GIDEON (Judges 7)
How God chose
faithful people in Israel (Judges 7)
In Judges 7 we read how God chose faithful people in
Israel (in Gideon's time):
- return of fearful people:
1 Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up
early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites
were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.
2 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for
me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves
against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.
3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is
fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And
there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten
thousand. (Jdg. 7:1-3)
In Israel a man couldn't go to war if he
was fearful and fainthearted and in other situations:
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And what man is he that hath planted a vineyard, and hath
not yet eaten of it? let him also go and return unto his house, lest he die
in the battle, and another man eat of it. |
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And what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath
not taken her? let him go and return unto his house, lest he die in the
battle, and another man take her. |
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And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and
they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him
go and return unto his house, lest his brethren's heart faint as well as his
heart. (Deut. 20:6-8) |
8 "[What man is there] who is fearful and fainthearted: Rabbi Akiva says: [This verse is to be understood] according to its apparent meaning, that he cannot stand in the closed ranks of battle and look upon a drawn sword. Rabbi Jose the Galilean says that [it means] one who is afraid of his sins [that they will cause him to fall in war, as he is unworthy]… [Sotah 44a]" (Rashi http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/9984/showrashi/true)
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. (Isaiah 6:8)
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Rev. 21:8)
- return of people who bowed down upon their
knees:
4 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down
unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of
whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and
of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not
go.
5 So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon,
Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him
shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees
to drink.
6 And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were
three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees
to drink water. (Jdg. 7:4-6)
4 I will try them – in Hebrew: etsrephenu from
“tsaraph”: to refine, to smelt, to test etc. See: Isaiah 1:25 (“purge away”); Dan. 12:10 (“be
refined”); Zech. 13:9 (“will refine them”) etc.
7 And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I
save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other
people go every man unto his place. (Jdg. 7:7)
There remained 300 people (of more 32,000 ones), i.e. less 1%.
8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the
Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by
faith. (Acts 15:8-9)
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have
fellowship one with another, and the blood of Yeshua Messiah (Jesus Christ) his
Son cleanseth us from all sin.
8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is
not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our
sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:7-9)
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Messiah (Christ) also loved the
church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by
the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having
spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without
blemish. (Eph. 5:25-27)
11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all
men,
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should
live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the
great God and our Saviour Yeshua Messiah (Jesus Christ);
14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity,
and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. (Tit.
2:11-14)
14 How much more shall the blood of Messiah (Christ), who through the
eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from
dead works to serve the living God? (Heb. 9:14)
GOD
SAID TO GIDEON AT NIGHT
9 And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get
thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand.
10 But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the
host:
11 And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be
strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his
servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host. (Jdg. 7:9-11)
A DREAM
13 And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his
fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread
tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it
fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.
14 And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of
Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered
Midian, and all the host.
15 And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the
interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of
Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of
Midian. (Jdg. 7:13-15)
THE SWORD OF
LORD AND OF GIDEON
16 And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a
trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the
pitchers.
17 And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come
to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do.
18 When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the
trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD,
and of Gideon.
19 So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of
the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the
watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their
hands.
20 And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held
the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow
withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.
21 And they stood every man in his place round about the camp; and all the host
ran, and cried, and fled.
22 And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man's sword
against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled... (Jdg.
7:16-22)
19 Middle watch – “That is, of the second watch; for though afterward the night was divided into four watches by the Romans, 14:25, yet in more ancient times, and in the eastern parts, it was divided into three: he chose the dark and dead of the night, to increase their terror by the trumpets, whose sound would then be loudest, and the lamps, whose light would then shine most brightly, to surprise them, and conceal the smallness of their numbers.” (Wesley’s Notes http://www.bible-center.ru/comments/wesley_eng/jud/7)
Imagine: 300 people blew 300 shophars!
The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon – It was God’s victory!
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth,
and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench
all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the
word of God: (Eph. 6:14-17)
In 2 Chr. we read:
14 Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of
Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of
the LORD in the midst of the congregation;
15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and
thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed
by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's.
16 To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz;
and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of
Jeruel.
17 Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still,
and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not,
nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.
(2 Chr. 20:14-17)
for the battle is not yours, but God's - Believers should not fear
anyone!
set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you
- What's blessing to stand and to see THE SALVATION OF LORD - YESHUA
ADONAI!
Yeshua said:
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I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. (John 15:5) |
In Hebrew 11:32 we see Gedeon's name as one of men of faith.
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