INTRODUCTION
• VIDEO CLIP FROM DEFIANCE
• SLIDE #1
• Sometimes we can find ourselves in a situation that seems impossible, a situation of which it is hard to see a good way out.
• When we face the opportunity to make decisions in life, have you ever been paralyzed so much by the situation you did not know what to do?
• I bet if we look back at some of the decisions we have made in the past, we could all say we have made some we wish we had not made.
• There are many reasons we can fall prey to making poor decisions in life, from not looking at all the options, to looking at the options and seeing that our choice is going to end up bad, but we want what we want so bad, we think we will figure it out later.
• We can make bad choices when we do not realize there are more possibilities than we can see as we examined last week.
• Last week we talked about the fact that there are more possibilities than we can see, and God’s creativity can help us find them. Today, we’ll look at some practical ways to find the hidden option in your own impossible situations.
• Before we dig into our text, a brief amount of background information will be helpful.
• The book of Judges is a book about cycles, the cycle of the nation of Israel falling into sin, God allowing the country to go into servitude, then the people would eventually repent, then salvation would come when God would anoint a person that would be called a Judge to bring deliverance from the servitude to the nation.
• Then over time, it would all happen again.
• During the time of Gideon, we are in the fourth of the seven total cycles in which this happened.
• The nation was in dire straits when God tapped Gideon on the shoulder to deliver the nation.
• The Midianites, Amalekites and the Qedemites were all Bedouin raiders. They were desert people who overran the Israelites territory for the past seven years.
• They would wipe out the herds and crops. So, when God called Gideon, Gideon was hiding in a wine press trying to beat some wheat to use.
• When called convinced Gideon to do what God asked of him, Gideon was able to raise an army of 32000 men.
• That gets us to where we are today in our text.
• As we conclude our short series entitled The Hidden Option we will examine a well-an event from the well-known story of Gideon.
• We will examine how this reluctant military leader overcame impossible odds through a creative solution.
• Let’s turn to Judges 7:1-15
• SLIDE #2
• Judges 7:1–15 (CSB) — 1 Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the troops who were with him, got up early and camped beside the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them, below the hill of Moreh, in the valley. 2 The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many troops for me to hand the Midianites over to them, or else Israel might elevate themselves over me and say, ‘My own strength saved me.’ 3 Now announce to the troops: ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’ ” So twenty-two thousand of the troops turned back, but ten thousand remained. 4 Then the LORD said to Gideon, “There are still too many troops. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. If I say to you, ‘This one can go with you,’ he can go. But if I say about anyone, ‘This one cannot go with you,’ he cannot go.” 5 So he brought the troops down to the water, and the LORD said to Gideon, “Separate everyone who laps water with his tongue like a dog. Do the same with everyone who kneels to drink.” 6 The number of those who lapped with their hands to their mouths was three hundred men, and all the rest of the troops knelt to drink water. 7 The LORD said to Gideon, “I will deliver you with the three hundred men who lapped and hand the Midianites over to you. But everyone else is to go home.” 8 So Gideon sent all the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred troops, who took the provisions and their trumpets. The camp of Midian was below him in the valley. 9 That night the LORD said to him, “Get up and attack the camp, for I have handed it over to you. 10 But if you are afraid to attack the camp, go down with Purah your servant. 11 Listen to what they say, and then you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he went down with Purah his servant to the outpost of the troops who were in the camp. 12 Now the Midianites, Amalekites, and all the Qedemites had settled down in the valley like a swarm of locusts, and their camels were as innumerable as the sand on the seashore. 13 When Gideon arrived, there was a man telling his friend about a dream. He said, “Listen, I had a dream: a loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp, struck a tent, and it fell. The loaf turned the tent upside down so that it collapsed.” 14 His friend answered: “This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has handed the entire Midianite camp over to him.” 15 When Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. He returned to Israel’s camp and said, “Get up, for the LORD has handed the Midianite camp over to you.”
• SLIDE #3
SERMON
I. The hidden option requires God’s perspective.
• The nation of Israel was in deep trouble, they were being attacked frequently.
• Chapter six of Judges tells us when the nation would plant crops the Midianites would come destroy the crops and kill all the animals they could find.
• The Israelites had to resort to hiding in caves, in the mountains, as well as other strongholds throughout the land just to survive.
• When God lead Gideon to destroy the altar to the false god Baal, the people rallied behind Gideon, he was able to raise an impressive army of around 32,000!
• God sent Gideon to do a job, and the situation looked like it was going to be difficult because of the size and fighting prowess of the Midianites, Amalekites, and Qedemites.
• Verse 12 tells us, 12 Now the Midianites, Amalekites, and all the Qedemites KED-A-MITES had settled down in the valley like a swarm of locusts, and their camels were as innumerable as the sand on the seashore.
• When Gideon and his army looked down in the valley, they had to question whether they could pull this off.
• Have you faced situations when it looked like you were outnumbered on all sides, and from what you could see, things did not look good?
• A person I met (Chad) on one of my preaching sites was talking about how a few years ago, both he and his wife lost their job, their cars, their home and they found out they had a child on the way.
• Chad’s question was what do you do when life hits you like that? What do you do when everything seems to be crumbling down?
• When I engaged him on the matter, he told me how he and his wife were determined to trust God.
• If things were not stressful enough, God told Gideon he had too large of an army and to tell anyone who was afraid that they could go home.
• Verse 3 tells us that 22,00 of the 32,000 LEFT! So, we know that there was a significant amount of fear in the camp.
• God then tells Gideon there are still too many and He directed Gideon to take the army to the water and told Gideon to watch the drink. God then said to keep the ones who lap up the water like a dog.
• Back in verse 4 God said He was going to test the 10,000 left, that word means to sift, the term is related to removing the impurities during the processing of precious metals.
• God wanted to make sure Gideon had the most committed of fighters for the battle.
• There were only 300 left. 32,000 down to 300! WHAT IS GOD DOING?
• That is the question my acquaintance on Facebook more or less asked.
• Our perspective is not the same as God’s perspective. Impossible situations will always seem impossible until we are able to see God’s perspective on them.
• We see limitations and overwhelming odds, while God sees opportunity.
• To perceive God's perspective, we have to: 1) Ask Him for it and 2) Be willing to see what He shows us.
• The sign for Gideon was that God could use 300 fighters to defeat a massive army because God had prepared the way for the victory.
• Chad told me that no matter what it looked like, he said he and his wife prayed, God, we know you are in control of everything. We do not know why we have to go through this. And we are not going to like this. But if you are trying to teach us something, or shape us in some way, then so be it- but please give us the strength and wisdom to learn fast!
• Well, here is Gideon, with an army of 300, getting ready to take on a massive army.
• When you feel like the odds are overwhelming, and there's no hope for the situation, resist the urge to look at your problem and the areas where you feel limited.
• Instead, look for God speaking in the situation through His word, your Spirit, and mature believers.
• He will tell you what is possible. Even though you can’t see the proof of the possibility, we can trust that God’s perspective on the situation is perfect. There is a hidden option.
• Let’s look at verses 16-20
• SLIDE #4
• Judges 7:16–20 (CSB) — 16 Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies and gave each of the men a trumpet in one hand and an empty pitcher with a torch inside it in the other hand. 17 “Watch me,” he said to them, “and do what I do. When I come to the outpost of the camp, do as I do. 18 When I and everyone with me blow our trumpets, you are also to blow your trumpets all around the camp. Then you will say, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon!’ ” 19 Gideon and the hundred men who were with him went to the outpost of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch after the sentries had been stationed. They blew their trumpets and broke the pitchers that were in their hands. 20 The three companies blew their trumpets and shattered their pitchers. They held their torches in their left hands, their trumpets in their right hands, and shouted, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!”
• SLIDE #5
II. The hidden option requires going the extra mile.
• Once Gideon received encouragement from the dream of those in the Midianite camp, Gideon got to work.
• SLIDE #6 ABS
• Gideon had an army of 300, he was going to take on a much larger force, and I do not know of Gideon’s army had the abs of the 300 Spartans. ?
• If you notice, God did not tell Gideon HOW to attack, just attack!
• Gideon had to be creative, but he also had to do some hard work.
• Organizing a situation where 300 warriors could sneak up on a massive camp of invading, enemy forces, was difficult.
• It would have been easier to use his original 32,000 to march on the enemy head-to-head. But the extra effort led to an extraordinary victory.
• Finding and following the hidden option isn’t the default in your life. It takes work.
• If it was easy to find and follow God’s hidden options, wouldn’t everyone do it?
• Often, they require more work. A spouse, finding the hidden option for his or her marriage, will need to put more effort into the relationship for it to get better.
• The employee who seems stuck under a boss who just "doesn't get it" will need to put more effort into the job to lead his or her boss into excellence.
• Chad, whom I spoke of earlier, shared what happened as he and his wife trusted God.
• He said during Christmas of that year, someone at the church he was leading bible study and worship gave them $2000 cash as a gift with a note saying that they hoped it helped them get back on their feet.
• Chad said that was the beginning point of the turnaround in their lives! God came through with a miracle for their lives!
• Gideon was an active part of God’s hidden option for him and the nation.
• Gideon devised a plan and executed it, and God did His part.
• Gideon was not being egotistical when he told his army to say “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!”
• He did so because of the dream and the fear that struck the camp he was going to attack.
• God doesn’t want us to be passive. Just as love goes the extra mile, so does seeking God’s creative solutions for situations.
• It will require more work on the beginning to find the hidden option, but it will usually result in a more straightforward victory at the end of the battle.
• Let’s turn to verses 21-22
• SLIDE #7
• Judges 7:21–22 (CSB) — 21 Each Israelite took his position around the camp, and the entire Midianite army began to run, and they cried out as they fled. 22 When Gideon’s men blew their three hundred trumpets, the LORD caused the men in the whole army to turn on each other with their swords. They fled to Acacia House in the direction of Zererah as far as the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath.
• SLIDE #8
III. Your limitations help you find the hidden option.
• How in the world could 300 route an army of thousands who were better equipped to fight?
• How did Chad get through his difficult time? How are you going to get through your time trial?
• It would have been easy for Gideon to get frustrated with God. God took his numbers from 32,000 down to 300. It would be easy for you to get frustrated with God, I am sure there were times when Chad and his wife were frustrated.
• The odds were already staggering, and that just made it worse. But Gideon chose to see the limitation as an opportunity.
• It’s interesting that it doesn’t say God told Gideon what to do. It just says Gideon took his 300 and surprised the army in the middle of the night.
• Could it be that Gideon tapped into creativity by embracing the limitation? Could it be that there might have even been more options available than the surprise attack he chose?
• Just like God provides where He guides, He also guides where He doesn’t provide. Limitations on resources, budget, and even personal values can be the catalyst for finding the hidden option.
• When we look at life, when we look at situations, we tend to assess what we have, and we usually determine that we come up short.
• Many times, we do; however, do not let those limitations stop you, God sees those limitations as an opportunity to work in your life!
• God said He reduced the army so that the people who KNOW that God was the one who brought them victory!
• Think about that, God did not reduce the army from some 32,000 to 300 to watch them get routed, He did so for the people to see God in action!
• Your limitations are God’s opportunities.
CONCLUSION
• God has already given you everything you need to find the hidden option to life's impossible problems.
• You just have to connect with God’s wisdom and creativity to find them. Your limitations can’t hold you back. They’re actually assets.
• You just need to get God’s perspective, combined with working hard, to find creative solutions to the battles you face.
