Judges 7:1-8

1Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and encamped beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.

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

3Now 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.

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

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

6And 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.

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

8So the people took provisions 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.

Judges 6:1-5

1And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.

2And 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 They did evil in the eyes of the LORD and they have disobeyed Him.

3And 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;

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

5For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number: and they entered into the land to destroy it.

Judges 21:25

25In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

Judges 6:12-14

12And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor.

13And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where are all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD has forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.

14And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this your might, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent you? 

1. GOD will use our difficulties to build our faith – GOD wants us to trust Him, it is a process. He begins with problem of doubt. GOD takes every opportunity to build our trust in Him and believe the testimony He is giving to us about Himself. So He looks for every opportunity to demonstrate His faithfulness to His word.    

 Judges 6:21-22, 34-40

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

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

GOD demonstrated that it is Him.

34But the spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him.

35And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who also was gathered after him: and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.

36And Gideon said unto God, if you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said,

37Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside it, then shall I know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.

38And it was so: for he rose up early the next day, and squeezed the fleece together, and wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.

39And Gideon said unto God, Let not your anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me test, I pray you, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there    be dew.

40And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.

               GOD’s preparation for His ministry began with building His faith.

               If you want to be used by GOD you got to willing to trust, and if you want your faith to be built you got to allow   GOD to put you in situations and circumstances that the only thing you can do to trust Him and allow Him to demonstrate His faithfulness.

               The only way you will learn to trust GOD if you are in a most difficult situation that the odds are against you then you got to trust GOD, then it will work for you.

2. GOD will require us to do what often times seems very unreasonable.

Deuteronomy 20:1-3, 8

1When you go out to battle against your enemies, and see horses, and chariots, and a people more than you, be not afraid of them: for the LORD your God is with you, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

2And it shall be, when you are come near unto the battle, that the priest shall approach and speak unto the people,

3And shall say unto them, Hear, O Israel, you approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be you terrified because of them;

8And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, what man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart.

The fear is contagious. The fear can run through the army.

Therefore the first test was fear test, if you are afraid go home, 22000 left, 10000 remained.

If your heart is committed to winning the battle, fight.

Judges 7:1-8

 3Now 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.

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

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

               300 against 135000.

               300 were those that lap the water. Their eyes were on the enemy while they were drinking the water.

GOD will choose to serve Him on the basis of simple tests. Fear test and fervency test. If you are afraid go home. If your heart is committed to winning the battle, fight.

3. GOD will lead us to do that which brings Him the most glory

The way we respond the circumstances GOD is glorified we don’t take any glory.

 Judges 7:2

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

GOD uses the weak, the frail, to confront the mighty for those circumstances that we will not choose.

When we are the weakest and most inadequate than we are the most useful in the eyes of GOD. The more successful you are the greater danger of failure and the more sensitive you will be to pride and egoism and the past.

He will get us to do things that will give Him the most glory.

4. GOD will strip us from all our dependencies but Himself

 Judges 7:16

16And 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.

Because He does not wants us to depend on anything but Him. Christ in us can do anything.

Philippians 4:13

¹³I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

GOD does not wants us to trust on anyone or anything but Him. The weaker you are the greater your opportunity and better for your advantage. ‘LORD if you don’t it, it is not going to happen. GOD please deliver me from anything otherwise.’

When I am weakest than I am the strongest

2 Corinthians 12:10

“For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

GOD releases the power of the Holy Spirit in us through us then we are totally, hopelessly depend upon Him.

5. GOD will send us encouragement when we grow faint hearted

Judges 7:9-15

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

10But if you fear to go down, go with Phurah your servant down to the host:

11And you shall hear what they say; and afterward shall your hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the hos

12And 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.

13And 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 struck it so that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay flat

14And his fellow answered and said, this is nothing else except the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand has God delivered Midian, and all the host.

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

               Our Heavenly Father knows when we get faint hearted. He will send us encouragement for He has unconditional love for us and He is the Sovereign Power.        

6. GOD always works in the other camp in our behalf

He was creating fear in the other camp that probably gone through the whole army. Everything is perfectly timed when GOD is in control.

Judges 7:19, 22-24

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

22And 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 Tabbath.

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

 24And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites, and take the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan.

When the odds are against us what we forget is GOD is giving us direction on what to do, He is also working on the other side. Focus on GOD then something amazing happens.

7. GOD will give us specific instruction resulting in victory if we obey Him

GOD way is always more risky, more difficult, more threatening, more challenging, more demanding, requiring more sacrifice but it is the best way. If you want victory, obedience to Holy GOD is key. With wisdom of GOD comes the Omni power of GOD.