God’s 300: Judges 6 & 7
The story of Gideon, his calling from God, and his victories through God are recorded in the book of Judges in the Old Testament. Gideon was a military leader, judge, and a prophet of God. When the Angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor.” Gideon responded, “My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” He did not see himself as a “mighty man of valor.” Manasseh was one of the 12 tribes of Israel and a clan was a smaller subsection of the tribe headed by the family’s Father or extended family’s patriarchal (male) leader.
During the days of Gideon, the Israelites were living in fear of their enemy, the Midianites, because God had allowed their enemies to harass, defeat them, and steal their flocks and crops. The Israelites had strayed from the Lord and even worshipped the idol Baal which was direct disobedience to God’s commandments of not having idols or worshipping anything other than the Lord God of Israel. The people had cried out to God to save them and help them.
When the Angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he told him that God was with him and that God would deliver his people from the Midianites. That night the Lord spoke to Gideon and told him to tear down his father’s altar to Baal and cut down the wooden image beside it. In place, he was told to build an altar to the Lord and place a sacrificial bull on it and burn the wood from the image for the sacrificial offering.
In the morning the men of the city saw what had happened and were angry. They investigated and found out that it was Gideon. They went to Gideon’s father, Joash, and demanded that he turn over his son so that they could kill him for what he did. Joash, who knew that God was not pleased with their idol worshipping but had practiced it anyway, told the men that if Baal is god he should be able to avenge himself and that he didn’t need men to do it. He announced that he who wants to plead the case for Baal, let him be put to death by morning. The Israelites knew God’s law (Exodus 10:3-6) but had willfully disobeyed. No one stepped up to avenge Baal’s altar and wooden image.
The Midianites and the Amalekites, their enemies, crossed into the Valley of Jezreel, which was land that was given by God to the tribe of Manasseh. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon and he blew the trumpet and sent out messengers to the rest of his tribe and other tribes to gather for battle against the Midianites. There were approximately 135,000 men in the army of the Midianites and Amalekites who were gathered to attack the Israelites. Thirty-two thousand Israelites gathered to fight. God told Gideon that there were too many of them. They would claim the victory as their own and not give glory to God. Gideon told the men that they could go back to their homes if they were fearful and afraid. Twenty thousand left and ten thousand remained. God told Gideon that there were still too many.
The Lord God told Gideon to bring the men down to the water and watch how they drink. He said that all those that kneel to the ground and those that lap the water like a dog were to be dismissed. He said to choose only those that would use their hands to bring the water to their mouths and were not on their knees. Another 9700 were dismissed with 300 men left. God had a plan to use 300 brave men. The night of the attack, the Lord had instructed Gideon to give every man a trumpet, an empty pitcher, and a lit torch inside of it. They were divided into three companies of 100 men surrounding the enemy's camp. Once they heard Gideon blow the trumpet they were to do the same, break the pitchers and hold the lit torches in their left hands and yell, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!” When this happened the enemy army cried out, ran, and started fighting each other and not the Israelites. They were pursued by the Israelites and finally defeated. God used 300 men and His power to win the victory.
There was no doubt that God had defeated the enemies of the Israelites. Three hundred men went against 135,000. What did the enemy soldiers see and hear when the trumpets were blown, the words were spoken, the pitchers broken, and the lit torches were on fire? They were so confused and frightened that they killed each other with their own swords. The Israelites drove their enemies out of their territory, were supernaturally victorious, and regained their power.
Is God your top priority or are there idols in your life that have taken His place? An idol may not be a false god or an image that you worship, but anything that takes God’s place can become an idol. Are you spending time with the Lord and growing in your relationship with Him? The primary pursuit of money, power, and things can become an idol. Remember, Jesus said to “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things (things you are concerned about not having) will be added to you.” Tear down any idols and put Him first in your life and you will be able to defeat your enemies of lack, sickness, defeat, worry, weakness, loneliness, and any other issue you are battling.
God doesn’t need multiple resources to help you out. He needs your courage to believe and trust in Him that He can and will deliver you. As He delivered a whole army of thousands into the hands of 300, God can do miracles in your life too. Find the promise or scripture in the Bible for your situation and speak victory over it. As the Israelites yelled out, “The sword of the Lord and Gideon,” you can speak the Word (scripture/verse) which is called the Sword of the Spirit and has the power to cause change. As you live a victorious life, always give God the glory and credit for His amazing grace, love, and mercy in your life. (Matthew 6:33; Ephesians 6:17)
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Personal Development Tip of the week:
Let’s talk about Decision Making. Change in any area of our lives starts with the decisions we make. Decisions shape our lives and the results we get. We have to remember that we can’t always control the things that happen to us in our life but we can control how we decide to think, believe, feel, and do about these things.
Every day whether we are conscious about it or now we are making decisions that shape us for better or worse. Your decisions shape your life and the outcomes you want to produce.
A decision is a real conscious choice to do something specific. Not a general feeling about wanting to do something. For example, many people will say, “ I want a better relationship with God” or “I’d like to be in better shape” but these statements are too general and lack a commitment. When you make a real decision you know exactly what you want and what you are committed to doing to get it.
If you want to change any area of your life, start by…
Deciding what you want (Be specific)
Take Action!
Notice whether it’s working or not
Change your approach until you get the results you want. (You have to be flexible)
Some of the most important decisions you will make each day are…
What to focus on
What things mean
What to do
Ask yourself today, what important decision am I going to make each day that will serve me, serve others, and serve the greater good (your relationship with God).
Some examples could be…
I will go for a 1-mile walk/run each morning at 6:30 AM
I will read my bible for 15 minutes each morning at 7 AM
I will pray first thing in the morning when I get up for 5 minutes
I will eliminate processed foods from my diet for the next 60 days
Prayer for the week:
Lord, I am so grateful that you have given me gifts, passions, dreams, and desires that are specific to me. I was in your plans before I was born. I am excited about my future and I trust that you will open doors of opportunity and guide me to accomplish more than I can imagine. I can achieve greatness because you are my God and I will always give you the credit and glory in Jesus name, Amen.
-Dayne
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Read: God's 300