TRUMPETS, LAMPS AND CLAY POTS
In the 6th and 7th chapters of the Book of Judges we find the familiar story of Gideon, who God called “a mighty man of valor”. His story is almost unbelievable simply because Gideon was not a warrior or a great military commander. He was farmer who was hiding his wheat crop from the Midianites who had conquered Israel. He was hiding behind a winepress while threshing his wheat when the angel of the Lord came to him.
Gideon wasn’t prepared to take the reigns of commanding an army. He was leading a simple life, existing from day to day as God provided him the means to do so. He just went about his daily routine, plowing, planting and harvesting and never once thought of becoming a deliverer of his people.
In his own eyes he was less than nothing. He had no power within himself, no knowledge of warfare and tactics, no education in the use of weaponry, and no ability to lead men into battle. In other words, he was just a common citizen trying to make it the best way he knew how.
But God say something in this man Gideon that no one else could see!
God saw that Gideon was nothing in his own eyes as well as the eyes of other men. Gideon was the least likely, of all his brethren, since he even said that he was the least among his tribe, the Tribe of Manasseh, and that his family was poor even among that small, poor tribe.
I am reminded of the words of Paul to the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29, "For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence."
God’s view of who is useful to his Kingdom is so very different from our own! We look for those who have talent. We look for those who are influential. We look for those who are great speakers and those of high education. We look for those who everyone would call, “beautiful people”, because we think that somehow the fleshly appearance and ability will draw the crowds or bring down the Spirit of God in a special way.
Let me tell you that God doesn’t look for what we look for in those that he will use. God looks for a willing vessel, but more than that, God looks for that willing vessel that is broken and powerless without him.
All of us pray to be more like Jesus. All of us have whispered that prayer in some fashion that says to God, “Lord make me what you would have me to be. Let there be less of me and my desires so that more of you may be made manifest through me and let your desires become mine.” Every Christian who truly wants a close walk with Jesus will say that prayer again and again.
I like what Tommy Tenney says in his book God’s Eye View, “Less is Better and Nothing is Best.” What he is saying is that God will only use those vessels that are powerless to take any credit for what God wants to do through their lives. God will not share his glory with any man and no man can say that he did anything to accomplish anything for God.
God will wait and allow us to drain all of our resources, to use all of our abilities, to exhaust our strength, and come to the end of our rope. Then, when we have done all we can do to no avail, and we bow our heads in surrender to Him, that’s when God will take over to move on our behalf to accomplish his will.
God chooses to use these earthen vessels called this body of flesh. It is an imperfect, corrupted body that is destined to return to the earth and yet God will use this flesh to do his will. He has placed His spirit within our hearts, and we are held captive inside an imperfect clay vessel: a perfect Lord living inside an imperfect clay vessel.
Judges 7:16, "And he [Gideon] divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers."
Gideon’s army of 300 men was divided and every man was given a trumpet. The trumpets were likely left behind when all the other soldiers had returned home under God’s direction. 300 men blowing a trumpet all at once would be a signal to the enemy that many more would be with each trumpeter. Trumpets, like bugles of the US Cavalry, were used to signal the attack of a large body of men. They were used during the fighting to give all types of signals so the Midianites could just imagine that there were at least 300 companies of soldiers coming down upon them.
God has given each of us, as earthen vessels for his service, a trumpet that we must sound also. We are given a voice and an ability to communicate to the devil and his kingdom that God’s army is on the move. We have him surrounded and we are on the offense. Each of us can shout forth. Each of us can use our instrument to sound the alarm! Each of us and all of us are anointed by the power of the Holy Ghost and we each one can call down the armies of Heaven to defeat our enemy. It’s no wonder that Satan fears even the youngest Christian who knows how to call upon the name of the Lord in times of trouble. Hell’s greatest fear is the prayer that God’s people pray because he knows that God hears and answers prayer.
2 Corinthians 10:3-5 says, "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds): Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;"
The weapons of our warfare are God’s weapons, spiritual in nature, and against them Hell has no defense.
We have the Word of the Lord, sharper than a two-edged sword that can cut the devil’s devices and condemn his power to a point of ineffectiveness. We have the Sword of the Spirit, the power of God within us, the anointing of the Holy Ghost, that allows us to speak as though it is God himself and the devil cannot stand against that. We have the shield of Faith to stop every fiery bullet that Satan can cast at us. There are no weapons in the arsenal of Satan’s power that is effective against the shield of Faith. They are all simply extinguished every time he tried to use them.
Isaiah 54:17, "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD."
But God won’t place those spiritual weapons in the hands of carnally minded people who will try to abuse them and then claim the glory for what is done. God chooses to use those who are totally surrendered to him. God chooses to use those who are less than nothing in their own sight. He chooses to use those who know that it is not by their might or power but by the Spirit of God that the victory will come.
2 Corinthians 4:7, "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."
Then Gideon took those 300 men with a trumpet in one hand and handed them an empty pitcher made of clay in the other hand. Inside this pitcher he placed a lamp, or torch. When the time was right, they would strike their pitchers against one another causing a loud sound and the light would suddenly burst forth to light their path to the enemy’s camp and to confuse the Midianites because they also knew that not every soldier carried a torch into battle. Only a few would light the way while most would follow with their weapons drawn for battle.
WE are those earthen vessels and inside of each of us God has placed his light of the gospel. God’s conviction power breaks our hard heart, crushes and destroys that outer shell of humanity, and makes us into a broken vessel that he can use for his glory.
Then, after all the power of the flesh has been broken, his light bursts forth from the inside out so that all the world can see how that our lives become a bright light in a sin-darkened world.
We cast that light everywhere we go and wherever the light shines forth, the darkness must flee. Satan lives in the darkness of sin and the light that shines from within, emanating from the power and presence of God in us, causes him to cringe and run in fear. That’s why all we need to do is just resist the devil and he will flee from us.
There is something else that I want to show you in this story of Gideon.
Judges 7:17-18, "And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do. When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon."
Gideon’s orders were simple but absolutely important. No one was to make a move without his direct orders. Their success was fully dependent upon obedience to God’s commands to Gideon and relied upon the element of surprise.
Our victory in working for the Lord is also completely dependent upon complete obedience to God’s plan. If we are to build the church, it has to be under God’s direction. If we are going to accomplish anything it has to be God’s way. We had better be prayed up and in tune with the Spirit of the Lord or we may find ourselves facing defeat. God’s plan won’t fail but our plan will.
Psalms 127:1, "Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain."
Finally, we must take note of what the army of Gideon was to shout after they broke their pitcher, let their light shine and blew their trumpets.
[…]The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon."
Gideon didn’t put his name above the name of the Lord. He knew it was God’s sword, God’s battle and God’s victory. He wanted God to receive the glory for this miraculous victory. Gideon’s name was added almost as an afterthought for the sake of those in the camp of the Midianites who had heard his name and feared his power under God.
The Midianites had been talking about a dream that God had given to them. In that dream a barley cake had rolled down the hill and destroyed a Midianite tent. The Midianites, being superstitious, immediately interpreted that dream to mean that the rough and tough, small army of Gideon was going to utterly destroy them. That dream would come true because God put fear in their camp.
Thus when Gideon’s name was called, panic struck the camp of the Midianites for their dream was coming true. God’s plan for battle was aided by the fact that God also knows and controls the actions of his enemies. They could not stand against his power.
And so it happens with those who love Jesus and live their lives under the anointing and directing power of the Holy Ghost.
How often do we hear of great men of faith that have tremendous revivals where multitudes are saved, healed and delivered by the power of God? There are still men and women of God who move and minister under the anointing power of the Holy Spirit and the powers of Hell know who they are.
When the seven sons of Sceva attempted to cast out devils without the anointing of the Holy Ghost the demons answered them this way: Acts 19:15, "And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?"
Those demons knew Paul, not because Paul was such a great man, but because they knew that the anointing of the Holy Ghost rested upon Paul and that Paul had power with God – and God was who they feared!
Your name, my name, or the name of any other person doesn’t mean a thing by itself, but when you carry that anointing with you, and when you speak God’s will and God’s Word, in God’s way, then all the powers of Hell will take note of who you are and they will shudder when your name is mentioned because they know that you have power with God as his child.
God has placed his burning, glowing light of the gospel within these earthen vessels. He has placed a trumpet in your hands to preach the message of salvation and deliverance to everyone you meet, and he has given you the sword of the Lord through the Word of God.
It’s time to break this vessel of clay and surrender to God. Let God use us to strike fear into the powers of darkness and defeat the enemy on his own ground.
Jeremiah 20:11, "But the LORD is with me as a mighty terrible one: therefore my persecutors shall stumble, and they shall not prevail: they shall be greatly ashamed; for they shall not prosper: their everlasting confusion shall never be forgotten."
God delights in delivering his children. He is our strong and mighty tower. He is our fortress and our refuge. The battle is His, not ours! WE ARE ON THE WINNING SIDE!
