Today we read in Genesis about the LORD reducing the size of Abraham’s entourage for harmony and we read in Judges about the LORD reducing Gideon’s numbers for mission.
The passage in Judges comes near the end of a very difficult time. Some people – at least the tribe of Manasseh, probably the tribes of Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali as well - and maybe even more or all of the Israelites have been under the control of the Midianites for 7 years.[1] And this was not the first time that they had been in dire straights, under the control of another and having everything that they had seen built, torn down bit by bit so that more and more of their people are fleeing and in hiding (cf. Judges 3-5). It is in this context that the people of Israel cry out to the LORD and, Judges 6:7-10:
Nonetheless the Lord has compassion on them and sends His angel to Gideon and gives Gideon the responsibility to lead Israel through this difficult time (Judges 6:11-27).[2] We don’t have time to get into the whole story of Gideon today but Gideon was probably not what one would consider to be cut from the best material for being a leader.[3] He and/or his dad and people working for them worshipped other gods right on his property, Gideon hid behind his parent’s apron strings when things got difficult, and by his own admission, his clan was the weakest in Manasseh and he was the least in His clan. However, knowing this, the LORD had says to him, “Go in this might of yours and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian; I hereby commission you…I will be with you and you shall strike down the Midianites” (Judges 6:11-19).
This is the setting for our Judges pericope today: Chapter 7:1-7. Israel was suffering; all they had built was being torn down; their leaders had gone into hiding and they were feeling oppressed and attacked as all they had was being trampled and disappearing. Does this ever sound familiar at all?
There has been much built up around many churches and ministries in our world. In the beginning they grow. People flock to a new community. People are saved and lives were transformed. We grew into and out of our original buildings into other nice places that are then renovated and ministry flourishes and people and congregations grow.
But then things slow. Those who have been part of a congregation for a long time know the stories of trials, of real hurt, of real struggle, of leadership change, of friends who are sick, or ‘Promoted to Glory’ or who have retired or of those whom God has called away or others who have simply left.
In the account of Abraham in Genesis 13, you will notice that they are in the process of finding out what’s going on and they do not yet even know when or for how long they will be in transition. It is in this context that God removes from Abraham his family members who were in the midst of conflict. That sounds a little like many churches today.
Back to Gideon in the book of Judges: the tribe of Manasseh in Israel was grieving when the LORD moves to save them. God takes Gideon, a leader of no previous reputation; He takes a broken people and He uses them to deliver the community of Israel. Judges 7:1-3:
Israel gathers to fight now but God says “no, not yet;[4] there are too many of you. When the battle has been won you will boast against me, ‘my own strength has saved me.” So God sends home 22 000 men out of an army of 32 000 men. There are those who don’t want to stay so God says, ‘let them go’ and two thirds of his army for salvation go home. They will no longer fight under that banner.
When things are at there absolute worst, when victories are but a distant memory and even those memories are beginning to fade, when life is at its most difficult and more than 2/3rds of the leaders have left, God culls their numbers even further. Of the 1/3rd who are left, God lets 2/3rds of the remnant return home before the battle. God leaves only 1/3rd of 1/3rd of the remnant to experience the victory with Him on this day when He reasserts His control and His blessing over the whole area, over the whole community. And why does the Bible say that He does it this way? Chapter 6 says that honestly the people got into this problem in the first place by thinking a little too highly of themselves and Chapter 7 says that even when they are broken, if the Lord uses too many soldiers to deliver them, than they might boast against Him, ‘Our own strength has saved us’ (cf. Zec 4:6).
Like Abram, we are waiting. There will be new leadership and new ways again of doing things. Some of what happens here now may not happen soon. Some of the people who have been here have already gone, like Lot’s people and like Gideon’s men, but God will deliver us.
Like Gideon was the least of the last, maybe some of us are too. But here is the truth of the story, God delivered Gideon, God delivered Israel, God delivered Abram; and God can deliver us and God will deliver us. Like Gideon’s army today, we are gathered at that spring.[5] And, like we said lat time I spoke here, the battle belongs to the Lord (cf. 1 Sam 17:14, Zec 4:6).[6]
Today we read in Genesis about the LORD reducing the size of Abraham’s entourage for harmony and we read in Judges about the LORD reducing Gideon’s numbers for mission. I believe many times in our churches and congregations, God does the same for us.
And I believe our harmony and our mission can only flourish through prayer and through Bible study. I believe that that is what God is calling us to today. If everyone prays on a regular basis with others and if each of us holds up each other, I believe that God will use even small numbers just like he used Gideon’s small numbers to do mighty things. Today, you and I (no matter how large or small the crowd around us may be) are standing at that spring and we have the choice before us: do we look down like the men who buried their heads in the water and were sent home or do we look up and taste and see what the Lord is doing? Because as we look to the LORD I really do believe that He will use our members just like he used Gideon’s small numbers to do a mighty thing!
Originally presented to The Warehouse Mission and Corps 614 of The Salvation Army, Toronto, 28 August 2016
---
[1]Herbert Wolf, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:Judges/Exposition of Judges/II. The Rule of the Judges (2:6-16:31)/F. The Victory of Gideon Over the Midianites (6:1-8:32)/1. Israel's land devastated by the Midianites (6:1-6), Book Version: 4.0.2
[2] K Lawson Younger Jr, ‘Judges’ in NIVAC Bundle 2: Historical Books, Judges and Ruth - The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, Mi, Zondervan: 2002):'it makes it clear that the appeal [to YHWH] is not a devise by which Israel can automatically secure its future. The relationship between YHWH and Israel is not a mechanical process in which Israel can manipulatively call on YHWH and He instaneously responds.(46 min left in chapt).
[3] cf. David M. Howard Jr. ESV Study Bible. (Crossway Bibles: Wheaton, Illinois: 2007). Cited from On-line Version: Judg. 7:1–8:3 Gideon’s First Battle.
[4] M. O’Connor, “Judges,” in The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, ed. Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer and Roland E. Murphy (Upper Saddle River: Prentice-Hall, 1990), 139: “Gideon has tested Yahweh, and now Yahweh proposes tests for Gideon’s men.[3]”
[5] K Lawson Younger Jr, ‘Judges’ in NIVAC Bundle 2: Historical Books, Judges and Ruth - The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, Mi, Zondervan: 2002): 'harad' is Hebrew for trembling, thus where this takes place is the spring of trembling (16 min left)
[6] Cf, Captain Michael Ramsay, 1 Samuel 17:46-47: The Battle belongs to the Lord. Originally presented to Nipawin and Tisdale Corps on July 6, 2008, on-line:
http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2008/07/1-samuel-1746-47-battle-belongs-to-lord.html
The passage in Judges comes near the end of a very difficult time. Some people – at least the tribe of Manasseh, probably the tribes of Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali as well - and maybe even more or all of the Israelites have been under the control of the Midianites for 7 years.[1] And this was not the first time that they had been in dire straights, under the control of another and having everything that they had seen built, torn down bit by bit so that more and more of their people are fleeing and in hiding (cf. Judges 3-5). It is in this context that the people of Israel cry out to the LORD and, Judges 6:7-10:
When the Israelites cried out to the Lord because of Midian, he sent them a prophet, who said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I brought you up out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians. And I delivered you from the hand of all your oppressors; I drove them out before you and gave you their land. I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; do not worship the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you live.’ But you have not listened to me.”
Nonetheless the Lord has compassion on them and sends His angel to Gideon and gives Gideon the responsibility to lead Israel through this difficult time (Judges 6:11-27).[2] We don’t have time to get into the whole story of Gideon today but Gideon was probably not what one would consider to be cut from the best material for being a leader.[3] He and/or his dad and people working for them worshipped other gods right on his property, Gideon hid behind his parent’s apron strings when things got difficult, and by his own admission, his clan was the weakest in Manasseh and he was the least in His clan. However, knowing this, the LORD had says to him, “Go in this might of yours and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian; I hereby commission you…I will be with you and you shall strike down the Midianites” (Judges 6:11-19).
This is the setting for our Judges pericope today: Chapter 7:1-7. Israel was suffering; all they had built was being torn down; their leaders had gone into hiding and they were feeling oppressed and attacked as all they had was being trampled and disappearing. Does this ever sound familiar at all?
There has been much built up around many churches and ministries in our world. In the beginning they grow. People flock to a new community. People are saved and lives were transformed. We grew into and out of our original buildings into other nice places that are then renovated and ministry flourishes and people and congregations grow.
But then things slow. Those who have been part of a congregation for a long time know the stories of trials, of real hurt, of real struggle, of leadership change, of friends who are sick, or ‘Promoted to Glory’ or who have retired or of those whom God has called away or others who have simply left.
In the account of Abraham in Genesis 13, you will notice that they are in the process of finding out what’s going on and they do not yet even know when or for how long they will be in transition. It is in this context that God removes from Abraham his family members who were in the midst of conflict. That sounds a little like many churches today.
Back to Gideon in the book of Judges: the tribe of Manasseh in Israel was grieving when the LORD moves to save them. God takes Gideon, a leader of no previous reputation; He takes a broken people and He uses them to deliver the community of Israel. Judges 7:1-3:
Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.
Israel gathers to fight now but God says “no, not yet;[4] there are too many of you. When the battle has been won you will boast against me, ‘my own strength has saved me.” So God sends home 22 000 men out of an army of 32 000 men. There are those who don’t want to stay so God says, ‘let them go’ and two thirds of his army for salvation go home. They will no longer fight under that banner.
Continuing in our Judges text, 7:4, “But the Lord said to Gideon, ‘There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” And then, Verse 7 and 8a “The Lord said to Gideon, ‘With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.’ So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home.”
When things are at there absolute worst, when victories are but a distant memory and even those memories are beginning to fade, when life is at its most difficult and more than 2/3rds of the leaders have left, God culls their numbers even further. Of the 1/3rd who are left, God lets 2/3rds of the remnant return home before the battle. God leaves only 1/3rd of 1/3rd of the remnant to experience the victory with Him on this day when He reasserts His control and His blessing over the whole area, over the whole community. And why does the Bible say that He does it this way? Chapter 6 says that honestly the people got into this problem in the first place by thinking a little too highly of themselves and Chapter 7 says that even when they are broken, if the Lord uses too many soldiers to deliver them, than they might boast against Him, ‘Our own strength has saved us’ (cf. Zec 4:6).
Like Abram, we are waiting. There will be new leadership and new ways again of doing things. Some of what happens here now may not happen soon. Some of the people who have been here have already gone, like Lot’s people and like Gideon’s men, but God will deliver us.
Like Gideon was the least of the last, maybe some of us are too. But here is the truth of the story, God delivered Gideon, God delivered Israel, God delivered Abram; and God can deliver us and God will deliver us. Like Gideon’s army today, we are gathered at that spring.[5] And, like we said lat time I spoke here, the battle belongs to the Lord (cf. 1 Sam 17:14, Zec 4:6).[6]
Today we read in Genesis about the LORD reducing the size of Abraham’s entourage for harmony and we read in Judges about the LORD reducing Gideon’s numbers for mission. I believe many times in our churches and congregations, God does the same for us.
And I believe our harmony and our mission can only flourish through prayer and through Bible study. I believe that that is what God is calling us to today. If everyone prays on a regular basis with others and if each of us holds up each other, I believe that God will use even small numbers just like he used Gideon’s small numbers to do mighty things. Today, you and I (no matter how large or small the crowd around us may be) are standing at that spring and we have the choice before us: do we look down like the men who buried their heads in the water and were sent home or do we look up and taste and see what the Lord is doing? Because as we look to the LORD I really do believe that He will use our members just like he used Gideon’s small numbers to do a mighty thing!
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---Originally presented to The Warehouse Mission and Corps 614 of The Salvation Army, Toronto, 28 August 2016
---
[1]Herbert Wolf, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, Pradis CD-ROM:Judges/Exposition of Judges/II. The Rule of the Judges (2:6-16:31)/F. The Victory of Gideon Over the Midianites (6:1-8:32)/1. Israel's land devastated by the Midianites (6:1-6), Book Version: 4.0.2
[2] K Lawson Younger Jr, ‘Judges’ in NIVAC Bundle 2: Historical Books, Judges and Ruth - The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, Mi, Zondervan: 2002):'it makes it clear that the appeal [to YHWH] is not a devise by which Israel can automatically secure its future. The relationship between YHWH and Israel is not a mechanical process in which Israel can manipulatively call on YHWH and He instaneously responds.(46 min left in chapt).
[3] cf. David M. Howard Jr. ESV Study Bible. (Crossway Bibles: Wheaton, Illinois: 2007). Cited from On-line Version: Judg. 7:1–8:3 Gideon’s First Battle.
[4] M. O’Connor, “Judges,” in The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, ed. Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer and Roland E. Murphy (Upper Saddle River: Prentice-Hall, 1990), 139: “Gideon has tested Yahweh, and now Yahweh proposes tests for Gideon’s men.[3]”
[5] K Lawson Younger Jr, ‘Judges’ in NIVAC Bundle 2: Historical Books, Judges and Ruth - The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, Mi, Zondervan: 2002): 'harad' is Hebrew for trembling, thus where this takes place is the spring of trembling (16 min left)
[6] Cf, Captain Michael Ramsay, 1 Samuel 17:46-47: The Battle belongs to the Lord. Originally presented to Nipawin and Tisdale Corps on July 6, 2008, on-line:
http://sheepspeaks.blogspot.ca/2008/07/1-samuel-1746-47-battle-belongs-to-lord.html
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