08.24.07
“FACING A BATTLE!”
Judges 6:14-16
“The LORD turned to him (Gideon) and said, ‘Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?’ ‘But Lord.’ Gideon asked, ‘how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.’ The LORD answered, ‘I will be with you, and you will strike down the Midianites as if they were one man.’ “
As I begin today, I would like to point out two words in the Scripture I referenced: LORD and Lord. When we see in the Old Testament, the word “LORD”, it is (Yahovah or Jehovah). It is the LORD God Almighty. The word “Lord”, on the other hand in Hebrew is (’adown). It can refer to anyone who is your master. It is not the word used to describe the all powerful God of all things.
Jehovah God spoke to Gideon, but Gideon responded only as to one who was a superior. The size of our God, or rather the size of our concept of God, limits the faith and trust we place in Him. We all too often consider our problems so large or complex that we cannot trust them to God, we need to get professional help. Yeah! Right!
The larger this ministry grows the more I hear from people all over the world with challenges and/or catastrophic decisions which they must make. They come to the place where they are crushed under the burden of this momentous confrontation.
The question is, “Who do we rely upon when we face the trials of life?” I hate to say that all too often we place our trust and confidence in ourselves, our friends, our professional counselors, but fail to reach out to the Lord, asking Him for His help in our hopeless situation.
Gideon was called upon to save Israel from the Midianites which were allied with the Amalekites and other eastern peoples. It was a mighty military force. The forces of Israel only numbered 32,000. It was too many for God. The reason? God did not want Israel to think it was their ability which would win the battle which was coming.
The first test God gave to Gideon in order to reduce the size of his army, was to send away all of those who were afraid. 22,000 met that criteria and returned home. Only 10,000 left? That is ridiculous! You cannot fight hordes with that small army of men. But it was still too many for God. The next test was the water test. They were to go to the river and drink while Gideon watched. 9,700 got down on their hands and knees to drink, while only 300 scooped up water in their hands and lapped like a dog. They were the vigilant ones, and the ones God selected. ONLY 300!!! WHY? WHEN THEY WON THE BATTLE, IT HAD TO BE OF GOD!
I am sure that you know the outcome of the battle. Even this small group of 300 did not have to do the fighting. They were each furnished with empty jars, torches and trumpets. They were separated into three groups of 100 each. At Gideon’s signal, they each broke their jar which revealed the flaming torch. They blew their trumpets and shouted “For the LORD and for Gideon!”
The enemy soldiers awoke in a panic and turned on each other with their swords. Isn’t that a kick? God brought about such confusion that the enemy became their own enemy. It reminds me of that old line from the comic strip, “Pogo.” They supposed that they were about to be attacked. Pogo led a rag-tag bunch of comic characters into the swamp to confront the enemy. They saw their reflections in the water and returned with the news; “WE HAVE FOUND THE ENEMY AND THEY IS US!”
I want to encourage each of us to increasingly call upon the Lord in our time of need. He is the One we need to call upon and look to for our deliverance. Giving all that we are and all that we need into His caring hands, we should then rest in Him and just praise and glorify His name. What joy!
Blessings dear hearts. Walk with God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing.
- - - Pastor Cecil