May 8, 2024
Machelle McDowell
(Judges 6 & 7)
Matt 17: 20
“If you have faith like a grain of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, move from here to there, and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
A mustard seed is tiny. Faith the size of a mustard seed demonstrates the power that God possesses in his hands.
Gideon made it into the “Hall of Faith” with this kind of faith! It always amazes me who God chooses to use to fulfill his purposes.
He sees something in us that we cannot see. Gideon’s call seemed very unlikely that he was the obvious candidate for the job! The Lord made it very clear by the way the message was delivered. He was to rescue the Israelites!
The angel of the Lord came to Gideon and spoke clearly- “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.” Valor? Really? Valor means great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle. Gideon was not a soldier; he was a farmer.
The Israelites were in bondage to the Midianites in these chapters because of their repeated rebellion against God. Before coming back to God they had to be humbled, (again).
I’m sure Gideon questioned why they were in the situation if God was with them….isn’t that how we assess things too? We want to pass the blame? Heaven forbid we assess our own guilt in the matter.
Honestly, the behavior of the Israelites was the root cause of all their problems…a mix of repeated disobedience and rebellion against God.
Judges 6:15 Gideon shares his insecurities with God- “How can I save Israel?” “I come from the weakest clan and I’m the least in my father’s house.” God assures him- “I will be with you.”
Gideon proves his inhibitions by asking for a sign- prove it. God shows him direction: the whole experience combined in these two chapters should have convinced Gideon of God’s presence.
Gideon obeyed what God commanded him to do. Obedience fueled the success of his mission!
Gideon did what the Lord told him. He tore down the Asherah and built an altar to the Lord…(but, he did it at night) because he was afraid of his family.
However; I love verse 34 and how it describes how the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon. It makes me envision God wrapping Gideon up in his presence in a way that emboldened Gideon!
In the very next chapter, Gideon demonstrates a type of courage and boldness that only comes from God alone. And, it is only gained through OBEDIENCE. Gideon is given a daunting task. To defeat the Midianite army- a huge troop!
A great test of Gideon’s faith unfolds in Judges chapter 7. God tells him that his army is too big. He had gathered 32,000 men.
God commanded him to invite any of them that were afraid to go home….wow, there were alot of scaredy cats…they all left but 10,000!
God wanted His name to be exalted in this victory! His heart was to win back the allegiance of the Israelites once again. God flexed his strength! He wanted the army reduced even more so that there would be no question where Gideon’s power came from.
God rallied his army in His way….His ways are not our ways….
The Lord told Gideon to take the men to the water and have them drink. 300 men were chosen based on the fact that they cupped the water in their hands and brought it to their mouths to drink….that’s who I want fighting for me, (LOL) a man who can drink out of cupped hands.
Supposedly, some say……these men made better soldiers because they could keep their eyes on their surroundings unlike those who lapped the water like a dog. God amazes me with His mysterious ways!
God assured Gideon of victory! To build up Gideon’s courage God set the scene for Gideon to hear about a Midianite man’s dream and its interpretation that clearly pointed to Gideon as the victor in the upcoming battle.
This battle was about as unorthodox as the lapping up water in cupped hands approach. Gideon divides his 300 men into three companies.
The stage was set in the evening while the Midianites were sleeping. Every man had a trumpet and a torch inside a pitcher! They surrounded the army camp.
By a surprise attack, the men blew their trumpets and broke their pitchers at the same time, cried out, “ The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!”
The Midianites awoke suddenly from the sound of breaking clay jars and men chanting loudly about their demise!
Gideon’s men appeared to be coming from all directions and threw the camp into a panic to where they began to attack one another. God blessed the army of Gideon and defeated the Midianites by the most unique military strategy ever recorded.
Does this story sound possible for a man who started out with the faith of a mustard seed? Fact- When a mustard seed reaches full growth, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree. Point taken- GROWTH!
When God is pouring into our lives nothing is impossible. Gideon’s faith grew through obedience and willingness to trust God’s leadership in his life.
Miracles are made with mustard seeds!