Dedicated To The Men of God Who Preach the Word of God As It Is To Men As They Are

"Preach The Word"

JUDGES 7:1-25

Let’s put this passage of Scripture in its context. The people of God, Israel, were in a sorry state. Because of their sins, they were oppressed by the Midianites. As a result, they were hiding in fear in dens and caves in the mountains. They were in want because the Midianites plundered and destroyed their crops. The Bible says that the Midianites left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor allÿAnd Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD (Judges 6:4b, 6).

Israel was in trouble and the cried unto the LORD. When they cried to Him, He delivered them. He did it in an unexpected way, however. He did not deliver by the many but by the few which He selected. He called a leader, chose a people, and conquered with a great victory.

There is a mind-set among professing Christianity today that says, "If it is God, it has to be big." For instance, a man trying to lure another man into the big church that he had joined said, "If a church is in the will of God, it will not stay small for long." Further evidence of this mindset is found in the thinking that only the super churches have the power of God upon them. Caution needs to be exercised lest those who think "If it is God it has to big," build a monument to themselves and not to God. The thinking that "If it is God, it has to be big" can be confused easily with "If it is big, it has to be God."

As is the case in our text for today, God has often used what seems to be insignificant in the sight of men to bring glory to Himself. One illustration may be taken from Matthew’s Gospel in 14:13-21. There it is recorded that on a day Jesus took five loaves and two fish and fed over five thousand people. From this insignificant amount of food, He fed the multitude until they were satisfied and there were twelve baskets of food left over.

On another occasion, God took what seemed to be a failure in the eyes of men and made it the triumph of the ages. When Jesus Christ died on the cross, it looked as if His movement had failed. His disciples were disheartened and those who had called for His death were elated. His resurrection from the dead proved that what had happened was not defeat but the triumph of the ages. His resurrection demonstrated the glory of God. The message of His death and resurrection has brought to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ untold millions of people.

Who would have thought that God could have accomplished what He did with Gideon and three hundred men? That is the secret, however. God did it! Human reasoning would have looked at the great hordes of Midianites and said we need all the help that we can get. When God told Gideon that He was to deliver the Israelites, He did what every other man would have done. He gathered together a great army—thirty-two thousand strong. God, however, did not need a crowd on that occasion. He cut Gideon’s army down to three hundred men. "That was foolish," someone might say. Maybe it was foolish to men, but it was not foolish to God. After all, the Bible declares, But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence (I Cor. 1:27-29). God did not then and He does not now always need a crowd. Sometimes with God, a crowd is too many. He wanted Israel to trust Him and to know that if they would trust Him, He would deliver them and sustain them. If they had won with the thirty-two thousand, they would have become boastful and said, Mine own hand hath saved me (Judges 7:2).

God wants His people to know that the battle is His. He will give us the victory in all of our battles, if only we will trust Him. We may seem small and insignificant to ourselves and to the people around us. The task may seem impossible. The obstacles may seem too great. We must remember, however, that the battle is the LORD’S. He does not always need the crowds. He wants His people to know that they can depend on Him. He does not want them to depend upon themselves.

There are three lessons that stand out in this passage. I repeat them as the main points of this sermon. First, God called a leader for the task. Second, He chose a people to follow that leader. Third, God conquered with a great conquest. In His churches, God has given a leader—the Pastor. He wants a surrendered, committed people. He will give the victory. Will we follow His plan and experience the victory?

When God purposes to do a work among His people, He always calls a leader. The one that He selects is not always the one that the world would select. Such was the case with Gideon. Someone has said, "God is not looking for ability, He is looking for availability. Surely God can do a great work with even a weak person who is submitted to Him. The apostle Paul learned that truth. He wrote to the Corinthian Church, And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me (II Cor. 12:9).

A. The People’s Prayer And God’s Answer (Judges 6:1-14)

1. In a state of utter reproach, God’s people cried out to Him (6:1-6). The word translated cried in verses 6:6-7 has the basic meaning of "to cry for help in time of distress. It describes a cry from a distressed heart in need of some kind of help. Notice to whom they cried—the LORD. Surely we need to learn to cry out to Him in our times of distress.

2. In response to the cry of His people, God sent a deliverer (6:7-10). Before He sent the deliverer, however, He sent a prophet to rebuke His people for their sins. God does not overlook or ignore sin. Once He had called them to account for their sins, God sent them a deliverer.

3. The angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon to tell him that he was God’s appointed leader who would deliver the nation. The angel’s announcement seems to be a prophecy of what Gideon would become with God’s help. He was anything but a mighty man at the moment. Gideon’s question revealed a contrast between what God sees and what men see. God had not forsaken Israel, they had forsaken Him. Their plight was a result of their sins, not God’s indifference to them. Gideon saw their present plight, but God saw their future pleasure. Gideon’s call was a commission to deliver Israel from the Midianites (6:14). His commission guaranteed success. God had said, Thou shalt save Israel from the hand of Midian. Gideon’s authority for going was that God had sent him.

1. His protest ignored God’s guarantee and authority which had been given to him.

2. It also focused on Gideon’s weakness instead of God’s strength.

1. He gave another assurance of victory by promising to be with Gideon.

2. He explicitly promised Gideon that he would smite the Midianites.

3. There are two questions that I would like for us to consider at this point. Has the Lord sent us? That is, has He established and given us a commission? Is the Lord with us? Are we under His authority? If the answer to these questions is yes in each case, then the victory is ours. We can accomplish what God purposes for us to accomplish.