The God Led 300 by Brother Duke Hansen

         Good morning, The scriptures we are going to read from are from the book of Judges. We will read some in chapter 6 and 7. Most people who thing they are strong, and profess in public how strong and mighty they are, in reality are not. There are people who think they are not strong when they actually are. Those are the people who are not nudged and pushed by God but they are challenged by him. Those are the people who God can use.

        Judges chapter 6 begins the story of Gideon. His story is a great and important story for believers today. Before we begin reading the scripture I want to say that whatever God delivers you from, if you return to that sin you were into before deliverance,  God will put you right back in the mess. We are going to start with verse 1.

        And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord: and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.

        2 And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and strong holds.

        3 And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the east, even they came up against them;

        4 And they encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor donkey.

        So we see that Israel had done wicked before the Lord and he had the Midianites not only subdued them, they ran Israel into making homes up in the mountains and caves, destroying their crops and taking all the means of sustenance. In these times, Midian and Amalek were just two of the nations which Israel was told to wipe out when they had entered the promised land, yet Israel failed to follow through. These nations all can be traced to the seed of Ham. Ham was the son of Noah who was cast out and cursed. Let us go down to verse 8.

        8 That the Lord sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage.

        In the country of Egypt, there were many false gods which were worshipped. Israel would chase after and worship idols of Baal in the promised land. Let's go on to verse 9.

        9 And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and crave them out from before you, and gave you their land.

        10 And I said unto you, I am the Lord your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice.

        A truth you need to understand is it isn't about God showing up for you. It's you showing up for God. It's showing up for God in your workplace, at your dinner table, in your house. Holiness has no part in the world. They don't go together. Something to think in examining yourself this morning. If you get invited to garbage by someone, but not your church brother or sister, what does that say about your Christian witness and fruit to others? You get invited because the sinner sees a reflection of themselves in you. There are people who shout and praise on Sunday morning and be hateful and awful the rest of the week.

        11 And there came an angel of the Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.

        12 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor.

        Gideon was viewed by the angel as a mighty man of valor. Here he was threshing wheat to hide when he was approached by the angel. As we go and read further, we see the obedience of Gideon, but we also see the power of God at work.

        14 And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?

        15 And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.

        Similar to other men in the Bible whom the Lord uses, Gideon thought not very highly of himself. He saw himself as the least of his family. It wasn't just his family was poor, but he was the least in the house.

        16 And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with them and thou shall smite the Midianites as one man.

        17 And he said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou tallest with me.

        It is like Gideon asked of himself, "Who am I that God is talking to me?" He needed proof and assurance that this was the real deal.

        18 Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And he said, I will tarry until thou come again.

        19 And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought it out unto him under the oak, and resented it.

        20 And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.

        21 The the angel of the Lord put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up a fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the Lord departed out of his sight.

        22 And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face.

        Gideon has come to the realization of who it is he was talking to. I say God help the people who continue to talk in public as that God showed me this or share with me that. That may not be a God they think their getting a prophetic word from, it may be an evil spirit!

        23 And the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.

        24 Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

        25 And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Ba-al that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it.

        We will skip down a few verses to verse 28.

        28 And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Ba-al was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built.

        29 And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they enquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Josh hath done this thing.

        30 Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast down the altar of Ba-al, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it.

        We are going to now move over to chapter 7 of Judges. This is in regards to Gideon's fleece. It takes hold and Gideon knows that God was with him again.

        Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Ha-rod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.

        2 And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.

        Let's pause for a second. Gideon and all the people who are with him are in a valley. In this valley there are 4 to 5 nations which are coming to help the Midianites to kill Israel. The numbers are not in the Israelites favor, and God tells Gideon, you have too many men!

        3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from Mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.

        How many people are willing to admit they are afraid this morning? How would you feel if you were bold and people had your back, but those people would abandon you? You are not fighting against your sin today because you're afraid and you don't want to fight. Once you have your mind made up, nothing will take you from that truth. Onto verse 4.

        4 And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee, and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.

        5 So he brought down the people unto the water: and the Lord said unto Gideon, Every one that laps of the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.

        6 And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.

        7 And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.

        God still isn't over what Israel has done in their sins and idol worship, yet one man God found favor in to save them all. All you need this morning is a humble heart ready to serve in all seasons and obey the scripture. You're immediately drawn to garbage, but all flesh is drawn to the same garbage. You can make excuses for your life. In this story Gideon didn't understand his stature before God, but as soon as he was called to serve, he did.

        There's nothing wrong in proving things as long as you don't dwell in doubt. There is no courage without fear.

        8 So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.

        9 And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand.

        Let's drop down to verse 12. God said "Get up! I have them ready for you!"

        12 And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.

        13 And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.

        14 And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Jo-ash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.

        Gideon heard from his enemy a dream and interpretation of what was happening below them in that valley.

        15 And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.

        A mere 300 hundred people drawn from thousands are a host when God is the head, filled with the spirit and in authority. Gideon worshipped God. God delivered Midian to Gideon's hand. Gideon told the host that Midian was to be delivered into their hands. Are you not sick and tired of your flesh and those around you? Gideon transposed faith and authority to the host who were left.

        16 And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers.

        17 And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do.

        18 When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon.

        19 So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands.

        20 And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon.

        21 And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.

        Midian's fears overtook them and they fled thinking they were now being surrounded by a troop above them.

        22 And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the Lord set every man's sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tab-bath.

        Now the different nations below in the valley were attacking and killing one another in fear.

        23 And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites.

        God had a plan for those who had stepped away. They were able to join the battle. If you want truth in your life, you need to hold yourself accountable. Think about your character this morning. God will try you and, like gold in the fire, your impurities come up to the surface. Strike off the impurities that bubble up! Gideon started in his story not thinking much of himself. He would know that when he transposed faith, obeying the word of the Lord. He looked a bit shaky and unsure of himself at first, but look where he ends up in the end. Seek to know what God wants. Anything before Christian is not of God. It is an idol you have lifted up. At some point you need to hold yourself to stop consuming the garbage.