Gideon - The Judge Who Needed Signs - Part 3 (Judges 6:33-7:8)
INTRODUCTION:
Last Sunday we were introduced to Gideon and witnessed how God called him into service. Let’s review quickly what we have learned in this chapter so far. After the land had rest for 40 years the sons of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD. Instead of fearing and worshiping the God of Israel alone and extending that rest to 60 or 80 or 100 years, or even changing the whole history of Israel from that time forward, the Israelites again did evil and turned away from the LORD to worship the false gods of the Canaanites. God again gives them into the hands of their enemies, this time it is the Midianites and their allies, the Amalekites and the sons of the east who yearly came into the land and raided and plundered it at harvest time. This went on for seven years until the Israelites called out to the LORD for relief. First, God sent them a prophet to declare the LORD’s formal accusation against the sons of Israel, they had not listened to the LORD’s voice, they had been unfaithful to His covenant with them, even though He had warned them many times. Because of Israel’s unfaithfulness they had forfeited the right of deliverance. The LORD, however, still loved them and went in the form of the Angel of the LORD to call a valiant warrior out of a winepress where he was threshing wheat, calling him to deliver God’s people from the hand of Midian. Gideon had asked for a sign that the Angel of the LORD was from God. The Angel of the LORD gave him a sign by causing fire to come out of a rock and consume the meal Gideon had made for him and then by vanishing. The LORD then assured Gideon that he would not die having seen the Angel of the LORD and the LORD gave Gideon peace. Then we watched as Gideon made his stand for the LORD and God was faithful to save Gideon’s life and to see his whole community and family turn against Baal.
This morning begins our third week in chapter 6 although we will make it into chapter 7 today as well. We have a few more weeks on Gideon as the history surrounding him goes through chapter 8. This morning we will see God continue to shape Gideon into the leader and judge he needs to be to deliver God’s people from Midian. Gideon’s faith has grown but we will see that he will still need to be reassured and he will get this reassurance by testing God and in turn God will test him and then reassure him again. Let’s pray and get into our passage of Scripture for this morning.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles to Judges 6:33-7:8, our Scripture passage for this morning. Just as a reminder when Judges was originally written there were no chapters and verses, those were added later to make it easier to navigate through the pages of Scripture. Please, if you are able, stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
Judges 6:33-7:8,
“Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the sons of the east assembled themselves; and they crossed over and camped in the valley of Jezreel. So the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; and he blew a trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called together to follow him. He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, and they also were called together to follow him; and he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet them. Then Gideon said to God, ‘If You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken, behold, I will 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 will know that You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken.’ And it was so. When he arose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece, he drained the dew from the fleece, a bowl full of water. Then Gideon said to God, ‘Do not let Your anger burn against me that I may speak once more; please let me make a test once more with the fleece, let it now be dry only on the fleece, and let there be dew on all the ground.’ God did so that night; for it was dry only on the fleece, and dew was on all the ground. Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him, rose early and camped beside the spring of Harod; and the camp of Midian was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley. The Lord said to Gideon, ‘The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying, “My own power has delivered me.” Now therefore come, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, “Whoever is afraid and trembling, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.”’ So 22,000 people returned, but 10,000 remained. Then 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. Therefore it shall be that he of whom I say to you, “This one shall go with you,” he shall go with you; but everyone of whom I say to you, “This one shall not go with you,” he shall not go.’ So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, ‘You shall separate everyone who laps the water with his tongue as a dog laps, as well as everyone who kneels to drink.’ Now the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was 300 men; but all the rest of the people kneeled to drink water. The Lord said to Gideon, ‘I will deliver you with the 300 men who lapped and will give the Midianites into your hands; so let all the other people go, each man to his home.’ So the 300 men took the people’s provisions and their trumpets into their hands. And Gideon sent all the other men of Israel, each to his tent, but retained the 300 men; and the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.” (Judges 6:33–7:8, NASB95)[1]
GIDEON CLOTHED IN THE SPIRIT (Judges 6:33-35)
Verse 33 tells us why Gideon was threshing wheat in his father’s winepress instead of on the threshing floor. The Midianites, the Amalekites and the sons of the east have returned for another year of plundering. They have crossed over the Jordan and have set up camp in the heartland of Israel. We are told that they have settled into the Jezreel valley. We have seen this valley before; this is where Barak and his forces fought against Sisera and his 900 iron chariots. This valley stretches right across northern Israel from east to west, it begins just south of the Sea of Galilee and ends near Mount Carmel on the Mediterranean Coast. It was in the days of Gideon and still is today the richest agricultural land in all of Israel. When I was there looking down from Mount Carmel the fields were beautiful and green. In Gideon’s day this area, this valley was critically important for Israel’s economy and for the feeding of her people. Barak’s victory over Sisera had broken Jabin’s stranglehold on Israel and had freed them from 20 years of oppression. But now this same valley has become disputed territory again. Midian and her allies by repeatedly year after year raiding and plundering, this valley and south all the way to Gaza, were reducing Israel to poverty and stealing their food right out of their mouths. So now we know why Gideon was hiding his little bit of wheat in the winepress. It was harvest time again and their oppressors had returned to plunder the land again.
It is time for Gideon to act, and it is at this critical moment that God intervenes to enable Gideon to do what God has raised him up and commissioned him to do, to deliver Israel out of the hands of Midian. My Bible says, “So the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon…” (Judges 6:34a, NASB95)[2] Literally the Hebrew says that the LORD clothed Gideon with His Spirit. God knew that it was not literal armor that Gideon needed at this moment, but God’s Spirit to envelope him and empower him to do what God has called him to do.
We are not told if Gideon was conscious of this clothing with the Spirit but when it happened, he immediately acted with decisiveness and boldness, and this had an effect on those who were around him. He blew his trumpet summoning the citizens of his own clan, we are told that the Abiezrites gathered to him. Then from there he sends messengers to the rest of Manasseh calling them to arms and he also sends messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, calling them to come to him prepared for battle. The clothing of the Spirit of the LORD has transformed Gideon from a local hero into a commander of men. God has authorized Gideon to act, He has empowered him to act, and God had already given him the promise of God’s presence with him. Now for Gideon this is a reality, and the people sense it and rally to him. With the rise of Gideon, hope has arisen again in Israel. Gideon is in a position of great strength at this moment; everything has gone his way. He has an army of men around him that he has called, and they have come to stand with him. But something happens that causes him to waver in his confidence and he wants more assurance that God is with him and that this is what God wants him to do.
GIDEON TESTS THE LORD (Judges 6:36-40)
Gideon tests the LORD by asking for another sign, a reassurance from God that He is with him. Listen to his words, “Then Gideon said to God, ‘If You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken, behold, I will 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 will know that You will deliver Israel through me, as You have spoken.’” (Judges 6:36–37, NASB95)[3] Notice how he begins, “if,” why this word “if?” “If you will deliver Israel through me, as you have spoken.” Where did this “if” come from? It came from somewhere deep inside Gideon from a place that no one else saw, from a place quite different from how he appeared on the outside. It is that gnawing fear again, that insecurity, he was longing for that peace again that he had when he had built that altar and called it the LORD is peace, but in this moment, he was having a tough time finding that peace, he needed some reassurance. Take a moment and put yourself in Gideon’s sandals and we can quickly understand this fear, this lack of faith. Think about what he is going to have to face the next day. All the Midianites and their allies are in the Jezreel valley. For the past seven years Gideon and his family and friends have been hiding in caves for fear of their lives while these peoples have come through killing and plundering. These people came on camels without number, they swept down on Israel like a locust plague, destroying everything and leaving Israel with nothing, no crops, no sheep, no donkeys. For the past seven years they have been invincible, and Israel has been powerless to do anything to stop them. But now Gideon is going to go out to face them on foot with a hastily formed army of untrained amateurs following him. Suddenly, after all the excitement of the last few days, the full reality of his situation kicks in, and Gideon is scared.
Gideon wants something more, he wants God to give him a sign, or something to confirm what God has said so he can believe it enough to do what he has to do. So, Gideon lays out a fleece of wool on the threshing floor and he asks God to do something powerful with that little bit of fleece so that Gideon will know that God will use him to deliver Israel. I understand why Gideon is doing this, but at the same time is this not insulting to God to ask for proof that God will do as He said He would do? Shouldn’t God’s word be enough for Gideon, and if it is not shouldn’t all that God has already done for Gideon be confirmation enough that God keeps His word? Yes, it should have been enough, but it wasn’t. We need to be careful before we come down too hard on Gideon, and not just because of our own failings and our own lack of faith, but because of the way God responds to Gideon’s request. Notice God does not lecture Gideon on the weakness of his faith, instead God gives him the sign he requested. The ground was dry, but the fleece was soaked. Even when this is not enough to convince Gideon, God gives Gideon his second request. The ground is soaked, but the fleece is dry. This is amazing, what a demonstration of God’s grace to His struggling servant. I want you to understand that what Gideon did here was not because he was so holy, and neither was it because he was trying to discern God’s will for him. He already knew what God wanted him to do, he already knew God’s will for him, and Gideon confirmed that by repeating that it was what God had spoken. This was not about guidance or discerning God’s will. Gideon knew what he had to do. It was about fear and needing reassurance. Gideon was struggling, but God did not condemn him for it, instead God gave Gideon what he needed. Just let that soak in for a moment, that should be a great comfort to all of us.
THE LORD TESTS GIDEON (Judges 7:1-8)
Gideon received the reassurance that he asked for, it may not have taken the fear away completely, but it gave him the courage to move forward to do what God had called him to do. As we come to verse one of chapter 7 Gideon looks strong again. He gets up early in the morning, which is a good sign. People who are crippled by fear do not do that; they stay in bed as long as possible because they do not think they can face what the day holds for them. This is not Gideon, at least it is no longer as he rises early, God’s signs have settled his fears and given him new courage. He is ready to act and do what God has called him to do and he is not alone, Gideon has a force of 32,000 men following him. From these opening verses Gideon seems to know what he is doing, he has a plan. He moves his men to a forward position “beside the spring of Harod.” The exact location of this spring is unknown, but it must have been high, because from here they can see the Midianite camp below them. The Midianites are near another hill called Moreh, they are not on it, but spread out in the valley of Jezreel near it. Gideon and his men have the advantage of height and possibly invisibility in that they cannot be seen from the valley floor. In other words, Gideon has chosen well a place where they are well situated to take the enemy by surprise. This is not the only surprise in this narrative, it is full of them. Gideon had tested God, now God is going to test Gideon to see if Gideon will still follow Him. Listen to God’s words, “The Lord said to Gideon, ‘The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying, “My own power has delivered me.”’” (Judges 7:2, NASB95)[4] The LORD informs Gideon that his force of 32,000 is too large, if God were to give Midian into their hands, they would not give the glory to God, they would boast that this was their own doing. God tells Gideon that he is to proclaim to his army that if anyone is afraid or trembling, they are to return home. To Gideon’s amazement this proclamation shows him that his army is not what it appears to be. What good is 32,000 men if 22,000 of them are trembling with fear? God tells Gideon to send them home. They do not need to be told twice. Off they go and Gideon watches as 70% of his army walks away. Now he is left with a very diminished force of 10,000 men against the hoard that is spread out over the valley like a locust plague, innumerable men, and innumerable camels.
The LORD is not done yet, He continues to test Gideon. Verse 4 says, “Then 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. Therefore it shall be that he of whom I say to you, “This one shall go with you,” he shall go with you; but everyone of whom I say to you, “This one shall not go with you,” he shall not go.’” (Judges 7:4, NASB95)[5] Gideon takes them down to the spring to drink and God tests them on the basis of how they drink, either cupping the water in their hand and bringing it their mouth or kneeling down and drinking with your face in the stream. 9700 drank one way and 300 drank the other way, God chose the 300 to be Gideon’s army. It is with this small group that the LORD would deliver Midian into the hand of Gideon and God would receive all the glory for Israel’s salvation. Why did God pick only 300 men out of 32,000 to go with Gideon? He did it to take away everything that Gideon could possibly trust in except God Himself and to make sure that Israel would recognize who saved them and give glory to God alone.
Gideon had his confidence shaken again, as he looked at those 300 men. It is one thing to face that vast hoard of Midianites, Amalekites, and sons of the east with a force of 32,000 men, it is quite another to face them with 300. The decisive factor in all of this is God, who is just as able to save with a few as he is able to save with many. God had promised that if they would follow Him and be obedient to Him then He would deliver them from their enemies. The LORD had said through Moses in Leviticus 26:7-8, “But you will chase your enemies and they will fall before you by the sword; five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall before you by the sword.” (Leviticus 26:7–8, NASB95)[6] Is it possible that God selected only those men who had turned their backs on Baal and were seeking to follow and obey the LORD. If that is the case, this is a sad commentary on the state of the nation, only 300 in 32,000 were found to be faithful to the LORD. This is not stated in the passage, but I believe it is a distinct possibility. The battle that Gideon was fighting as night began to close in around the 300 was the battle between faith and fear and that battle became harder with only 300, Gideon’s faith is being tested to the extreme. Next week we will learn whether fear or faith wins the battle.
CONCLUSION:
As I close this morning, I want to call your attention to two things we looked at in this message. First, I want to look at a little more closely this idea of putting out the fleece. This phrase has in the church come to mean asking God to guide us in a decision by fulfilling some condition we have laid down. For example, if I were doing this, which I am not, but for the sake of an example, if I say if I receive a call from a certain person at a certain time, then God would be telling me to do this certain thing or would be guiding me in a certain direction. That is just one example of putting out the fleece as understood by some in the church today. Putting out the fleece to determine God’s will is not biblical, this is another case where a phrase is taken out of context. Gideon knew what God wanted him to do. Gideon put out the fleece because he did not trust God to do what He said He would do. Twice Gideon reminded God of what God had said and twice he asked for God to do a miracle to reaffirm what He had said. The fact that God stooped to Gideon’s weaknesses only proves that He is a gracious God who understands how we are made. Who are we to tell God what conditions He must meet, especially when He has already spoken to us in His Word? Putting out the fleece is not only evidence of our unbelief, but it is also evidence of our pride. God has to do what I tell Him before I will do what He tells me to do. God reveals His will for us in His Word, putting out the fleece reveals our unbelief in what He has said.
Second, God will test your faith. He will allow circumstances into your life that will test you and you will have your own battle with faith and fear. These tests are not to destroy your faith but to strengthen it in such a way that your trust in God and His Word grows. Read the Bible and you will see this happening in the lives of those who follow God and often after great testing God will bring about something that will reassure us of His love, mercy, and grace. We will see that next week in the life of Gideon, God does not just reduce his army to 300 and leave him there, but God reassures Gideon that he can trust in God’s promises. And so can you!
[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.