Copyr. 1997, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D.
INTRODUCTION: LETS REVIEW. LAST WEEK WE LEARNED THAT THE MIDIANITE
NOMADS HAD BEEN OPPRESSING ISRAEL. AFTER GIDEON TOOK A STAND FOR
GOD, ALL OF A SUDDEN THE MIDIANITE/AMALEKITE ALLIED FORCES CROSSED
THE JORDAN (AGAIN) AND SHOWED UP IN ISRAEL'S "BACK YARD."
GIDEON BLEW THE TRUMPET CALLING SOME OF THE TRIBES TO BATTLE,
AND THEN HE STARTED GETTING COLD FEET AND ASKED GOD FOR "SIGNS"
THAT HE WAS DOING THE RIGHT THING.
OUR STORY TODAY PICKS UP FROM THERE. LETS GET INTO IT!
I. THE ODDS
A. READ JUDGES 7:1-3. LETS RUN THROUGH THE NUMBERS HERE.
1. HOW MANY MEN DID GIDEON HAVE AT THE BEGINNING? (32K,
22K (WHO LEFT) AND 10K (WHO STAYED)
2. DID GIDEON HAVE MORE MEN THAN THE MIDIANITE/AMALEKITE
ALLIES? (NO WAY! JUDGES 7:12 DESCRIBES THEM AS "THICK AS
LOCUSTS" AND, IF THAT IS NOT PRECISE ENOUGH, JUDGES 8:10
REVEALS THERE WERE 135K "SWORDSMEN.")
B. LETS LOOK AT THIS USING OUR NORMAL COMMON SENSE. HOW DO YOU
LIKE THE ODDS WHEN THE ARMIES FIRST SHOWED UP? 32K TO 135K?
(THE MIDIANTES ONLY HAD AN "EXTRA" 100K MEN OR ODDS OF 4 TO 1)
1. WHAT DID GIDEON'S MEN THINK OF THOSE ODDS? (2/3's OF
THEM THOUGHT THIS WAS A BAD IDEA AND WERE "TREMBLING WITH
FEAR." (JUDGES 7:3))
2. THOSE OF YOU WHO WERE ON BOARD FOR OUR STUDY LAST WEEK
OF JUDGES 6, HOW WOULD YOU RATE THE COURAGE AND
DETERMINATION OF GIDEON? (THE GUY IS RELUCTANT, AND VERY
WORRIED ABOUT THIS.)
3. SO YOU HAVE 4 TO 1 ODDS, BUT 2/3RDS OF THE "1" ARE
SHAKING WITH FEAR AND THEIR LEADER IS NOT TOO CERTAIN
THIS IS A GOOD IDEA.
C. SO GOD ENTERS THE PICTURE WITH A PRE-BATTLE PROPOSAL. WHAT
IS IT? (JUDGES 7:3 LET THE 2/3RDS WHO ARE SHAKING LEAVE THE
CAMP.)
D. SO NOW THE ODDS ARE ARE 13.5 TO 1.
E. THREE QUESTIONS:
1. IF YOU WERE GIDEON, WHAT WOULD YOU THINK OF THIS PRE-
BATTLE ADVICE?
2. DO YOU THINK GIDEON MIGHT HAVE HAD HIS HAND UP SAYING,
I THINK I'LL LEAVE WITH THE SHAKING CROWD?
3. WHAT WAS GOD'S REASON FOR SUGGESTING THIS PRE-BATTLE
PROPOSAL? (v.2. "I CAN'T WIN WITH THIS MANY." "IN ORDER
THAT ISRAEL NOT BOAST ... THAT HER OWN STRENGTH HAS SAVED
HER.")
F. WHENEVER GOD REVEALS HIS THINKING ABOUT WHAT APPEARS TO BE
RIDICULOUS ADVICE, I THINK WE NEED TO STOP AND CONSIDER IT.
1. WHAT LESSONS DO YOU FIND IN THIS FOR:
a. CHURCH GROWTH? (BIGGER MAY NOT ALWAYS BE BETTER)
b. AN IMPORTANT PROJECT THAT YOU CANNOT GET OFF THE
GROUND BECAUSE OF LACK OF FUNDS OR HELPERS?
(PERHAPS PRAYING FOR MORE MONEY OR MORE PEOPLE IS
NOT THE ANSWER. EGW WRITES IN P&P, p. 550 "GOD CAN
DELIVER BY FEW AS WELL AS BY MANY. HE IS HONORED
NOT SO MUCH BY THE GREAT NUMBERS AS BY THE
CHARACTER OF THOSE WHO SERVE HIM.")
c. THE IMPORTANCE TO GOD OF GIVING GOD THE CREDIT
FOR BLESSINGS AND VICTORIES, BOTH
(1) IN OUR OWN MINDS, AND
(2) WHEN SPEAKING WITH OTHERS?
2. DO YOU THINK THAT GIDEON WAS PRAYING FOR GOD TO HELP
HIM, AND GET HIM OUT OF THE TOUGH SITUATION HE WAS IN?
(OF COURSE!)
a. FROM MAN'S POINT OF VIEW, WAS "GOD'S HELP,"
IN THIS INSTANCE WAS MAKING THE SITUATION WORSE
INSTEAD OF BETTER?
3. IN OUR DAY-TO-DAY PROBLEMS AND TRIALS, WE DO NOT
NORMALLY HAVE SUCH SPECIFIC ADVICE AND DIRECTION FROM GOD
AS GIDEON HAD HERE. WE CERTAINLY DO NOT HAVE GOD
EXPLAINING IN DETAIL THE REASONS WHY CERTAIN THINGS ARE
HAPPENING.
a. DOES THIS SHOW THAT GOD WILL DELIBERATELY "TAKE
US TO THE WALL" (THE EDGE OF THE PRECIPICE)
SOMETIMES BEFORE HE RESCUES US? (I CAN HARDLY SEE
ANY OTHER LESSON HERE.)
G. LETS READ ON. JUDGES 7:4-8. GOD SAYS, 13.5 TO 1 ODDS ARE
NOT BAD ENOUGH! LETS MAKE IT 450 TO 1! LETS MAKE IT TRULY
IMPOSSIBLE!
H. I PREFER NOT TO TAKE THE TIME TO DISCUSS THIS NOW, BUT I
WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT THIS IN THE AFTERNOON. (I'M GOING ON
A WALK WITH FRANK, MAYBE YOU WOULD LIKE TO COME ALONG AND WE
CAN DISCUSS THIS.) VERNON MCGEE SUGGESTS THAT THIS "DRINKING
TEST" TELLS US A LOT ABOUT GOD'S ELECTION, OR WHAT SOME MIGHT
CALL "PREDESTINATION." FOR EXAMPLE, EPHESIANS 1:11 SAYS THAT
"IN HIM WE WERE CHOSEN, HAVING BEEN PREDESTINED ACCORDING TO
THE PLAN OF HIM WHO WORKS OUT EVERYTHING IN CONFORMITY WITH
THE PURPOSE OF HIS WILL."
1. GOD CHOSE 300 OUT OF 10K.
2. GOD CHOSE THEM BASED UPON "THE PLAN OF HIM WHO WORKS
OUT EVERYTHING IN CONFORMITY WITH HIS WILL."
3. BUT, DID GOD REALLY CHOOSE THEM? OR DID THE MEN
CHOOSE?
I. NOW FRIENDS, WHAT DO YOU THINK GIDEON IS SAYING TO HIMSELF?
(I NEED ANOTHER SIGN!)
J. READ JUDGES 7:9-11. THIS SHOWS US THAT GIDEON WAS AFRAID
TO ATTACK.
1. WHAT DOES IT SHOW US ABOUT GOD? (THAT HE IS CONCERNED
ABOUT US AND ABOUT OUR CALMING OUR FEARS. (THERE IS A
POPULAR CHRISTIAN SONG THAT SAYS, "SOMETIMES HE CALMS THE
STORM AND SOMETIMES HE CALMS HIS CHILD.")
K. LETS CONTINUE BY READING vv.12-15. WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR ARMY
TO BE COMPARED TO A LOAF OF BREAD?
1. WHY NOT CAUSE A DREAM THAT HAD A MILITARY JUGGERNAUT
MOW OVER THE TENTS?
2. "TENTS" WAS A GOOD REPRESENTATION FOR THE MIDIANITES.
3. WHAT DO YOU THINK GOD HAD IN MIND BY CHOOSING THIS
SYMBOLISM? (BARLEY BREAD WAS THE FOOD OF THE POOR. A LOAF
OF BREAD WOULD NOT NORMALLY KNOCK DOWN A TENT. I THINK
ALL OF THIS ENCOURAGED GIDEON -- GAVE HIM A BETTER
INSIGHT INTO GOD'S MIND. THAT GOD HAD SOMETHING UNIQUE
AND IMPOSSIBLE IN MIND!)
L. VERSE 15 SHOWS US TWO GREAT THINGS. FIRST, GIDEON
WORSHIPPED THE LORD FOR THIS ENCOURAGING SIGN, AND SECOND, HIS
FEAR WAS APPARENTLY PAST AND HE RALLIED THE TROOPS FOR THE
VICTORY.
M. NOW, LETS GET INTO THE ACTUAL "BATTLE PLAN." READ vv. 16-
18.
1. YOU KNOW THE PHRASE, "YOU ARE ALL TALK AND NO ACTION."
I'M BEGINNING TO WONDER IF THAT IS THE PATTERN FOR
CHRISTIAN WARFARE!
2. WHAT PARALLEL DO YOU SEE WITH JOSHUA AND THE ATTACK ON
JERICHO? (TRUMPETS AND SHOUTING)
3. WHAT ABOUT THE COLLECTION OF BATTLE WEAPONS THAT
GIDEON PASSED OUT IN v. 16. WHAT WOULD YOU THINK ABOUT
THAT IF YOU WERE ONE OF THE SOLDIERS?
a. YOU ALREADY ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE ODDS. NOW
THEY GIVE YOU A TRUMPET AND AN EMPTY JAR AND A
TORCH!
b. WHAT IS THE LESSON HERE? (I SEE SEVERAL:
(1) GOD WORKS BY HIS POWER AND NOT BY MAN'S
MIGHT;
(2) WE NEED TO BE FAITHFUL EVEN IF GOD'S
METHODS SEEM ILLOGICAL;
(3) A "BAD PLAN" WITH FAITH, IS BETTER THAN A
GREAT PLAN WITHOUT GOD'S POWER; AND,
(4) GOD DOES THE HEAVY LIFTING! CAN YOU
IMAGINE WHAT THE 32K WOULD HAVE THOUGHT IF
GIDEON HAD TOLD THEM THEY WOULD NOT ACTUALLY
HAVE TO FIGHT (AT LEAST NOT INITIALLY)? THE
KEY IS OUR FAITHFULNESS, AND NOT OUR
"SUCCESS." LET GOD TAKE CARE OF THE SUCCESS.)
N. LETS READ WHAT HAPPENS IN THE BATTLE. READ JUDGES 7:19-24.
1. SECOND WATCH = 10pm.
2. HOW COULD THE MIDIANITES AND AMALEKITES TURN ON EACH
OTHER? (SINCE THEY WERE A BUNCH OF LOOSELY ORGANIZED
BEDOUIN TRIBES (NO KING OR LEADER IS MENTIONED IN THE
BIBLE), IT SEEMS THAT THIS CONFUSION AND SELF-INFLICTED
BATTLE DAMAGE IS EASY TO UNDERSTAND.)
O. SO TRUMPETS, JARS AND TORCHES WITH THE POWER OF GOD WIN!
P. HAS GOD USED A SIMPLE OR ILLOGICAL THING TO DO GREAT THINGS
IN YOUR LIFE? (EITHER YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE OR YOUR WORK LIFE)
Q. IF WANT TO DISCUSS THE COMPLAINT OF EPHRAIM AND HOW GIDEON
HANDLED IT, READ JUDGES 7:25-8:3. (KEEP IN MIND JUDGES 12:1-6)
R. READ JUDGES 8:4, 10-12, 18-21.
1. WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE (v.4) OF GIDEON CROSSING THE
JORDAN? (A)HE WAS CHASING THE MIDIANITES INTO THEIR OWN
TERRITORY, AND I DOUBT THEY EXPECTED THIS. B) HE STILL
HAS ONLY 300 MEN WITH HIM AND THEY NO LONGER HAVE THE
ELEMENT OF SURPRISE IF THE MIDIANITES TURN ON THEM.)
2. WHY WAS GIDEON GOING TO HAVE HIS SON KILL THE TWO
MIDIANITE KINGS? (DISGRACE TO BE KILLED BY A BOY)
S. GOD GIVES HIS PEOPLE A COMPLETE VICTORY THROUGH HIS POWER
AND THEIR WILLINGNESS TO TRUST HIM.
II. NEXT WEEK: JUDGES 8 AND 9. WATCH OUT FOR THE LESSON ON FLYING
MILLSTONES! STUDY!