GIDEON
Jan
31
Written by:
1/31/2010 12:00 AM
GIDEON
Jan. 31, 2010
(Judg 7:1 NIV) Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. (Judg 7:2 NIV) The LORD said to Gideon, "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, (Judg 7:3 NIV) announce now to the people, 'Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.'" So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained. (Judg 7:4 NIV) But the LORD said to Gideon, "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." (Judg 7:5 NIV) So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the LORD told him, "Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink." (Judg 7:6 NIV) Three hundred men lapped with their hands to their mouths. All the rest got down on their knees to drink. (Judg 7:7 NIV) The LORD said to Gideon, "With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place." (Judg 7:8 NIV) So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others. Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley.
Gideon lived during the time the judges ruled Israel before Israel had a king. The Israelites had done very much evil in the eyes of the Lord. For this reason God gave Israel into the hands of the Midianites for seven years. Finally, the Israelites cried out to the Lord for help. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon. This is the conversation they had. Judg 6:12 NIV) When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, "The LORD is with you, mighty warrior." (Judg 6:13 NIV) "But sir," Gideon replied, "if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our fathers told us about when they said, 'Did not the LORD bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the LORD has abandoned us and put us into the hand of Midian." (Judg 6:14 NIV) The LORD turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?" (Judg 6:15 NIV) "But Lord, " Gideon asked, "how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family." (Judg 6:16 NIV) The LORD answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites together."
Even after Gideon met the angel of the Lord he still did not have confidence that it was really the Lord that was talking to him. Gideon asked for a sign that it was really the Lord that had been speaking to him. This is the sign that Gideon asked from the Lord. (Judg 6:36 NIV) Gideon said to God, "If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised-- (Judg 6:37 NIV) look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said." (Judg 6:38 NIV) And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew--a bowlful of water.
Even after the Lord gave Gideon the sign that he asked for he still had doubts and asked for another sign. (Judg 6:39 NIV) Then Gideon said to God, "Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew." (Judg 6:40 NIV) That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew.
Finally Gideon was prepared to lead the Israelites into battle against the Midianites. Gideon and all his men were camped at the spring of Harod. (We saw the spring of Harod during our pilgrimage to Israel in 1998.) Gideon had an army of 32,000 men. The Lord told Gideon that he had too many men to deliver Israel. In order that Israel would not boast that it was their own strength that had saved her God only permitted Gideon to take 300 men to battle against the Midianites. The other 31,700 men were sent home. With the 300 men God gave Gideon and the Israelites a great victory. Over 120,000 swordsmen with the Midianites had fallen, but none of Gideon`s 300 men. It was quite obviously by the Lord`s power that the Midianites were defeated.
We can learn some very important points from Gideon`s victory over the Midianites.
(1.) God told Gideon to do what seemed to be impossible, but nothing is impossible with God. Even with 32,000 men in Gideon`s army the Israelites were greatly outnumbered. However, God asked Gideon to go to battle with only 300 men. When God is with us we do not need to be concerned about numbers. Three years ago God asked us to possess this land even though we were few in number. It is by God`s power that we possessed this land.
(2.) Gideon put a fleece before the Lord. The fleece was not necessary because God always keeps his promises. However, God will always confirm what he asks us to do. When my wife told me she believed God wanted us to start a kindergarten I agreed. She had confirmation and we began to walk in faith to fulfill what God had planned for us to do. A few days later God showed her in a dream the land he wanted us to possess for the school. God continued to confirm our steps until the vision God gave us became a reality. Praise God! Sometimes the way was very difficult, but by God`s power we succeeded.
(3.) God wants to help us accomplish what He asks us to do. However, we should be very careful to give God the glory for His help.
We are on the land God has called us to possess. God has provided us all the finances for the buildings. There is no debt. Praise God! The school is started. However, this is only the beginning. What is yet to come will even be a greater work of God. We are still few in number, but with God`s help we will fulfill what God has called us to do. We believe there will be a great harvest of souls here. Praise God!