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*Extraordinary Christianity*: Judges 7:1-22
The Koalas and Cubs were as evenly matched as any two soccer teams made up of five- and six-year-olds could be.
In the first half of the game, neither team scored.
The players scrambled all over the field in a clump, falling over their own feet, stumbling over the ball, kicking at it and missing.
But none of them seemed to care.
They were having fun.
During the second half, the coach of the Koalas pulled out most of his starters and sent in his substitutes—except for Scotty, who was the goalie and one of the team’s best players.
The game took a dramatic turn.
Apparently the coach of the Cubs was playing to win, because he left his best players in the game.
The Cubs took control of the contest and swarmed around Scotty, who was doing his best to guard the goal.
Scotty was a good player but no match for the entire Cubs team.
The little goalie gave it everything he had, recklessly throwing his body in front of incoming balls, trying to stop them.
His parents cheered him on from the stands, yelling encouragement and advice.
Eventually, though, the Cubs scored a goal.
A few minutes later the Cubs scored on Scotty again.
This infuriated him and he became a raging maniac—shouting, running, diving.
With all of the stamina he could muster, he tried covering two opposing players at once, but it was no use.
The Cubs scored again.
After the third and fourth goals, Scotty’s demeanor changed.
He could see it was no use.
He completely lost hope.
Desperate futility was written all over his face.
In the stands, his father’s demeanor changed as well.
He had been cheering on his son, but now he was feeling bad for him.
He kept yelling, “That’s okay, hang in there, son,” but he was clearly feeling his son’s pain.
After the fifth goal was scored, Scotty did what you would expect any six-year-old to do.
He got so frustrated that he started crying.
Huge crocodile tears rolled down both cheeks.
He went to his knees, put his fists to his eyes and cried in anguish.
He felt hopeless and brokenhearted.
Can you recall a moment in your life when you encountered an impossible situation?
· More times than not when God has a plan for us it will require us to take steps of faith, daring and risk.
· I don’t believe I have ever followed Gods leading that did not stretch me-that is in part how we know that a call is from God. God does not call us to easy tasks, but rather faith tasks.
· This is the case of the OT character named Gideon.
n Gideon was not a super hero
n He was extremely insecure in his abilities
n He was insecure in God’s abilities
n He was no different than any of us-just an ordinary man
· Before we can go much further we need to understand what was going on at the time:
n Israel did evil-Midianites took over for seven years.
n Israel cried out to God-He sent a prophet, the prophet is not named but tells them they do not deserve deliverance.
n Gideon is chosen to deliver the people-God tells Gideon that he will defeat the entire Midian army, but Gideon requires proof.
He sets a meal before the Angel of God and the Angel consumes the meal with fire demonstrating that this is from God.
n Gideon then receives instruction from God to tear down the idols of Baal for which he almost losses his life.
n This act seems to bring to bear an imminent war, but God through the Holy Spirit enables Gideon to assemble an army to stand against the Midianites.
n It is at this time that Gideon doubts God and asks for a sign.
It is at this time that God confirms his call for Gideon to defeat Midian through the test of the fleese.
We want to take up the story of Gideon and how it affects our lives at the point where a battle is going to take place.
It is in this situation found in Judges 7:1-22 that we want to discover the way God works when he calls us to a task.
\\ 1. God Provides Impossible Situations (7:1-8)
*7:1* Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and his men got up the next morning and camped near the spring of Harod.
The Midianites were camped north of them near the hill of Moreh in the valley.
*7:2* The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to hand Midian over to you.
Israel might brag, ‘Our own strength has delivered us.’
*7:3* Now, announce to the men, ‘Whoever is shaking with fear may turn around and leave Mount Gilead.’”
Twenty-two thousand men went home; ten thousand remained.
*7:4* The Lord spoke to Gideon again, “There are still too many men.
Bring them down to the water and I will thin the ranks some more.
When I say, ‘This one should go with you,’ pick him to go; when I say, ‘This one should not go with you,’ do not take him.”
*7:5* So he brought the men down to the water.
Then the Lord said to Gideon, “Separate those who lap the water as a dog laps from those who kneel to drink.”
*7:6* Three hundred men lapped; the rest of the men kneeled to drink water.
*7:7* The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men who lapped I will deliver the whole army and I will hand Midian over to you.
The rest of the men should go home.”
*7:8* The men who were chosen took supplies and their trumpets.
Gideon sent all the men of Israel back to their homes; he kept only three hundred men.
Now the Midianites were camped down below in the valley.
· It is interesting that ‘Harod’ means ‘trembling’ as this was Gideon’s demeanor…
· It is important to understand the physical situation of the armies…
· After Gideon had gathered 32000 troops he had put together an army for which he more than likely felt had a chance against the Midianites.
· In the midst of Gideon’s plans God takes over and provides direction to Gideon.
n Those in fear could leave.
Gideon lost 22000 men-2~/3’s of his forces.
n God had Gideon direct the troops to drink water.
Those who kneeled to drink were separated from those who lapped the water like a dog.
A battle ready soldier would have probably kneeled to drink because it was a better position in case the enemy surprised them.
Lapping would require the person to get in a position difficult to react quickly.
n It is those who lapped that God choose, reducing Gideon’s forces to 300.
n It is interesting that God choose those who were the most unlikely.
· We need to understand how Gideon was more than likely feeling.
All his confidence had been taken away.
He was shocked, dismayed and more than likely in despair.
It is always important to understand that the characters of the Bible were human; they reacted much the same as us.
· In vs. 2 God provides the reasoning for reducing Gideon’s troops.
God wants to make it clear who should get the honor for the victory that is to come.
· God in v. 7 assures a probably shocked and dismayed Gideon that the Midianites will be defeated, but as we will see this does not calm Gideon’s fears.
· When we step out in service for God, when we are called to a holy task there is some things to remember:
n God wants us to keep in mind that He is the one that has done the work.
He may create an impossible situation in order for us to keep in proper perspective who is doing the work.
n God may be the author of the strains we face when we serve him.
n He wants us to remember he can use the most unlikely people.
n Despite the situation we are too remain obedient.
Gideon carried out God’s instructions even though he knew it would make it difficult.
Payson beautifully writes: “I have been all my life like a child whose father wishes to fix his undivided attention.
At first the child runs about the room, but his father ties up his feet.
He then plays with his hands until they likewise are tied.
Thus he continues to do, till he is completely tied up.
Then, when he can do nothing else, he will attend to his father.
Just so has God been dealing with me, to induce me to place my happiness in him alone.
But I blindly continued to look for it here, and God has kept cutting off one source of enjoyment after another, till I find that I can do without them all and yet enjoy more happiness than ever in my life before.”
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