Great Prayers of the Old Testament
Part 6: Great Things Happen when God's People Pray!
Judges 6:1-40; Judges 7:2-7; Judges 7:12-22; Judges 8:10
Sermon by Rick Crandall
(Prepared October 26, 2024)
BACKGROUND:
*Please open your Bibles to Judges 6. Here the Bible begins to tell us the story of Gideon, and the miraculous victory that God gave to Gideon's tiny army. But before we look at the Scripture, it's important to understand the background to this Book of Judges.
*J. Vernon McGee tells us that "Judges takes its title from 12 men and 1 woman who served as judges in Israel after the death of Joshua." Bible scholars I saw estimate this period lasted 325 to 450 years, until the days of the Prophet Samuel. "None of these judges were national leaders as Moses and Joshua had been. So for this period, God gives us a partial account, using local judges in different parts of the nation."
*But there is a common theme in the Book of Judges. William MacDonald explained that the Children of Israel had failed to completely drive out the ungodly inhabitants of Canaan. In fact, they had mingled with these pagans and were worshiping idols. As a result, God repeatedly delivered His people into the hands of pagan oppressors. In short: God's people rebelled against the Lord, bringing God's judgment on His people. Then when they repented, they were forgiven and rescued by God. "The Scofield Bible summed up the theme of Judges as 'Defeat and Deliverance.'"
*Arthur Cundall wrote: "There is much in Judges to sadden the heart of the reader. Perhaps no book in the Bible witnesses so clearly to our human weakness. But there are also rock-solid signs of God's compassion and long-suffering. And the lives of these human saviors can help point to the heavenly Savior who is able to give us perfect deliverance for all eternity." (1)
*Judges 6:1-10 describes one of the cycles of rebellion and repentance. Here God's Word says:
1. And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years,
2. and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made for themselves the dens, the caves, and the strongholds which are in the mountains.
3. So it was, whenever Israel had sown, Midianites would come up; also Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them.
4. Then they would encamp against them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep nor ox nor donkey.
5. For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, coming in as numerous as locusts; both they and their camels were without number; and they would enter the land to destroy it.
6. So Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD.
7. And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried out to the LORD because of the Midianites,
8. that the LORD sent a prophet to the children of Israel, who said to them, "Thus says the LORD God of Israel: 'I brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of bondage;
9. and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove them out before you and gave you their land.
10. Also I said to you, "I am the LORD your God; do not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But you have not obeyed My voice.'''''
*In vs. 6, the children of Israel cried out to the LORD. And in vs. 8-10, the LORD sent a prophet to preach the truth to them. Preaching God's Word is always a crucial step to get God's people where He wants them to be. But the LORD wasn't finished yet. He was about to use Gideon to deliver His people again. And his part of the story begins in vs. 11-16. Here Gideon shows us some of the wonderful things that happen when God's people pray. Please think about this, as we read Judges 6:11-16.
MESSAGE:
*What happens when God's people pray?
1. FIRST: WE INVITE THE LORD'S INVOLVEMENT.
*When God's people pray, we invite the Lord's involvement in our lives. Gideon is a great example of this truth, and we see this in vs. 11-12:
11. Now the Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth tree (Church: That's a slow growing but large tree that can live a thousand years, and looks much like an oak. And this tree) which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites.
12. And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!''
*God Himself told Gideon: "The LORD is with you. . ." And Christians, we know that the Lord is always here with us. The Lord is not a distant God. He always has His eye on people, but especially when we trust in the LORD, and cry out to Him in prayer. Psalm 33:13-18 tells us that:
13. The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men.
14. From the place of His habitation He looks On all the inhabitants of the earth;
15. He fashions their hearts individually; He considers all their works.
16. No king is saved by the multitude of an army; A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.
17. A horse is a vain hope for safety; Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength.
18. Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy.
[1] GOD GETS INVOLVED WITH US, EVEN WHEN WE DON'T EXPECT IT.
*In vs 11, Gideon was simply trying his best to do his job in a difficult and dangerous situation. Gideon wasn't expecting the LORD to show up. And as far as we know, he wasn't especially seeking the LORD. But the LORD showed up in an amazing way. And sometimes when we least expect it, God will show up in our lives in a special way.
[2] GOD ALSO GETS INVOLVED WHEN WE DON'T UNDERSTAND IT.
*At first, Gideon didn't understand that he was talking to God at the winepress. He thought the LORD was an ordinary man. But the Angel of the LORD is infinitely more than an ordinary angel. The Angel of the LORD is Almighty God. The eternal Son of God, our pre-incarnate Lord and Savior Jesus Christ spoke to Gideon that day! That's who "the Angel of the LORD" is, and that's why many Bibles capitalize this word "Angel."
*William MacDonald explained that the Bible Scriptures show that the Angel of the LORD is God. And MacDonald listed 9 different Old Testament examples. (2- The nine examples are listed below this sermon)
*One example is in Genesis 16:7-14. There, the Angel of the LORD appeared to Hagar, after she ran away from Abraham and Sarah. In that appearance, the LORD told Hagar to return to her mistress. He also revealed that Hagar was pregnant with Ishmael, and that the LORD would multiply her descendants to a countless multitude. After that incident, Genesis 16:13 tells us that Hagar "called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, "Have I also here seen Him who sees me?''
*Another wonderful example is in Genesis 22, where the LORD tested Abraham's faith by commanding him to sacrifice his only promised son, Isaac. That faith-filled father followed the LORD's command to the letter. Abraham even had the knife raised to kill young Isaac. But in Genesis 22:11-18:
11. . . the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!'' And he said, "Here I am.''
12. And He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.''
13. Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.
14. And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, "In the Mount of The LORD it shall be provided.''
15. Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven,
16. and said: "By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son,
17. in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.
18. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.''
*God the Son, the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham from Heaven. And here in Judges 6, the Son of God appeared to Gideon. But Gideon did not understand this at first. Then in vs. 13, Gideon didn't understand how the LORD was working in his life. There, Gideon said to Him, "O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.''
*Gideon had no idea that the LORD God was with him in that very moment. Gideon also knew nothing about God's miraculous plan for His people to have victory. But Christians: We are so blessed to live on the resurrection side of the cross! We know that the LORD is always with us, and even living us, because we have received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. God always knows what we're going through, and He cares. The LORD loves us infinitely more than we love ourselves, and He wants to be more involved in our lives every day. That's one of the great reasons why God wants us to pray.
2. WHEN WE PRAY, WE INVITE THE LORD'S INVOLVEMENT IN OUR LIVES. BUT CHURCH: WE ALSO PROFIT FROM THE LORD'S PATIENCE.
*Our God is patient. It is one of His most wonderful qualities. And this Book of Judges is a testimony to the patience of God in the face of chronic rebellion by His people. Otherwise, God would have wiped them out many times. We are not always patient. But thank God, -- He is!
[1] OUR GOD IS A PATIENT GOD. AND ONE REASON WHY IS BECAUSE THE LORD DOESN'T JUST SEE US AS WE ARE RIGHT NOW. HE SEES US AS WE CAN BE IN HIM.
*He sees our infinite potential. He knows the plans He has for us, and He has the infinite power to transform our lives. That's what happened here. In vs. 12, the Angel of the Lord saw Gideon as a "mighty man of valor.'' But Gideon didn't see that at all. So there are two very different perspectives in vs. 12-16. God was all about winning, while Gideon was all about whining:
12. And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!''
13. And Gideon said to Him, "O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.''
14. Then the LORD turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the h and of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?''
15. So he said to Him, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.''
16. And the LORD said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.''
*Gideon said that he was the weakest man from the weakest family. But God saw more! In vs. 12 God saw Gideon as a "mighty man of valor." And in vs. 16 God knew that Gideon was going to defeat the whole Midianite army as if they were only one man. And why was the victory so certain? -- BECAUSE THE LORD WOULD SURELY BE WITH GIDEON.
*God is patient with us because He sees our potential. He sees us as we can be in Him. So C. S. Lewis gave us this great encouragement: "Remember, He is the artist, and you are only the picture. You can't see it. So quietly submit to be painted, that is, keep fulfilling all the obvious duties of your station (you really know quite well enough what they are!), asking forgiveness for each failure and then leaving it alone. You are in the right way. Walk -- don't keep on looking at it." (2)
[2] GOD IS PATIENT WITH US, BECAUSE HE SEES US AS WE CAN BE IN HIM. BUT MOSTLY GOD IS PATIENT WITH US BECAUSE THAT'S THE KIND OF GOD HE IS.
*God is full of kindness, mercy, love, and compassion for His people. We have no idea just how patient God really is. And Gideon didn't understand it either. At the end of vs. 13, Gideon said, "The LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.''
*Gideon accused the LORD of forsaking Israel. But that's not what happened at all. The Lord didn't forsake Israel. -- What really happened was just the opposite. Israel had forsaken her God!
*Verse 1 tells us that "the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord." Then in vs. 10, the LORD brought this charge against His people, "Also I said to you, 'I am the LORD your God; do not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But you have not obeyed My voice.'" And down in vs. 25, we learn that Gideon's own father had an altar to Baal. "Now it came to pass the same night that the LORD said to him, 'Take your father's young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it.'"
*When they worshiped those idols, God's people were really worshiping demons. The Apostle Paul explained this truth to us in 1 Corinthians 10:19-21. And there he wrote, "What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? But I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord's table and of the table of demons."
*The Children of Israel were in big trouble with the LORD because they had been worshiping demons. And it's a wonder that God didn't wipe them out altogether. But our God is longsuffering! He is wonderfully patient with people. Dr. Donald Potts was one of my professors at seminary, and he was a great teacher. I have always remembered Dr. Potts telling us that the Old Testament word picture for longsuffering was "long nose" or "long nostril." And it seems silly to think of God walking around with this big, long nose. But the idea is that it takes a long, long time for the stench of our sin to go all the way up. So in Psalm 86:15 David said, "You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, LONGSUFFERING and abundant in mercy and truth."
*God was patient with Israel. And the LORD was patient with Gideon when he put out the fleece to test the LORD. We see this part of the story down in vs. 36-40:
36. Then Gideon said to God, "If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said
37. look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, 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 the next morning and squeezed the fleece together, he wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.
39. Then Gideon said to God, "Do not be angry with me, and let me speak just once more: Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew.''
40. And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground.
*God was patient with Gideon, and He is patient with us. 2 Peter 3:9 tells us that "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." The original word includes the idea of not giving up, but also the idea of not striking back. An early church leader named Chrysostom defined longsuffering as "the spirit which has the power to take revenge but never does so." J. B. Lightfoot defined it as "the spirit which refuses to retaliate."
*William Barclay said longsuffering is a little like a puppy dog that gets around a great big dog. Many of us have seen that. The puppy yaps at the big dog nonstop. He worries the big dog to death, bites the big dog, gets in his way. All the time the big dog could crush that puppy with one snap of his teeth. But he doesn't. Instead the big dog suffers the nuisance with great dignity and patience. That is a small picture of longsuffering, and the Lord has been longsuffering with us in a God-sized way. (3)
*Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is full of patience, mercy, love, and kindness. He proved that best when He died on the cross for our sins. And now our Risen Savior reaches out in love to all who will put their faith in Him. He wants to forgive people. He wants to give them eternal life, because our God is patient.
3. AND WHEN WE PRAY, WE PROFIT FROM THE LORD'S PATIENCE. BUT CHURCH: WE ALSO SUCCEED THROUGH THE LORD'S STRENGTH.
*Again in vs. 14-16:
14. . . The LORD turned to (Gideon) and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?''
15. So he said to Him, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.''
16. And the LORD said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.''
*In the New Living Translation, the Lord told Gideon, ""I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man." And one of the greatest lessons from this story is that God can do big things with a little army. Remember that when Gideon started out to the battle, the LORD told him that he had too many men in his army.
*That was probably the last thing Gideon wanted to hear, but the Lord had a reason. We see this part of the story over in Judges 7:2-7:
2. And the LORD said to Gideon, "The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, 'My own hand has saved me.'
3. Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, 'Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.''' And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.
4. And the LORD said to Gideon, "The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, 'This one shall go with you,' the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, 'This one shall not go with you,' the same shall not go.''
5. So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, "Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.''
6. And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water.
7. Then the LORD said to Gideon, "By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place.''
*Gideon started out with 32,000 men in his army. But by the time the LORD was finished sending soldiers home, there were only 300 men left in Gideon's army.
*Judges 7:12-22 shows us the main part of the battle. There God's Word says:
12. Now the Midianites and Amalekites, all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude.
13. And when Gideon had come, there was a man telling a dream to his companion. He said, "I have just had a dream: To my surprise, a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian; it came to a tent and struck it so that it fell and overturned, and the tent collapsed.''
14. Then his companion answered and said, "This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; for into his hand God has delivered Midian and the whole camp.''
15. And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped (the LORD). He returned to the camp of Israel, and said, "Arise, for the LORD has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.''
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 just 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.
*Judges 8:10 tells us that Gideon's 300-man army was enough to defeat 135,000 enemy soldiers. And why? -- Because the LORD was on their side!
CONCLUSION:
*God can do big things with a little army. And that's great because it means He can do great things through us. And He will! -- If we will pray. But if you have never received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, call on the Lord to save you now. This is the most important thing we can ever do in life. Jesus knows all about us, but He still loves us so much that he died on the cross for our sins. Three days later, Jesus rose again forever from the dead. He is the only way to eternal life in Heaven, so please put your trust in our living Lord today. You can do that right now as we go back to God in prayer.
(1) Sources:
-Adapted from THROUGH THE BIBLE WITH J. VERNON MCGEE by J. Vernon McGee - Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville - Copyright 1981 - "Judges - Introduction" - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
-Adapted from BELIEVER'S BIBLE COMMENTARY by William MacDonald - Edited by Arthur Farstad - Thomas Nelson Publishers - Nashville - Copyright 1995 - "Judges - Introduction" - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
(2) Nine references to THE ANGEL OF THE LORD
The Angel of the Lord (Jehovah) is the Lord Jesus Christ in a preincarnate appearance. A study of the passages in which He is mentioned makes it clear that He is God, and that He is the Second Person of the Trinity. First, the Scriptures show that He is God.
1. When He appeared to Hagar, she recognized that she was in the presence of God; she referred to Him as "the-God-Who-Sees" (Genesis 16:13).
2. Speaking to Abraham on Mount Moriah, the Angel identified Himself as "the LORD" (Heb. YHWH, or Jehovah; Genesis 22:16).
3. Jacob heard the Angel introduce Himself as the God of Bethel (Genesis 31:11-13).
4. When blessing Joseph, Israel used the names "God" and "the Angel" interchangeably (Genesis 48:15-16).
5. At the burning bush, it was the "Angel of the LORD" who appeared (Exodus 3:2), but Moses "hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God" (Exodus 3:6).
6. The Lord who went before Israel in a pillar of cloud (Exodus 13:21) was none other than "the Angel of God" (Exodus 14:19).
7. Gideon feared that he would die because, in seeing the Angel of the LORD, he had seen God (Judges 6:22-23).
8. The Angel of the LORD told Manoah that His name was Wonderful (Judges 13:18), one of the names of God (Isaiah 9:6).
9. When Jacob struggled with the Angel, he struggled with God (Hosea 12:3-4).
These are convincing proofs that when the Angel of the LORD is referred to in the Old Testament, the reference is to deity.
-BELIEVER'S BIBLE COMMENTARY by William MacDonald - Edited by Arthur Farstad - Thomas Nelson Publishers - Nashville - Copyright 1995 - "Gideon's Call to Service" - Judges 6:1-40 - THE ANGEL OF THE LORD - Downloaded to e-Sword by Rick Meyers - Copyright 2021
(2) C. S. Lewis, The Collected Letters of C. S. Lewis, Volume 3: Narnia, Cambridge, and Joy, 1950 - 1963 - https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/81961-remember-he-is-the-artist-and-you-are-only-the
(3) Adapted from BARCLAY'S DAILY BIBLE STUDY SERIES (NT) by William Barclay, Revised Edition - Copyright 1975 - First published by the Saint Andrew Press, Edinburgh, Scotland - The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Public domain - "Worthy Of Our Calling" Ephesians 4:1-10 - https://bibleportal.com/commentary/section/william-barclay/worthy-of-our-calling-ephesians-41-10-continued-8292
