Judges 7: 12-18
God
uses the weak things to confound the wise Vs. 13-15
Barley was the meal for cattle or dogs but men resorted to it because of
famine or poverty. It was the emblem of a thing despised. A barley cake was
generally made upon the fireplace. A hole is made in the ground and paved with
stones. In this, a fire was made and when the stones were hot, a thin layer of
barley meal was laid upon them, covered over with the ashes and thus quickly
and roughly baked. The cake is likened to the same thinness used as Passover
cakes by the Jews.
- 1 Cor. 1: 25-29 Alleluia; our Gideon’s
are candidates of God’s mercy.
- Pray that they will not
overly focus on the instruments for battle but look to the God who makes
and uses the instruments.
- Heb. 4:12 The Word of God can
overturn and collapse any tent. Make our Gideon, men of the Word
- Help them esteem Your Word
above all, relying on the Word for encouragement, inspiration, counsel,
guidance etc.
- Raise them as men of faith
willing to thrust out into the sea at the Lord’s bidding without waiting
for proof that the waters will not overwhelm them.
Strategy
of Warfare Vs. 16
The impurity of the age will never be cleansed except by the prevalence
of the Gospel! The infidelity of the period will never die before any assault
but that of the pure truth of the living word - Charles Spurgeon.
God’s strategy to overthrow the Midianites involved pitchers, lamps and
trumpets with 300 men. No weaponry; no other intelligence; no plan B; no
supporting troop or soldiers.
We have this treasure in earthen vessels –pitchers. That is the reason
we should not glory in man (2 Cor 4:7 & 1 Cor 3:21).
- Fortify our Gideon with a
deep seated revelation of the Gospel of Jesus that arms them to go to
battle with the only needful weapon- CHRIST in me the hope of glory.
- All our Gideons must stand
with the flaming torch of the Truth of God in their hand and the trumpet
of the complete gospel in mouth.
- Let it dawn on them that a broken pitcher is capable of inestimable exploits in God’s hands.
- An unbroken/self
filled/carnal/stony pitcher cannot reflect Christ. It will only reflect
its own light which naturally fades away- Brokenness is what we long for.
- Phil 2:14-15- Make them Sons of God who
illuminate Jesus to this dying world.
- 1 Cor 14:8- The testimony and witness
of our Gideons must be certain and clear. It must not rob Christ of HIS
power.
Discipleship
(Look at me and do Likewise..... you shall do as I do) Vs. 17
The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all
that Jesus began both to do and teach,2 until the day in
which He was taken up... Acts 1:1-2a
Jesus is our model discipler- he lived out first what he taught till the
day in which He was taken up before asking others to follow suit.
- Let the benchmark that our
Gideon’s desire to attain be CHRIST not any man or cloud of witness.
- Like Jesus, our Gideon will
be men in whom the Word has become life; men who have proved the Word to
be true, living and efficacious.
- Jesus, be palpable and so
pronounced inside our Gideon’s such that when they ask us to imitate them
we will in effect be imitating CHRIST (1 Cor. 11:1 & 1 Cor 4:16).
- Transform our Gideon such
that those who follow them (look, watch and do as they do) today become
John the beloved; Apostle Paul and Watchman Nee of tomorrow.
Blow
the Trumpet Vs. 18
- Let this principle be true
for our Gideon- Men who have and are still being conquered by God now sent
forth to conquer others.
- Men whose life have reached
the climax of absolute surrender to CHRIST and are now endued with grace
to bring men’s hearts to bow to Jesus.
- Let their war cry be -
Christ and Him crucified.
- Our Gideon will sing of
nothing else but Christ’s birth, His life, His death, His burial, His
Resurrection, His Reign and His second coming.
Our weapon is the torch of the complete gospel; the life of Jesus Christ
flaming forth through the breaking of our earthen vessels. Blow the trumpet
sound earnestly and with a sense of urgency. Our heart cry is –‘Behold HE comes
quickly’.
