Judges - Gideon

Gideon - Judges 6

This is a historical account of the great God of the Bible proving his power over other so called gods and other nations by using an unlikely untrained man to lead a miraculous victory.

Basic Truth - It is the person and power of God that takes broken men and women and equips them for the ministry of heart change.

Basic Truth application - We are going to see today how God can take you and empower you into a spiritual leader.

-What is a spiritual leader? Someone who encourages others to make spiritual connections with God.

Spiritual leader can be a formal position or informal.

The beauty about spiritual leadership is that God uses broken people to effect the lives of others.

-To be a spiritual leader, an influencer of others you qualify by having 2 qualities:

1. be a broken person

2. fully trust and surrender your self to God

Basic Truth - The Spirit gives life, the flesh counts for nothing.

Judges 17:6 ESV

6 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

Introduction -

One of the key verses in the book of Judges is this.

Judges 17:6 ESV

6 In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

The time of the judges is one of the saddest times in the nation of Israel’s history.

The cycle of sin in the Judges

One author said it was like watching the Roman Empire at the end of its greatness begin to fall apart.

The one redemptive factor about this time is - God is still working.

When it seems like God has given up on His people, He hasn’t.

When you read the book from front to end you see a pattern that happens over and over. It’s called “The Cycle of Sin”.

The cycle of sin in the Judges (Make this into a

***Cycle if sin in the Judges Visual.

Israel Falls Into Sin - Disobedience (Most of the time this was over them leaving the God of the Bible and following foreign gods.)

Israel Falls Into Sin - Disobedience (Most of the time this was over them leaving the God of the Bible and following foreign gods.)

Israel is Enslaved (disciplined)

Israel Cries to the Lord (repentance)

God Raises Up A Judge (spiritual leader)

Israel is Delivered (deliverance)

Israel Serves the Lord (obedience)

QUESTION - Is this cycle something that you can relate to in your life?

Could you say, When I step back in my life and look at this cycle that Israel went through over and over - I can see this same cycle in my life as well?

The great news is that God desired to free Israel from this trap and He desires to free you from it as well.

In our passage today Israel is being oppressed by another nation - Midianites.

God has heard their cry and is raising up a leader/Judge to help the people spiritually.

His name is Gideon.

As you grow spiritually, God is transforming you, growing you, Sanctifying you so that you have spiritual impact on others.

Something to consider: THE NARRATIVE REMAINS A CONTEST BETWEEN YAYWEH AND BAAL.

Something to consider: THE NARRATIVE REMAINS A CONTEST BETWEEN YAYWEH AND BAAL.

Hook - ???

We see

I. When God calls me to lead (minister) He empowers me for the ministry.

There was a problem (need) and God called Gideon to lead.

There was a problem (need) and God called Gideon to lead

What was the problem?

Due to the sin of Israel God sent the Midianites to oppress them.

God raised up a Judge names Gideon (chapter 6).

Judges in Bible times not only settled disputes, but also led Israel spiritually.

God led a man named Gideon to be the Judge and leader in Israel to push back against the oppression if the Midianites - foreign power.

How did God do this?

In this situation, God used the passion that was in Gideon for his people.

Speaking of the oppression of

Judges 6:13–14 ESV

13 And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” 14 And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?”

Application - Sometimes when God calls you to do something for Him - he gives you a passion for it.

Illustration - Many times in a church family someone will get a passion for a specific ministry. Let’s use for example, feeding the homeless. The person who has been given the passion for the ministry will assume that he or she can’t lead it. All the while missing that God has called them to this.

So the person who is so passionate about this ministry will try and give this passion away to others. They will demand that the deacons start a ministry to the homeless. Guess what, God didn’t give that passion and that ministry to the deacons. He gave that passions and ministry to the person who has the passion for it.

When God gives you a passion for something, the first question you should ask yourself is - Is God calling me to lead this? We aren’t allowed to give away, the ministry that God has given us to do.

Our tendency is to say, but I’m too week. I’m not trained. I’ve never led before.

This is exactly what Gideon did when He was called to lead.

In this we see the -

The weakness of Gideon

God did not call a brilliant man to lead, nor a rich man to lead.

Midian came from the weakest tribe in his clan and held the lowest position in his family.

Q - If Midian did not come from a place of honor or strength then what kind of leader was he?

- he called a man in who the Spirit of God had rested.

He was the leader in whom the Spirit of God had rested.

Judges 6:34 ESV

34 But the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon, and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him.

Judges 6:33–34 ESV

33 Now all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East came together, and they crossed the Jordan and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. 34 But the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon, and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him.

Judges 6:7

The Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon.

God empowered Gideon. God impassioned Gideon.

When God calls you to lead (minister) He empowers you for the ministry.

II. God calls me to lead (minister) so He will be glorified

God desires to be glorified more than anything else in the entire Universe.

Jonathan, Doesn’t God desire to save sinners most of all.

Saving sinners is one of God’s highest priorities.

The reason God desires to save sinners is because saving sinners is the chief means by which He glorifies Himself.

Saving sinners bring more worshipers to God.

You know what is so wonderful about glorifying God?

That the Christ follower is at his happiest, most satisfied, most joyful when he is doing what brings God glory.

The reason that God calls you and I to minister to others is so we can point others to Jesus and glorify Him.

How does this apply to Gideon?

Here is what we know about the Midianite army.

Judges 7:12 ESV

12 And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the East lay along the valley like locusts in abundance, and their camels were without number, as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance.

There were so many camels, so many warriors, they could not be counted.

This is an insurmountable problem.

What God has called Gideon to seems impossible.

-Midianites are camped in the Valley Of Jezreel (145 square miles),

-happens to also be the site of where the Battle of Armageddon is prophesied to take place in Revelation.

Note on verse 11.

-deep into the land of Israel,

This battle did not take place on a national border or in another country.

Americans tend to think of war as something that happens outside your border. In this case a massive army has take up residence deep inside Israel.

deep into the land of Israel,

-Fighting this army and winning seems impossible, suicide.

-God for His Glory raises the stakes.

Barley Bread, poverty stricken Israelites

-God shrinks Gideons army.

-If fighting and wining what seems to be impossible odds isn’t enough God intentionally shrinks Gideon’s army.

Judges 7:2 ESV

2 The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’

Tent - Nomadic Midianites

Judges 7:

God starts cutting down the number of troops Gideon can use.

God tells Gideon to let the troops who are trembling in fear go back to their army tent.

Gideon Spontaneously worships after hearing the meaning of the dream.

Gideon doesn and out of his 32,000 troops, Gideon looses 22,000. 2/3 of his army are gone.

This spring happened to already be named, the spring of trembling.

Gideon now has 10,000 troops to fight an army to large to be counted.

Gideon now has 10,000 troops to fight an army too large to be counted.

But God says, You still have too many people.

The hill south of the Midianite army where they camped had a fresh water spring. Which was a great place to camp an army.

Gideon returns to camp and immediately brings his forces together.

The second cull,

The middle watch 10pm.

The second cull,

Gideon brought the soldier down to drink from the spring.

Breaking clay jars makes a terrible sound.

Those who brought water to their mouth with their hand were told to stay.

Those who put their face in the water and drink directly with their mouth were told to go back to their army tent.

Gideon looses 9,700 troops.

How many trumpets? 300? Trumpets were normally reserved, one trumpet for every company of men. Now we have 300 trumpets, sounded like an attack in the night of thousands of people.

Now Gideon was down to 300 men. 300 men for a battle.

Now Gideon has 300 men to fight more than he can count.

The situation that Gideon is in is more that a fear of failing.

-This isn’t a video game where you can hit restart for another chance.

Battles were not fought in the night or the winter.

If you fail, you die. and all you have is 300 men.

Why did God do this? So man couldn’t take credit.

God wants the Glory.

Jesus said this -

John 6:63 ESV

63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

Our fleshly strength does not bring heart change.

Heart change happens when God (who is Spirit) works.

.

Application-

Application-

63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.Application-

Isn’t that what ministering to others is like?

There are times that you believe that you are facing an impossible situation.

-Maybe you are trying to share your faith with someone who you think is beyond hope.

-Maybe your child or grandchild seems to have an impossibly hard heart.

-Maybe you have been in a very dry spiritual place for a long time and it doesn’t seem like your heart will ever awaken to the sweetness and goodness of God.

Know this … That God is most glorified when He breaks through in the most difficult of situations.

In the impossible situation of the blind man, Jesus healed him and was glorified.

In the impossible situation of the dead, Jesus made Lazarus come to life and was glorified.

In the impossible situation of you being dead in your sin, Jesus went to the cross to pay for your sin and experience the wrath of God, was resurrected.

God awakened your heart so you could receive Him.

He was glorified and will be glorified through eternity.

He was glorified and will be glorified through enternity

When we face impossible situations with God and trust Him in the midst of them. He is glorified.

Illustration -

I met a man the other day here locally. He was facing a liver transplant.

He said this, whether I get the transplant soon or I die - either way God is good.

He rejoiced in God glorifying Himself and being good in death or life.

God is glorified when we trust God in the impossible.

Gideon faced the impossible and trusted God to supernaturally work.

Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.

Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit says the Lord of Hosts...

At the end of the day, a signal would be sounded and everyone would rest till morning.

The idea that thousands would attack in the night was unheard of.

The off duty guards were going back to their tents. Horns blow.

II.

Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit says the Lord of Hosts...

III. I must act on God’s calling to minister and lead.

Gideon had to act.

Gideon had to act.

He took his 300 men and divided them into 3 groups of 100.

Each had a torch with a clay pot covering the light, and a signal horn (think rams horn).

-Their hands were full. Torch in one hand and horn in the other.

-It is believed by commentators that Gideon’s 300 didn’t even have a sword.

-As best they could they surrounded the Midianite army.

-Together, all in unison, they blew their horns.

-They broke their clay pots revealing their torch.

They yelled, “A Sword for the Lord and Gidian.”

The midianite army woke up hearing the clanging of broken pottery, seeing 300 torches and hearing 300 signal horns. This appeared like an army of thousands.

Judges 7:22 ESV

22 When they blew the 300 trumpets, the Lord set every man’s sword against his comrade and against all the army. And the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.

The army that could not be counted fell to defeat and God has worked a great miracle for His people.

This army was defeated because scared Gideon acted on God’s calling.

When God calls you to minister it will rarely feel relaxed and easy.

It will usually feel uncomfortable, even frightening.

When we trust God and act on His direction - he works wonders.

Closing,

There is ministry that God has called you to act on. Maybe something that you’ve never acted on before, but God has placed on your heart. Now is the time to act.

Driving Questions

Insert cycle of sin/judges

Some of you here today look at the cycle of Sin in the Judges and can identify one of these areas.

The first cull, 22,000 of Gideons 32,000 troops leave. If you are trembling in fear you may leave.

The hill south of the Midianite army where they camped had a fresh water spring. Which was a great place to camp an army.

This hill happened to already be named, the hill of trembling.

11 This time the mission is not to fight but to listen. Having been told to “go in this, your strength” (6:14), Gideon now finds he will gain strength by obeying God on this fearful mission in the enemy camp.WAIT AND TELL THE REASON FOR THE CULLING.

The second cull,

Gideon brought the soldier down to drink from the spring.

Those who brought water to their mouth with their hand were told to stay.

Those who put their face in the water were told to go home.

Now Gideon was down to 300 men. 300 men for a battle.

The fear is not just failure.

If you fail, you die.

WAIT AND TELL THE REASON FOR THE CULLING.

Then return to verse 7:2

Judges 7:2 ESV

2 The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’

Application -

What is the one thing that God is concerned with more than anything else? His glory, His fame.

Dream -

Barley Bread, poverty stricken Israelites

Tent - Nomadic Midianites

Gideon Spontaneously worships after hearing the meaning of the dream.

Gideon returns to camp and immediately brings his forces together.

The middle watch 10pm.

Breaking clay jars makes a terrible sound.

How many trumpets? 300? Trumpets were normally reserved, one trumpet for every company of men. Now we have 300 trumpets, sounded like an attack in the night of thousands of people.

Battles were not fought in the night or the winter.

At the end of the day, a signal would be sounded and everyone would rest till morning.

The idea that thousands would attack in the night was unheard of.

The off duty guards were going back to their tents. Horns blow.