 11:32)

b. Israel’s Victory (4:10-23)

God used a woman & Kenite (Moses’ FIL Jethro’s nationality), Jael, to kill the enemy’s commander, Sisera (4:9, 21; 5:25-27)

Gideon: Commissioned to Rescue Israel (6:11-16)

unlikely to be used by God because

he was a coward, full of insecurity & self-doubt,

plus he was an Abiezrite, an insignificant clan from the weakest tribe of Manasseh

like David, he was the least important in his family

he was not viewed as a person with authority within his clan to call out soldiers for battle (6:15)

chosen despite his family continually worshipping Baal, highlighting Gideon’s potential to stand against idolatry (6:25-32)

Gideon’s Questions (6:11-15)

Here was Almighty God telling Gideon that He was with him and would make him a conqueror, but Gideon replied with questions.

If You are with us, why are we suffering? Where are You & Your miracles we’ve heard about? (6:13)

Who me? I’m a nobody (6:15)

he questions God numerous times and in God’s patience & mercy, He answers - burning up the sacrificial offering, damp & dry fleece, the dream of the Medianite (6:19-24, 36-40; 7:11, 13-15)

The Lord’s Promise (6:14-16)

God called Gideon a “mighty man of valor” & promised to be with him (6:12) - God saw his potential, not his failures (valor or ‘in God’s hands’)

God met his unbelief with a series of promises: “The Lord is with you”; “you shall save Israel … have I not sent you?” “surely I will be with you” (6:12, 14)

He says it will seem as if you are fighting only one man (6:16)

If God calls us, He will equip us - at least 35 verses in the OT & NT make reference to this

“I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing” John 15:5 NKJV

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” Philippians 4:13 NKJV

“But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon…” (6:34a)

“Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes” Mark 9:23 NKJV

“But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” Matthew 19:26 NKJV

“For with God nothing will be impossible” Luke 1:37 NKJV

God Gives Miraculous Victory (7:1-22)

Gideon’s 300 Men (7:1-7)

The enemy army consisted of approximately 135,000 soldiers & was compared to locusts, as many as grains of sand on the seashore, and called a mighty force (7:12)

32,000 men came to fight (7:3)

God told Gideon to send those home who were afraid - about 22,000 (7:3)

God new they would think they did it of their own accomplishment so he reduced it to 300 men (7:2, 4, 6-7)

this shows that God doesn’t need a great army to defeat the enemy

“For nothing restrains the Lord from saving by many or by few.” 1 Sam 14:6b NKJV

“There’s no rule that says God can only deliver by using a big army. No one can stop God from saving when he sets his mind to it.” 1 Sam 14:6b MSG

Trumpets, Pitchers, & Swords (7:8-22)

the use of camels gave the Medianites a distinct advantage, the element of surprise & potentially a quick escape (6:5).

God used unusual weapons (trumpets & pitchers with a torch inside) to confound & confuse the enemy (7:16-20)

The enemy killed each other out of fear and confusion (7:21-22)

Conclusion

Vessels of God’s Glory

We can be vessels, used for God’s glory if we will obey, follow, & trust the Lord. His abilities are limitless.

God used

Deborah, a woman in a male dominated world

Barak, filled with insecurity & hesitation

Gideon, who had an inferiority complex, low opinion of himself, & wasn’t a man of strong faith or courage

God often chooses the “weak things of this world” to accomplish great things for His glory (1 Cor. 1:26–29)

Just as God called Gideon a “mighty man of valor,” He sees our potential, not our failures (6:12)

God had to patiently work with Gideon to prepare him for leadership. God is always ready to make us what we ought to be if we’re willing to submit to His will (Eph. 2:10; Phil. 2:12–13)

We should not be afraid of the enemy but instead should trust God to protect us & use us in unusual ways. These are the things that become our testimony.

We do not need to be influential or clever to make a difference; rather, commitment to Christ, obedience to His word, and reliance on His strength are what truly matter. The apostle Paul reinforces the idea that strength can be found in weakness, encouraging readers to embrace their faith and potential to effect change - “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Cor 12:9 NKJV

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, Gideon’s story reveals that true strength lies in faith, not human might. God mocks our reliance on power, calling us to trust Him alone. Like Gideon, we must renounce our fears and self-reliance, recognizing that God’s victory comes through our humility. Worship the Lord alone; He is our true strength and deliverance.

Fear is a part of life, but courage is essential. In Judges 6, we see God calling Gideon, a fearful man, to be a hero. God creates courage through His calling. We must confront our idols and recognize that true courage comes from knowing God is with us. Our identity in Christ empowers us to act boldly.

we are not to expect signs before our eyes such as Gideon here desired, but must earnestly pray to God, that if we have found grace in his sight, he would show us a sign in our heart

Jesus did not come to bring neutrality but division, as the earth is under attack by the devil. Society’s fixation on neutrality leads to disastrous results. God condemns neutrality, as seen in Meroz’s (cursed for not helping the Israelite army) inaction. We must take sides in the battle against evil, actively supporting God’s cause and rejecting indifference. We must awaken to the injustices around us and respond with courage. God wants us to be a ‘valiant warrior’

the Israelites were prepared to kill in the name of religious zeal for Baal (6:25–32). A population thus divided was ripe for foreign exploitation.

Faith: We must be careful not to mix Christian faith with false gods, such as superstition, the occult, Eastern mysticism, & other New Age practices. this is known as syncretism; and we must be careful to ensure we are not worshiping idols, such as a job, spouse, sex, money, as well as things like serving in church, and things that may seem innocent. Things to look for which can indicate idolatry

take our thought life captive

we spend our money on

we exert energy to pursue

we become quite emotional about, like becoming frustrated when we cannot obtain it or feeling euphoric when we do obtain it