Gideon - The Mighty Man of Valor
“Gideon’s 300”
Part 6 of a Series
Open Arms – July 9th, 2017
Over the past five weeks we have been looking at the life and times of Gideon who the Angel of the Lord called a “Mighty Man of Valor;” a name that didn’t seem to fit with the description of a guy that didn’t look anything like a brave and courageous man.
We have seen the downfall of Israel’s spiritual and economic condition and the mayhem that followed as they turned away from God and began serving Baal.
Gideon had become God’s man who was not very confident or faith-filled at all; but when God finds his man, he does not give up on him.
We saw how Gideon needed tons of confirming signs and assurances before he could cross the chicken line. However, he eventually did so, tore down the Altar of Baal and sent out the call for the most unlikely army ever.
32 thousand men answered the call and gathered at the Well of Harod which means Fountain of Affliction and Trembling while the enemy was gathered at the Hill of Moreh or Hill of the Early Spring Rain.
And last week we focused on how the Reduction of Arms took the Army of 32,000 soldiers down to a total of 300 men. And after one final confirming sign, the enemy soldier’s dream and its interpretation, Gideon comes back and tells his 300 that it’s time to arise and do what they came to do.
And now, we pick up the story in Judges 7:16 “Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet into every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers. 17 And he said to them, "Look at me and do likewise; watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do as I do: 18 When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets on every side of the whole camp, and say, 'The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!'"
19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outpost of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just as they had posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers that were in their hands.
20 Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers — they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing — and they cried, "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!"
21 And every man stood in his place all around the camp; and the whole army ran and cried out and fled. 22 When the three hundred blew the trumpets, the Lord set every man's sword against his companion throughout the whole camp; and the army fled to Beth Acacia, toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel Meholah, by Tabbath.
23 And the men of Israel gathered together from Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh, and pursued the Midianites.
24 Then Gideon sent messengers throughout all the mountains of Ephraim, saying, "Come down against the Midianites, and seize from them the watering places as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan."
Then all the men of Ephraim gathered together and seized the watering places as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan. 25 And they captured two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb.
They pursued Midian and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side of the Jordan.
I want to start by talking about the three things they were to gather up as they leave the camp in the middle of the night:
THREE THINGS:
1. A Trumpet or Rams Horn
2. A jar, which is a clay pitcher or clay vessel
3. A lamp, or torch pre-lit inside of the jar
Now we know this is an unusual armament but really? It’s hard to get it. Reduce your Army down to 300 and bring what?..... Seriously?.......... Really?.....
When we can see what these things represent we realize that they are the perfect weapons for the situation. Because, you see, the weapons of our warfare….
Ephesians 6:12 KJV, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
You see, some of us are not properly identifying our enemy. We are wrestling with things that are not even the real issues. We are targeting the negative or evil fruit but totally ignoring the root that fed the tree that produced the bad stuff.
Half the battle is properly identifying the root. What is it that’s giving the fruit permission to grow? Tackle that and the fruit, the curse, the sin will go away.
Remember last week we were talking about the Battlefield of the Mind? Remember I said not to let your head become the devil’s playground? We brought up.... 2 Corinthians10:4 (KJV) says, “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)”
Here is that same scripture in The Message.
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 (THE MESSAGE), “The world is unprincipled. It's dog-eat-dog out there! The world doesn't fight fair. But we don't live or fight our battles that way — never have and never will.
4 The tools of our trade aren't for marketing or manipulation, but they are for demolishing that entire massively corrupt culture.
5 We use our powerful God-tools for smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ.
6 Our tools are ready at hand for clearing the ground of every obstruction and building lives of obedience into maturity.
So, back to Gideon’s three offensive weapons:
1. A Trumpet or Ram’s horn.
2. A jar, which is a clay pitcher or clay vessel.
3. A lamp, or torch pre-lit inside of the jar.
Obviously there is some serious symbolism here.
The Trumpet Symbolizes a Testimony
A trumpet symbolizes in the Word of God, a voice or a testimony.
They had a testimony.
Their testimony was, “God is with us.”
Their testimony was, “Our God is mighty.”
Their testimony was, “Our God answers prayer.”
You remember in chapter 12 of the book of the Revelation, Satan is cast out of Heaven for the last time, and all of Heaven rejoices in the fact that he can no longer come to Heaven to accuse the brethren.
Revelations 12:11 “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”
Your testimony of the salvation of our God and his transformation power in our lives is so powerful.
Trumpets or Ram’s Horn also represents Praise and Worship as a form of spiritual warfare:
Think about the Ram’s Horn in relation to the walls of Jericho. Explain….
Think about the Ram’s Horn in relation to Jehoshaphat. Explain….
Gideon’s second weapon was the Jar.
Treasure in Earthen Vessels
Notice that there was a pitcher, and it was a pitcher that was made out of clay. It makes me think of what the Apostle Paul said in his letter to the Corinthians.
2 Corinthians 4:7-10 New Living Translation, “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. 8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.”
I think it is interesting that for the lamp to show its light, the clay jar has to be broken. And, I can relate to that as can we all. Because, we have all been broken. We all have a testimony, a story if you will. And we all are examples of how God takes broken things and does amazing work with us.
It really is amazing how God takes the brokenness of our lives and uses it for his glory.
The Third Weapon was the Lamp or Torch within the jar.
The Flame of God Within
This lamp was really a flame. It wasn't a lamp like you think of it. It was a flame inside the pitcher, a burning wick inside the pitcher. It was really the flame of God. I believe it was representative of the same flame that resides in every believer today.
Matthew 5:14-16 New Living Translation, “"You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”
As Christians we talk about shinning our light; what does that mean?
Charles Arn: Fishing Illustration
Now it came to pass that a group existed who called themselves fishermen. And lo, there were many fish in the waters all around. In fact, the whole area was surrounded by streams and lakes filled with fish. And the fish were hungry.
Week after week, month after month, and year after year these, who called themselves fishermen, met in meetings and talked about their call to go about fishing. Continually they searched for new and better methods of fishing and for new and better definitions of fishing.
They sponsored costly nationwide and worldwide congresses to discuss fishing and to promote fishing and hear about all the ways of fishing, such as the new fishing equipment, fish calls, and whether any new bait was discovered.
These fishermen built large, beautiful buildings called “Fishing Headquarters.” The plea was that everyone should be a fisherman and every fisherman should fish. One thing they didn’t do, however; they didn’t fish. All the fishermen seemed to agree that what is needed is a board which could challenge fishermen to be faithful in fishing.
The board was formed by those who had the great vision and courage to speak about fishing, to define fishing, and to promote the idea of fishing in far-away streams and lakes where many other fish of different colors lived. Large, elaborate, and expensive training centers were built whose purpose was to teach fishermen how to fish.
Those who taught had doctorates in fishology. But the teachers did not fish. They only taught fishing. Some spent much study and travel to learn the history of fishing and to see far-away places where the founding fathers did great fishing in the centuries past.
They lauded the faithful fishermen of years before who handed down the idea of fishing. Many who felt the call to be fishermen responded. They were commissioned and sent to fish. And they went off to foreign lands . . . to teach fishing.
Now it’s true that many of the fishermen sacrificed and put up with all kinds of difficulties. Some lived near the water and bore the smell of dead fish every day.
They received the ridicule of some who made fun of their fishermen’s clubs. They anguished over those who were not committed enough to attend the weekly meetings to talk about fishing. After all, were they not following the Master who said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men”?
Imagine how hurt some were when one day a person suggested that those who don’t catch fish were really not fishermen, no matter how much they claimed to be. Yet it did sound correct.
Is a person a fisherman if year after year he never catches a fish? Is one following if he isn’t fishing? (Win Arn, The Pastor’s Church Growth Handbook, vol. 1, Monrovia, California: Church Growth, Inc., 1979, pp. 151-154).
You know, as long as we don’t get out there and start fishing, we are of little threat to the kingdom of darkness and our light shines with very little significance.
I love American History, and I have been thinking of a Revolutionary hero named Patrick Henry. He is the one who wrote the Give me Liberty or Give Me Death speech. He gave this speech to congress during the forming of our great country in light of the oppression of the British.
It is a great speech and every one of us should read it in its entirety. I will share this one excerpt in the middle of the presentation which I believe goes along with today’s word.
It says, “Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded; and we have been spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne! In vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace and reconciliation?
There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free-- if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending--if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained--we must fight!
I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of hosts is all that is left us!
They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house?
Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot?
Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. The millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us.
Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations, and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us.
The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.”
And at the end of the speech Patrick Henry concludes by saying, “Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”.........
So, I thought I would be able to finish this series today but obviously, it’s just not going to happen. We actually only covered one verse; yes, just one.
So I am learning my lesson about telling people how many sessions there in a series…… And in this case, the things God is having me teach are just too good to rush through.
I hope this series is being helpful to you as we are growing together in the love of God, our purpose as a church and how each of us fit into God’s Master Plan.
So next week, we will pick it up where we left off today and continue moving forward in the series.
