Judges 7-8 A Trumpet, A Torch, and a Test
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Intro:
Two weeks ago we started looking at Gideon
He was threshing wheat in a winepress when the Angel of the Lord appeared to him
The Angel called him a mighty man of valor
I’ve always seen Gideon as the Zacheus of the OT
Zacheus was a wee little man in a tree
Gideon was from the smallest clan of the smallest tribe
God called him to lead Israel in battle against the Midianites
Gideon wasn’t sure and tested god twice with the fleece
A faith that can’t be tested can’t be trusted.
Too often, what people think is faith is really only a “warm fuzzy feeling” about faith or perhaps just “faith in faith.”
J.G. Stipe said that faith is like a toothbrush: Everybody should have one and use it regularly, but it isn’t safe to use somebody else’s.
We can sing loudly about the “Faith of Our Fathers,” but we can’t exercise the faith of our fathers.
We can follow men and women of faith and share in their exploits, but we can’t succeed in our own personal lives by depending on somebody else’s faith.
God tests our faith for at least two reasons: first, to show us whether our faith is real or counterfeit, and second, to strengthen our faith for the tasks He’s set before us.
After God was patient with Gideon’s lack of faith, he tells gather the armies to go to battle
Tonight we are going to look at that battle
Read Judges 7:1-4
Read Judges 7:1-4
I. Thinning the Troops vs. 1-8
I. Thinning the Troops vs. 1-8
Gideon takes his troops and camps by the spring of Harod
The Valley of Jezreel is the big valley that has the Sea of Galilee and all the surrounding cities
This valley is the future scene of the battle of Armageddon
Gideon lived near the north east corner near Lebanon and Jordan
The Midianites were camped on the other side of a pass
Gideon had gathered 32,000 soldiers and impressive number
It still compared in number who were numbered to Locust and camels without number (vs. 12)
Around 135,000 troops
Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor with their army, about 15,000 men, all who were left of all the army of the people of the East, for there had fallen 120,000 men who drew the sword.
So you can imagine what Gideon is thinking when God says there are too many
God has a reason for doing this
He doesn’t want the people to say “My own hand has saved me.”
This is one of the biggest challenges to our faith
My own hand verses the hand of God
So God tells Gideon to send anyone home that is afraid
22,000 soldiers leave
Two-thirds of his army desserts him
He is left with 10,000 troops
Gideon’s faith is being tested
It is then Gideon should’ve expected a pep talk from God, but God says, “Nope, still too many”
Vs. 4 Take them to the water and I will test them
Those who lap the water like a dog set apart
7:5–6. styles of drinking water. Those who drink water in a kneeling position with their heads in the water to lap it up are (1) an easy target, (2) unaware of any enemy movement while they drink, and (3) susceptible to leeches. The alternative is to lie down flat (where one presents less of a target) and to keep alert, bringing water to the mouth while continuing to look around.
Those who kneel down were targets for the enemy
But those who laid down and lapped it up with their hand were to stay
9,700 soldiers were sent home
vs. 7 God tells Gideon that with the 300 men I will give you the Midianites into your hand
Talk about testing your faith
He takes those 300 men and sends the rest to their tent
This is all about God getting the glory in saving Israel
They hadn’t admitted their wrongdoing in worshipping other idols
They cried out for help, so it would be God who would help them
II. Gideon Promise vs. 9-18
II. Gideon Promise vs. 9-18
That night God tells Gideon to go down and defeat the Midianites for He has given it into his hand
But God gives him an option
He tells Gideon to go down into the camp if he is afraid
He will be strengthened by what he hears
Lets be honest
If your troops were reduced from 32,000 to 300 in one day fear is going to play a huge factor
We don’t know what God would’ve done if Gideon had gone right then, but he didn’t
So Gideon and Purah, his assistant go to spy on the camp
First, Gideon sees troops and camels that are like the locust and numbered as many as the sands on the shore
As they sneak up to a tent a man is telling another about a dream
A huge cake rolled into camp and struck his tent and the tent lay flat
The comrade immediately says that God has give Gideon into Midian into his hand
Never underestimate how god is working behind the scenes
He can use dreams to invoke fear into the
As soon as Gideon hears the interpretation he worshipped the Lord
Motivated, he returns to the camp and tells everyone to get ready for battle
The Lord has given Midian into your hand
He then divides the camp into three groups
He gives each soldier a trumpet, empty jars with torches inside
Not the weapons you would expect, but it is about God rescuing his people
Faith always demands you be open to the impossible and improbable
Need 300 soldiers to defeat a massive army?
Give them a trumpet and a lamp
Faith demands that you be trust God
Gideon tells them when I blow the trumpet you do the same and shout “For the Lord and Gideon.”
A surprise attack coupled with fear over Gideon produces panic
III. Defeat of Midian vs. 19-25
III. Defeat of Midian vs. 19-25
Lets set the stage
There were four watches at night, each 3 hours long
The first started at dusk or 6 PM
The middle watch was at 12 AM
They had just changed the guard and the rest of the soldiers were fast asleep
God planned an ambush when they least expected it
The soldiers were just getting into a deep sleep so they would be disoriented
The sound of trumpets and being surrounded by lights would give the impression of a massive army
The fear of Gideon spreading through the camp made the Midianites panic
As soon as they hear the trumpets the Midianites ran and fled as far as Beth-shittah about six miles away
As soon as the armies are on the run Gideon calls to Ephraim to come down and help capture the waters
Capture the waters meant to control the crossings of the Jordan rive
When people flee you can contain them by controlling the bridges
Ephraim was able to capture and execute the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb
I don’t know why but every time I read Oreb I start craving Oreo’s
Ephraim ended up being a great assist to Gideon, but they weren’t part of God’s initial plans
This is going to end up being a problem
IV. Rejected at Succoth vs. 1-17
IV. Rejected at Succoth vs. 1-17
Ephraim was a little torked that Gideon didn’t call them
He could’ve told them cell coverage wasn’t that good in the valley of Moreb
They accused him fiercely
We don’t know why they were so angry
We can assume but we don’t know
The important issue is how Gideon responds
That is what God wants us to know
Gideon gives a soft answer
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Gideon never got too big for his britches
He understands that Ephraim is the mighty tribe
He uses a grape harvest as an example
Gleanings were for poor people
The gleanings were greater than the harvest of Abiezer
He then says that God gave the princes into their hands
This appeases their anger
One thing you need to understand is that there will often be distractions and trip wires in the middle of doing God’s work
Proceed softly
vs. 4 shows Gideon getting to the Jordan with his 300 men exhausted and hungry
They asked them men of Succoth for some bread
They were pursuing after the kings of Midian
Succoth wasn’t going to risk angering the Kings of Midian if they escaped Gideon
Those kings would destroy Succoth
They hedged their bets and denied Gideon
They uses the phrase are the hands of the kings in your hands
Victorious generals would cut off the hands of proof of victory
This didn’t make Gideon happy and he told them when he defeated the kings he would come back and flail them with thorns
Next, Gideon went to Penuel and met the same response
Gideon told them he would tear down their tower
Iron Age sites did often feature such towers as part of their fortifications.
For example, excavations have shown that the town of Succoth had such a tower at the end of the judges period that was almost twenty-five feet in diameter.
Such towers could be part of the gate structure, lookout posts along the walls, or, more frequently in this period, inner citadels in the area of the local shrine.
This was probably a tower of protection that Penuel took great pride
Gideon then pursues Zebah and Zalamunna
They are holed up in Karkor with 15,000 men after 120,000 died
300 men are striking fear into 15,000
vs. 11 Gideon goes up by the way of Nobah, a nomads trail
It wasn’t used for regular traffic
This catches the troops off guard and the kings flee
He captures the kings and heads back towards home
vs. 13 ascent of Heres
Heres means sun and we can assume this was a nomad’s trail again
He did this to catch the elders of Succoth off guard
He catches a young man and he writes down the 77 elders names
Gideon goes to Succoth and the hands of the kings are in Gideons hands, except the whole body is accompany them
He takes the elders and the thorns of the wilderness
We can assume that he killed them along with the men of Penuel
V. Rise Yourself vs. 18-21
V. Rise Yourself vs. 18-21
Now Gideon has to deal with the kings of Midian
He accuses them of killing the men of Tabor
There is no reference by the writer of Judges what this is referring to
The kings say they looked like the son of a king
Gideon says they were his brothers
If they had spared them they would be spared but now they have to die
He tells his young son to arise and kills the kings
This was a great honor
Execution with a sword can be very drawn-out and painful if the executioner does not know where to strike or lacks the strength or confidence to drive the sword home.
Although it was an honor that Gideon offered to his son, it is easy to understand why the kings would prefer a skilled and practiced hand to do the job.
Gideon kills them and takes the camel ornament off of their necks
VI. Gideon’s Ephod vs. 22-35
VI. Gideon’s Ephod vs. 22-35