- The size of the force is estimated at 135,000 (based on 8:10)
- The last time the Spirit of the Lord came upon a man is Judges 3:10. After reading the verse, what happens? What is different here?
- Othniel immediately goes to war and overpowers the king of Aram
- Gideon immediately calls out the men of the land, and then pauses …
- In other words, it is not just the Spirit's power, but the participation of the human
- Spirit empowerment does not seem to mean one does not have doubts
- Gideon has already seen a miracle (possibly three if you consider his still being alive after destroying his father's idol, and the burnt up sacrifice), why does Gideon ask for another miracle or sign?
- Clearly, he is having second thoughts
- He is reluctant
- He is fearful
- He still isn't sure he is the right person for the job
- The scriptures tell us not to test God
- Deut 6:16 (NIV) Do not test the Lord your God as you did at Massah.
- Is Gideon testing God? It is a legitimate fear (will be confirmed in 7:10)
- How does God respond to Gideon's legitimate fear?
- God is patient
- God answers his requests
- But, God does not teach us to use fleeces
- God will provide what you need
- Gideon knows that what he is doing (the fleeces) is not right, why?
- He expects God to be angry
- But God is not angry, but patient
- APPLICATON: Nowhere in scripture does it encourage or teach us to use fleeces to determine God's will. But I can find many passages of fearful men who laid out their worries and concerns to God in prayer. What are you worried about? Do you ever pray about it, talk it over with God?
- First of all, what are the odds like with 32K troops? About 1:4.2 -- not very good odds
- Why does God want to reduce the numbers? Apparently, Israel will think that they saved themselves
- Why is that bad?
- Maybe, if Israel wins they will be proud. Israel will not turn back to God -- they will not realize that God saved them
- And maybe, this is also about Gideon, the man without courage who took 300 men, outnumbered 450 to 1, but obeyed God with courage (FINALLY)
- APPLICATION: How many times do we view a situation from a naturalistic point of view, rather than seeing God's hand in it? The problem is threefold. 1) We are not thankful. 2) We think that we accomplished the task in our strength. 3) We forget God's involvement in our lives
- The first reduction is actually specified in the law, Deut 20:8. Why does God use this?
- Deut 20:5-9 (NIV) The officers shall say to the army: "Has anyone built a new house and not dedicated it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else may dedicate it. 6 Has anyone planted a vineyard and not begun to enjoy it? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else enjoy it. 7 Has anyone become pledged to a woman and not married her? Let him go home, or he may die in battle and someone else marry her." 8 Then the officers shall add, "Is any man afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his brothers will not become disheartened too." 9 When the officers have finished speaking to the army, they shall appoint commanders over it.
- To show Israel that they can win by obeying God's word, even when it doesn't make sense
- The odds are now 1:6.1
- The second reduction is not clear in the reasoning, except in the goal. What do you think?
- Unclear
- Whatever the reason, it reduces the force to only 300 men
- The odds are now 1:450
- APPLICATION: When you are in the will of God, even the ridiculous is possible. The problem is many people do not have the clear will of God and so they do the ridiculous and expect God to bail them out. How do you tell the difference?
- Clear word of God (command, a moral issue, etc)
- Scriptural counsel
- Be careful:
- Circumstances
- Feelings
- If Gideon felt he was vulnerable when he asked for the fleece sign, I wonder how he feels now with odds against him at 450 to one?
- This time it is God who initiates the fourth miracle or sign, why?
- God knows he is scared
- God graciously gives him an opportunity to build up his courage
- Apparently, Gideon is willing to go through with it but very unsure of himself. He probably doesn't feel he has what it takes
- The dream is significant with a lot of meaning. What do the various aspects symbolize?
- The loaf of barley bread is an insignificant item of a poor person
- The tent symbolizes the entire Midianite forces
- The small loaf collapsing the huge tent is a completely improbable event
- Obviously, there is more going on than just surprise and fear, what happens?
- The Lord causes the men to turn on each other
- God provides the victory in a supernatural way (although he didn't have to do it that way)
- Ultimately, Gideon is included in the hall of fame of faith (read Hebrews 11:32-33), why?
- Because faith is not stoicism
- Faith is believing God exists
- Faith is believing God is a rewarder of those who seek him
- Gideon had a lot of fears but he went to God with those fears and God was gracious to him. God took a man who didn't think much of himself and used him for his glory and purpose
- APPLICATION: Faith is built in a relationship with God. We need to seek him and spend time with him. We are not unimportant -- he can use anyone. There is no one too small, too unimportant, or too weak for God to use
- APPLICATION: Gideon is a microcosm of Judges, people who don't know God and are too fearful to walk with God
REVIEW:
Gideon was a man
threshing wheat in a winepress
Gideon was a man
who questioned the power of God
Gideon called
himself the youngest man in the weakest clan
God called Gideon a
mighty warrior
God told Gideon
that he would be with him
Judges 6:33–40 (ESV) — 33 Now all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the
people of the East came together, and they crossed the Jordan and encamped in
the Valley of Jezreel. 34 But the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon, and he
sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him. 35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they too were
called out to follow him. And he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and
Naphtali, and they went up to meet them.
36 Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you
have said, 37 behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the
threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, 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 next morning and
squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with
water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, “Let not your anger burn
against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more
with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the
ground let there be dew.” 40 And God did so that night;
and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew.
Judges 7:1–8 (ESV) — 1 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people
who were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod. And the
camp of Midian was north of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.
2 The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to
give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My
own hand has saved me.’ 3 Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people,
saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away
from Mount Gilead.’ ” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000
remained.
4 And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take
them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom
I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of
whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.” 5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to
Gideon, “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you
shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.” 6 And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their
mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water.
7 And the Lord said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who
lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the
others go every man to his home.” 8 So the people took
provisions in their hands, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of
Israel every man to his tent, but retained the 300 men. And the camp of Midian
was below him in the valley.
Judges 7:8b–23 (ESV) — 8b And the camp
of Midian was below him in the valley.
9 That same night the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the
camp, for I have given it into your hand. 10 But if you
are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant. 11 And you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be
strengthened to go down against the camp.” Then he went down with Purah his
servant to the outposts of the armed men who were in the camp. 12 And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the East
lay along the valley like locusts in abundance, and their camels were without
number, as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance. 13 When Gideon came, behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade.
And he said, “Behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread
tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it
fell and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.” 14 And his comrade answered, “This is no other than the sword of Gideon
the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all
the camp.”
15 As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its
interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said,
“Arise, for the Lord has given the host of Midian into your hand.” 16 And he divided the 300 men into three companies and put trumpets into
the hands of all of them and empty jars, with torches inside the jars. 17 And he said to them, “Look at me, and do likewise. When I come to the
outskirts of the camp, do as I do. 18 When I blow the
trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side
of all the camp and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’ ”
19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts
of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the
watch. And they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their
hands. 20 Then the three companies blew the trumpets and
broke the jars. They held in their left hands the torches, and in their right
hands the trumpets to blow. And they cried out, “A sword for the Lord and for
Gideon!” 21 Every man stood in his place around the camp, and
all the army ran. They cried out and fled. 22 When they
blew the 300 trumpets, the Lord set every man’s sword against his comrade and
against all the army. And the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah,
as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath. 23 And the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali and from Asher
and from all Manasseh, and they pursued after Midian.
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