So Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD.They cried out to the LORD in their distress.
Judges 6:12
And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, "The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!"
Gideon was raised up as a deliverer to save Israel from the the Midianites.
Judges 6:13-14
Gideon said to Him, "O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, 'Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?' But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites."
Gideon was also confused and discouraged like his brethren.
Judges 6:15-16
So he said to Him, "O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house."
He knew his weak state and he was humble. Therefore GOD picked him.
Judges 6:14,16,17
Then the LORD turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?" And the LORD said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man." Then he said to Him, "If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who talk with me.
God looked on him favourably. GOD sent him. GOD promised to be with him. GOD promised to defeat the Midianites through him.
Judges 6:19
So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat, and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot; and he brought them out to Him under the terebinth tree and presented them.
Gideon made an offering to the LORD.
Judges 6:21
Then the Angel of the LORD put out the end of the staff that was in His hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the Angel of the LORD departed out of his sight.
The LORD was pleased and accepted his sacrifice.
Judges 6:23
Then the LORD said to him, "Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die."
GOD confirmed His favor on Gideon.
Judges 6:25-26
Now it came to pass the same night that the LORD said to him, "Take your father's young bull, the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut down the wooden image that is beside it; and build an altar to the LORD your God on top of this rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the image which you shall cut down."
He had to bring down inherited idol worship and establish Godly worship.
Judges 6:27
So Gideon took ten men from among his servants and did as the LORD had said to him. But because he feared his father's household and the men of the city too much to do it by day, he did it by night.
Although he feared man, he feared GOD more and obeyed GOD.
Judges 6:30-31
Then the men of the city said to Joash, "Bring out your son, that he may die, because he has torn down the altar of Baal, and because he has cut down the wooden image that was beside it." But Joash said to all who stood against him, "Would you plead for Baal? Would you save him? Let the one who would plead for him be put to death by morning! If he is a god, let him plead for himself, because his altar has been torn down!"
This opened the eyes of Gideon’s father to the futility of idol worship and he defended his son. He realised that he needn't fear other gods.
Judges 6:33-34
Then all the Midianites and Amalekites, the people of the East, gathered together; and they crossed over and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him.
As soon as the curse of idol worship was removed, the Spirit of GOD came upon Gideon and raised him up to face the task ahead.
Judges 6:36-37
So Gideon said to God, "If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said-- look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said."
In sincerity Gideon wanted to know that GOD was in this and requested the fleece sign.
Judges 7:1
Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the well of Harod, so that the camp of the Midianites was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley.
As soon as Gideon knew this was of GOD, he set camp against the enemy.
Judges 7:2
And the LORD said to Gideon, "The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, 'My own hand has saved me.'
Glory has to go to GOD alone. His strength is made perfect in my weakness.
Judges 7:3
Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, 'Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.' " And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.
Fear has to be put away first.
Judges 7:4,6-7
But the LORD said to Gideon, "The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, 'This one shall go with you,' the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, 'This one shall not go with you,' the same shall not go." And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water. Then the LORD said to Gideon, "By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place."
GOD desires no frills!
Judges 7:5
So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, "Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink."
Soldiers need to be alert at all times.
Judges 7:9
It happened on the same night that the LORD said to him, "Arise, go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand.
GOD had finished His work. The battle was won in the heavenlies.
Judges 7:12
Now the Midianites and Amalekites, all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude.
The enemy seemed big, strong and frightening.
Judges 7:10,14,15
But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant, Then his companion answered and said, "This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel! Into his hand God has delivered Midian and the whole camp." And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel, and said, "Arise, for the LORD has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand."
When the LORD revealed to Gideon the real state of the enemy (that they were in fear), fear left him. He worshiped GOD. He took up the sword of the LORD.
Judges 7:17-18
And he said to them, "Look at me and do likewise; watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do as I do: When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets on every side of the whole camp, and say, 'The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!' "
Gideon followed the instructions of the LORD and asked the people to follow him. He was a good leader.
Judges 7:20-21
Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers--they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing--and they cried, "The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!"
The weapons of their warfare were not swords but trumpets (Prayer) and pitchers & torches (Breaking of self and letting the light of GOD shine from within).
Judges 7:21-22
And every man stood in his place all around the camp; and the whole army ran and cried out and fled. When the three hundred blew the trumpets, the LORD set every man's sword against his companion throughout the whole camp; and the army fled to Beth Acacia, toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel Meholah, by Tabbath.
As the people of GOD took their place in obedience to GOD - with GOD & with each other - the enemy fled. They panicked, feared and used their own swords to kill each other.
Judges 7:25
And they captured two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued Midian and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side of the Jordan.
The enemy was defeated & beheaded!
Judges 8:1-28
vs 1-3
Take the task that has been entrusted to you as important. Don’t compare with the task of others.
vs 4-21
Learn to look at the big picture - The Kingdom. Support others in the work of GOD’S Kingdom. Stand united in exposing and destroying the common enemy.
vs 22-28
When you have excelled in some ministry and the people show admiration and devotion towards you, it is easy for you to take advantage of that situation to put yourself between GOD and the people carnally. This becomes a snare to you and to the people to play the harlot. Always keep your focus on JESUS.
After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward." Genesis 15:1
