Sermon Tone Analysis

*JUDGES 7:14 *

Examination of Gideon’s call: “/Go in this thy might/…” [6:14].

§         His circumstances; the discouragement; his inadequacies; his testing of God.

Gideon is now ready for the battle: “/Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up/…” [7:1].

§         Humanly speaking, victory in such a situation is all about self-belief; preparation is through training and building self-confidence.

§         The attitude is - ‘If we believe we can, we can’; ‘Men, we can do it.

We have got what it takes!’

#.

*THE PREPARATIONS [7:1-8] *

It is evident from the beginning of ch.7 that Gideon finally accepted God’s call to divine service.

*1.        **Gideon*

Gideon was a man who had power with God: “/Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon/…” [6:34].

He was called: “/Jerubbaal…let Baal plead against him, because he has thrown down his altars/” [6:32].

§         l[;B;ruy - “/Jerubbaal/” [7:1], from /ribh/ ‘to strive or to contend’, plus Baal: “/let Baal plead against him, because he has thrown down his altar/” [6:32].

*a.        **Gideon’s Army*

Gideon had called together a large army: “/he blew the trumpet…he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh/…” [6:35].

§         The people were willing: “/they came up to meet them/” [6:35].

§         Gideon had gathered a strong army: “/twenty and two thousand…ten thousand/” [7:3].

*b.

**The Midianites *

The Midianites were of a larger number: “/the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east/…” [6:33].

§         The number of the army:  “/fifteen thousand…twenty thousand men/” [8:10].

*Application*.

Gideon will be well aware that, humanly speaking, the task is impossible.

*2.

**God’s Preparation *

The people are “/too many/” [7:2].

This message~/passage arises out of the danger of the people’s smugness: “/Israel// vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand has saved me/” [7:2].

§         raeP't.y

- “/vaunt/” [7:2], hithpael imperfect, ‘to glorify’; ‘to beautify’; ‘to adorn’;

§         yl;[ - “/against me/” [7:2], literally ‘above me’; “/My glory I will not give to another/…” [Isa.42:8].

*a.        **Test of Fearlessness *

So Gideon is issued with a command: “/Go…Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let them return and depart early/…” [7:3].

§         arey - “/fearful/” [7:3], ‘to fear’; ‘to be afraid’;

§         drex - “/afraid/” [7:3], ‘to quake’; ‘to tremble’;

§         d['l.GIh - “/Gilead/” [7:3], ‘to be afraid’;

§         Taken together both phrases equate to: ‘who tremble with fright’.

*i.              **Fear is Contagious *

Fear is contagious: “/Let him depart to his own house, so that he might not make his brother’s heart melt like his own heart/” [Deu.20:8].

§         bvoy - “/return/” [7:3], ‘to turn around’; ‘to withdraw’;

§         rPoc.y - “/depart/” [7:3], rare verb; best to associate with the rPc, “bird”; describes an enemy jumping up from a table in fear; ‘to fly away’.

*ii.

**Response *

The response: “/there returned of the people twenty and two thousand/…” [7:3].

§         bv'Y - “/returned/” [7:3], ‘to turn back’; ‘to retire or withdraw’;

§         Wra'v.n

- “/remained/” [7:3], niphal perfect, ‘to be left over’; ‘remnant or remainder’;

*b.        **Test of Fervency  *

The remaining “/ten thousand/” [7:3] of: “/the people are yet too many/…” [7:4].

Gideon is to issue another command: “/bring them down to the water, and I will try them for thee/…” [7:4].

§         WNp,r>c.a

- “/try/” [7:4], used of refining ore by removing the impurities; ‘to smelt’; ‘to refine’; “/his mother took two hundred shekels of silver, and gave them to the founder (goldsmith), who made thereof a graven image/” [17:4].

§         The quenching of thirst is a necessity of life, and especially in battle: “/he shall drink of the brook in the way/…” [Psa.110:7].

*i.              **A Simple Test*

Gideon was to watch how the men drank:  

§         Action one:  “/every one that laps the water with his tongue/…” [7:5]; some would ‘fall flat on their faces’ and ‘forget about everything else’.

§         Action two:  “/every one that bows down on his knees/…” [7:5]; some would ‘scoop up water with “/their hand to their mouth/” [7:6].

*ii.

**A Secret Test *

It was a secret test: “/I will try them for thee there/…” [7:4].

§         Gideon was unaware of what was to happen: “/it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee/…” [7:4].

§         The people were unaware of what was to happen: “/bring them down to the water/…” [7:4].

*iii.

**It Significant Test *

It was a significant test: ‘the manner of drinking revealed an attitude to the enemy’.

§         Most of the men – “/rest of the people/” [7:6] – totalling some nine thousand seven hundred men, had their mind only on drinking.

§         A small minority – “/three hundred men/” [7:6] – drank “/putting their hand to their mouth/” [7:6] because they had a different perspective: ‘they would not take their eyes of the enemy’.

*iv.

**Result *

Lord’s judgement: “/by the three hundred men that lapped will I save thee/…” [7:7].

§         This handful of men represents the pure gold which Yahweh desires in his service: “/I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined/…” [Zec.13:9].

*Application*.

God is concerned in teaching us trust and not self-reliance: “/Hear, O Israel…do not be fainthearted or afraid…for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you/” [Deu.20:1-4,

8].

§         God does not call us to believe in ourselves and in our own adequacy

§         Personal smugness - You cannot be ‘too small for God to use’, but ‘you can be too big’.

§         God usually tests us when we are unaware of it.

#.

*THE ENCOURAGEMENT [7:9-15].

*

With the number of his army reduced to “/three hundred men/” [7:7], it is understandable that Gideon would be having /third thoughts/ - second thoughts: “/if thou wilt save Israel/…” [6:36] – and needed to be encouraged by the Lord.

*1.        **The Mission *

The message of God: “/The Lord said unto him, Arise, get the down into the host/…” [7:9].

*a.        **Gideon’s Lack of Faith *

The message is given due to Gideon’s lack of faith: “/if you are afraid to go down, go with Phurah thy servant/…” [7:10].

§         arey - “/afraid/” [7:10], qal participle, ‘to fear’; ‘to be afraid of’;

§         ^r>[;n - “/servant/” [7:10], normally means ‘young man’, but in military contexts probably refers to a personal attendant, perhaps his armour-bearer.

*b.        **The Army *

The sight of a great army: “/all the children of the east lay along the valley like grasshoppers/…” [7:12].

§         hB,r>a;K - “/grasshoppers/” [7:12], ‘a kind of locust’;

§         The forces of the enemy blanket the valley like locusts: “/And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you/” [Joe.2:25].

*c.        **The Encouragement   *

Gideon was to be encouraged through the enemy’s conversation: “/thou shalt hear what they say, and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened/…” [7:11].

§         T'[.m;v'w

- “/hear/” [7:11], ‘listen to’; ‘receive the report’;

§         hn"q.z:x~/T - “/strengthened/” [7:11], ‘to be strong’; ‘to be courageous’;

§         T'd>r;y - “/to go down/” [7:11], ‘to descend’; ‘to march down’;

*2.        **The Message *

*a.        **Parable *

They came to the camp and overheard a conversation: “/there was a man that told a dream/…” [7:13].

The parable provides a picture of outright crushing and destroying.

§         lylic - “/cake/” [7:13], ‘a pastry’; ‘a griddle cake’;

§         %Peh;t.m - “/tumbled/” [7:13], ‘to turn or overturn’;

§         hnEx]m;B - “/tent/” [7:13], ‘the camp’; ‘encampment’; a collective for the entire camp.

§         WhKeY - “/smote/” [7:13], ‘to strike’; ‘to beat or kill’;