Learn From Gideon, 26

~ A Few Good Men ~

The Biblical account of the life of Gideon provides for one of the most interesting character studies in all of Scripture.  In this series we will discover practical lessons for living the Christian life today.  

Scripture  ~  “But the Lord said to Gideon, ‘The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there.  Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, “This one shall go with you,” the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, “This one shall not go with you,” the same shall not go.’  So he brought the people down to the water.  And the Lord said to Gideon, ‘Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.’  And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was 300 men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water.  Then the Lord said to Gideon, ‘By the 300 men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand.  Let all the other people go, every man to his place.’  So the people took provisions and their trumpets in their hands.  And he sent away all the rest of Israel, every man to his tent, and retained those 300 men.  Now the camp of Midian was below him in the valley” (Judges 7:4-8).

Learn From Gideon  ~  God is downsizing once again.  He wants a few good men whom He can use! 

1. Gideon originally started with 32,000, but then the fearful were eliminated. Bringing his army to a mere 10,000 (Judges 7:3). 
2. Now Gideon is downsizing once again and we find the 10,000 further reduced to just 300 men—God eliminated those who were not constantly on guard.  But 300 of God’s choosing!  “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). 
3. Even in today’s world we find military units selecting out a few good men for the most challenging tasks.  In the USA there are army Special Forces, Navy Seals, and so forth.
4. God wants to make it obvious when victory occurs it is His doing.  God is the only One who can give the victory.  “So he answered and said to me: ‘This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord of hosts’” (Zechariah 4:6).  It is not by the strength of men that God accomplishes His purpose but by the power of His Word and the Spirit of God.

Comment  ~  God’s strategy and approval process are clearly vastly different than man’s.  Gideon started with 32,000 men—God pared it down to just 300.  God let go over 99 percent of those Gideon had planned on using!  God didn’t need the fearful—those who didn’t trust Him.  Likewise those who would let down their guard for a drink of water would not be utilized.  (Have you ever watched an animal drink water?  Their eyes are always watching and their ears are listening carefully.)  God is about to take this band of 300 soldiers against a massive military enemy – “the Midianites and Amalekites, all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude” (Judges 7:12).

Challenge For Us  ~  Where do you fit in God’s current Christian army?  Are you part of the 69 percent who were fearful, the 30 percent who are not watchful, or the one percent which God can use for His glory?

concluding comment  ~  We learn about Gideon primarily from Judges 6-8, but also Isaiah 9:1-7, and Hebrews 11:1-3, 32-34.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .

Learn From Gideon, 25

~ God Doesn’t Think The Way We Do ~

The Biblical account of the life of Gideon provides for one of the most interesting character studies in all of Scripture.  In this series we will discover practical lessons for living the Christian life today.  

Scripture  ~  “But the Lord said to Gideon, ‘The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there.  Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, “This one shall go with you,” the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, “This one shall not go with you,” the same shall not go’” (Judges 7:4).

Learn From Gideon  ~  22,000 of the 32,000 were “fearful and afraid.”  Gideon’s army was downsized from 32,000 to just 10,000! 

1. God doesn’t think the same way we do, “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord.  ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts’” (Isaiah 55:8-9).
2. It is God who chooses.  “You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).  “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love” (Ephesians 1:3-4). 
3. God wants us to be and stay humble.  “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men, and being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:7-8).

concluding comment  ~  We learn about Gideon primarily from Judges 6-8, but also Isaiah 9:1-7, and Hebrews 11:1-3, 32-34.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .

Learn From Gideon, 24

~ God Values Quality Over Quantity ~

The Biblical account of the life of Gideon provides for one of the most interesting character studies in all of Scripture.  In this series we will discover practical lessons for living the Christian life today.  

Scripture  ~  “Then Jerubbaal [Gideon] and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the well of Harod, so that the camp of the Midianites was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley.  And the Lord said to Gideon, ‘The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, “My own hand has saved me.”  Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, “Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.”’  And 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained’” (Judges 7:1-3).

Learn From Gideon  ~  22,000 of the 32,000 were “fearful and afraid.”

1. God wants us to overcome our fears because fear is a thief.  It starts small but grows rapidly like a fast-growing cancer.  “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God.  I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10).
2. God always does things purposely.  In this instance He downsized Gideon’s army removing 22,000, or nearly 70 percent, from advancing to the front lines because they did not trust Him.  As the hymn states, “Trust and Obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to Trust and Obey!”
3. God wants you to trust Him in response to His love for you.  “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.  We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:18-19).
4. We serve a God who is more interested in quality than quantity. 

concluding comment  ~  We learn about Gideon primarily from Judges 6-8, but also Isaiah 9:1-7, and Hebrews 11:1-3, 32-34.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

NOTES:

(1)     The current TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very bottom of this home page.

(2)     There is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the left column.

(3)     You may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website. 

(4)     You may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/ .