Gideon – through breaking to victory
Series: Like you and me | Bible text: Judges 7, 2 Corinthians 4:6–11
Gideon lays out the fleece twice and receives confirmation that God wants to give him victory against Midian. His army consists of 32,000 men, but they are reduced to 300. God does not want the Israelites to boast that they had saved themselves by their own strength. Trumpets, clay jars and torches play a role in the battle. This represents that God was in the midst of His people. The victory was won only through Him. The sermon gives strong hints on how we can experience God’s victories in our everyday life.
I don’t know anything about strategy games on the computer, but I have done some research. We can hear into the mind of a gamer: So, that should really be enough now. Nothing more can go wrong. 56 knights, 72 archers, 5 catapults, 3 dragons, 17 mounted boars, 10 archpriests and 520 peasants. Battle formation fits. Enemy camp spied out. Tactics are bombproof. You build up your army until you feel absolutely unbeatable and safe. Most of the time you are then outnumbered 10:1 in terms of troop strength. In retrospect, you are disappointed that your opponent was so weak. Another negative aspect of this tactic is the time it takes. It takes time to build up your army.
I notice that I often practise this tactic in normal life as well. I like to be well prepared and confident in what I do. In doing so, I try to avoid situations in which I might embarrass myself. Every person has his or her own things that he or she relies on in life, on which he or she builds his or her self-assurance, confidence and courage. This can be physical strength, a razor-sharp mind, a confident and winning demeanour, robustness of health or charm and humour.
With Gideon, what he would have liked to rely on falls away in a situation of tension. This does not happen by chance or by a stroke of fate – no, God deliberately takes this security away from him.
The too numerous army
The army of Midian united with other belligerents in an alliance against Israel. «Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon. With a ram’s horn he called to arms»(Judges 6:34 NL). The battle between Gideon and the Midianites is imminent. The two camps are a few kilometres apart. To be sure that God wants to save Israel through him, Gideon asks again for a sign. He lays out a fleece and God emphatically confirms. Then it started: «Jerubbaal – that’s Gideon – and his people set out early in the morning […].» (Judges 7:1 NL). Gideon is called Jerubbaal here in memory of his faithfulness in destroying idolatry. Together with 32,000 warriors, he set out early. This was a sign of his spiritual energy. Together they camped at the spring Harod. This name means «fear» or «terror». Opposite them were countless enemies (v.12).
Nevertheless, the Lord says to Gideon: «You have too many people with you. If I were to give you victory over Midian in this way, the Israelites could boast before me that they had saved themselves by their own strength.»(V.2 NL). Although the enemy possessed an army several times more numerous, it needed a reduction. It should become clearly visible that Israel did not save itself by its own strength. «Let him who boasts boast of the Lord!»(1 Corinthians 1:31 Lut).
The necessary reduction
What follows now is a two-step reduction:
- All cowards home: God instructed Gideon to dismiss the soldiers who were afraid and despondent to go home so that they would not influence the others with their fear. Then 22,000 returned to their families. Only 10,000 remained. This was an implementation of the fourth article from the Law of War (Deut. 20:8).
- All Comfortable HomeGod now «purifies» those who are left by leading them to the water. Only those who refreshed themselves in a hurry instead of comfortably quenching their thirst were qualified for the fight. «Only 300 men sipped the water from their hands. All the others knelt down to drink» (Judges 7:6 NL). Gideon took only those soldiers who had licked water with their tongues while walking. In the above-mentioned law of war there was a similar injunction: the occupations of life, building a house, planting a vineyard and becoming betrothed to a wife were an obstacle to going into battle (Deut. 20:5–7). The 300 men were willing to give up everything for a single cause (cf. Philippians 3:8, 13, 14). They did not lose themselves in earthly things and did not make themselves comfortable on earth. It is prophetically said of the Lord Jesus: «But he himself will refresh himself at the brook on the way, therefore he will be victorious»(Psalm 110:7 NL). Determined, He went up to Jerusalem to fight the greatest battle against the adversary.
So of the 32,000, 300 brave and determined men remain – that is less than 1%. Here it becomes clear that the struggles of the Kingdom of God do not depend on numbers or on power. It depends on the Lord himself. «Not by might nor by power will it be done, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.»(Zechariah 4:6 NL). It is irrelevant whether Gideon has 30000 or 3000 or only 3 men. The only thing that matters is that with the three is the living Lord. A person with the Lord is always outnumbered. Therefore, we should not count, but only make sure that the Lord is with us and we are with Him.
God still acts in such a way today that he chooses precisely the weak, so that no one may boast before him. Only in his strength can we be strong. That is why He said to Paul: «My grace is all you need. My power is shown in your weakness. And now I am content with my weakness so that the power of Christ can work through me» (2 Corinthians 12:9 NL). Jesus» life on this earth was characterised by authority and power (Luke 4:36). Authority and power – that is the condition for a victorious life. Both belong to the equipment of every follower of Jesus. If you live with Jesus, you have authority and power.
When a car is standing in the car park, the built-in turbo is not much use. But when you step on the gas and turn on the turbo, things take off. In the same way, we have to get moving to experience power and strength. Often we feel rather fearful or despondent in advance. But when we nevertheless tackle our challenges in the name of God, the turbo is ignited.
Examples: Seeking an upcoming conversation, tackling things in life, taking on a task, getting out of a destructive relationship, taking a clear stand at work, praying courageously for the sick, being salt and light in the neighbourhood, etc.
If – like in the computer game – we want to build up our own army first, it takes too long and life is boring!
The successful struggle
After the radical reduction of the army, the Lord says to Gideon: «Arise! Go down to the camp of the Midianites, for I will give you victory over them! However, if you are afraid to attack them, go down to the camp with your servant Pura»(V.9+10 NL). So caring! God meets the fear of Gideon. Together with Pura, he sneaks into the Midianite camp and overhears a man telling his comrade a dream about a loaf of barley bread that rolled into the Midianite camp and completely destroyed a tent. The comrade replies: «Your dream can only mean one thing: God has given Gideon, the son of Joash the Israelite, victory over Midian and the allied armies!»(V.14 NL).
Obviously, Gideon has now broken through in trusting God: «When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he prostrated himself before God and thanked him. Then he returned to the Israelite camp and shouted: «Get up! The Lord has given you victory over the Midianites!» «(V.15 NL). Even before he goes into battle, he worships and thanks God. This is an important spiritual principle. We may accept the promises with worship and thanksgiving even before we see the result. Jesus says: «Everything you ask for in prayer – believe that you have received it and you will receive it» (Mark 11:24 NL). Just last Sunday someone told me how, in a physical complaint, she stopped praying and just gave thanks. And – God intervened impressively.
Each was given a trumpet, an empty jar and a torch in the jar. This is the picture of the complete testimony that God entrusts to us for the fight against Satan and the world. The trumpet speaks of the word of God and was used here to go into battle. The jars that had probably contained the people’s food were now empty (v.8.16). These worthless vessels made of clay were now to be smashed. They are a picture of human nature, which must disappear before the work of God. However, the jars contained the third element of the testimony of God, namely the torches representing the divine light. When the jar is broken, the light shines forth.
Gideon’s strategy was for every fighter to look to him and imitate him (v.17). The application for us is as simple as it is important: We are to look to Christ in faith, especially when we are in spiritual warfare. Victory would be won by the simple cry: «For the Lord and for Gideon!» (V.18 NL). After smashing the jars, the soldiers carried only their torch in their left hand and their trumpet in their right. As they did so, they uttered the cry of victory (v.19f). Thus human weakness disappears for the one who has put on the «weapons of light» and carries the «weapons of righteousness on the right and on the left (Romans 13:12; 2 Corinthians 6:7).
In 2 Corinthians 4 we find the analogy to this story: Paul describes that the light «is the splendour of God’s glory made visible to us in the face of Jesus Christ»(V.6 NL). Just as the torches were in the jars before the battle, we carry this treasure in earthen vessels: «We, however, are but like fragile vessels to this precious treasure entrusted to us, for it should become clear that the all-surpassing power at work in our lives is God’s power and does not come from ourselves»(V.7 NGÜ). Then it becomes very concrete: «You and I, we are a vessel in which the light of God burns. The vessel must be broken. Through suffering we constantly experience the death of Christ in our own bodies, so that his life may also be visible in our bodies.» (V.10 NL). In Paul’s example we see that such a breaking happens through affliction, hopelessness, persecution and in situations where we are cast down (v.8f). Sometimes God has to «break» our bodies in order to glorify Himself in our lives.
So Gideon demonstrated with the breaking of the jars, the burning torches and the trumpets that he trusts completely in God’s power, who is strong in our weakness. This is the only way to explain what happens now: The enemies destroyed each other (v.22). Dhe victory was won only through God. This strategy also leads to victory in your life. If you have accepted Jesus Christ into your life, then the light burns within you. We may allow breakage and weakness, attack courageously and then experience that victory is only won through God.
Possible questions for the small groups
Read Bible text: Judges 7; 2 Corinthians 4:7–11
- Why did God not want Israel to attribute the victory to themselves (v.2)? What would be so bad about that?
- Why were the people who were with Gideon too numerous to fight against Midian (v.2)? What can we learn from this (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:26–29; 2 Corinthians 12:9)?
- In the battle against Midian there were originally 32,000 warriors, but in the end there were only 300. What criteria were used to select the warriors?
- Paul speaks of us having «this treasure in earthen vessels» (2 Corinthians 4:7). What does that mean? What does it mean when this vessel is broken?
- What enemies are you currently experiencing in your life? What tactics will you use to attack them?
