Gideon - The Conqueror - Part 1
Judges 6:34-7:9
Introduction
During World War II, a military governor met with General George Patton in Sicily. When he praised Patton highly for his courage and bravery, the general replied, "Sir, I am not a brave man. . . The truth is, I am an utter craven coward. I have never been within the sound of gunshot or in sight of battle in my whole life that I wasn’t so scared that I had sweat in the palms of my hands."
Years later, when Patton’s autobiography was published, it contained this significant statement by the general: "I learned very early in my life never to take counsel of my fears."
Gideon had acted in faith by following the command of God. Now he was facing a larger enemy equipped to destroy the nation of Israel if necessary. The eastern peoples had already entered the land and were set to do battle. He needed others in this battle because they numbered in the hundreds of thousands. Gideon couldn’t possibly face this old enemy alone.
1. A Recall of a People - v. 34-35
Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him. He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, calling them to arms, and also into Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, so that they too went up to meet them.
The Spirit of the Lord, the personal presence of God Almighty, usually filled those who were chosen by God to lead the people like kings and prophets. Spirit of the LORD came upon on Gideon and he played the trumpet.
As a trumpet player myself, I do agree that it is God’s instrument. But Gideon blew the trumpet for a specific purpose, to rally the faithful Israelites. He also sent messengers to call the people to battle. The battle to defeat the Midianites was not only Gideon’s responsibility but the entire nation’s as well.
God’s people too often see the minister as the leader or workman chosen by God to do His work. Members sit, enjoy the show on Sunday and expect the pastor to do the work. Certainly pastors and other ministers are called by God. But the work of the Lord is not their’s alone. Everyone in the church is called out to do the work of the Lord. The pastor is the under-shepherd to Christ but all are called and gifted by the Lord to do good works. The Lord has called everyone here today to a minister for Him. Ephesians 2:8-10 says,
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
2. A Request......Please v. 36-38
Someone said, "Give me the benefit of your convictions, if you have any; but keep your doubts to yourself, for I have enough of my own." (Goethe)
Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised—look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.” And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.
Gideon was not a perfect example for us. He was very human and very fallible. He had doubts and fears like everyone else. Some would say his faith was weak but I differ, so far his faith and trust in the Lord had won out over the fear and doubt.
Gideon began his conversation with God with a conditional, "if".
He asked if he could fleece God. The test would involve taking a wool fleece, the skin of a sheep with the wool on it, and placing it out in the night. If the dry fleece became wet and the ground was not dewy or wet he would believe in the promise of God to give victory.
God did as Gideon requested. The fleece was soaked with a bowlful of water and the ground was dry all around. God had given Gideon the sign. However, Gideon was not entirely convinced, after all, someone could have poured water on the fleece. How could he be sure?
3. A Request...Again v. 39-40
Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew.” That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.
Notice the patience and graciousness of God toward Gideon and his doubts and fears. Now he asked something that would be impossible for man to do, now take the already wet fleece, and make the ground dewy or wet all around and dry the fleece.
The fleece was wet but surrounded by wet dewy ground. Remember, there were not dryers or Laundromats available in those days. Even if someone did dry it the moment it touched the ground it would be damp again. Gideon was filled with doubts but each time the Lord demonstrated His power to Gideon. Gideon was ready.
Gideon was a good leader. He had the high ground above his enemies. It was a good position for an attack. He had gotten up early to check everything. He had also made camp near a source of water, another key element to fight a battle whether short or long in duration. The Lord however had not finished preparing the army for attack.
4. A Reduction of Force v. 7:1-6
Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh.
The blowing of the trumpet had brought 32,000 men to fight the Midianite army. The odds weren’t great but at least it was 32,000 Israelites to 135,000 Midianites. Not great odds but "doable" with God’s power or so they thought. But the Lord knew His people.
The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, announce now to the people,
The Lord did not want the prideful, boastful Israelites to take credit for winning the battle. The warning about pride had been written before the people entered the Land flowing with milk and honey. Deuteronomy 8:10-11, 17-18 says,
10When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the LORD your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day.
You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today.
The Lord did something that no one expected, especially Gideon. He called for a reduction in force. They were to get rid of some of their men.
‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.
The call went out to all those who were afraid. If you are afraid, you may leave the mountain. What happen, they lost two-thirds of the army that had come to fight. The odds were against the Israelites already.
The Midianites were feared because they had already made the Israelites their slaves. Raiding parties would come and take their food and whatever else they liked from the people. It had been this way for seven years. If you are afraid, leave. It was an open invitation for most of the men to leave and so they did.
It is surprising that Gideon did not leave. Twenty two thousand men left leaving only ten thousand. he odds against the Israelites increased dramatically. Four to one odds became thirteen to one odds. Now there could be no mistaking the victory was God’s. But the Lord was not finished with His reduction in force.
But the LORD said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”
There were still too many men so the Lord told Gideon to take the men down to the water to be sifted. God was going to pick the number of men, not Gideon. I am sure that Gideon was beginning to wonder about the battle and their chances to win against an enemy that outnumbered them by so many. Gideon obeyed though and took the men to the water.
So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the LORD told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink.” Three hundred men lapped with their hands to their mouths. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.
There were two ways the men were drinking. One group got down on all fours and drank like a dog. My dog is a golden retriever so when he drinks he sticks his head into the bucket and drinks. Most of the water ends up on the floor or on one of us. This is how he drinks and most dogs drink in that manner. This is how some of the men drank.
The other group of men got into a kneeling position, reached their hand into the water, cupped it, and brought the water up to their mouth. If you have ever had a drink from a cool stream or creek you know what I am talking about.
The ones who lapped with their tongues numbered nine thousand, seven hundred men. The ones who cupped the water were three hundred. I am sure Gideon was hoping he would at least have over nine thousand men.
The Lord chose those men who knelt beside the water and brought the water to their lips to drink. Some commentators have suggested this kneeling demonstrated alertness to danger, vital for a soldier in combat. If a surprise attack came the lappers would not have time to get up but kneelers would. We cannot be sure why the Lord picked the three hundred men as His army.
5. A Requisition - v. 7-8
The LORD said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place.” So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others.
The Lord gave Gideon a promise. The tree hundred would save him and defeat the Midianites. They were the Lord’s army. One thing was absolutely sure; there would be no mistake that the Lord won the battle for the three hundred. After all, there were one hundred twenty five thousand Midianites in the valley below who were the enemy. How would the Lord do it?
Another interesting point is the remaining men were sent home to their tents. They did not stay in reserve in case the battle went poorly. They did not wait on the mountain just in case. They left and returned home to their farms, their wives, their children, and their parents. The Lord was ready for battle.
The men had returned and the three hundred prepared for battle. The provisions of ten thousand men were at their disposal. But they were still only three hundred and could carry only so much. Extra provisions would do them no good in the midst of battle. But, they took them and of course the trumpets. Each one of them had at least one to play. But as good as a trumpet is it can not stand against a sword yielded by an enemy.
6. A Repeated Promise v. 9
Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. During that night the LORD said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands.
The Lord gave Gideon the command. The men were ready for battle and now the moment had come. The LORD repeated a promise he had given before to His children before they crossed in to the land flowing with milk and honey. Moses and the people had ignored it and wandered forty more years in the wilderness. Joshua and Caleb understood and were ready for battle.
Now Gideon gets the same promise of the Lord. The promise is one we should all underline and star in our Bibles.. It is the phrase that the Lord spoke. It is only nine words long and each of us needs to remember them.
I am going to give it into your hands.
Midian, the Midianites, your enemy’s camp, it all is going to be yours for the taking. It will not be by your strength and power but by My word says victory. The outcome of the battle was a foregone conclusion.
Conclusion
We are facing a multitude of problems today not only in our nation but in our daily living. You may have lost your job, lost your retirement savings, lost you savings or vacation money, maybe your food money or you may be on the verge of losing your house or apartment. Illness strikes anyone at anytime. No one is immune. The year may have brought the death of a loved on or spouse.
Frankly, life stinks and it is very unpredictable. At any given moment it can deal us as blow that will shake the very foundation of our faith. But our God is LORD of all. He is still in control. Gideon was beginning to realize just how big His Lord was and is. The odds predicted a resounding defeat but the Lord promised victory.
The LORD gives us the same promise today as he gave Gideon long ago. It is found in Romans 8:31-32, 37-39
What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The enemy is large. We are outnumbered and everything is beyond our control. Time is usually running out. What does the Lord say to us? We have the promise of victory in Jesus.
Invitation
