Victories to Valleys

It was the summer of 2002, and the Hayman Fire was burning by the camp I was working at. There was no rain in the forecast, blue skies and hot weather was surrounding us. Everyone was praying for rain… yet nothing was coming in the foreseeable future. I remember telling the campers to pray for rain as they could see both the flames and the smoke against the blue sky.

That afternoon a young girl was walking down the trail to the snack shop

I noticed because on this hot afternoon she was wearing her pink rain coat and pink rain boots

I asked her why she was wearing these (hot & blue sky out)

Her response was simple… “Well, we asked God to send rain, and I don’t want to get wet.”

That afternoon, she was the only camper who stayed dry in what many weather forecasters called a freak, odd, miracle of rain!

Everyone prayed for rain. One little girl dressed like she actually expected God could answer. The question isn't whether God fits within what we can see. The question is whether our view of God is big enough to trust Him when what He asks makes no sense to us.

What box (God Box) have you placed GOD in? … any box is too small!!!

What area in your life is He wanting to show Himself to you in?

What is it in your life He needs to remove in order for you to see HIM!

Last Week:

We saw that Gideon was weak

We observed how God dealt with the Homefront first

God directed Gideon and we saw his obedience…

Now God is directing in other areas… will we see obedience once again?

As we come to Judges 7 we see God making some adjustments to Gideon’s army in order that the focus and confidence would be placed in the right direction. God will give the victory, yet with that comes a subtle attack that was less obvious yet somehow I believe more dangerous than Gideon going up against a trained military force of 235,000 soldiers!

A Necessary Thinning

As Gideon and Israel look ahead… there is no doubt that what they are facing is a mountain of problem. The situation seems insurmountable…

A military of 135,000

Innumerable camels

Trained military with weaponry

In life we can have a wrong focus… our attention, hope, and stability can be placed in areas that will detract from our focus on God

In Chapter 7 we see that God desires us NOT to focus on WHAT we have

Rather we are to focus on WHO He is… on WHO we have!

A right focus changes our perspective

TOO MANY TROOPS!!!

God wants the credit… Israel with Pharaoh… David & Goliath… Israel with Jericho… Daniel with the lions!

32,000… that is 4 to 1 odds… TOO MANY (even the enemy is not concerned)

22,000… leave… (Judges 7:3)

Judges 7:3 NASB95

“Now therefore come, proclaim 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.

10,000… remain 13 to 1 odds… still TOO MANY!

It is interesting how faith is fortified with numbers, yet numbers can be deceiving

God wants 300… less than 1% of the current army!!!

God is not eliminating fearful soldiers

God is eliminating explanations for victory

God is not looking for 300 extraordinary men

God is creating a situation needing an extraordinary God!

Now the odds are 450 to 1

Here is the perspective for you: All the towns along the I-70 corridor from the state line all the way through Vail would almost be equivalent to 135,000, this sanctuary has 260 seats. Add 40 seats and you have 300. Now God is ready!

God was not teaching Gideon to have confidence in less. He was teaching Gideon to have confidence in Him.

1 Corinthians 1:26–29 NLT

Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. … As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

As God thins out Gideon’s troops, we see the reason… SO THAT:

There would be a confidence going into battle

There would be hearts ready for battle rightly focused

There would be a confidence that God is gong to work… NOT US!

Judges 7:2 illustrates this

Judges 7:2 NASB95

The Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying, ‘My own power has delivered me.’

God knows there is a thinning & with it uncertainty… and we have a God that gives us assurance! (Verses 9-15)

IF… you are concerned

THEN… go and listen

God is so tender with us isn’t He!?

God lets them know He is going to do a great work!

The response is WORSHIP!!! (Judges 7:15)

Judges 7:15 NASB95

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.”

After they worship it is then that Gideon and the army of 300 are ready to engage…

A Divine Victory

NOW GO TONIGHT!!!… Gideon has done this before!

Maybe delayed obedience would have brought more fear (this is crazy, let’s go back)

Maybe with more time they would strategize things on thier own effort & understanding

GOD BRINGS PEACE IN FEARFUL SITUATIONS:

With the assurance given… they obey. (Faith is not blind! it is focused, clearly seen in the ONE we place our faith in!)

Biblical faith isn't pretending there is nothing to fear.

It is knowing Who to trust when there is plenty to fear.

God’s fingerprints are all over this battle

He brings fear, panic confusion to the enemy

He gives peace, calm, and clarity to His people

God reduced. God reassured. God directed. God confused. God delivered… Judges 7:22 God received the glory.

Judges 7:22 NASB95

When they blew 300 trumpets, the Lord set the sword of one against another even throughout the whole army; and the army fled…

God draws the hearts of the people to Himself… there is worship & praise given to God!

There has to be! there was no other way!

What in your life has He done that ONLY God can do

What prayers were answered, what rain storm came in a flood that ONLY points to God

He does not call for great Faith, He calls us to put our small faith in a GREAT GOD!

The victory that Gideon and Israel witness is nothing short of a miracle. It is a true MOUNTAIN TOP EXPERIENCE!

A Devastating Valley

Judges 7:2 predicts the danger of Chapter 8.

Last week we learned that weakness is not a problem for God...

Today we are going to see how strength can actually be a problem for man…

I have climbed a number of mountains and even some fourteeners, nothing like Mt Everest but there is something amazing and empowering about standing on top. You feel pretty tall. It is easy as you look around, you look down, to forget that you are only able to do this because of what you are standing on… it is easy for me to forget that I am only 5’8”!!!

While Gideon stands on the mountain top of victory...

His heart, his mind, his attitude… slowly drifts deep into a valley of pride, arrogance, and his heart drifts from God

He makes allowances, he justifies in his heart and mind,

He allows his focus to shift from God to himself

He forgets that he is only standing where he is because he stands on the VICTORY THAT GOD GAVE!

He forgets his stature, his size, his weakness…

Gideon's focus shifts… Initially:

“The LORD is with you...” “The LORD will deliver...” “The LORD has given...”

But eventually Gideon's concerns become increasingly personal:

He deals harshly with Succoth and Penuel.

He pursues personal vengeance concerning his brothers (8:18–21).

He refuses the title of king but increasingly lives like one.

He requests gold from the spoil. (A tax)

He makes the ephod.

He accumulates many wives.

He has seventy sons.

And he names another son Abimelech — “my father is king.”

Gideon states: “I will not rule over you, nor shall my son rule over you; the LORD shall rule over you.” (8:23)

His words sound humble.

His life begins telling another story.

Gideon's lips said, “The LORD shall rule over you,” while his life increasingly looked like, “I will rule over you.”

Judges 8:27 gives one of the saddest statements in Gideon’s narrative…

Judges 8:27 NASB95

Gideon made it into an ephod, and placed it in his city, Ophrah, and all Israel played the harlot with it there, so that it became a snare to Gideon and his household.

There is terrible irony here.

In chapter 6, Gideon destroys his father's alter to Baal.

In chapter 8, Gideon creates something that becomes a spiritual snare in his own household.

The man who began by tearing down an idol in his father's house ended by building a snare in his own.

Gideon begins taking on the roles of religious influence and functions in ways God never appointed him to.

He says worship God: … Yet he makes an ephod that is used to detract worship!

Judges 7 — Gideon worships God.

Judges 8 — Gideon makes something that becomes an object of false worship.

He open the door for the people to go right back to idols

He gives an appearance of worship, without true and right worship

Appearance can be a dangerous place… We may fool others, ourself, but not God!

Challenging Our Perspective

As we leave Gideon’s narrative, I want to challenge us to examine our own perspective.

What box have you placed God in?

At the beginning, Gideon’s problem was that his view of God was too small.

At the end, Gideon’s problem was that his view of Gideon had become too big.

In chapter 7, Gideon needed to learn that God was bigger than he thought.

In chapter 8, Gideon needed to remember that Gideon was smaller than he thought.

And maybe we need to ask ourselves the same questions:

How big is God in your thinking?

How big are you in your own thinking?

When the victory comes, do you recognize where it came from?

Are you standing tall because of who you are—or because of what God has done?

Think back to that little girl I told you about.

She put on the raincoat because she believed God could do what everyone around her couldn’t see happening.

Gideon marched with 300 because… God could do what Gideon could never accomplish.

But once the rain comes—once the victory comes—don’t forget Who sent it.

Never forget how tall you really are.

Gideon stood on the mountaintop of victory and began to think the height belonged to him.

He forgot that everything beneath his feet had been put there by God.

God isn’t looking for extraordinary men and women.

He uses ordinary, weak people in circumstances that display an extraordinary God.

Small faith placed in a great God is stronger than great confidence placed in ourselves.

And sometimes, success tests our dependence upon God even more severely than weakness does.

Gideon was safest when he knew he was weak.

He was most vulnerable when he began to believe he was strong.

And that leaves us with a warning you and I cannot afford to miss:

Our greatest danger is not always when we know we are weak.

Sometimes our greatest danger comes after God has made us strong.