As we get started this morning by way of reminder, we are in the book of Judges.
! And as you hopefully remember, Judges comes after the Lord has delivered the people of Israel
! from slavery in Egypt and carried them through their rebellion and their wandering
and brought them into the promised land under the leadership of Joshua.
And near the end of Joshua's life, he challenges Israel to choose whom they would serve.
So if you would, begin by looking with me at some of the verses from Joshua chapter 24.
Just a few excerpts of his final challenge to Israel, starting with verse 14.
Joshua says,
Now therefore, fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness.
Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the river and in Egypt and serve the Lord.
And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve,
whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the river or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.
But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Then verse 19.
But Joshua said to the people,
You are not able to serve the Lord, for he is a holy God.
He's a jealous God.
He will not forgive your transgressions or your sins.
If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods,
then he will turn and do you harm and consume you after having done you good.
And the people said to Joshua,
No, we will serve the Lord.
Verse 23.
And he said,
Then put away the foreign gods that are among you,
and incline your heart to the Lord, the God of Israel.
And the people said to Joshua,
The Lord our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.
Now, as we know at this point in Joshua,
they did not fully obey God's command to drive out the inhabitants of the land or their gods.
And so we hear time and time again the book of Judges reverberates with Joshua's challenge,
Choose this day whom you will serve.
Hopefully you remember that after Joshua's generation died,
another generation arose that did not know the Lord or remember his works.
Now, remember, they still knew about Yahweh, the one true God,
but they're not living in faithful covenant relationship with him.
You remember from chapter 6, even Gideon himself knew the stories.
He says,
Where are all God's wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us?
But they mixed Canaanite beliefs and worship with the worship of Yahweh.
You remember Gideon's own father, Joash, maintained an altar to Baal
and had an Asherah, and the people of the town came there to worship.
So because Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord,
he gave them into the hand of Midian.
And hopefully you remember that it's been seven years
that the Midianites and the Amalekites have swept through the land,
devouring its produce, its livestock, until it says Israel was brought very low.
And this time, when Israel cried out,
God sent a prophet first before sending a judge.
And you probably remember, the prophet made the real problem clear.
It was not Israel's deepest problem that they had enemies outside of them,
but it was their unfaithfulness inside of them,
their disobedience and the corruption of true worship.
Then you remember in Judges chapter 6,
the angel of the Lord found Gideon.
He was fearful, hiding in a winepress.
And the angel of the Lord calls Gideon a mighty man of valor.
And he sent him first to confront the Baal worship in his own household.
Now Gideon obeyed, but again, you remember,
he does it at night because he's afraid.
But from it all, he gets the nickname, Jeroboam,
which means let Baal contend with him.
And it becomes an ongoing testimony that Baal could not defend himself.
So the spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon,
and God patiently reassures Gideon because of the fleece
and having the opportunity to know this is what God's doing.
And Gideon has gathered an army now on the,
or near Mount Gilboa, overlooking the Herod Valley.
You can see on the back of your listening guide,
there's a map if you'd like to get a clearer picture
of where things are happening today.
But that's where we'll pick up the story in Judges chapter 7 and 8.
And if you're using one of the Bibles from the seat around you,
and I hope you will follow along in the Bible,
you can find that on page 206.
Now, these chapters contain one of the most positive
and powerful moments in Judges,
followed almost immediately by a critical turn
deeper into Israel's downward spiral.
Now, let's begin near the end.
After the battle has been won.
In Judges 8, verses 22 and 23 read,
Then the men of Israel said to Gideon,
Rule over us, you and your son and your grandson also,
for you have saved us from the hand of Midian.
Gideon said to them,
I will not rule over you,
and my son will not rule over you.
The Lord will rule over you.
Now, that statement is going to give us the theme for this morning's message.
The Lord will rule over you.
And we're going to look at five ways that his rule is revealed.
But to do that, we have to go back in time from this point of the story
to about a week before.
The first thing we're going to see is the Lord rules through our weakness.
The Lord rules through our weakness.
And if you would follow along, starting in Judges chapter 7 with verse 1,
it reads,
Then Jeroboam, that is Gideon,
and all the people who were with him,
rose early and encamped beside the spring of Herod.
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.
So Gideon begins with 32,000 soldiers
against what we will later learn is an army of 135,000.
Israel's already outnumbered more than four to one,
but God says the problem is that Gideon has too many soldiers.
Now, why is that?
I think it's because by nature we're glory thieves.
You see, if there's any plausible way to make ourselves into the hero of the story, we will.
So God deliberately removes every reasonable ground for Israel to say,
My own hand has saved me.
And following the principle laid out in Deuteronomy 20, verse 8,
The fearful are permitted to go home,
and 22,000 leave.
Now, it's interesting.
This all happens at the spring of Herod.
And in Hebrew,
you could also understand that as the spring of trembling.
And it's a fitting scene that exposes how deeply fear and unbelief had spread through Israel.
You see, they knew the stories of God's mighty acts,
but they had very little confidence that he would keep his promises now.
So, only 10,000 remain.
And yet, the Lord says,
There are still too many.
Continuing with verse 4.
It reads,
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,
Everyone who laps the water with his tongue as a dog laps,
you shall set by himself.
Likewise, everyone 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.
Let all the others go,
every man to his home.
So the people took provisions in their hands,
in 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.
Now, the point of the drinking test
is not that God's identifying his special forces.
Okay?
The text never says that those 300 were more vigilant
or more courageous.
In contrast,
the test reduces the army
until Israel's weakness should be unmistakable.
300 men against 135,000.
Now, the odds about 450 to 1.
You see, God knows we readily steal his glory.
So he makes Israel too weak
to honestly explain the victory apart from him,
exposing their weakness,
forcing them to depend on him.
Now, let's just take a moment
and ask yourself,
where are you stealing God's glory?
Do you quietly credit your success
to your own hard work
or your wisdom,
your ability,
forgetting that every good and perfect gift
is from above?
Do you look down on those
that you consider less capable
or less disciplined
or less intelligent,
less mature,
less stable?
Also, think about
where are you fighting
against the weakness
that God has allowed in your life?
Do you tell yourself,
if only I had more time,
more money,
more ability,
more strength,
more youth,
more experience,
then I would obey,
I would serve,
I would do this for the Lord.
You see, so often,
we want God to make us
strong enough to obey,
strong enough that we can do it
without depending on him,
but the Lord rules
through our weakness.
Now, honestly,
what he's called you to
may truly be too big for you,
but that's because his plan
was never for you
to do it on your own.
He calls us to walk
in faithful obedience,
step by step,
letting our weakness
become the stage
on which his strength
and his glory are displayed.
Now, the second thing
we want to see
is the Lord rules
mercifully in our fear.
The Lord rules
mercifully in our fear.
And just by way of reminder,
God has been remarkably patient
with Gideon's fear
throughout this story, right?
He finds him hiding
in a wine press.
He speaks peace to Gideon
when Gideon thinks
he's going to die
because he's sending
the angel of the Lord
face to face.
He doesn't reject
or criticize him
for tearing down
the altar of Baal at night.
He patiently reassures him
with the fleece.
Now, the night before the battle,
we're going to see
that same mercy continues.
Continuing with verse 9,
it reads,
That same night,
the Lord said to Gideon,
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 Gideon 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 shore,
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,
barley tumbled
into the camp of Midian.
And it came to the tent
and struck it
so that it fell.
It turned it upside down
so 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 in all the camp.
Now,
God commands Gideon
to arise
and go down
against the Midianites.
Then he adds,
But if you are afraid,
there's an extraordinary
amount of mercy
and gentleness
in those words.
And Gideon is afraid.
Of course he is.
He's about to lead
300 men
against 135,000.
And we'll learn later
that his own brothers
had been killed
in conflict
with the Midianites.
Yes, Gideon
had received
direct revelation
and repeated signs,
but we should be slow
to criticize
the fear of a man
who's actually
stepping forward
in obedience.
Our merciful Lord
does not mock
or chastise him.
He gives Gideon
one more encouragement.
Go down with Purah
and listen.
Now,
to feel the strangeness
of what Gideon overhears,
let me let you
imagine it this way.
Okay?
Soldier One says,
I had a dream.
A day-old bagel
rolled out of
a kindergartner's lunchbox
towards the Pentagon.
It bounced over the curb,
hit the building,
and the whole Pentagon
collapsed.
And Soldier Two answers,
Well, that can only
mean one thing.
God's given the Pentagon
and all its strength
into the hand
of Kevin Jones,
a kindergartner
living in Pentagon City.
Right?
That's roughly
how absurd
the dream
and its interpretation
must have sounded.
A loaf of barley bread,
which is the food
of the poor,
topples the tent
of mighty Midian,
and the Midianite soldier
immediately knows
it's Gideon's victory.
But think
of all the sovereign mercy
that's packed
into that moment.
Right?
It's obvious
that that fear
was already spreading
through the camp
of the Midianites.
God directs Gideon
and Pura
to exactly
the right place
at the right time
to hear this dream.
And then Gideon's fears
are comforted
by hearing the fears
of another soldier.
Then verse 15 happens.
It says,
As soon as Gideon
heard the telling
of the dream
and its interpretation,
he worshipped.
And he returned
to the camp of Israel
and said,
Arise,
for the Lord
has given the host
of Midian
into your hand.
Now,
the Lord's merciful rule
in Gideon's fear
produces two right results.
The first is worship.
Gideon bows
before Yahweh.
And remarkably,
this is the only place
in Judges
where this verb
describes
an Israelite
bowing down
before the Lord.
Elsewhere,
it's all used
to describe
the Israelites
bowing down
before false gods.
But the second thing
that the Lord's
merciful care produces
is a faith
that obeys.
Right?
Gideon returns
to camp,
announces,
The Lord has given
it into our hands
and calls the men
to battle.
We see that
Gideon's worship
fuels his obedience.
And Gideon's obedience
reflects the sincerity
of his worship.
You know,
God's people
do not have to be fearless.
But we do have to obey.
So,
when fear rises
and it will,
right,
remember the Lord's patience,
the Lord's mercy.
Bring your fear
honestly to him.
Receive strength
through his word,
through his acts
of providence.
And then,
come and bow
and worship
before him
and let that worship
fuel the next step
of obedience.
The third thing
to see,
the Lord rules
over our enemies.
The Lord rules
over our enemies.
Starting in
verse 16,
And Gideon 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!
So Gideon
and the 100 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!
Now we're not told
whether God gave Gideon
the details
for this battle plan
or not,
but we do know
that the men
are obedient.
They go down
to fight against the camp
and it's worth noting
the irony
of their battle cry,
A sword for the Lord
and for Gideon
because at that moment
they don't have
a free hand
for a sword.
They're holding a torch
and they're holding
a trumpet.
But look what happens
in verse 21.
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.
Now notice verse 21.
It's astonishing.
Every man stood
in his place
around the camp
and all the army ran.
Now picture it with me,
okay?
300 Israelites
surround a camp
of roughly 135,000.
Again,
one Israelite soldier
for 450 Midianite soldiers.
At midnight,
the darkness explodes
with shattering pottery,
blazing torches,
trumpet blasts,
a war cry
from every direction.
The Midianite soldiers
pour from their tents
with swords in hand.
They're unable
to clearly understand
what's going on
or what's the size
of the attacking force
and panic begins
to take over.
They just begin striking
the men nearest them.
The camp fills
with shouting
and with running
and clashing steel
and blood and terror
and yet,
the Israelites
stand in their place.
They don't charge
into the camp.
Matter of fact,
they can't even
draw their swords.
While everyone
inside the camp
moves in terror,
God's people
stand their ground
in faith.
Midian has weapons
but no clarity.
Israel has no sword
in hand
but the promise
of God.
And the Lord
set every man's sword
against his comrade.
You see,
Israel's task
was not to make
the victory happen.
They were to obey,
to hold their place,
to watch the Lord
do what only
he could do.
So the survivors flee.
Other tribes
join in the pursuit.
Ephraim captures
Oreb and Zeb
and the victory
that God promised
becomes a miraculous
reality.
You see,
we also have enemies,
don't we?
Ephesians 6.12
reminds us
that our struggle
is not ultimately
against flesh and blood
but against spiritual
forces of evil.
1 Peter 5.8
warns us
that our adversary,
the devil,
prowls around
like a roaring lion
seeking someone
to devour.
Now maybe this morning
your spiritual enemies
seem as innumerable
and insurmountable
as those of Midian.
Perhaps you've fought
the same temptation
so long
that you feel like
you're just hiding
in a spiritual winepress
trying to survive.
Let me call you
to hear again
the Lord's words
to Gideon.
The Lord
is with you.
Now,
when the excuses
rise,
and they will,
you're too weak,
you're too afraid,
you're too outnumbered,
you've failed
too many times.
Remember the Lord's words.
I will be with you.
Colossians 2.15
says that
through Christ
God has disarmed
the rulers
and authorities
and put them
to open shame
by triumphing
over them
in Him.
Amen.
So do not
give up the fight.
Stand your ground.
The decisive victory
has already been won
in Christ.
Our greatest danger,
though,
so often
is not
from the enemies
outside us.
And as we move
into Judges 8,
it's going to turn
our attention
to the enemies
within.
The fourth thing
we want to see,
the Lord rules
by exposing
the idols
of the heart.
The Lord rules
by exposing
the idols
of the heart.
Now,
the anonymous
prophet's message
at the beginning
of Judges 6
really could provide
the theological
framework
for all
of Gideon's story.
Yahweh remains
unwaveringly
faithful to save
and Israel
persistently
refuses to
to hear
and to fear
and to remember
and to worship
him rightly.
So in some ways,
the Lord really
has been revealing
the idols
of the heart
throughout the entire
story of Gideon.
But chapter 8
brings several
of those idols
into especially
sharp focus.
The first is
the idol
of recognition.
The idol
of recognition.
Follow along
as I read
in chapter 8
starting with
verse 1.
Then the men
of Ephraim
said to him,
What is this
you have done
to us?
Not to call us
when you went
to fight
against Midian?
And they accused
him fiercely.
And Gideon
said to them,
What have I done
now in comparison
with you?
Is not the gleaning
of the grapes
of Ephraim
better than the
grape harvest
of Abiezar?
God has given
into your hands
the princes
of Midian,
Oreb and Zeb.
What have I
been able to do
in comparison
with you?
Then their anger
against him
subsided when
he said this.
So the tribe
of Ephraim
takes personal
offense that Gideon
began the battle
without them.
But the deeper
issue is a longing
for recognition.
Now remember,
the tribe of Ephraim
was not originally
summoned by the
Spirit of the Lord
when he clothed
Gideon and called
out the tribes.
And it was only
later that they
were called to
join in the pursuit.
And although they
do capture
Oreb and Zeb,
they're still
complaining fiercely
that Gideon
had not included
them sooner.
So Gideon
answers wisely
and calms
the conflict,
but he does
not clearly
redirect their
hearts to the
Lord's glory.
We see Ephraim
placated more
than corrected.
Gideon actually
assures them
they had indeed
received significant
honor and
recognition.
And I think
as a result,
we'll see that
same craving
for recognition
reemerge in
Ephraim in
Judges chapter
12.
You see,
God's just
miraculously
delivered Israel,
yet Ephraim's
preoccupied with
their own
recognition.
How often do
we see that
same idol
at work in
our own
lives?
Right?
It tells us
we deserve
to be noticed,
to be included,
to be appreciated,
to be valued.
You can often
detect it by
how easily
you're hurt
when you feel
like you've
been overlooked
in some way.
The idol of
recognition
steals our
joy.
It makes it
difficult for us
to thank God
for what he
does apart
from our
involvement.
Or to
worship when
he uses
someone else
to do
something.
Or simply
just to
rejoice with
those who
rejoice.
You see,
instead of
asking,
how has God
been glorified,
the idol of
recognition
leads us to
ask,
did anyone
notice me?
The second
idol is the
idol of
security.
The idol
of security.
Continuing
with verse
four.
It says,
And Gideon
came to
the Jordan
and crossed
over.
He and the
three hundred
men who
were with
him,
exhausted,
yet pursuing.
So he
said to
the men
of Succoth,
Please give
loaves of
bread to
the people
who follow
me,
for they
are exhausted
and I'm
pursuing
after Ziba
and Zalmunna,
the kings
of Midian.
And the
officials of
Succoth
said,
Are the
hands of
Ziba
and Zalmunna
already in
your hand?
That we
should give
bread to
your army?
So Gideon
said,
Well then,
when the
Lord has
given
Ziba and
Zalmunna
into my
hand,
I will
flail your
flesh with
the thorns
of the
wilderness
and with
briars.
And from
there,
he went up
to Penuel
and spoke
to them
in the
same way.
And the
men of
Penuel
answered
him as
the men
of Succoth
had answered.
And he
said to
the men
of Penuel,
When I
come again
in peace,
I will
break down
this tower.
Now,
the fears
of the
people of
Succoth
and Penuel
are really
after seven
years of
devastation,
bread is
precious.
And if you
look at your
map,
you'll see
they're a lot
closer to
Midian.
They've already
understood what
it's like to
face the wrath
and the
retribution of
Midian.
But it's
real.
And let's
just be honest,
Gideon is
in some ways
ridiculously
asking them
to support
300 exhausted
men who
are pursuing
an army at
this point of
at least
15,000.
So the
fear is
understandable,
but it
becomes
idolatrous
when security
becomes more
important than
faithfulness.
You see,
the reasoning
is essentially
our judgment
about what
will keep
us safe
is more
trustworthy
than what
God has
said or
what God
is visibly
doing.
So fear
drives them
to self-protection.
It keeps
them from
trusting God's
provision,
his protection.
It causes
them to
actually stand
aside from
the Lord's
work.
In addition
to that,
they speak
harshly to
their own
faithful
brothers.
Now the
same idol
grows in
us when
fear convinces
us that
preserving
ourselves is
more important
than trusting
and obeying
God,
often assuming
we can judge
what is safest
for us better
than God
can.
And so
the idol
of security
makes us
clutch and
cling to
what we
have.
It makes
us suspicious
rather than
faithful and
it often
leads us to
criticize any
obedience that
threatens our
comfort.
Now,
biblical wisdom
is not
recklessness,
but neither
is safety
our highest
good.
The Lord
should be.
The second
idol,
the third
idol that
we can see
is the
idol of
self-importance.
The idol
of self-importance.
Now,
Gideon
pursues and
defeats the
remaining 15,000
men.
He captures
Ziba and
Zalmunna and
returns to
Succoth with a
list of its
77 officials.
And for the
sake of time,
we're going to
skip to verse
15.
It says,
And Gideon
came to the
men of
Succoth and
he said,
Behold,
Ziba and
Zalmunna,
about whom you
taunted me,
saying,
Are the hands
of Ziba and
Zalmunna
already in
your hand,
that we
should give
bread to
your men
who are
exhausted?
And he
took the
elders of
the city,
and he
took thorns
of the
wilderness,
and briars,
and with
them taught
the men
of Succoth
a lesson.
And he
broke down
the tower
of Penuel
and killed
the men
of the city.
Then he
said to
Ziba and
Zalmunna,
Where are
the men
you killed
at Tabor?
They
answered,
As you
are,
so were
they.
Every one
of them
resembled
the son
of a
king.
And Gideon
said,
They were
my brothers,
the sons
of my
mother.
As the
Lord lives,
if you
had saved
them alive,
I would
not kill
you.
So he
said to
Jether,
his firstborn,
Rise and
kill them.
But the
young man
did not
draw his
sword,
for he
was afraid
because he
was still
a young
man.
Then
Ziba and
Zalmunna
said,
Rise
yourself
and fall
upon us,
for as
the man
is,
so is
his
strength.
And Gideon
arose and
killed
Ziba and
Zalmunna,
and he
took the
crescent
ornaments
that were
on the
necks of
their
camels.
Now
Gideon's
growing
sense of
self-importance
appears as
he treats
failure to
support his
leadership as
a personal
offense,
deserving
punishment,
in effect
saying,
Those who
will not
stand with
me will
answer to
me.
But
there's a
painful
irony to
observe here.
Gideon's
own leadership
has been
sustained from
beginning to
end by
extraordinary
mercy.
The people
of these
cities feared
many of the
same things
Gideon had
feared.
Right?
Midian's
overwhelming
strength,
the cost of
resistance,
whether victory
would really
come.
But they
didn't have
the same
benefit of
direct
revelation and
repeated
reassurance that
Gideon had
received.
So we see
Gideon, the
man who
needed abundant
mercy and
patience, now
shows little of
either towards
other fearful
people.
Brothers and
sisters, we
must remember
the mercy God
has shown us.
And we
must especially
remember it when
dealing with the
weaknesses of
others.
It also
appears that
Gideon begins
to confuse
being graciously
chosen by God
with being
personally
important.
His position
didn't come
from superior
courage or
faithfulness,
but from God's
gracious choice,
mercy, and
patience with
him.
Yet the
grace that
made Gideon
useful,
increasingly
becomes a
status that he
expects others
to recognize
and support.
Then we see
his God-given
mission becoming
entangled with
personal vengeance.
By verses
18-21,
Gideon
confirms that
Zeba and
Zalmunna
killed his
brothers, and
their execution
is tied to
his family
grievance or
vindication.
So little by
little, God's
cause and
Gideon's
personal cause
are becoming
increasingly
difficult to
distinguish.
But the
idol of
self-importance
does the
very same
thing to
us.
It takes
the gifts
or the
calling or
the position
or the
influence or
the victories
that we've
received by
grace and
turns them
into reasons
we think
others must
recognize us
and trust us
and support
and defer
to us.
us.
We should
never confuse
being used
by God
with being
important in
and of
ourselves.
You see,
the importance
of the work
he entrusts
to us
does not
transfer into
personal
significance
that others
must recognize.
And we
must guard
against allowing
God's cause
to become
entangled with
our own
reputation or
our own
grievances or
our own
desire for
vindication
because it's
dangerously
easy to
think we're
defending truth,
we're defending
ministry,
we're defending
the church,
we're defending
God,
when in
reality we're
just defending
ourselves.
So we must
ask ourselves,
am I seeking
the honor of
Christ or
just the
vindication of
my own
name?
The fourth
idol,
is the idol
of spiritual
experience.
The idol
of spiritual
experience.
Starting in
verse 22,
it says,
Then the men
of Israel
said to
Gideon,
rule over
us,
you and
your son
and your
grandson
also,
for you
have saved
us from
the hand
of Midian.
Gideon
said to
them,
I will
not rule
over you
and my
son will
not rule
over you,
the Lord
will rule
over you.
And Gideon
said to
them,
let me
make a
request
of you,
every one
of you,
give me
the earrings
from his
spoil.
For they
had golden
earrings because
they were
Ishmaelites.
And they
answered,
we will
willingly give
them.
And they
spread out a
cloak and
every man
threw in
at the
earrings of
his spoil.
And the
weight of
the golden
earrings that
he requested
was 1,700
shekels of
gold.
Besides the
crescent
ornaments and
the pendants
and the
purple garments
worn by the
kings of
Midian and
besides the
collars that
were around
the necks of
their camels.
And Gideon
made an
ephod of
it and
put it in
his city
in Ophrah.
And all
Israel
whored after
it there and
it became a
snare to
Gideon and
to his
family.
So Midian
was subdued
before the
people of
Israel and
they raised
their heads
no more and
the land had
rest for 40
years in the
days of
Gideon.
So now we're
back to where
we began.
Israel gives
Gideon the
glory that
belongs to
the Lord.
You have
saved us.
They elevate
the instrument
above the
God who
used him.
And they
seek permanent
hereditary
protection.
This is
working out
great for
us.
So you,
your son,
your grandson,
you just
keep doing
that.
And we
see Gideon
answer rightly.
I will
not rule
over you.
The Lord
will rule
over you.
But then
comes the
ephod.
Now I'm
going to be
honest.
Commentators
differ widely
about Gideon's
motives.
And the
text doesn't
explicitly tell
us.
But I
think the
details point
us in this
direction.
Think about
it.
Throughout
chapters 6
and 7,
Gideon
enjoys
extraordinary
direct
guidance from
God.
The angel
of the
Lord comes
and speaks
to him
face to
face.
There's
miraculous
signs.
There's
repeated
divine
speech.
There's
the fleece.
There's
even the
providential
dream in
the
Midianite
camp.
But after
Judges 7
9,
there's
no
recorded
word from
the Lord
to Gideon
again.
That silence
must have
been deafening.
And then
elsewhere in
Scripture,
we see that
the priestly
The ephod
is connected
with the
God-appointed
priesthood
and with
seeking the
Lord's
direction.
In your
listening guide,
there's several
passages there
about the
ephod.
You could
look up
if you'd
like to
read some
more.
But because
of that,
I think it's
plausible that
Gideon wanted
a continuing
means to
access God's
guidance.
What one
commentator
fitly calls,
he wants a
permanent
fleece.
I think the
location is
important too,
right?
Because Gideon
puts it in
Ophrah.
And remember,
that's the
place where
God first
appeared to
Gideon.
Where God
miraculously
accepts his
offering.
Where God
speaks peace
to him and
where Gideon
builds the
altar that he
calls the
Lord is
peace.
So as a
result,
I believe
Gideon may
have been
trying to
preserve or
restore direct
access to the
Lord.
And if that's
true, we
might perhaps
hear an
unspoken
addition to
his words.
The Lord
will rule over
you and
perhaps I can
continue to be a
conduit of his
direction.
Now, even
assuming the
very best of
Gideon's
intentions, the
problem is
nonetheless very
serious.
Because God
had already
established how
his people were
to approach
him through
the tabernacle,
through the
priesthood,
through the
means that
God had
appointed.
And no
matter how
much failure
the priests
or the
Levites were
guilty of at
this time,
it didn't
give Gideon
the right to
create an
alternate
system.
That there's
never a good
reason to
seek God
or to
worship God
in a way
that's
contrary to
his word.
So instead
of allowing
God to
determine how
his people
approach him,
Gideon builds
a religious
practice around
the place and
the experience
that were
personally
meaningful to
him.
And whether
intended or
not, the
result draws
Israel away
from the
legitimate
sanctuary and
the legitimate
priesthood and
Israel hoard
after the
ephod.
You see, the
desire for
extraordinary
spiritual
experience becomes
a substitute
for ordinary
dependence and
obedience to
the Lord.
And in turn,
it tells us the
very thing Gideon
makes becomes a
snare to him
and to his
family.
And I think
that danger
remains for
us, right?
Because it's
so easy for us
to begin to
treat yesterday's
dramatic
experience as
more real than
today's reading
of God's
word.
We can easily
come to believe
that an intense
feeling is more
trustworthy than
ordinary obedience.
Or to think
that we have to
come up with
some special
method to draw
near to God
beyond the
means that he
has given.
But the Lord
rules his people
by his word
and prayer,
through his
spirit,
and through
consistent
communion with
the people of
God.
We don't
honor the
Lord by
chasing spiritual
experiences,
some emotional
spiritual highs,
but by
faithful daily
obedience through
the means that
he has prescribed
in his word.
So the fifth
point, fifth and
final point,
the Lord rules
through the
better king.
The Lord rules
through the
better king.
Continuing in
verse 29,
says Jeroboel,
the son of
Joash, went
and lived in
his own house.
Now Gideon
had 70 sons,
his own
offspring, for
he had many
wives.
And his
concubine, who
was in Shechem,
also bore him
a son, and he
called his name
Abimelech.
And Gideon,
the son of
Joash, died
in a good old
age and was
buried in the
tomb of Joash's
father at
Ophrah of the
Abiezarites.
As soon as
Gideon died,
the people of
Israel turned
again and
whored after
the Baals and
made Baal
Beareth their
God.
And the people
of Israel did
not remember
the Lord their
God who had
delivered them
from the hand
of all their
enemies on
every side.
And they did
not show
steadfast love
to the family
of Jeroboel,
that is Gideon,
in return for
all the good
that he had
done to Israel.
Now I want
to just point
back to verse
28 briefly,
because it
says the
land had
rest for
40 years in
the days of
Gideon.
And it's
worth noting
that this is
the last time
in the book
of Judges
that it
records the
Lord giving
Israel rest.
And from
here the
downward spiral
is going to
accelerate.
We also need
to notice that
the dynasty
that Gideon
verbally rejected
seems to
emerge anyway.
He lives
like a king
in some of
the worst
possible ways.
He has many
wives and
70 sons and
concubine.
He names
his concubine's
son Abimelech,
which means
my father is
king.
We also see
Israel spirals
downward with
him.
As soon as
Gideon dies,
they hoard
after the
Baals and
made Baal
bareth,
which means
Lord of the
covenant,
their God.
Verse 34
gives us
the heart of
the tragedy.
The people of
Israel did not
remember the
Lord their God
who had
delivered them.
Israel abandons
covenant faithfulness
to Yahweh to
form a covenant
with Baal.
Gideon's story
leaves us longing
for a better
judge,
for a true
king.
Gideon did
real good for
Israel,
but he could
not deliver
them from the
deepest enemies,
their pride,
their rebellion,
their self-rule,
and the desire
to combine
whatever seemed
useful from the
surrounding culture
with their
worship of God.
Gideon's life
contains remarkable
faithfulness and
startling failure,
and Israel
ends his story
spiritually worse
than when it
began for the
first time in
Judges.
It'll be about
a thousand years
from that point
until the better
deliverer Israel
needed,
and the
deliverer that
we need
enters history.
That'll be
Jesus,
the Son of
God.
Now,
this morning,
maybe you found
yourself somewhere
in Gideon's
story.
Maybe you know
about God,
but don't truly
know him,
or what he's done
through Jesus.
Maybe you keep
returning to
patterns of
rebellion,
and you need to
hear the word
of the Lord
afresh.
Maybe you feel
weak,
or fearful,
or hopeless
before enemies
that seem too
strong,
or innumerable
for you.
Or maybe the
Lord has exposed
an idol in your
life,
a craving for
recognition,
a demand for
security,
a spirit of
self-importance,
or a pursuit of
spiritual experiences
that eclipses
God's word
and ordinary
obedience.
But wherever
you find yourself
this morning,
our hope can
only be found
in one place,
letting the
Lord rule
our lives
through the
better king,
King Jesus.
So I want to
invite you
wherever you
are this
morning to
consider coming
to Jesus this
morning in
honest repentance.
Just admitting
to him the
things that you
have seen
about yourself
and asking
his forgiveness
and committing
to turn away
from those
things.
I invite you
to renew
your commitment
to Christ's
lordship in
your life
and to
determine that
you're going
to live in
daily dependence
on his word
and prayer
and to make
consistent
communion with
Jesus and his
people a
priority in
your life.
It's in doing
those things
that the Lord
will rule over
you.
So the Lord
rules through
our weakness,
the Lord
rules mercifully
in our fear,
the Lord
rules by
exposing the
idols of
our hearts.
Let the
Lord rule
your life
through the
better king,
Jesus Christ.
Let's pray.
Father, we
thank you for
your word.
We thank you
that you have
not left us
to ourselves,
but that you
deal so
patiently with
us.
And Father,
we confess
we are so
often inclined
to follow
the idols
of our
heart.
Father, we
pray that
even now
that you
would give
us resolve
to cast
them away,
to cling
to Christ,
to live
our lives
under the
rule of
Jesus,
our Lord,
that we
might become
a clearer
reflection
individually
and as a
church of
who Christ
is,
that we
would see
more and
more people
worship him
as he
deserves.
Father,
thank you
for this
day.
May you
be exalted
in our
lives.
In Jesus'
name,
amen.
Thank you,
guys.
Have a great
day.
Thank you.