the battle

if you been in a battle or under attack let me just tell you the name over all other names is who you call on

1 Samuel 17:47

45 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 46 This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.

47 And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands. 48 And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hasted, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. (1 Samuel 17:45–48, KJV 1900)

“And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD'S, and he will give you into our hands.”

David said this right before defeating Goliath.

Judges 7

King James Version (Chapter 7) 1 Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley. 2 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. 3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. 4 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. 5 So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. 6 And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. 7 And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.

8 So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley. 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.

hold on this is not what i thought it would look like im going to battle

some of us is living life like you never imagined it would look like i thought i thought

i thought i need that or this but now your like gideon GOD telling you i will give you this victory yet your about to fight this battle of 135,000 and alll you have is 300 dog drinkers

10 But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host: 11 And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host. 12 And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude. 13 And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along. 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. 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. 16 And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers. 17 And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do. 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. 19 So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands. 20 And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. 21 And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled. 22 And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled

The enemy army was enormous. Scripture says the Midianites were:

“like grasshoppers for multitude.”

God intentionally reduced Gideon’s army from 32,000 men down to only 300.

So the ratio was roughly:

135,000 Midianites

300 Israelites

Alertness vs. Carelessness

Many teachers believe the drinking method showed awareness in a dangerous situation.

Two postures:

Men who knelt down fully

Put their face to the water

Less aware of surroundings

More vulnerable to surprise attack

Men who scooped water to their mouth

Stayed upright

Could keep watching the area

More alert

GOD is saying i want the ones ready to worship

Spiritually, it reflects what Jesus later teaches:

“Watch and pray.” (Matthew 26:41)

The New King James Version (Chapter 26) 41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

God’s reason:

“Lest Israel boast… saying, ‘My own hand saved me.’” (Judges 7:2)

The strategy:

Trumpets

Torches inside clay jars

Shouting

When they broke the jars and blew the trumpets, God caused panic in the enemy camp and they began killing each other.

God reduced Gideon’s army from 32,000 → 10,000 → 300 before the victory came.

Sometimes God removes our strength so we learn to depend on His.

Isaiah 55:8–9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.”

Sometimes God’s victory doesn’t look like victory at first.

Isaiah 51

King James Version (Chapter 51) 12  I, even I, am he that comforteth you: Who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, And of the son of man which shall be made as grass; 13  And forgettest the LORD thy maker, That hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; And hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressor, As if he were ready to destroy? And where is the fury of the oppressor? 14  The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, And that he should not die in the pit, Nor that his bread should fail. 15  But I am the LORD thy God, That divided the sea, whose waves roared: The LORD of hosts is his name. 16  And I have put my words in thy mouth, And I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, That I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, And say unto Zion, Thou art my people.

2 Chronicles 20

King James Version (Chapter 20) 20 It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.

2 Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazon-tamar, which is En-gedi.

3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

King James Version (Chapter 20) 11 Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.

12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.

13 And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

14 Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation;

15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

16 To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel. 17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.

18 And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD.

King Jehoshaphat prayed and admitted their helplessness:

“We have no might against this great company… our eyes are upon You.” (2 Chronicles 20:12)

God’s response:

“The battle is not yours, but God’s.” (2 Chronicles 20:15)

Instead of sending warriors first, they sent worshippers. When they began to sing, God caused the enemy armies to turn on each other.

Exodus 14:13–16

King James Version (Chapter 14) 13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.

14 The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

15 And the LORD said unto Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward:

16 But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

Israel had:

The Red Sea in front of them

Moses

Pharaoh’s army behind them**

It looked completely hopeless.

God told Moses:

“Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD.” (Exodus 14:13)

Then God split the sea, Israel walked through on dry ground, and the Egyptian army was destroyed.

“It might not look like what we thought it should look like, but our God is still fighting for us. The battle belongs to Him, and His victory often comes in ways we never expected.”

to many times we get stuck in the how and why instead of just say its yours Lord i rather have you jesus ,Yeshua the Alpha ,the omega ,the beginning and the end

just because where we are at feels dry or dead right now the bone will live again get up and get back to the place of worship

In the story of Jehoshaphat, when Judah was surrounded by enemies, the people returned to worship before the battle.

From Second Book of Chronicles 20:21:

“He appointed singers unto the LORD… and they went out before the army.”

Worship came before the victory, and God defeated the enemies.

When Israel had drifted into idolatry, Elijah did something symbolic.

From 1 Kings 18:30:

“Elijah repaired the altar of the LORD that had been broken down.”

Before the fire of God fell, the place of worship had to be restored.

i dont have to wait for the victory to praise him