The Book of Judges (Part 7) : Soli Deo Gloria
Pastor Rollan Fisher
As we move through this series in Judges, we will continually come back to a theme that runs the course of the book.
Judges was a time when “Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.” (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25).
What we’ll see played out in Judges and reflected in our own lives are the repercussions of living before God as if he were not king, and living by simply doing what is right in our own eyes.
Our goal will be to return to a life of faith and love for Jesus that ultimately leads to God’s glory and our good.
Focus: When we approach God with holy desperation, he moves in power on our behalf and he alone gets the glory.
Holy Desperation
Predetermined Victory
Soli Deo Gloria
Holy Desperation
God will meet us in power and deliver when we have a holy desperation for him.
Judges 7:1-8 ESV
“Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian was north of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley. The Lord said to Gideon, "The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, 'My own hand has saved me.' Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, 'Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.'" Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained. And the Lord said to Gideon, "The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, 'This one shall go with you,' shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, 'This one shall not go with you,' shall not go." So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, "Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink." And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water. And the Lord said to Gideon, "With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home." So the people took provisions in their hands, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the 300 men. And the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.”
Have you ever felt like you didn’t have enough for the task to which God has called you?
Here, in Gideon’s story, we see God saying you may not have too little, but too much.
If we can get the job done with our resources or acumen alone, then the frequent temptation is for us to try to take the credit.
God widdles down the army of Gideon so at the end of the day, Yahweh alone would get the glory for the deliverance he provided for the Israelites.
He first tells those who are scared to go home, following the pattern of Deuteronomy 20 where instructions are given to those who would prepare for war.
Deuteronomy 20:8 ESV
“And the officers shall speak further to the people, and say, 'Is there any man who is fearful and fainthearted? Let him go back to his house, lest he make the heart of his fellows melt like his own.'”
When we are in Christ, we are the righteousness of God (Romans 3:21-26) and therefore have a new, loving boldness provided by the Holy Spirit.
Proverbs 28:1 ESV
“The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.”
When we are daily filled with the Holy Spirit, we are able to be bold as lions as we follow Jesus into his Kingdom purposes.
We are to daily encourage one another in these truths as we look to be a light for Jesus to the world.
Yahweh then shows us a curious picture.
There are those who go to the water and kneel to drink with an element of reserve, whom Yahweh dismisses from the fight.
But those who get on their bellies to lap like a dog, throwing out all pride or ego, those who demonstrate a desperate thirst for the water, Yahweh chooses to be his vessels of deliverance.
The Israelites were left with 300 chosen men with whom to fight the army of the Midianites that vastly outnumbered them, like a locust swarm.
God specializes in seemingly insurmountable odds, and will even arrange things so that we have to move forward by faith in his ability alone.
This should be encouraging for us as we go to God in prayer.
“Every great movement of God can be traced to a kneeling figure.”
– D. L. Moody
What seemingly insurmountable odds have you been up against as you follow Christ’s leadership?
You may be in just the right place to meet the God of miracles.
Predetermined Victory
When we come into alignment with God, he fights for us and we have a predetermined victory in Christ.
Judges 7:9-18 ESV
“That same night the Lord said to him, "Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand. But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant. And you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp." Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outposts of the armed men who were in the camp. And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the East lay along the valley like locusts in abundance, and their camels were without number, as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance. When Gideon came, behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade. And he said, "Behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat." And his comrade answered, "This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp." As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, "Arise, for the Lord has given the host of Midian into your hand." And he divided the 300 men into three companies and put trumpets into the hands of all of them and empty jars, with torches inside the jars. And he said to them, "Look at me, and do likewise. When I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp and shout, 'For the Lord and for Gideon.'"”
God sent Gideon with his servant Purah to get some encouragement.
You either need to be called by God to a mission or join with the vision of one who has - but either way, herein is another reminder that we are never to fight alone!
God allows Gideon and Purah to overhear the ways that the Midianites already realize that God is working to bring victory to the Israelites.
*When Gideon and Purah went down to the Midianite camp, they realized that God was already moving before Gideon’s crew even got started.
This should be the same confidence that we have as we pray for Jesus to open doors for us that no man can shut as we follow him.
“It is possible to move men, through God, by prayer alone.”
– Hudson Taylor
*Ultimately, the victory had already been won by God and Gideon simply organized the men to enter into it.
How can you see that God has already been working even before you step foot into his mission for you?
Soli Deo Gloria
God alone gets the glory as Jesus saves completely those who come to him in repentance and faith.
Judges 7:19-25 ESV
“So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch. And they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands. Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow. And they cried out, "A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!" Every man stood in his place around the camp, and all the army ran. They cried out and fled. When they blew the 300 trumpets, the Lord set every man's sword against his comrade and against all the army. And the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath. And the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali and from Asher and from all Manasseh, and they pursued after Midian. Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, "Come down against the Midianites and capture the waters against them, as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan." So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they captured the waters as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan. And they captured the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. Then they pursued Midian, and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon across the Jordan.”
God used unconventional means to begin the deliverance for Gideon and his men.
There is no account of God giving Gideon and his crew instruction about the trumpets, torches or jars to start the panic amongst the Israelites.
Gideon and his crew were simply using what was available to them.
What has God made available to you and our church community to see the love of Christ communicated so that people can tangibly be invited into the good news of Jesus?
Again, we are asking God in prayer to breathe upon all of our efforts so that he alone may get the glory from the miraculous results.
”Our prayers may be awkward. Our attempts may be feeble. But since the power of prayer is in the one who hears it and not in the one who says it, our prayers do make a difference.”
– Max Lucado
When Jesus saves, it is by his grace alone.
He went to the cross to die for our sins, not because of any of the good things that we had done, but because of his own mercy and grace.
*When Jesus saves, he saves completely.
Hebrews 7:23-25 ESV
“The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”
Because God alone is the author of salvation, he alone gets the glory as we walk into his predetermined victories by Christ’s resurrection from the dead.
We await his return when he will truly make all things right.
Second City Church - Pastor Rollan Fisher