FAITH’S REWARD
Text: Judges 7:7-25
7 And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.
8 So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.
9 And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand.
10 But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host:
11 And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host.
12 And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.
13 And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.
14 And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.
15 And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.
16 And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers.
17 And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do.
18 When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon.
19 So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands.
20 And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon.
21 And they stood every man in his place round about the camp; and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.
22 And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the Lord set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.
23 And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites.
24 And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount Ephraim, saying, come down against the Midianites, and take before them the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan.
25 And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan.
1. God Encourages Gideon’s Faith (vv. 7-15)
1) God gives Gideon the promise of victory (vv. 7, 9)
This promise reveals several truths:
1] The battle belongs to
- vv. 7, 9 – God gives the promise in both future and past tenses and taken together it sounds like, “I promise. I will did it.”
- In essence, God’s say, “Consider it done.”
2]
- While victory is of God, it does require obedience on the part of Israel to be realized.
3] God’s presence is assured
- When we
- vv. 7, 9 – God gives the promise in both future and past tenses and taken together it sounds like, “I promise. I will did it.”
2) God gives Gideon a preview of the victory (vv. 10-15)
- Gideon and Phurah sneak up to the outskirts of the camp, and in the darkness concealed they see the fear of the Midianites revealed.
God wants Gideon to know that the Midianites will never see it coming. Gideon’s attack with 300 men will be as unlikely as a loaf of barley rolling down a hill and knocking a tent over, but it will be even more effective.
This preview so assured Gideon of the victory to come that Gideon did two things: He readily
2. God Honors Gideon’s Faith (vv. 16-25)
1) God helps Gideon
for victory (16-18)
- Gideon prepares his army first with weapons (trumpets to blow, clay pots to break, torches to shine, and voices to shout ) and secondly with a battle plan.
He divides his men into three groups of 100 to encircle the Midian encampment and then on his signal blow, break, shine and shout.
It really was God’s plan. Right? Who in their right mind would reduce 32K to 300 and then use trumpets, pitchers, torches and voices to fight the battle? This was God’s plan.
2) God helps Gideon
in victory (vv. 19-25)
Three things
1] Gideon is faithful (vv. 19-21)
- These men follow the battle plan perfectly. (vv. 19-20)
- These men stood in their place faithfully. (v. 21)
- If you were to take a snapshot of faithfulness, this is it. Doing
2] Gideon’s enemy was fearful (v. 22)
- Gideon and his men blew, broke, shined, and shouted the sword of the LORD and of Gideon, and the Midianites instantly panicked. They thought they were surrounded by a huge army. Mass confusion and pandemonium set it.
3] Gideon finishes what he started (vv. 22-25)
- We can learn much from Gideon’s victory :
1) God
2) God uses the
3) God uses the willing and faithful so let’s make ourselves
4) Even if we don’t