GIDEON ENCOURAGED

GIDEON ENCOURAGED

JUDGES 7:9-15

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INTRODUCTION:

Gideon's heart was encouraged when 32,000 Israelites gathered under his leadership to fight the enemy. Some of you have had the privilege to be in command at one level or another. It is a good feeling and when you go onto command with greater and greater responsibility. Gideon was encouraged.

There was hope with this massive army!

Gideon could finally deliver the Israelite nation and he would be their leader!

Before God had called Gideon, he was just a poor farmer in Opharah. He was a small town warrior, kind of like a national guardsman. He was in the Israeli underground, but now he was the General of a force of 32,000!

The enemy was the Midianites. Their army was 135,000 strong! It was almost 4 to 1, but God was on their side, Gideon was encouraged. But the Lord instructed Gideon to tell his force if anyone was afraid to go into battle they could return to there homes. 22,000 went home. Leaving him with 10,000. Now the number was 13.5 to 1.

The Lord ordered Gideon to reduce his force again, this time by a very strange method. Not upon physical ability, or experience, or age, or military knowledge, but on the way they drank water!

The ones who drank water by cuping their hands Gideon was to keep for his force. Those that drank by putting their lips down in the water were told to go home. Those that cupped their hands were proven to be more alert warriors.

They could drink but continue to look around. Those that drank directly from the water could not see around them, they were not alert warriors.

Only 300 passed the test! Now the number was 450 to 1.

Now with 300 men against 135,000 men God tells Gideon not to use their regular weapons. God told them to go up against this massive force with torches, jars and trumpets!

T.S.

Then the Lord tells Gideon to go get em!

This passage shows us 3 things about faith,

1. That faith appears illogical

2. That faith appears risky

3. That faith appears in our obedience

I. FAITH APPEARS ILLOGICAL

Star Trek's Spock was always telling Captain Kirk that what he was doing was illogical. Being logical is doing something that is reasonable, or that makes sense. Spock I'm sure would have been telling Gideon the same thing. This is not logical Gideon.

Gideon’s faith appears illogical here when Gideon lets 22,000 of his men go home because they were afraid.

Gideon’s faith appear illogical when he is eliminates another 9,700 men just because they kneeled down and drank instead of cupping as they drank.

Gideon appeared illogical when he went from leading 32,000 to leading 300 against 135,000. He appeared to be a fool!

How could he obey such commands?

His faith, his trust caused him to obey. He obeyed and didn't think about the consequences to himself or others. Gideon’s faith was of a high quality.

Apparently those 300 that remained in Gideon's force also shared in this trust in their leader and in God, they knew of Gideon’s past testimony, possibly they had been with him in other ventures of faith. He and some friends overthrew the altar of Baal and cut down the "Sacred Grove" around it. Maybe they had heard of his calling by God, the supernatural fire which consumed a sacrifice which he had put on a rock.

T.S.: We don't hear of these men leaving Gideon. They stayed! Even though it seemed illogical they continued have faith in God's instructions. They took a risk, they trusted in their leader who trusted in the Lord!

II. FAITH APPEARS RISKY

Gideon's faith took immense risks, all human probabilities were against him. But he had the promise of God!

With 135,000 of the enemy less than an hours march away, his position was one of danger. With 300 men it was like putting his head in a lion's mouth! Humanly speaking, Gideon and his 300 would be crushed like insects!

But Gideon did it anyway. He marched his 300 men down to the enemy's camp. He set the word and promise of God on one side, and all the fearful risks and dangers on the other. Those things he could see didn't look good!

Paul wrote as he was inspired by the Holy Spirit this,...

READ Hebrews 11:1,32-34

T.S.:

Gideon and his men trusted in God's Word and their faith appeared in their obedience.

III. FAITH APPEARS IN OBEDIENCE

That faith was such and entire trust in the word of God that it produced obedience to that Word. Whatever it required of them!

If Gideon had rushed down to fight with the enemy when he had the 32,000 men he would have been destroyed!

It wasn't Gideon's idea, it wasn't a belief just on Gideon's part that this is what God wanted him to do, but his actions were based on a clear distinct Word from God.

We should hold this up as a good example of obedience to God's Word.

God said that He would be with Him. Today we have that same promise from Jesus, He said...I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:20)

God said that He would give him the victory!

God said to reduce his force. (So that there would be no mistake in who had provided the victory). We are promised victory in this life by God's Word...

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? [shall]

tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or

nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For your sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. (Romans 8)

God said not to use conventional weapons in the initial attack, they weren't weapons at all, they were torches, jars, and trumpets!

In the last battle the Lord will not give us any weapons, but the only weapon will be Jesus Word.

READ Rev. 19:11-16

The Lord sees that Gideon is still afraid of the situation so we the Lord gives one more sign to encourage him.

God sends him down to be his own spy. Gideon sees the camp. Multitudes, camels too many to count! Very discouraging.

Then the dream: Gideon's name is feared. The Median force is afraid. The dream is interpreted. It was an affirmation for Gideon that God was in control; it was an affirmation for Gideon's men of God's Word.

CONCLUSION

Illogical, risky, and obedience.

That's the exciting factors in living a life of faith in God!

The victory that is pictured here is also a picture of the victory of the Gospel. The Gospel is foolishness or illogical to this world.

--The trumpets are symbols of the gospel declared.

--The jars are symbols of the earthen vessels he chooses to let his light shine through, those who are believers.

God promised him victory; doesn't the Lord promise us Victory in Jesus?

God sacrificed His Son for our salvation and our redemption, that plan seems illogical to some. Jesus risked His life, and gave it for us. We are asked to be obedient to His Word and give our lives over to Him, to risk the ridicule and rejection in this world in order to receive the greater victory of a life in Christ, both for today and for eternity.