GIDEON, HE'S OUR GUY

 September 15, 2023

Judges 6:11-16

Then the angel of the LORD came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the LORD is with you!” “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The LORD brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the LORD has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.” Then the LORD turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!” “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!” The LORD said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.”

 

Judges 7:1-9 

So Jerub-baal (that is, Gideon) and his army got up early and went as far as the spring of Harod. The armies of Midian were camped north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength. Therefore, tell the people, ‘Whoever is timid or afraid may leave this mountain and go home.’” So 22,000 of them went home, leaving only 10,000 who were willing to fight. But the LORD told Gideon, “There are still too many! Bring them down to the spring, and I will test them to determine who will go with you and who will not.” When Gideon took his warriors down to the water, the LORD told him, “Divide the men into two groups. In one group put all those who cup water in their hands and lap it up with their tongues like dogs. In the other group put all those who kneel down and drink with their mouths in the stream.” Only 300 of the men drank from their hands. All the others got down on their knees and drank with their mouths in the stream. The LORD told Gideon, “With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home.” So Gideon collected the provisions and rams’ horns of the other warriors and sent them home. But he kept the 300 men with him. The Midianite camp was in the valley just below Gideon. That night the LORD said, “Get up! Go down into the Midianite camp, for I have given you victory over them!

Judges 7:16-22 NLT

He divided the 300 men into three groups and gave each man a ram’s horn and a clay jar with a torch in it. Then he said to them, “Keep your eyes on me. When I come to the edge of the camp, do just as I do. As soon as I and those with me blow the rams’ horns, blow your horns, too, all around the entire camp, and shout, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon!’” It was just after midnight, after the changing of the guard, when Gideon and the 100 men with him reached the edge of the Midianite camp. Suddenly, they blew the rams’ horns and broke their clay jars. Then all three groups blew their horns and broke their jars. They held the blazing torches in their left hands and the horns in their right hands, and they all shouted, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” Each man stood at his position around the camp and watched as all the Midianites rushed around in a panic, shouting as they ran to escape. When the 300 Israelites blew their rams’ horns, the LORD caused the warriors in the camp to fight against each other with their swords. Those who were not killed fled to places as far away as Beth-shittah near Zererah and to the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath.

 

Sometimes, life doesn’t go as planned.

Today we read of a guy named Gideon. Not only was Gideon from the weakest clan in the tribe of Manasseh but also he was the weakest person in his family. He was definitely an unlikely person for God to choose. Later, God leads Gideon into battle against the Midianites, an enemy tribe, with 38,000 men. Then, God tells Gideon he has too many warriors, and if they defeat the Midianites, it’ll look like they did it by themselves. So, Gideon sends 20,000 men home. God said that’s still too many, so eventually, Gideon is left with only 300 men. The Lord gives Gideon and Israel victory over the Midianites with only the 300 soldiers, which certainly wasn’t what Gideon had originally planned.

When we think about the future and what God has in store for us, it’s important to remember that things won’t always go as we plan them.  There will be twists and turns, ups and downs, maybe even a few U-turns.

I was reading recently an article that said there are three, unwritten rules of plans we should follow:

1.) Plan to start over. Life is a series of starting over again. Learn to start over. When plans change, roll with it. You never know what God might be up to. Embrace the current season you’re in.

2.) Plan to say no. Sometimes, we have to say “no” to good things in order to say “yes” to the best things. We can’t do everything. Pray for wisdom to know where God would have you invest your time to serve and glorify his name.

3.) Plan to be creative. God’s plans can sometimes take us down paths we don’t expect. For Gideon, this involved using what he had, clay jars with torches instead of normal battle-ready weapons. Use the gifts God has given you today. Don’t worry about what other people have. Recognize that what God has given you with His help goes further than you can imagine.