God’s team selection - Narritave
Judges 7
Greetings people of God, My name is Jerub-Baal. It’s a nickname it means contender with Baal. My real name is Gideon, son of Joash. Please feel free to call me Gideon. I know it is not quite as impressive.
I am here to tell you about a time when God choose his team. I will start by saying that, he did not it but the way I would have. I had never been involved in anything like this before. I really did not want to be there in the first place.
Days ago when I blew the alarm signal I never would have guessed the response. We were meeting in the valley of Jezreel, by the spring of Harod. The spring is an opening in the rock, a cave where cool water flow freely from the ground, about 20 feet across. Plenty of water for the 32 Thousand men responded to the call to arms.
It was really impressive. 32 Thousand men gathering pitching their tents. They were motivated. I was really starting to feel ok about all of this. I slept so soundly that night.
Now the Midianites and Amalekites were camped about 10 miles North of us near the hill of Moreh. My spies told me that there were so many that it was like a swarm of Locust. We could actually see their camp from our position. The camp fires made a massive smoke signal, announcing their presence
When I got up the next morning and God started talking to me again. He said, “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, 3 announce now to the people, ’Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.”
I was flabbergasted. Too many men, how could that be? The army we are going to face has 5 times as many. To me 5 to 1 odds are not that good! However, I knew that God choose me, and he had already promised to deliver the enemy into my hands. So I did as I was told. I announced that if any of them was afraid they could leave.
22 thousand men packed up their tents and weapons and headed back to their homes and families leaving only 10 thousand.
My heart sank; my chest felt like there was a huge weight pressing on it. As the parade of men went into the hills headed for home, I was getting really depressed.
I wanted to ask God if this is what he wanted. 15 to 1 odds. That did not seem right. If you are going to fight a battle, the odds don’t need to get worse, they need to get better.
Then God spoke again, "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."
Ok, Who is talking, really….. Who’s side is God on????
I went down to the spring and watched as the men came in shifts to the water. The ones that used their hands, I told to gather on the side with me and the other I sent back to their tents.
When the last man drank, I counted and there were only 300 men. Oh My, What is God doing? I was worried when there were 32 thousand men and now there are only 300. Let me do the math, that is 500 to 1.
I went to bed knowing that I would not sleep. God spoke again. “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands.”
I don’t think I looked very happy. I would say that I probably looked terrified. Then he added, If you are afraid – (pause and look down)…… “If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah 11 and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp."
Purah and I went across to outpost of the enemy camp. We crept as close as possible, and we started hearing voices. Then we heard, “I had a dream," he was saying. "A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.
That sounded pretty interesting, then we heard the reply, "This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands."
I almost shouted out loud, Praise Jehovah, the God of the Israelite people. Some how I kept my composure until we were a safe distance away. But, you should have seen the smile on my face as I ran to rally my people.
God in His mercy and understanding had given me another way to know that He was with us. He had already put a fear into the minds of the enemy and they knew that they would lose because God was with me!
We ran all the way back and I woke the 300 men God selected for the battle and God told me what to do. I divided the men in to 3 groups of 100. We gave each man a trumpet and a jar with a torch inside and I told them to follow my lead.
We will all get into position around the camp and when my group blows their trumpets. You do the same and then shout, ’For the LORD and for Gideon.’
We made our way to the camp; we got there about the time that the second watch changed. I signaled my group, we blew our trumpets and smashed the jars and held to torches high. The other groups did the same.
They held the torch in one hand and the horn in the other and all shouted, "A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!"
The camp erupted with activity; men were shouting and running around wildly and trying to escape. My men held their position and we started blowing the trumpets again. When we did, their army turned on each other and then started running.
I sent messengers to Naphtali, Asher and all Manasseh and called for them to help in stopping the retreat. They lined up at the Jordan and stopped most of them.
The reason I am sharing this story with you today, is to tell you that all things are possible if God is with you.
God can give you success, but you have to trust him enough to take a step, to follow his plan.
Thing were bad for my people. If I failed to listen in the winepress and said no;
-How long would it go on?
-How long would it have gone on if is said no instead of asking for proof or if I ignored the proof that he presented.
-How bad would it have been and how long could we have survived if I tried to do the job myself?
I am here to tell you today that our God wants to free you from oppression, from fear, from a life of suffering.
However, it will only happen if people say yes and are willing to let God and his wisdom prevail.
-It will only happen when leaders that are called to serve agree and take the work seriously.
-It can only happen if the people of God agree to follow the leaders that God provides.
Folks, if you think that you are handling it all. If you think that what you do alone really makes a difference then you are mistaken.
Everything we do we must do together and with God’s help we can make a real difference.
I was not alone because God was with me.
CLOAK OFF
The story of Gideon, is a story about the power of God to change people. He changes individuals and groups.
It starts with a vision. God see us very differently than we see ourselves. God sees our potential and encourages us to do something great.
All too often we have great thoughts and think awe shucks are you talking to me. No way, - I not going to embarrass myself.
- I not going to stick my neck out.
- I am not going to risk failure.
For most of us, if we actually live up to our expectation and vision of ourselves, we are going to go almost no where in this world. Gideon would have thought he was happy with the way the world he knew until he went forward with the vision God had for him and all the people.
God uses normal, average and sometimes even below average people. He enables people to do great things that only He can see.
The scripture I paraphrased today, describes an unusual way that God selects his team. And Gideon ends up with 300 men and when they route the enemy and there is NO mistake about who gets the credit. Everyone knows that God had something to do with it
I find it especially interesting the 300 that went with Gideon went forward with their hands full, a horn in the left hand and a torch in the right. If they had weapons they were not readily available.
It seems that after the fleece Gideon almost had the confidence he needed. God even gives him extra encouragement, God knows our fears.
The plan God used involved 301 willing men with trumpets and torches to break the strength of the enemy and send them running.
The plan is not very different today. Jesus was one man that was sent by God to deal with the enemy on our behalf. He used words the defeat and his body to save. And we receive the freedom from oppression and death.
If … If we agree to take a step to reach out our hand or it can be even smaller. All we have to do is move the head knowledge about a loving God and Savior to our hearts. God does the rest and claims us.
So what is God calling us to do? We are at a time to evaluate what we do and set a direction for the New Year. We are at a time when we re-affirm some leaders and empower others.
We are in a time when we as a church choose to listen and look for God’s plan or hide in our winepress and think we are avoiding the risks of this world.
Next week is the charge conference for the Shannon – St. Luke Circuit. Two of the congregations I serve will come together to celebrate the year gone by and to look ahead for God’s plan.
Please, plan to attend and participate in all that God call us for and offers to us.
God loves ordinary people like Gideon, and you and even me.
All Glory be to God!
