The Book of Judges #11

WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:04.799 We come to God's word tonight and now again, our Lord, we come 2 00:00:04.839 --> 00:00:09.599 to you because, Lord, this is your word that you have given to 3 00:00:09.759 --> 00:00:13.919 us, and Lord, we need you to illuminate it and enlighten it to 4 00:00:14.000 --> 00:00:19.640 our eyes. Oh God, we pray indeed that we will see wondrous things 5 00:00:19.679 --> 00:00:23.879 out of your law. We thank you for it, Lord, we thank 6 00:00:23.920 --> 00:00:28.960 you for giving it has something that we can use as a guide in our 7 00:00:29.000 --> 00:00:33.840 life that is there and that really is eternal and infinite. Lord, we 8 00:00:33.920 --> 00:00:36.719 can never come to the end of it, no matter how much we read 9 00:00:36.759 --> 00:00:41.280 and study it. We're always learning new things, and so tonight, Lord, 10 00:00:41.320 --> 00:00:45.840 we asked that you would indeed show us new things from your law that 11 00:00:45.920 --> 00:00:51.840 perhaps we haven't seen before. Your word doesn't change and, Lord, your 12 00:00:52.039 --> 00:00:56.119 word is truth, and so we ask you to bless the reading of it 13 00:00:56.200 --> 00:01:00.000 to your people, as well as the hearing of it in Jesus name. 14 00:01:00.560 --> 00:01:04.079 Amen, if you want to turn in your bibles to the book of judges, 15 00:01:04.159 --> 00:01:07.560 as we read God's word tonight, and again, I want to remind 16 00:01:07.560 --> 00:01:14.480 you what I'm reading is indeed the very word of God. Then Jerobabo, 17 00:01:14.599 --> 00:01:18.159 that is Gideon, and all the people who were with him rose early and 18 00:01:18.200 --> 00:01:22.439 in camp behind the spring of beyond, beside the spring of Herod, and 19 00:01:22.480 --> 00:01:25.599 the camp of Midian was north of them, by the hill of Mora in 20 00:01:25.640 --> 00:01:29.879 the valley. The Lord said the Gideon, the people with you are too 21 00:01:29.959 --> 00:01:34.040 many for me to give the media knights into their hand. Let's Israel boast 22 00:01:34.040 --> 00:01:37.640 over me, saying my own hand to save me. No, therefore proclaiming 23 00:01:37.680 --> 00:01:41.159 the ears of the people, saying whoever is fearful and trembling, let him 24 00:01:41.200 --> 00:01:45.959 return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead. Then twenty two thou of the 25 00:01:45.959 --> 00:01:49.000 people returned and ten thousand remained. And the Lord said, the Gideon, 26 00:01:49.400 --> 00:01:53.760 the people are still too many, taking down to the water and I'll test 27 00:01:53.799 --> 00:01:56.680 them for you there. And anyone of whom I say to you this one 28 00:01:56.680 --> 00:01:59.319 shall go with you, she'll go with you, and anyone whom I say 29 00:01:59.359 --> 00:02:01.079 to you, this one shall not go with you, shall not go. 30 00:02:01.879 --> 00:02:05.560 So he brought the people down of the water and the Lord said to Gideon, 31 00:02:05.680 --> 00:02:08.039 everyone who laps the water with his tongue as a dog laps you, 32 00:02:08.080 --> 00:02:13.120 shall set by himself. Likewise, everyone who kneels down to drink, and 33 00:02:13.159 --> 00:02:15.120 the number of those who lap putting their hands to their mouths were three hundred 34 00:02:15.199 --> 00:02:19.240 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water. 35 00:02:20.000 --> 00:02:23.039 And the Lord said to Gideon, with the three hundred men who laped, 36 00:02:23.039 --> 00:02:25.000 I will save you and give the Media Knights into your hand. Let all 37 00:02:25.000 --> 00:02:29.639 the others go, every man who was home. So the people took provisions 38 00:02:29.639 --> 00:02:32.000 in their hands and the trumpets, and he said all the rest of Israel, 39 00:02:32.039 --> 00:02:36.400 every man to his tent, retained the three hundred men. The camp 40 00:02:36.400 --> 00:02:39.240 of Midian was below him in the valley. That same night the Lord said 41 00:02:39.280 --> 00:02:42.759 to him, arise, go down against the camp, or I've given it 42 00:02:42.759 --> 00:02:45.960 into your hand. But if you're afraid to go down, go down to 43 00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:49.199 the camp, but pure your servant, and you shall hear what they say 44 00:02:49.240 --> 00:02:53.520 and afterwards your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp. Then 45 00:02:53.520 --> 00:02:55.719 he went down with pure's servant to the outpost of the armed men who were 46 00:02:55.719 --> 00:03:00.240 in the camp, and the median nights and the amalekites and all the pepole 47 00:03:00.280 --> 00:03:04.039 of the East ly along the valley like locusts and abundance, and the camels 48 00:03:04.039 --> 00:03:06.960 were without number, as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance. 49 00:03:07.639 --> 00:03:09.840 When Gideon came. Behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade, 50 00:03:09.840 --> 00:03:13.639 and he said, behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, 51 00:03:13.639 --> 00:03:16.520 a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the 52 00:03:16.560 --> 00:03:21.080 tent and struck it, so it fell and turned it upside down, and 53 00:03:21.120 --> 00:03:24.120 so the tent lay flat. And his comrade answered, this is no other 54 00:03:24.199 --> 00:03:28.639 than the sort of Gideon, the son of Joash, a man of Israel. 55 00:03:29.039 --> 00:03:32.479 God has given into his hand midian and all the camp. As soon 56 00:03:32.520 --> 00:03:37.240 as Gideon heard them telling of the dream and his interpretation, he worshiped and 57 00:03:37.280 --> 00:03:39.080 he returned to the camp of Israel and said arise, for the Lord has 58 00:03:39.120 --> 00:03:44.240 given the host of Midian into your hand. And he divided the three men 59 00:03:44.280 --> 00:03:47.120 into three companies and put trumpets into the hands of all of them and empty 60 00:03:47.199 --> 00:03:51.719 jars with torches inside the jars, and he said to them, look at 61 00:03:51.759 --> 00:03:53.560 me and do likewise. When I come to the outskirts of the camp, 62 00:03:53.639 --> 00:03:57.800 do as I do. When I blowed the trumpet, I and All who 63 00:03:57.800 --> 00:04:00.400 are with me then blowed the trumpets also on every side of all the camp 64 00:04:00.439 --> 00:04:05.319 and shout for the Lord and for Gideons and the reading of God's word. 65 00:04:05.319 --> 00:04:13.599 Please be seated. So tonight I want to pick up the story of Gideon. 66 00:04:13.680 --> 00:04:15.560 We left it off last time at the end of chapter six, so 67 00:04:15.600 --> 00:04:18.879 I'm picking it up, of course, at the beginning here of Chapter Seven. 68 00:04:18.879 --> 00:04:23.759 We ended last week with the famous story of Gideon and his fleecees, 69 00:04:23.839 --> 00:04:28.560 and so tonight we come to the preparation of the battle between Gideon's forces and 70 00:04:28.600 --> 00:04:32.439 the media nights and the AMALEKITES. Now, as one of the curiosities that 71 00:04:32.480 --> 00:04:36.120 happened every once in a while in life, I'm going to refer tonight, 72 00:04:36.160 --> 00:04:41.879 as I mentioned this morning, to some similarities that happened in our text that 73 00:04:42.079 --> 00:04:46.079 also are very similar to things that happened in the text of the Shakespeare play 74 00:04:46.079 --> 00:04:51.839 that we read on Friday night. And I bring that up partially to give 75 00:04:51.879 --> 00:04:57.199 you something that I came across years ago. That one of the oddest things 76 00:04:57.240 --> 00:05:00.680 I've ever came across in God's word. You may you know this, you 77 00:05:00.720 --> 00:05:04.120 may not, but I've always found it very curious, although I cannot explain 78 00:05:04.160 --> 00:05:08.199 it, but I want to give it to you before I really get into 79 00:05:08.199 --> 00:05:13.519 the text this evening. You may know that the King James Version was published 80 00:05:13.519 --> 00:05:17.160 in sixteen eleven and that one of the debates that goes on is whether or 81 00:05:17.199 --> 00:05:23.279 not William Shakespeare actually had anything to do with the translating of the King James 82 00:05:23.279 --> 00:05:28.439 Bible. Well, in Sixteen Eleven William Shakespeare was forty six years old. 83 00:05:29.360 --> 00:05:31.480 If you go in your bibles, and you don't have to do this tonight, 84 00:05:31.519 --> 00:05:34.319 but you have to have a King James Bible, but if you go 85 00:05:34.360 --> 00:05:39.319 into the King James Bible and turned to psalm, forty six because Shakespeare was 86 00:05:39.360 --> 00:05:43.600 forty six years old, and you count from the first word in the psalm 87 00:05:43.639 --> 00:05:50.000 forty six words, the word is shake. If you count backwards from the 88 00:05:50.680 --> 00:05:56.360 palm, ignoring the Sila, and you go forty six words back, the 89 00:05:57.079 --> 00:06:01.360 word back is spears. So Shakespeare. Now you can take my word for 90 00:06:01.360 --> 00:06:04.279 it, but you can also go home and check that out. But it's 91 00:06:04.279 --> 00:06:09.399 a very, very, I think, interesting thing and I don't quite know 92 00:06:09.439 --> 00:06:12.959 what to do with it. But anyway, we're going to go to the 93 00:06:13.000 --> 00:06:15.759 text to night, beginning with versus one through eight. So at the beginning 94 00:06:15.800 --> 00:06:20.519 of the Chapter Gideon begins with an Army of thirty two thousand men and if 95 00:06:20.519 --> 00:06:25.879 we look ahead to chapter eight, it appears the enemy had a force of 96 00:06:25.959 --> 00:06:31.439 about a hundred and thirty five thousand men. So Gideon is already beginning with 97 00:06:31.519 --> 00:06:36.800 a great disadvantage and a victory with those odds, which is four to one 98 00:06:36.879 --> 00:06:45.560 odds, would be a very great victory. But Gideon has a mass this 99 00:06:45.800 --> 00:06:49.519 army, and it has been said that the only thing necessary to be a 100 00:06:49.600 --> 00:06:55.839 leader is to have people follow you. So Gideon now meets that criteria. 101 00:06:56.360 --> 00:06:59.199 And we see in verse one that the armies of Gideon are camp by a 102 00:06:59.240 --> 00:07:01.360 spring, which is a good idea and a good military strategy, because one 103 00:07:01.439 --> 00:07:04.040 of the things, of course it can happen in battle, is that men 104 00:07:04.120 --> 00:07:08.399 can become very thirsty and the heated battle, and so you want to be 105 00:07:08.480 --> 00:07:12.720 by water so that they can continue to fight. And it also appears that 106 00:07:12.759 --> 00:07:15.480 they are camped above the media nights, and if you've studied any kind of 107 00:07:15.519 --> 00:07:20.639 military strategy through the years, you understand that the high ground is very, 108 00:07:20.759 --> 00:07:26.480 very important. I remember reading in several accounts of the civil war of different 109 00:07:26.519 --> 00:07:30.240 battles where that high ground was was very important and the objective of the people 110 00:07:30.399 --> 00:07:34.839 was to make sure they had that high ground. So what that tells us 111 00:07:35.079 --> 00:07:40.639 is, even though God is promising that Gideon is going to win the battle, 112 00:07:41.560 --> 00:07:46.480 doesn't mean that you put all military strategy out of the picture. I've 113 00:07:46.519 --> 00:07:49.279 met people like that in my life, Christians who, rightly or wrongly, 114 00:07:49.519 --> 00:07:54.319 that say God has promised that he's going to do something in their life, 115 00:07:54.319 --> 00:07:58.800 and so they immediately began to cast all common sense to the wind and begin 116 00:07:58.879 --> 00:08:01.720 to act a certain way because, after all, God has told me this 117 00:08:01.759 --> 00:08:03.720 is going to happen. And so God has told me he's going to meet 118 00:08:03.759 --> 00:08:07.759 my financial need, my debt that I have, so I'm going to go 119 00:08:07.800 --> 00:08:11.720 ahead and buy this boat Um and so people do those kind of things. 120 00:08:11.759 --> 00:08:16.160 But Gideon Does Not Dismiss Military Strategy and in verse three, God begins the 121 00:08:16.199 --> 00:08:22.879 first purging of Gideon's army and a suns. This is a very practical test 122 00:08:22.399 --> 00:08:30.000 and it results in a tremendous lessening of the forces. The qualification to leave 123 00:08:30.199 --> 00:08:35.120 is very simple. If you're afraid of going into battle, go home now. 124 00:08:35.159 --> 00:08:39.320 I was never in the military and uh, therefore, of course I 125 00:08:39.399 --> 00:08:43.480 was never in combat. So I greatly respect those of you who were in 126 00:08:43.519 --> 00:08:48.919 the military and uh, I know there's several in this church, but from 127 00:08:48.919 --> 00:08:52.440 those who served in combat I've heard various things. Some have said they were 128 00:08:52.559 --> 00:08:56.720 very afraid the night before the battle to go into battle and others have seemed 129 00:08:56.759 --> 00:09:00.960 to have no fear at all. And that appears is to be the case 130 00:09:01.000 --> 00:09:03.559 here in Gideon's army, that there's kind of a division of in fact many 131 00:09:03.639 --> 00:09:09.039 more who are afraid to go into battle and others who appear not to be 132 00:09:09.320 --> 00:09:15.159 afraid at all. And I know myself well enough to know that when Gideon 133 00:09:15.240 --> 00:09:18.519 said whoever is fearful, I'd have been out the door. I wouldn't even 134 00:09:18.559 --> 00:09:20.320 waited to hear the rest of it. I had just said I'm heading home 135 00:09:20.360 --> 00:09:24.240 and I know how I am and I and I wouldn't be waiting. Thomas 136 00:09:24.320 --> 00:09:28.039 Fuller says after this test there were fewer people, but not fewer men. 137 00:09:28.799 --> 00:09:33.720 so Um that that's how he looked at it. So you think that losing 138 00:09:33.720 --> 00:09:37.120 two thirds of your army would be enough and in verse four God Says No, 139 00:09:37.519 --> 00:09:43.480 people are still too many. And so again God has another winnowing tests 140 00:09:43.519 --> 00:09:48.639 that he's going to do. And so God tells Gideon to take the people 141 00:09:48.679 --> 00:09:52.919 down to the water and that he will do a test there. Now, 142 00:09:54.399 --> 00:09:58.000 the text is really hard here, I'll tell you that. And nobody is 143 00:09:58.279 --> 00:10:01.840 I shouldn't say no, but very few people are in agreement here exactly what 144 00:10:03.000 --> 00:10:07.039 happens. Now you perhaps, like me, have hurt through the years that 145 00:10:07.159 --> 00:10:11.960 the whole test was about people who would get down there and and uh, 146 00:10:11.039 --> 00:10:15.039 you know, some would just stick their head in the water and lap like 147 00:10:15.120 --> 00:10:18.600 dogs or whatever. Someone do that, or others would raise their uh, 148 00:10:18.759 --> 00:10:20.600 put the water in and then bring it up so that they could be alert 149 00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:24.440 and look around. And that was the reason for the test. The text 150 00:10:24.519 --> 00:10:28.639 isn't clear. I know it might be clear in your version, but if 151 00:10:28.639 --> 00:10:30.840 you grab another version you might say, well, wait a minute, this 152 00:10:30.919 --> 00:10:35.399 is saying the opposite Um. So we're not exactly clear what the reasoning was 153 00:10:35.559 --> 00:10:41.159 behind this Um. But Um, the point is here not that we have 154 00:10:41.240 --> 00:10:45.559 to figure out a military reason for the test, but this is God's test. 155 00:10:46.000 --> 00:10:46.720 He can do what he wants and, to be honest, if you 156 00:10:46.799 --> 00:10:50.960 CANNA end up with three men, I don't think it really matters if they're 157 00:10:50.960 --> 00:10:54.480 people that look around when they're drinking water. I don't think that's going to 158 00:10:54.559 --> 00:10:58.960 be the thing that changes everything. So so we don't really know, and 159 00:10:58.000 --> 00:11:01.039 we don't have to. We could just say that this is the test that 160 00:11:01.159 --> 00:11:05.159 God chose. This is God's way of eliminating the army that he wanted to. 161 00:11:05.200 --> 00:11:07.279 In fact, I could make an argument the other way. They say 162 00:11:07.279 --> 00:11:13.000 that God's actually leaving those who are maybe the least alert so that the glory 163 00:11:13.039 --> 00:11:16.120 of the battle would all go to him. But we'll leave the point undecided 164 00:11:16.200 --> 00:11:20.399 at this point. But God has done when he's purposed. He's brought Gideon's 165 00:11:20.519 --> 00:11:26.279 army down to a mere three hundred people. Matthew Henry notes here. We 166 00:11:26.399 --> 00:11:30.879 often find God bringing great things to pass by a few hands, but this 167 00:11:31.000 --> 00:11:35.279 was the only time that he purposely made them fewer. As I'm reading this, 168 00:11:35.440 --> 00:11:39.159 I was reminded of the words of Jonathan Uh to the young man that 169 00:11:39.279 --> 00:11:43.879 carried his armor in vers semi fourteen. He said, come, let us 170 00:11:43.919 --> 00:11:48.159 go to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the Lord will 171 00:11:48.200 --> 00:11:52.240 work for us, for nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or 172 00:11:52.240 --> 00:11:56.279 by few. And you know that they wrought a great battle that day. 173 00:11:56.639 --> 00:12:03.320 So first nine we come to the night or the battle. Now again, 174 00:12:03.360 --> 00:12:07.320 I've never been in military combat, but I've heard from others that it can 175 00:12:07.360 --> 00:12:11.240 be very unsettling. The night before battle can be tough for many soldiers to 176 00:12:11.279 --> 00:12:16.000 sleep, and it might be that way with Gideon. I know, I'm 177 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:20.240 sure your pastor is aware of this as well, that when issues come up 178 00:12:20.240 --> 00:12:26.480 in the church, it's oftentimes at night time that those things begin to bother 179 00:12:26.600 --> 00:12:30.039 you very much and cause you not to be able to sleep at night because 180 00:12:30.399 --> 00:12:35.360 you're thinking about those things. But God, in verses nine to eleven, 181 00:12:35.440 --> 00:12:41.159 is going to give Gideon assurance. And note in verse ten that God acknowledges 182 00:12:41.440 --> 00:12:45.039 Gideon's fear. He says he knows that he has a fear. Is a 183 00:12:45.200 --> 00:12:48.559 natural response. Now it might be that others don't have it, but it 184 00:12:48.679 --> 00:12:54.399 is a natural response to going into a battle where you're facing an enemy that 185 00:12:54.559 --> 00:13:01.039 is much more uh numerous than you are. And God doesn't condemned Gideon for 186 00:13:01.080 --> 00:13:03.559 his fear, but instead he's going to show him something else, which all 187 00:13:03.639 --> 00:13:07.720 he's already done several things, but he's going to show him something else to 188 00:13:07.879 --> 00:13:13.080 try to allay that that fear. And here I make the first allusion to 189 00:13:13.120 --> 00:13:16.960 the play that we read on Friday night, because you remember in the play 190 00:13:18.080 --> 00:13:22.639 Henry goes down to the troops, the soldiers disguise so that people do not 191 00:13:22.799 --> 00:13:28.799 know who he is. And now Gideon is going down. Now the difference, 192 00:13:28.840 --> 00:13:31.600 of course, is Gideon's going into the enemy's camp and Henry went into 193 00:13:31.639 --> 00:13:35.360 his own soldiers. But yet I thought that there was something there. It 194 00:13:35.480 --> 00:13:39.720 was interesting that both of these come up the same week, that that I'm 195 00:13:39.080 --> 00:13:43.960 part of those kind of things, and so um and so he goes in 196 00:13:43.080 --> 00:13:46.320 and then the first thing, when God says go down, the first thing 197 00:13:46.399 --> 00:13:54.480 Gideon sees is really not very comforting. He sees two very distressing things. 198 00:13:54.720 --> 00:14:01.919 He sees that the enemy were like locust for an army, for a host. 199 00:14:01.960 --> 00:14:05.120 They were they were just everywhere. And I know if I would have 200 00:14:05.559 --> 00:14:09.799 been Gideon, I'd have thought, Lord, if this is supposed to comfort 201 00:14:09.840 --> 00:14:13.480 me, it's not working. Uh this, this doesn't seem too good. 202 00:14:13.159 --> 00:14:18.840 And the second thing that's very frightening is he sees how many camels that they 203 00:14:18.840 --> 00:14:24.440 have. It's like sand upon the seashore. It's like Abraham's seed that Gideon 204 00:14:24.519 --> 00:14:31.759 sees. Camels were a huge advantage in warfare in the desert. Very advantageous 205 00:14:31.799 --> 00:14:35.840 to have them and Gideon didn't have them. And again this is not a 206 00:14:35.960 --> 00:14:39.960 comfort. But then, in verse thirteen, Gideon happens to come upon a 207 00:14:41.000 --> 00:14:46.200 couple of people talking and he overhears something about the battle. Someone's telling a 208 00:14:46.240 --> 00:14:52.679 comrade a dream that he had and apparently at least one of the soldiers has 209 00:14:52.679 --> 00:14:58.639 been able to sleep before the battle because he's had a dream and maybe he's 210 00:14:58.679 --> 00:15:01.000 not afraid because he knows the median nights, the Amalekites, the people of 211 00:15:01.000 --> 00:15:07.519 the East, have a tremendous advantage over Gideon and his army. But the 212 00:15:07.600 --> 00:15:11.840 dream he has is troubling. It's a dream of a cake of barley bread 213 00:15:11.279 --> 00:15:15.799 coming into the host of the media nights and coming and smashing the tent. 214 00:15:15.919 --> 00:15:20.080 Now it's a very uh strange dream. Barley cake cannot smash tents and things 215 00:15:20.120 --> 00:15:24.279 like that, but nonetheless, the other fellow of the Fellas, seeming to 216 00:15:24.320 --> 00:15:30.279 have the gift of interpretation, says this cake is a sort of Gideon and 217 00:15:30.440 --> 00:15:35.320 this represents that God has given the median nights into his hand. And so 218 00:15:35.399 --> 00:15:39.159 in verses fifteenth to eighteen, we have the response of Gideon to what he 219 00:15:39.200 --> 00:15:46.480 has heard and the first thing that he does is something all of us should 220 00:15:46.519 --> 00:15:48.759 do right away when that as clear to us that God is going to deliver 221 00:15:48.919 --> 00:15:56.120 us. It says he worships. When the people of Israel got to the 222 00:15:56.159 --> 00:16:00.200 other side of the Red Sea and Pharaoh's army had been drowned, they saying, 223 00:16:00.279 --> 00:16:04.120 I will sing unto the Lord, for He is triumph gloriously the horse 224 00:16:04.240 --> 00:16:10.840 and rider thrown into the sea. But the second thing he does is to 225 00:16:10.879 --> 00:16:15.919 go and tell his troops when God is revealed, and it appears after this 226 00:16:15.000 --> 00:16:21.720 episode and Gideon Worshiping, he's now a new man. He's a different kind 227 00:16:21.759 --> 00:16:26.039 of leader. Now he is confident that God is going to defeat these armies. 228 00:16:26.679 --> 00:16:30.679 And so in Verse Sixteen we have, I would say, one of 229 00:16:30.720 --> 00:16:37.240 the strangest military strategies ever used in an army battle, and divides the three 230 00:16:37.720 --> 00:16:41.360 men into three different companies. I assume. I don't know, but I 231 00:16:41.399 --> 00:16:47.399 assume the companies were of a hundred men each, and he equips them all 232 00:16:47.440 --> 00:16:52.320 with, the course, those very potent weapons that you're going to use in 233 00:16:52.360 --> 00:16:57.320 a military battle, trumpets and empty jars, and that's what he gives them, 234 00:16:57.360 --> 00:17:02.639 although at least they're going to put a torch inside the empty jars. 235 00:17:03.840 --> 00:17:10.200 Now, amazingly, we don't read about a single soldier saying uh, Gideon, 236 00:17:10.759 --> 00:17:15.359 I don't know how much you've read about military battles, but trumpets and 237 00:17:15.559 --> 00:17:22.720 lamps are really not the weapons of choice. But nobody says that. When 238 00:17:22.759 --> 00:17:26.799 I was a teenager we put on a Spaghetti dinner our youth group did for 239 00:17:26.799 --> 00:17:32.559 our Church and we did a bunch of skits that we had written and Um, 240 00:17:32.920 --> 00:17:37.079 something that we had stolen. But I remember one of the things we 241 00:17:37.440 --> 00:17:41.200 talked about was one of the soldiers of the Media Knights being interviewed after the 242 00:17:41.240 --> 00:17:47.079 battle where they had been defeated. And he said Yeah, he said sure, 243 00:17:47.160 --> 00:17:49.160 we were at he said if you ever heard Gideon, soldiers play trumpets, 244 00:17:49.240 --> 00:17:53.400 they're terrible. So I don't know if that's exactly what happened. The 245 00:17:53.400 --> 00:17:56.559 scripture doesn't tell us that, but the scripture does Dallas that they fled. 246 00:17:57.599 --> 00:18:02.640 And so, in versus seventeen and eighteen, Gideon tells the army to do 247 00:18:02.720 --> 00:18:04.920 exactly as he does. He's now taking his place as the leader of the 248 00:18:06.000 --> 00:18:07.920 army. He's playing the game of Simon, says, and he says you 249 00:18:08.079 --> 00:18:11.240 do what I do, and he said when we go into the camp, 250 00:18:11.279 --> 00:18:15.039 I'm going to blow my trumpet and the rest of the army, you also 251 00:18:15.039 --> 00:18:18.000 blow your trumpet and instead of saying for King and country, they are going 252 00:18:18.079 --> 00:18:22.720 to shout out for the Lord and for Gideon. Well, what do you 253 00:18:22.759 --> 00:18:26.759 think? It's a strategy gonna work? You don't know because we haven't read 254 00:18:26.799 --> 00:18:30.680 that far. Come back next week I'll tell you whether or not it works. 255 00:18:32.720 --> 00:18:37.559 Well, let's make applications. This evening. As I said, after 256 00:18:37.599 --> 00:18:41.519 worshiping God, Gideon is a new man and the first thing he does is 257 00:18:41.599 --> 00:18:47.720 he gives all glory to God. He says the Lord has given the host 258 00:18:47.759 --> 00:18:52.799 of Midian into your hand. The Lord has given, he understands it's all 259 00:18:52.079 --> 00:18:59.240 of God, but not only to describe glory to God. He he says 260 00:18:59.279 --> 00:19:03.359 it in the past, asked tense. The Lord not will give. The 261 00:19:03.519 --> 00:19:11.440 Lord has given the media nights into your hand. No, I'm not trying 262 00:19:11.480 --> 00:19:15.839 to tell you some word of faith doctrine or something along that but there are 263 00:19:15.839 --> 00:19:21.799 times then, when that happens, when faith in God calls those things which 264 00:19:21.839 --> 00:19:25.519 are not as though they were. God called Abraham and said you're now going 265 00:19:25.559 --> 00:19:29.319 to be a father of of of a multitude. So I'm changing your name 266 00:19:29.319 --> 00:19:33.240 to Abraham, and Abraham says, well, you know, I I've got 267 00:19:33.319 --> 00:19:37.119 Ishmael and that's pretty much yet. But God called him a father of a 268 00:19:37.200 --> 00:19:41.440 multitude. There have been some times in my life, and perhaps you can 269 00:19:42.039 --> 00:19:47.680 uh agree with me or or say the same thing has happened to you. 270 00:19:48.400 --> 00:19:51.279 There have been times in my life. There have been few, but there 271 00:19:51.279 --> 00:19:56.200 have been times where God assured me in my heart that something was going to 272 00:19:56.279 --> 00:20:00.160 happen and he was going to do it and I knew beyond the chef out 273 00:20:00.160 --> 00:20:03.680 of a doubt, that God would come through and there was never any question 274 00:20:03.799 --> 00:20:06.720 in my mind. I wish that happened all the time, but it doesn't. 275 00:20:07.279 --> 00:20:11.200 But some of those times are very inspiring to me. To know that 276 00:20:11.240 --> 00:20:17.720 God is going to do it improves his faithfulness. So why do you think 277 00:20:17.880 --> 00:20:22.000 God reduced Gideon's army to the size that he did? As I said, 278 00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:26.640 the initial odds were already great. They were already four to one. And 279 00:20:26.759 --> 00:20:32.799 I said after the first leaning there were only ten thousand Israelites lead, which 280 00:20:32.839 --> 00:20:37.559 now the odds are about thirteen to one, which, with by my public 281 00:20:37.599 --> 00:20:42.920 school math that that's even worse odds than than four to one. But then 282 00:20:42.960 --> 00:20:49.000 when God trimmed the army to three now, or, excuse me, to 283 00:20:49.440 --> 00:20:55.880 Gideon's army, the three D now, the odds are approximately three hundred to 284 00:20:56.079 --> 00:21:04.240 one. At this rate it is basically impossible to attribute victory to military strategy. 285 00:21:04.680 --> 00:21:08.400 In preparing for this sermon, I I looked up military victims or victims 286 00:21:08.480 --> 00:21:15.160 victories in histories against great odds and there were very impressive victories. And one 287 00:21:15.279 --> 00:21:21.440 again we read about in the Shakespeare play on Friday night when we read about 288 00:21:21.480 --> 00:21:26.359 Henry at Agincourt, and they're the odds were perhaps three or four to one 289 00:21:26.519 --> 00:21:30.880 against. But none of the battles that I looked at where the odds is 290 00:21:30.920 --> 00:21:37.519 great as the odds at Gideon was facing in this. But we know that 291 00:21:37.640 --> 00:21:41.920 God could have, if he wanted to, taking the army down to one 292 00:21:44.240 --> 00:21:52.000 and still won the battle. So why does God reduce Gideon's army? God 293 00:21:52.039 --> 00:21:56.559 does things to show us at whatever progress we have made, whatever success we 294 00:21:56.720 --> 00:22:03.680 have, it's all of him and all of Greece. In reducing the armies 295 00:22:03.799 --> 00:22:10.079 to three D God leaves no room for doubt that the battle and the victory 296 00:22:10.319 --> 00:22:15.400 belonged to him. Even with ten thousand troops against a hundred and thirty five 297 00:22:15.480 --> 00:22:21.359 thousand troops, there was room to believe that. Still perhaps the battle would 298 00:22:21.400 --> 00:22:26.279 have belonged and given credit to Gideon's Army for Superior Strategy. But with only 299 00:22:26.359 --> 00:22:33.400 three hundred nobody could make that claim. God is saying, when this is 300 00:22:33.440 --> 00:22:40.440 done, I am the only one. We should receive glory and credit for 301 00:22:40.559 --> 00:22:45.240 this battle. From the size of the army at first Gideon's army has been 302 00:22:45.279 --> 00:22:52.079 reduced. That's that's more than our current inflation rate digit. That's so, 303 00:22:52.279 --> 00:22:59.119 that's that's a lot. But not only should Gideon, in this current Army 304 00:22:59.119 --> 00:23:02.960 of Three d think about that, but what about those who got redacted? 305 00:23:03.000 --> 00:23:07.839 What about those who were declared redundant? What would they ever say? What 306 00:23:07.039 --> 00:23:11.279 right would they have the glory? And again, back to Henry, the 307 00:23:11.279 --> 00:23:12.960 fifth right, he said to them, he said to the truth. One 308 00:23:14.039 --> 00:23:17.359 day you look back on this day, when when the holiday comes around, 309 00:23:17.359 --> 00:23:19.519 and you will be glad that you can say I was in that battle, 310 00:23:19.559 --> 00:23:25.880 I fought in that battle. But these members of Gideon's army couldn't do anything 311 00:23:25.880 --> 00:23:29.119 of the of the sort they had nothing to bring about. They weren't there, 312 00:23:29.200 --> 00:23:33.839 they didn't even fight. They would say they won the battle, but 313 00:23:33.920 --> 00:23:37.400 I wasn't even a part of it, and so they would have to say 314 00:23:37.400 --> 00:23:44.359 again the victory is all of God. The application is easy, isn't it? 315 00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:48.559 We're works driven people, aren't we? I'll tell you that's something I 316 00:23:48.599 --> 00:23:52.480 struggle with all the time. I know it's not true. I know it's 317 00:23:52.480 --> 00:23:55.480 all of God. And people said, well, well, come on past, 318 00:23:55.480 --> 00:23:57.759 we can talk about the triumph of grace. WE'RE gonna sing amazing grace. 319 00:23:57.880 --> 00:24:03.440 We've we've talked about grace tonight in the various elements of worship and and 320 00:24:03.480 --> 00:24:04.920 all of that. And and I say yes, yes, yes, and 321 00:24:06.039 --> 00:24:07.400 I'll probably walk away from this pulp and say, oh, that was a 322 00:24:07.400 --> 00:24:14.680 good sermon. But to see, that's because we're just works driven and often 323 00:24:14.720 --> 00:24:22.279 wrong. Even the Great Apostle Paul face the temptation to be driven by works 324 00:24:22.119 --> 00:24:26.359 in Second Corinthians Twelve, seven to nine, a very familiar passage. He 325 00:24:26.400 --> 00:24:30.720 says so to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the 326 00:24:30.759 --> 00:24:33.480 revelations, that thorn was given me in the flesh a messenger of Satan to 327 00:24:33.559 --> 00:24:37.759 harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with 328 00:24:37.799 --> 00:24:41.079 the Lord about this, that it should leave me, but he said my 329 00:24:41.200 --> 00:24:45.799 grace is sufficient for you, from my powers made perfect and weakness. Therefore, 330 00:24:45.799 --> 00:24:48.720 I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, or the power 331 00:24:48.759 --> 00:24:53.960 of Christ may rest upon me. What's his temptation to become conceited? Why? 332 00:24:55.039 --> 00:24:59.319 Because he's receiving revelations, even in writing this book that he's writing right 333 00:24:59.359 --> 00:25:03.119 here. He's REC even revelation from God and he could say yes, yes, 334 00:25:03.200 --> 00:25:06.200 it's me. God chose me. I must be something special because he 335 00:25:06.279 --> 00:25:08.880 gave me all of these revelations. And God says you need to realize it's 336 00:25:08.920 --> 00:25:14.160 not of you, Paul, it's all of grace. Earlier, in chapter 337 00:25:14.240 --> 00:25:17.200 eleven of the same epistle, he spoke about all of the different things he 338 00:25:17.200 --> 00:25:21.480 had gone through and and he could boast in those things and and the temptation 339 00:25:21.640 --> 00:25:26.400 was was there to boast and he talked about boasting and his weaknesses and and 340 00:25:26.440 --> 00:25:30.359 I don't know if there was some kind of struggle at all that maybe he's 341 00:25:30.359 --> 00:25:33.400 thinking, well, maybe I shouldn't be boasting and these things. I don't 342 00:25:33.440 --> 00:25:37.640 know. But again we all have to realize what the Apostle said earlier and 343 00:25:37.680 --> 00:25:41.240 the earlier epistles to the Corinthians where he said, what do you have that 344 00:25:41.359 --> 00:25:45.319 you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast 345 00:25:45.680 --> 00:25:51.160 as if you did not receive it? But we do, we still boast 346 00:25:51.160 --> 00:25:56.720 about it. We have to keep learning. And let me say if there's 347 00:25:56.759 --> 00:26:00.039 one problem I could bring out of the text you to day that Gideon had, 348 00:26:02.079 --> 00:26:04.759 and I would say the Gideon's problem, it was a lack of assurance. 349 00:26:06.319 --> 00:26:10.039 That told you. He's already laid out fleeces. He's already asked God. 350 00:26:10.119 --> 00:26:12.440 God's answered him several times, several ways. He answered him in the 351 00:26:12.440 --> 00:26:18.119 two fleeces that were miraculous. He's assured him again and again and he's told 352 00:26:18.200 --> 00:26:22.799 him he's going to do it. But Still Gideon is not convinced, and 353 00:26:22.839 --> 00:26:26.599 so God gives him one more sign by having him be in the right place 354 00:26:26.640 --> 00:26:32.680 at the right time to hear a dream. Gideon. They think, Oh 355 00:26:32.759 --> 00:26:37.599 that Gideon, what a Maroon. I mean God keeps telling him and he's 356 00:26:37.680 --> 00:26:44.799 not convinced. But wait a minute, is that one finger pointing at Gideon, 357 00:26:44.880 --> 00:26:49.119 hiding three that are pointing back at us. How many times has God 358 00:26:49.240 --> 00:26:55.599 assured us? How many times have we read, I will never, never, 359 00:26:56.240 --> 00:27:00.319 leave you or forsake you? How many times have we read? WHO 360 00:27:00.400 --> 00:27:04.240 shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or famine 361 00:27:04.279 --> 00:27:07.960 or nakedness or danger or sword? Has It as written, for your Sake, 362 00:27:08.000 --> 00:27:12.000 we're being killed all day long. We're regarded asleep shape to be slaughtered, 363 00:27:12.640 --> 00:27:15.480 knowing all these things were more than conquerors to him who loved us. 364 00:27:17.079 --> 00:27:19.799 For I'm sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, 365 00:27:19.839 --> 00:27:23.200 nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height 366 00:27:23.319 --> 00:27:27.119 nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate 367 00:27:27.160 --> 00:27:32.599 us from the love of God, in Christ Jesus, Our Lord. Is 368 00:27:32.640 --> 00:27:34.680 that a lot? Is that enough? Let me give you another one. 369 00:27:34.839 --> 00:27:38.960 No temptation has overtaken you. That is not common to man. God is 370 00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:44.119 faithful. He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with 371 00:27:44.160 --> 00:27:47.799 the temptation he'll provide a way of escape that you may be able to endure 372 00:27:47.799 --> 00:27:51.839 it. We're saying it tonight. I love this verse for some reason, 373 00:27:51.880 --> 00:27:52.880 and to him. NOO that I grew up with. This verse was not 374 00:27:53.000 --> 00:27:57.839 in that Song, but it's my favorite verse. The soul that on Jesus 375 00:27:59.400 --> 00:28:04.160 has leaned for repose. I will not, I will not desert to its 376 00:28:04.160 --> 00:28:11.319 foes, that soul, to all hell should endeavor to shake. I'll never, 377 00:28:11.359 --> 00:28:18.079 no, never, no, never, forsake they say. Well, 378 00:28:18.119 --> 00:28:22.920 pastor, you don't know my sin. No, I don't, but God 379 00:28:22.960 --> 00:28:29.039 does, and I know that. God says we confess our sins, he 380 00:28:29.160 --> 00:28:33.839 is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all 381 00:28:33.240 --> 00:28:38.079 on righteousness. So if you're like Gideon, as I close, lacking assurance 382 00:28:38.160 --> 00:28:41.440 tonight, if you're under a guilt of sin, it makes you think God 383 00:28:41.440 --> 00:28:45.400 has forsaken you. If your heart cries out to God tonight, if your 384 00:28:45.400 --> 00:28:52.279 desires to him, he will forgive. He will not forsake you. Another 385 00:28:52.359 --> 00:28:56.279 Hyman, our song book says, I came to Jesus as I was weary 386 00:28:56.480 --> 00:29:02.799 and worn and sad. I thought owned in him a resting place, and 387 00:29:02.960 --> 00:29:07.400 he has made me glad. Come on to me, our Lord said, 388 00:29:07.920 --> 00:29:11.880 all Ye that Labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 389 00:29:12.359 --> 00:29:18.680 Received the comfort of the Lord Tonight. I know that God will never 390 00:29:18.799 --> 00:29:23.599 forsake you. Cling to him. Trust in Christ, who is our only 391 00:29:23.680 --> 00:29:29.119 hope in this sad, sad world that we live in. Trust in him. 392 00:29:29.160 --> 00:29:33.880 Can We pray, Lord, we thank you tonight for your word and 393 00:29:33.880 --> 00:29:37.920 the promise that we read, as we see in Gideon, and we understand, 394 00:29:38.160 --> 00:29:44.920 Lord, that he needed to learn the lesson of grace. And many 395 00:29:44.960 --> 00:29:48.160 of us tonight still struggle with our own works as to what part of plays 396 00:29:48.160 --> 00:29:52.880 in our salvation. But, Lord, may we trust fully in your grace, 397 00:29:53.920 --> 00:30:00.519 your amazing grace that is beyond the power of our tongue to tell. 398 00:30:00.640 --> 00:30:06.839 Lord, I pray, speak to your people tonight and if any lack assurance 399 00:30:06.839 --> 00:30:11.440 in their hearts tonight, if any are struggling because of some sin or reoccurring 400 00:30:11.519 --> 00:30:18.319 sin in their life, let them tonight receive of your grace and no God, 401 00:30:19.039 --> 00:30:25.039 that you love your people and you're never gonna let them go. We 402 00:30:25.200 --> 00:30:26.960 pray this all in Christ name. Amen.