Title: The Faith of Gideon
Contents
Text: Judges 7:1-8
Title: Gideon's Faith
Gideon, meaning “a man who cuts stones or wood,” was born and raised as a son of the family of Manasseh. At that time, Israel was in the midst of God's wrath for serious idolatry after Joshua's death. Because of this, they were ruled by a nation called Midian for 7 years. The Midianites engaged in serious exploitation and tyranny against the Israelites.
At that time, God calls Gideon through a messenger. And I say.
“I will surely be with you, and you will strike the Midianites as one strikes”
Then he gives you the first task. He told them to strike down the Baal and Asherah poles, which even Gideon's father was serving at the time, and build an altar to God. It is a life-threatening act. But Gideon obeys. At night, he takes 10 servants and strikes down the Baal and Asherah poles and builds the house of God. After that, God commands Gideon to attack Midian. Gideon is afraid. So we ask God for a sign of promise.
A wad of wool is carried over to the field. When the night passes and the morning comes, if there is only dew on the fleece and there is no dew on the ground next to it, they say that they will believe in God's promise. When I woke up the next day, it really was. I ask the Lord once more. This time, on the contrary, the fleece is dry and only the other fields are allowed to dew. When I woke up the next day, it really was. Gideon has confidence in God's call and word. Then he summoned the 12 tribes of Israel and recruited soldiers. The total army of Midian was 135,000. The total number of soldiers recruited in Israel is 32,000. Will it be a fight or not? Absolutely sorry.
But God commands Gideon again. It is to send back those who fear from the midst of it. How many people went? 22,000 people have returned. Now there are only ten thousand left.
135,000 vs. 10,000 makes sense? But God calls Gideon again. He says there are a lot of them too. So you test again. They go to the riverside and have them drink water, but those who drink with their heads in the water because they are thirsty should return. He tells them to leave only those who get down on their knees and look around, scooping water with their hands and drink. How many people are left? There are only 300 left. Is this a fight that works or a fight that doesn't? It's a 450 to 1 fight.
In the human mind, it is impossible. But with the Lord, it was possible.
At the command of the Lord, Gideon's 300 warriors form a triangular squadron. And he holds a torch in one hand and a trumpet in the other. And around 10 o'clock at night, the Midianite soldiers attack while shouting and blowing their trumpets. Startled by the sound, the Midianite soldiers struggled and stabbed themselves to death in the dark. In the end, I believe that Gideon's army with God led a great victory and defeated the Midianites.
It's a really great event. Is a war possible with 300 men defeating 125,000 soldiers? Impossible. However, I believe that even more amazing things will happen if God is with us.
The great judge of Israel used by God through today's Word. Let's look at the characteristics of Gideon's faith. Israel was able to win because there was an outstanding leader of faith named Gideon.
*Gideon's faith had three characteristics.
First, the faith to break the Baal image - the faith to risk your life to remove the idol
At that time, the Israelites followed the Canaanites and worshiped an idol called Baal. The first way God would give the Israelites victory was to get rid of the idols of Israel. Idols steal the hearts of the Israelites. So it makes them unable to look to the Lord. Therefore, in order to save the people of Israel, it was necessary to restore the total faith. However, even Gideon's father was worshiping the image of Baal at that time, and removing the image was risky. Eventually, when that faith was removed, God's help came to the people of Israel.
The same is true of our lives today. Even though we believe in God, we are serving idols in our hearts. Sacrifice becomes our idol, honor becomes our idol, and study becomes our idol. People live as our idols.
The Bible clearly tells us. If there is something that we love more than God, we say that it is an idol. Idols seem to give us joy and comfort us right now, but they are the most cancerous beings in our lives that eventually lead us to depart from God and lead to eternal ruin.
What idol in your heart do you love more than God? God's help begins with removing it.
Second, faith in God's promises -
Israel's greatest wall was fear. They were always afraid of the Midianites, many times more than themselves. So, while always being hurt by them, I did not dare to fight them. Always drenched in a sense of defeat, I gave up and lived, saying, 'We can never win'.
Fear is also the greatest obstacle to our ability to believe.
I will never be forgiven Even if I live a life of faith, I cannot change. I'm a twisted life I won't change. I won't have faith. God will not bless me. You can't be used for something like me.
These fears make us doubt the love of God and the power of faith.
But every time Gideon's fears of seeing reality came to him, God promised, 'Through you, I will save the people of Israel. I have not forgotten the voice of God, 'I will help you.' It took Gideon's fear away. Whenever he was afraid, he always remembered the promise of God who chose him and called him. He always remembered God's plan for himself, God's choice, and God's love.
If we remember God, we can win.
But when we forget God's promises, we are trapped in a wall of fear. Fear is Satan's weapon in distrusting God.
No matter how bad the environment or the worst situation, if we remember God and hold on to God's promises, we can win. The battle between Gideon's 300 warriors and Midian's 135,000 men was a 450 to 1 nonsensical battle. However, when I remembered the word of God and was convinced that God was with me, Gideon's army was completely victorious.
Third, faith in obedience to the Word of God -
Gideon's faith was completely obedient to God's Word.
Who is used by God? People who are smart, quick in understanding calculations, and able to measure profit and loss are not used. Rather, ‘danmuji believers’ are used. (simple, ignorant, persistent)
Gideon was the latter rather than the former. Of course, he was also anxious at times. So he constantly asked for confirmation. But it's not that I asked not to
It was a humble confirmation to confirm, ‘Can someone like me dare to do God’s work?’
Therefore, when he received God's answer, he completely obeyed the Word.
He was ready to be killed by the angry people, and he destroyed the Baal image and built the temple of God. Even if all 32,000 volunteers fought together, only 1% of the volunteers were left and the rest were sent back according to God's word among the soldiers who were absolutely disadvantaged. In accordance with the word of God, instead of swords and spears, they only carried torches and trumpets and rushed towards the enemy. It is a simple, ignorant faith. However, the Lord used Gideon, who completely obeyed the Word, to defeat the Midianites and to overcome the Israelites. This is God's way.
The Lord does not work according to my calculations and my thoughts. I must not confine the work of the Lord to my narrow and foolish categories. Christian history has been guided by people who are completely obedient to the Word of God.
Abraham left his father's house at the age of 75 according to God's word; Noah, who built a ship for 120 years according to God's command; Jonah, who risked his life to enter Nineveh according to God's word; 850 prophets of Ahab according to God's word Elijah confronted ....
They all seemed like reckless obedience, but in the end, their reckless obedience of faith worked a miracle of God.
Dear Blue Garden Saints,
Today, in this age, in this church today, the Lord is looking for people of faith like Gideon. Gideon had “obedient faith toward the Lord.”
He was a believer who obeyed the word of God. He was a believer in the promises of God. And he was a believer looking only at God. The Lord called and blessed such ‘Gideon’, bringing about the most dramatic victory in Israel’s history.
Today the Lord is calling you like Gideon. Through your faith and obedience, he wants us to defeat the idols of this earth and testify of the living God.
I pray earnestly that you will become the bearer of faith like Gideon and that the wonderful grace of changing your home, church, and nation will come through you.