By The Rev. Dr. Paul A. Leggett
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Sermon Text: Judges 7:2-3
Sermon Theme
The Midianites were overpowering Israel. They were descendents of Abraham. He had taken “another wife,” outside of God’s plan. She gave birth to Midian (Genesis 25:1-2) who became the father of a great tribe. The Midianites opposed and corrupted the people of Israel in the wilderness (Numbers 22:1-6, 25:1-9). Now in the time of Judges, following Israel’s faithlessness once again, they dominated and oppressed the Israelites. The Midianites represented both power and seduction. They outnumbered the Israelites by a huge margin. God raised up Gideon to deliver Israel. Gideon needed several tests to be sure that God was truly with him. He raised an army of thirty two thousand. But God said this was too many. God sent away all but three hundred so that it would be clear that the victory belonged to God and not to Gideon or the Israelites. God’s pattern of deliverance through Gideon is still with us today.
Sermon Outline
Outnumbered. The Midianites had long been adversaries of Israel. In the wilderness they helped commission the false prophet Balaam to curse Israel and then later enticed the Israelites into the worship of their fertility gods. Now they have utterly dominated the land of Israel. Israel once again has been “given up” by God for their sins (Romans 1:24-25). The Midianites quite simply outnumber the Israelites by their superior numbers. They were “thick as locusts and their camels were without number, countless as the sand on the seashore” (Judges 7:12). This is nothing new. The Midianties have always outnumbered the people of God. They represent the power of false gods, military might and seductive pleasure. Our world today symbolically is dominated by Midianites. Biblical standards for living are not just ignored. They are unknown by many people. Even Christians are too easily influenced by “the Midianites.” The Midianites still are as “thick as locust.”
Obstacles. God once again hears the cries of the Israelites. God’s everlasting love continues to overcome his overflowing wrath (Isaiah 54:8). God raises up Gideon to deliver Israel from the Midianites. Gideon however is afraid and uncertain. He asks God for a sign, not once but three times. Each time, God gives a miraculous sign (Judges 6:17-22, 36-40). Gideon’s first assignment is to tear down the altar of Baal and Asherah which belonged to his father! When God calls us through Jesus Christ into his service the first thing we need to do is to confront the idols in our own lives. God’s reformation always begins with his followers. Personal revival precedes national revival. Yet Gideon is too afraid to do this in broad daylight so he tears down the altar by night. Destroying the false gods provokes anger on the part of the townspeople. Exposing false gods always leads to anger and opposition from the world around us. But Gideon’s father defends him (Judges 6:25-32). Israel’s rebirth begins with Gideon and his own family. We need to tear down the idols in our own lives before we can confront the Midianites of our world.
Overcome. In spite of what appears to us, God is always greater than the Midianites of the world. Gideon finally is over his doubts and fears. The spirit of the Lord has come upon him and he is ready to face the enemy (Judges 6:34). Gideon is able to raise an army of thirty three thousand to go up against the great number of the Midianites. But God’s ways are not our ways (Isaiah 55:8). God doesn’t say that Gideon has too few soldiers (which would make sense to Gideon). He says he has too many. God wants to make it clear that the victory belongs to him and not to any human figure or group (Judges 7:2). So God instructs Gideon to tell those who are afraid simply to go home (Judges 7:3). The vast majority leave, twenty two thousand. God tells Gideon he still has too many soldiers. One can only imagine what Gideon thinks of this. God gives another command, a simple exercise of drinking water from a pool. Most drink properly for a soldier by kneeling down at the water’s edge. Three hundred clueless soldiers lie down and lap the water, thereby showing they are totally unprepared for an enemy’s attack. God sends home the soldiers who drank appropriately and retains the three hundred who appeared unprepared. Gideon leads these losers into battle and the Midianites are routed (Judges 7:9-23). Jesus doesn’t call the strong and the able. He calls those who are afraid and unprepared (I Corinthians 1:26-31; Exodus 4:10-13). The false gods are everywhere around us. The Midianites control our world. However this is no reason for resignation or defeat. God calls each one of us to be a Gideon.
Questions for Us
- How do we view our world with its false gods and powerful influences? What is our sense of the power of the gospel (Romans 1:16)?
- How is Gideon a model for us both with his doubts and fears and his final submitting to the Lord?
- What does it mean for us that God calls those who are weak and foolish (I Corinthians 1:27)? What does this say about our excuses not to serve the Lord boldly and confidently?
