The Sword of the Lord
Judges 7:1-8:32
April 4, 2004

I. God's ways are not our ways, 7:1-23

1.      He removes dependence on our strength, vv. 1-8

What is it that claims our affections?  Is it strength of numbers, power and ability, trying to outmatch obstacles and opposition, cleverness over accusers?  We will do almost anything to rely upon the arm of the flesh and avoid dependence on the Lord.  Psalm 46:10, "Be still, and know that I am God."  That was a clear message here:

(1)   Due to Israel's flaunting their own abilities while neglecting the Lord;

(2)   Due to turning every way but God's way;

(3)   Due to neglecting obedience in favor of doing things "my way."  "Every man did what was right in his own eyes."

The scene began to look absolutely impossible - 300 to 135,000!  There's no way, humanly speaking, for this to work.  Yet the lesson of Scripture is this very truth:  God's ways are not our ways.  There is a vast difference between His ways and the world.  He illustrates over and over that His strength is made perfect in our weakness (II Corinthians 11).  Isaiah 55:6-13 demonstrates this especially in God's forgiveness and mercy.  He illustrates the strength of His might, the kindness of His favor, the wisdom of His ways; e.g. Christmas, one-eyed, tottered preacher in Wales became instrument of Awakening; Non-trained, poor shoe cobbler William Carey became one of the world's great linguists and Christian leaders (relate how Carey was stripped of dependence on the flesh).

2.      He gives grace to the weak, 7:9-14

Was Gideon ready to rumble?  No way!  The Lord headed him off at the pass by jumping to His aid.  "But if you are afraid to go down," that is, to battle, is an understatement!  Gideon might have been writing his last will and testament!  But the Lord pursues the weak to supply them with grace; e.g. Acts 10 - the Lord pursued Peter to give him grace that overcame his prejudices.

3.      He conquers while we watch, 7:19-23

Notice what Gideon's army did (v. 21), "Each stood in his place around the camp."  Then this clear statement of who was at work!  Verse 22, "The Lord set the sword of one against another throughout the whole army."  Gideon's men did not even have a weapon in hand!  It is the lesson of Zechariah 4:6, " "'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the Lord of hosts."  This was no call for passivity but obedience in God's way.

-         Turning the other cheek

-         Giving your enemy food and drink

-         Doing good to those who despitefully use you

These are all non-sensical to the world's estimation, yet it is God's way not man's!  Giving mercy and grace to rebels is God's way instead of vengeance and giving what men deserve.  He models His ways.

 

II. Men's weakness without God's strength

            A transition occurs at 7:24 through chapter 8.  While Gideon had witnessed the Lord's might in routing Midian, the Lord is conspicuously absent from the mop-up campaign (except 8:7).  Displays of the flesh stand out glaringly, especially when juxtaposed with the preceding narrative.  There are moments when Gideon and the people seem on track, but only moments; the pattern seemed to keep edging away by leaning on the flesh.

1.      The weakness of pride, 7:23-8:3

7:18, "and of Gideon"

It is puzzling why Gideon suddenly calls on Ephraim, which would likely have been the strongest tribe.  Was there an appeal to men's strength instead of relying on the Lord?  We see nothing of Gideon seeking God's counsel.  He might have been looking for additional strength, thinking that the mop-up campaign belonged to him and not the Lord.  Sometimes we have the tendency to trust God with the big things but not the little things.  Ephraim's contention with him evidently got quite heated!  They were arrogant about their strength and wounded in pride that Gideon had not called on them.  Strangely, Gideon appeals to their pride rather than explaining how the Lord gave the plan and the victory.  Pride in doing even good things - Christian service, giving, witnessing, etc. - can become a deceitful snare to us.  Remember the dark lining of vanity that lurks at every corner to glory in the flesh.  We must regularly search our hearts and regularly apply the cross to our pride.

2.      The weakness of fear, 8:4-9

There's good and appropriate fear of God (6:22-23), but there's also a wicked, destructive fear of man.  Here the latter brings a twist in irony.  "The towns avoid Midian's wrath but suffer under Gideon's wrath, (8:13-17).  Since they sided with Israel's enemies, they were treated as Israel's enemies (13-17 in light of vv. 10-12 and 18-21)" (Ralph Davis 108).  Perhaps Gideon went too far in his response in exercising vengeance.  But whether that is the case or not, it would not have occurred if these citizens of Israel had recognized the work of God in routing the Midianites.  They had grown so accustomed to the pagan treatment of Midian that they gave no thought that Yahweh might be at work.  They feared man but not God.  Strange, isn't it?  Yet is this not what happens so often to us?

-         Attention to what others think but ignoring what God has commanded

-         Trying to impress others but ignoring the pleasure of God

-         Diligently seek the world's applause while giving the smile of heaven not even the least glance.

3.      The weakness of substituting clever ideas for God's will, 8:22-32

What did the Lord desire for Gideon?  To lead Israel in victory over Midian.  Did He instigate Gideon being a king and setting up a dynasty?  No indication at all in the text; even Gideon reminds Israel, "the Lord shall rule over you" (v. 23).  But what did Gideon do?  In spite of making a great assertion (here's good theology!), he did the opposite in his practice.  So his theology might have been right but his application all wrong.  Gideon began to act kingly:

(1)   He gained the spoils of war

(2)   Amassed a fortune

(3)   Gave direction to a national religion

(4)   Multiplied wives and children

(5)   Defiled God's law with the practice of concubine

(6)   Named his illegitimate son, Abimelech -"The king is my father" (Block, 304).

God had delivered Israel, yet at Gideon's instigation, they substituted the proper worship of Yahweh for an idolatrous practice akin to regular Canaanite religion (v. 27).  This ultimately led to embracing Boalism again (8:33).  Though Gideon knew better, he failed to correct the situation.  Here's some vital lessons we must learn:

(1)   We must find our sufficiency for life and practice in the Lord and not our ingenuity.

(2)   We must guard our hearts of the tendency to substitute appealing things for God's truth.

(3)   We must resist the tendency of passivity in the face of error and sin.

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