When we last got together, we saw how God had chosen to use a frightened and uncertain man named Gideon to rescue the people of Israel from a virtual army of terrorists who were wrecking their crops, their animals and pretty much everything else. Now rather than telling you what the Bible says about Gideon, The Doctor will now step aside (for the most part) and let the Bible tell you Gideon’s story in it’s own words…
“Soon afterward the armies of Midian, Amalek, and other neighboring nations united in one vast alliance against Israel. They crossed the Jordan and camped in the valley of Jezreel. Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet as a call to arms, and the men of Abiezer came to him. He also sent messengers throughout Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, summoning their fighting forces, and all of them responded.
“Then Gideon said to God, ‘If you are really going to use me to save Israel as you promised, prove it to me in this way: I’ll put some wool on the threshing floor tonight, and if, in the morning, the fleece is wet and the ground is dry, I will know you are going to help me!’ And it happened just that way! When he got up the next morning, he pressed the fleece together and wrung out a whole bowlful of water! Then Gideon said to the Lord, ‘Please don’t be angry with me, but let me make one more test: this time let the fleece remain dry while the ground around it is wet!’
“So the Lord did as he asked; that night the fleece stayed dry, but the ground was covered with dew!” (Judges 6:33-40).
Even though Gideon is a member of the Faith Hall Of Fame, it’s clear that he was a man who felt the need to confirm God’s direction more than once, just as we see in the Scripture above. You should remember Gideon’s example the next time you want to take a step of faith but feel a little unsure of God direction. Gideon’s example tells us that it’s not wrong to ask God to confirm His leading in your life if you do so with attitude of honor and respect towards Him, just like Gideon did.
You should also take notice of what didn’t happen in the Scripture quoted above. Notice that God didn’t punish Gideon when he asked for a confirmation of His direction. Gideon also wasn’t mocked, ignored or made fun of because of his desire to verify the things that he felt God wanted him to do. Again, Gideon simply approached God with an attitude of humility and respect and God gave him the confirmation that he sought.
So how did things turn out with Gideon? Well, let’s check out the rest of the story in Judges chapter 7. It’s a little long but it’s a great story…
“Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon– his other name) and his army got an early start and went as far as the spring of Harod. The armies of Midian were camped north of them, down in the valley beside the hill of Moreh. The Lord then said to Gideon, ‘There are too many of you! I can’t let all of you fight the Midianites, for then the people of Israel will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength! Send home any of your men who are timid and frightened.’ So twenty-two thousand of them left, and only ten thousand remained who were willing to fight.
“But the Lord told Gideon, ‘There are still too many! Bring them down to the spring and I’ll show you which ones shall go with you and which ones shall not.’ So Gideon assembled them at the water. There the Lord told him, ‘Divide them into two groups decided by the way they drink. In Group 1 will be all the men who cup the water in their hands to get it to their mouths and lap it like dogs. In Group 2 will be those who kneel, with their mouths in the stream.’ Only three hundred of the men drank from their hands; all the others drank with their mouths to the stream.
“‘I’ll conquer the Midianites with these three hundred!” the Lord told Gideon. “Send all the others home!’ So after Gideon had collected all the clay jars and trumpets they had among them, he sent them home, leaving only three hundred men with him. During the night, with the Midianites camped in the valley just below, the Lord said to Gideon, ‘Get up! Take your troops and attack the Midianites, for I will cause you to defeat them! But if you are afraid, first go down to the camp alone– take along your servant Purah if you like– and listen to what they are saying down there! You will be greatly encouraged and be eager to attack!’
“So he took Purah and crept down through the darkness to the outposts of the enemy camp. The vast armies of Midian, Amalek, and the other nations of the Mideast were crowded across the valley like locusts– yes, like the sand upon the seashore– and there were too many camels even to count!
“Gideon crept up to one of the tents just as a man inside had wakened from a nightmare and was telling his tent-mate about it. ‘I had this strange dream,’ he was saying, ‘and there was this huge loaf of barley bread that came tumbling down into our camp. It hit our tent and knocked it flat!’
“The other soldier replied, ‘Your dream can mean only one thing! Gideon, the son of Joash, the Israeli, is going to come and massacre all the allied forces of Midian!”‘
“When Gideon heard the dream and the interpretation, all he could do was just stand there worshiping God! Then he returned to his men and shouted, ‘Get up! For the Lord is going to use you to conquer all the vast armies of Midian!”‘ He divided the three hundred men into three groups and gave each man a trumpet and a clay jar with a torch in it. Then he explained his plan.
“‘When we arrive at the outer guardposts of the camp,’ he told them, ‘do just as I do. As soon as I and the men in my group blow our trumpets, you blow yours on all sides of the camp and shout, ‘We fight for God and for Gideon!”
“It was just after midnight and the change of guards when Gideon and the hundred men with him crept to the outer edge of the camp of Midian. Suddenly they blew their trumpets and broke their clay jars so that their torches blazed into the night. Then the other two hundred of his men did the same, blowing the trumpets in their right hands, and holding the flaming torches in their left hands, all shouting, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’
“Then they just stood and watched as the whole vast enemy army began rushing around in a panic, shouting and running away. For in the confusion the Lord caused the enemy troops to begin fighting and killing each other from one end of the camp to the other, and they fled into the night to places as far away as Beth-shittah near Zererah, and to the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath.
“Then Gideon sent for the troops of Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh and told them to come and chase and destroy the fleeing army of Midian. Gideon also sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim summoning troops who seized the fords of the Jordan River at Beth-barah, thus preventing the Midianites from escaping by going across.
Oreb and Zeeb, the two generals of Midian, were captured. Oreb was killed at the rock now known by his name, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb, as it is now called; and the Israelis took the heads of Oreb and Zeeb across the Jordan to Gideon” (Judges 7:1-25).
Not bad, huh? So what other things can we learn from Gideon’s example? Well, let’s first consider how patient and encouraging God was with Gideon. For instance, look again at some of the things that God said to Gideon…
“If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp… and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp” (Judges 7:10-11).
It’s clear that God continued to support and reassure Gideon even when he felt uncertain. It’s also clear that this encouragement helped cause a big change in Gideon’s attitude from that of a frightened, reluctant farmer to that of a bold, confident man of God.
Gideon’s story also tells us that it’s not how you start that matters but how you finish that really counts. You see, Gideon may have started off as a very frightened and unsure person but God was able to transform him into man of leadership, courage and respect. Gideon had humility and respect for God and God helped him overcome his initial fear and confusion so that he could become everything that God intended for him to be.
The exciting thing is that this is also true for Christians today. Remember, you don’t have to live in fear and anxiety like Gideon initially did. If God could help a guy like Gideon to overcome things like fear and uncertainty then He can do the same for you. God wants to write Gideon’s story in each of your lives and if He did it for this man, then He can do it for you too.