becauseHElives
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In Judges 6 we find that God raised up Gideon to be the deliverer from Midianites. The Word of God says, "The Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon" (Judges6:34 margin). The Holy Spirit came on Gideon like the clothes he wore. Then Gideon was empowered and he blew the trumpet and went out to battle. 32,000 men came out to fight along with him. But the Lord said the people were too many (Judges7:2). God didn't want all of them, because they were not wholehearted. So Gideon told all those who were afraid to go home. That's what the Lord says to us too: "Are you afraid of the devil? Then go home. Are you afraid that somebody will call you `Beelzebul', `heretic', or `false prophet'? Then go home. Don't waste your time serving the Lord." 22,000 men went home that day. 10,000 were still left (Judges7:3). God said that the people were still too many. They too were not wholehearted. Most of them were seeking their own and had to be removed.
"Take them down to the water and I will test them there," said the Lord (Judges 7v.4). When they came to the water, most of them forgot all about the enemy and buried their heads in the water and began to drink and drink. Many Christians are like that. When they see the attractive things in the world, they forget all about the Lord and His battles and bury their heads in covetous pursuit of wealth. 9700 of Gideon's soldiers were disqualified that day.
There were only 300 left. These men, when they came to the water, remained alert looking out for the enemy, gathered just enough water with their hands to quench their immediate thirst. These typify those believers who use money and material things, but are not taken up with it. They work at their jobs faithfully to earn their living, but spend the rest of their time doing what they can for the Lord. God says, "Those are the people I want." And there were only 300 left in that army that day - less than 1% of the original 32,000. The percentage is always small, because the way to life is narrow and few find it. Only 2 out of 600,000 - Joshua and Caleb - made it to the promised land. But the Lord is happy with those few
Gideon divided his army into three companies of 100 men each ( Judges 7:28). Each man carried a trumpet and a pitcher with a light inside. They broke the pitcher so that the light showed and then they blew their trumpets. This is a picture of how our life and ministry should be. We are all earthen pitchers but "we have the treasure of the glory of God within our earthen vessel" (2 Cor.4:6,7). But this earthen vessel has be broken through many trials - "the dying of Jesus" - before the light can be seen by others (2Cor.4:7-11). Otherwise the light will be forever hidden within us. When he wrote that, Paul was thinking of Gideon's army carrying earthen vessels with a light inside which became visible only when the pitchers were broken. God seeks to break us through many circumstances, so that the light of the life of Christ within us shines forth. Blowing the trumpet is a picture of our proclaiming the glory of the Lord and His Word unashamedly. God is looking for men and women like that today.
Before Gideon went to this battle the Lord had told him "If you want a little more courage, just go down at night to the enemy camp and listen to what they are saying" (Judges 7:9-15). And when Gideon went down there, he heard that they were all scared of him and his band of people. If you go into the camp of the devil today and listen, you will hear that they are scared of Jesus and of those who follow Him. That should encourage us to go to battle against Satan. The devil is scared of Jesus Christ - and he is really scared of us too - if we are true disciples. So let us call his bluff, whenever he tries to frighten us.
But even Gideon did not endure in faithfulness to the Lord. This is the sad story of many who started well - both under the old covenant and today as well. The Israelites wanted Gideon to rule over them and he said, "No, I won't rule. Neither will my son rule. The Lord will rule" (Judges 8:22). That sounds so spiritual. But listen to what he said in his very next sentence. He said, "Please give me an earring, all of you." So all the Israelites gave him their earrings and Gideon collected 1700 shekels (about 20 kilograms) of gold plus a lot of other ornaments and expensive clothing (Judges 8:.26). Gideon became a multi-millionaire in a day - just like many preachers who become millionaires by collecting tithes and offerings from their flock and taking it all home! Gideon used some of the gold also to make an ephod that became an idol that Israel worshipped (Judges 8:27).
Thus this great man backslid. It is the way a man ends his life that matters and not the way he begins it. The prize in every race is for those who finish well and not for those who started well (1 Cor.9:24). We are commanded to "consider how people ended their lives" (Heb.13:7 margin). Many a preacher mightily used by God in his early days has backslid like Gideon, and ended his life running after money and property! With the anointing lost, they spend their last days collecting gold and earrings for their children! Let me say to those of you who have started well: Learn a lesson from Gideon, and from these other men, lest the same thing happen to you. You cannot serve God and money. What a blessed contrast we see in people like Samuel who could say at the end of his life, "Whose ox have I taken or whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I oppressed?" (1 Sam.12:3). Like him, Paul could also say at the end of his life, "I have coveted no-one's silver or gold or clothes.....nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it....We took advantage of no-one" (Acts 20:33; 2 Thess.3:8; 2 Cor.7:2). What a testimony for a preacher! Follow the example of men like Samuel and Paul.
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Strive to enter in at the strait gate:for many, I say unto you will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. ( Luke 13:24 )
Posts: 4578 | From: Southeast Texas | Registered: Jun 2002
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