OVERCOME THE MAJORITY

BY FAITH

And what more shall I say? For the time will fail me if I tell of Gideon…

Hebrews 11:32

When was the last time that you were outnumbered?

How did you feel about it?

GIDEON BEGINS HIS WORK

(Judges 6:1-40)

It did not take long before the people forgot their promises again. Because they worshiped other gods. God could not make them strong. A terrible tribe called the Midianites conquered them.

God chose a man named Gideon to help His People. He sent an angel who told Gideon he must knock down the altar and statue to other gods. God’s people were worshiping this statue on the hill.

Gideon knew the other men in the village could kill him for this. He was afraid to tear down the altar of their gods, but he did it anyway since God has asked him to.

Gideon and ten of his servants climbed the hill. They went to the place where the foreign gods were worshiped. There they smashed the stone altar and the statue to other gods.

Then they very quietly built a new altar. They killed one of the bulls they had brought with them and burned it on the altar. They prayed to God. “Please, Lord, please take care of us.”

The next morning when the men of the village found the broken altar, they said, “Who dared to do this? We’ll kill him!”

But Joash, Gideon’s father, told them, “If your god is really a god, let him punish the culprit. You stay out of it.” The men agreed. So Gideon was safe and the altar of the Lord remained.

Soon the Midianites were planning to attack Israel again. Gideon asked God, “Lord, if You are really going to help Israel win, then please show me. I will put the sheepskin on the ground for the night…

…If it is wet with dew, and the ground around it is dry, then I will know we should go into battle.”

And it was so. The next morning the sheepskin was wet, but the ground is dry. Gideon still wanted to be sure. “Lord, forgive me, please. But may I test You yet one more time? …

…Tonight, could You please make the ground wet with dew, but keep the sheepskin dry?”

And it was so. This way Gideon had no doubt at all that he was doing what God wanted.

IT TAKES FEWER MEN TO WIN THE BATTLE

(Judges 7:1-8)

Many men followed Gideon. They all wanted to fight against the Midianites. So Gideon led the people to a river. On the other side was the Midianite army.

But the Lord said, “Gideon, there are too many soldiers with you. If you win, the people might become proud. They will think they did it all by themselves…

…I want to teach them to rely on Me and trust Me. Tell those who are even a little bit afraid to go home.” Gideon did so and about half the people went home.

“But there are still too many,” God said. “Take them down t the river. Those who kneel and drink will go home. Those who cup the water in their hands and drink will fight the battle.”

Gideon did what God told him. And almost all the people knelt to drink. “You,” Gideon pointed at the people on their knees, “all of you go on home.”

After the people left, Gideon counted how many remained. There were only three hundred men. “God will fight for us,” Gideon said.

LISTENING IN THE NIGHT

(Judges 7:9-15)

That same night the Lord told Gideon to cross the river and spy on the Midianites. In the dark night Gideon and his servant crept toward the Midianite camp.

There were thousands and thousands of them. There were many more camels than Midianites. The field were full of camel humps.

God told Gideon, “When you spy on the Midianites, you will hear something which will help you win the battle.”

Inside the camp Gideon hid behind a tent He heard voices inside. One Midianite soldier said to another, “I just had the strangest dream. A loaf of bread came tumbling into our camp and turned it upside down.”

“I know what that means,” the other soldier said. “That’s Gideon and his Israelite army. They will beat our army tomorrow because the one, true God is leading them.”

Gideon thought to himself, “Even the Midianites are scared of me. They know God is on our side.”

TRUMPETS AND TORCHES

(Judges 7:15-8:21)

Gideon thought to himself, “If the enemy soldiers are this scared, then we’ve almost won.” Gideon bowed his head. He thanked God.

Gideon hurried back to the Israelite camp. He woke up his soldiers and told them what he had heard. “We’ve practically won already. All we have to do is attack now, and take them by surprise…

…If we make as much noise as possible, they will think there are more than three hundred of us. Tonight, men, you will see how great the Lord is!” The soldiers waved their spears in the air and cheered.

“Yes,” Gideon said, “just like that. When I give the sign, once we’re near the Midianites, cheer as loud as you can. Yell out, ‘For God and for Gideon!’ That will scare them!”

Gideon divided the men into three groups. He sent them out to surround the enemy camp. All was quiet. Not even the camels knew Gideon’s troops were there.

Then, suddenly, Gideon gave the signal. His men blew their trumpets. They shouted, broke the jars that had shielded their lights, and blew their trumpets. It made a terrific noise!

The Midianites thought a mighty army had come to attack them. They woke up with a start. They ran away as fast as they could. Because the noise came from all around them, though, they did not even know which way to run.

It was a mighty victory for Gideon. Gideon and his men lit their torches. They drove off every single Midianite. Only a few got away. But even those few were not safe. Gideon and his men chased these last enemy soldiers a long, long way.

“The Lord has helped us win today,” Gideon told the people of Israel. All the people bowed their heads and gave thanks to God.

The God of the Old Testament is the same as the God of the New. New Testament saints have no monopoly on learning how to be disciples. The story of Gideon, found in Judges 6 - 8 gives us an opportunity to examine themes basic to all disciples:

Learning to trust God, especially when you feel weak and inadequate.

Taking unpopular, but necessary stands.

Finding guidance from God to make difficult decisions about your future.

Experiencing the presence of the Holy Spirit to empower you.

Obeying when you don't fully understand God's plan.

Keeping focused on the mission when distractions come.

Leaving a spiritual legacy for those who follow you.

How do you respond when you feel that you are not the majority with God?

Lord, remind us always that numbers do not always matter to You because You are God. Nothing is impossible with You, and nothing is impossible with those who believe in You…

Lord, teach us to trust in You especially when we feel weak and inadequate; teach us to take unpopular, but necessary stands; when we are about to make difficult decisions about our future, teach us to find guidance from You…

Lord, let Your Holy Spirit empower us all the time; teach us to be obedient and faithful even if we don’t fully understand Your plans; help us to keep focused on our mission even when distractions come…

Lord, allow us to leave a spiritual legacy for those who follow us.

All these we pray in Jesus’ Name.

Amen