Judges 6:36-7:25 - Gideon's Mission
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Gideon…advent...
We have a lot to work through in this passage, want to start with a line from Ps 139
5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.
PRAY
6:36-40 - Gideon’s Fleece
6:36-40 - Gideon’s Fleece
36 Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said,
37 behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.”
38 And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water.
36-38 - Fleece Test #1
39 Then Gideon said to God, “Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground let there be dew.”
40 And God did so that night; and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew.
39-40 - Fleece Test #2
If there is any “lack of faith” Gideon is not judged for this test … but God rather understandingly shows compassion to Gideon who fears Him...
13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.
14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.
7:1-15 - The Lord’s 300 Men
7:1-15 - The Lord’s 300 Men
1 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian was north of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.
7:1 - Midianites comes to Israel
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.’
3 Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’ ” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained.
7:2-3 - Army Reduction #1
2 - The people ARE TOO MANY FOR ME to give Midian into their hand
LEST Israel think they did it themselves!
4 And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.”
5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.”
6 And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water.
7 And the Lord said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.”
8 So the people took provisions in their hands, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the 300 men. And the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.
7:4-8 - Army Reduction #2
Take them and I’ll tell you who to send home
Send home ...
9 That same night the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand.
10 But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant.
11 And you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outposts of the armed men who were in the camp.
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.
13 When Gideon came, behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade. And he said, “Behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.”
14 And his comrade answered, “This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp.”
15 As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the Lord has given the host of Midian into your hand.”
7:9-15 - The Lord sends Gideon to spy on Midianite camp to hear a dream
7:16-25 - The Lord’s Victory
7:16-25 - The Lord’s Victory
19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch. And they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands.
20 Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow. And they cried out, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”
19-20 - Trumpets and Torches
21 Every man stood in his place around the camp, and all the army ran. They cried out and fled.
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.
21-22 - Midianites flee
23 And the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali and from Asher and from all Manasseh, and they pursued after Midian.
24 Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and capture the waters against them, as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they captured the waters as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan.
25 And they captured the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. Then they pursued Midian, and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon across the Jordan.
23 - Naphtali and Asher called up from Manasseh to pursue Midian
GO WITH THIS...
Are we in conversation with ourselves or with the Lord?
Gideon & the Fleece
Jesus mission was to do the will of the Father
19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.
20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.
He escaped regularly to commune with God
16 But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.
46 And after he had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray.
12 In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.
The most important spiritual rhythm you can establish in your life is PRAYER.
Are we hoping in how much we think we need or what the Lord HAS given us?
Gideon’s 300 men - from 32000 to 10000 to 300 against … against Midian camped in the valley like LOCUSTS…innumerable camels… 2/3 of the 30000 man army were too afraid of their odds. 100k? more?
Jesus was not at all concerned about a number of followers. He was completely focused on obedience to the mission
After Jesus resurrection and appearances, the Jerusalem church was ~120 people (Acts 1:15)
When the Lord has you ON MISSION, the ODDS are probably not going to be in your favor humanly speaking. But when the Lord has you ON MISSION, obedience will determine the victory not the odds
Do we trust that when the Lord calls us, He HAS already gone before us?
Gideon and the enemies dreams
The first proclamation of Satan’s defeat can be found in Genesis 3:15
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
We should take heart in the picture we see of Jesus in Gethsemane, Jesus as a man walking in perfect obedience is found CLINGING to the Father for comfort as he submits Himself to the will of God in taking up the Cross