(Judges 7:2-7) “The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’ †So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained. But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out 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.†So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.†Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink. 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 others go home.â€
Gideon was from the tribe of Manasseh and the weakest of his clan and full of insecurity. (Judges 6:15) “Pardon me, my Lord,†Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.â€
God had commanded the Israelites to defeat all of their enemies but they disobeyed and it proved to be a thorn. (Judges 2:1-3) “The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars.’ Yet you have disobeyed Me. Why have you done this? And I have also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; they will become traps for you, and their gods will become snares to you.’ †When we leave our life of sin we are turn and leave it all behind, “a little yeast works through a whole batch of dough.†Sin destroys, “the wages of sin is death.†They left some alive and intermarried and soon the idol worship of their enemies worked its way through to the Israelites. God will not bless your choice to sin; as a Father He loves us and as any Father He disciplines in that love in order to open our eyes and repent. (Hebrews 12:5-6) “"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastens everyone He accepts as His son."
They became oppressed by the enemy and cried out to God and who did God call? Gideon, one from a weak tribe and full of insecurity in order to show the Israelites that He is the One true God and not the gods of the land. How has the alcohol, drugs, money, sex, and work, TV, gambling or anything else that you run to for your peace solved your problems? You feel better for a moment and when that moment is gone so is the peace and the problem is still there. (Jeremiah 2:28) “Where then are the gods you made for yourselves? Let them come if they can save you when you are in trouble! For you, Judah, have as many gods as you have towns.â€
God chose to use Gideon who was weak and full of insecurity to show them who indeed was the true God. God uses the weak things of the world to shame the wise. (I Corinthians 1:27) “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.†He told him to go in his strength in order to do what Gideon could not. If we would just come to God as we are and trust Him; do what we can in faith, He will do the rest and He will get the glory. (II Corinthians 12:9) “And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.â€
God not only used someone who was full of insecurity but He reduced the army that came out to fight against the Midianites and Amalekites and other eastern peoples from 32000 to 300. He did this to show that their victory would be won by God. (Psalm 44:3) “It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, for You loved them.â€
Are you overwhelmed and surrounded by trials? Do feel as if your finances are diminishing with the bills increasing? Relationship trouble overwhelming and kids going astray and you feel as if you have nothing left? Moses was surrounded by people who saw one glorious miracle after another and continued time and time again to show how faithless they were and give Moses trouble. Look what God did for him? Abraham walked up the mountain with Isaac, his promised son and it came down to the last minute. He was about to sacrifice him, but God! Joseph thrown in a pit, sold into slavery, accused wrongfully and thrown into jail and delivered to the palace and put in a place of authority to save his people in a season of famine. Are you in a place of diminishing resources to solve your problem? Then look up, look up to God for that is where He wants you to be; a place where He and He alone will get the glory.
(Isaiah 42:8) “"I am the Lord; that is My name! I will not yield My glory to another or My praise to idols.â€
God does not work in the same way that we do; He has a greater purpose and glory in order to help you and those around you. Eternity is forever; never-ending and “He wants all men to be saved and come to knowledge of the truth.†Trust Him when you feel overwhelmed. Go to Him in prayer and listen as He speaks, “be still and know that I am God.†The greater the trial the greater the glory and to much is given; much is asked. (Luke 12:48) “But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.â€
Allow God to be glorified in your life; trust Him to give you strength when you need it and provide what is needed to make it through to victory. We get scared and angry when things do not happen in our time table and the way we think they need to happen but if you will trust God to be God and to do what He says He will do and His way and in His time, He will do amazing things in your life and that of your family!
(Joshua 3:5) “Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you."
Gideon was from the tribe of Manasseh and the weakest of his clan and full of insecurity. (Judges 6:15) “Pardon me, my Lord,†Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.â€
God had commanded the Israelites to defeat all of their enemies but they disobeyed and it proved to be a thorn. (Judges 2:1-3) “The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars.’ Yet you have disobeyed Me. Why have you done this? And I have also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; they will become traps for you, and their gods will become snares to you.’ †When we leave our life of sin we are turn and leave it all behind, “a little yeast works through a whole batch of dough.†Sin destroys, “the wages of sin is death.†They left some alive and intermarried and soon the idol worship of their enemies worked its way through to the Israelites. God will not bless your choice to sin; as a Father He loves us and as any Father He disciplines in that love in order to open our eyes and repent. (Hebrews 12:5-6) “"My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastens everyone He accepts as His son."
They became oppressed by the enemy and cried out to God and who did God call? Gideon, one from a weak tribe and full of insecurity in order to show the Israelites that He is the One true God and not the gods of the land. How has the alcohol, drugs, money, sex, and work, TV, gambling or anything else that you run to for your peace solved your problems? You feel better for a moment and when that moment is gone so is the peace and the problem is still there. (Jeremiah 2:28) “Where then are the gods you made for yourselves? Let them come if they can save you when you are in trouble! For you, Judah, have as many gods as you have towns.â€
God chose to use Gideon who was weak and full of insecurity to show them who indeed was the true God. God uses the weak things of the world to shame the wise. (I Corinthians 1:27) “But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.†He told him to go in his strength in order to do what Gideon could not. If we would just come to God as we are and trust Him; do what we can in faith, He will do the rest and He will get the glory. (II Corinthians 12:9) “And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.â€
God not only used someone who was full of insecurity but He reduced the army that came out to fight against the Midianites and Amalekites and other eastern peoples from 32000 to 300. He did this to show that their victory would be won by God. (Psalm 44:3) “It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face, for You loved them.â€
Are you overwhelmed and surrounded by trials? Do feel as if your finances are diminishing with the bills increasing? Relationship trouble overwhelming and kids going astray and you feel as if you have nothing left? Moses was surrounded by people who saw one glorious miracle after another and continued time and time again to show how faithless they were and give Moses trouble. Look what God did for him? Abraham walked up the mountain with Isaac, his promised son and it came down to the last minute. He was about to sacrifice him, but God! Joseph thrown in a pit, sold into slavery, accused wrongfully and thrown into jail and delivered to the palace and put in a place of authority to save his people in a season of famine. Are you in a place of diminishing resources to solve your problem? Then look up, look up to God for that is where He wants you to be; a place where He and He alone will get the glory.
(Isaiah 42:8) “"I am the Lord; that is My name! I will not yield My glory to another or My praise to idols.â€
God does not work in the same way that we do; He has a greater purpose and glory in order to help you and those around you. Eternity is forever; never-ending and “He wants all men to be saved and come to knowledge of the truth.†Trust Him when you feel overwhelmed. Go to Him in prayer and listen as He speaks, “be still and know that I am God.†The greater the trial the greater the glory and to much is given; much is asked. (Luke 12:48) “But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.â€
Allow God to be glorified in your life; trust Him to give you strength when you need it and provide what is needed to make it through to victory. We get scared and angry when things do not happen in our time table and the way we think they need to happen but if you will trust God to be God and to do what He says He will do and His way and in His time, He will do amazing things in your life and that of your family!
(Joshua 3:5) “Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you."
