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Judges 7

Judges 7. Old Testament Bible Studies True Love Church of Refuge Prophetess Delisa Lindsey May 20, 2009. Gideon Defeats the Midianites. Judges 7. Judges 7:1.

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Judges 7

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  1. Judges 7 Old Testament Bible Studies True Love Church of Refuge Prophetess Delisa Lindsey May 20, 2009

  2. Gideon Defeats the Midianites Judges 7

  3. Judges 7:1 • After God proves Himself to be an ally to Gideon (Jerub-Baal) by demonstrating signs using fleece and dew, Gideon arises early the next morning along with his men at the spring of Harod while the camp of Midian lay north • Harod is interpreted, Trembling, so in other words, Gideon and his thousands of soldiers gathered at a place of Trembling. • Fear is a common enemy to any saint preparing for battle. God does not dispatch spirits of fear to His soldiers, but spirits of power, love and sound mind. • Whenever you find yourself arrested by a spirit of fear, rebuke him, arrest him, and cast him out in Jesus name.

  4. Judges 7:2 • The Lord tells Gideon that he has too many men with him to engage in battle. • Sometimes we look for safety in numbers, but God works the best with the least. • God knew that if Gideon took masses of men into battle, they would glory in themselves. • This must have come as a shock to Gideon who already warred against spirits of fear and uncertainty.

  5. Judges 7:3 • The Lord tells Gideon to make an announcement for all the fearful to return home. • Ordinarily, men won’t admit to being fearful, but in this case they were brutally honest with themselves. Their spirits of fear could have easily transferred to the stronger men. • Get rid of the Chicken Anointing!!! • 22,000 fearful men returned home! 10,000 men remained! • What does this say about the masses? You may have thousands of soldiers gathered, but what percentage of them are actually men of valor? Never look at numbers alone as a source of strength. You and God are a majority. Chicken!!!

  6. Judges 7:4 • With only 10,000 men left, God said there were still too many! • God designs a strategy for Gideon to separate the ‘men from the boys’. He tells him to bring them down to the water. • Water represents trouble. • Your reaction in times of trouble has a way of exposing how strong you really are. • God separated the wheat from the tares in the Trouble. • Examine relationships in times of trouble. Who stays with you and who abandons you? Despite the pain and heartache you may feel, consider that God is purging your relationships that you may see who REALLY is standing for you.

  7. Judges 7:5 • At the water, the Lord tells Gideon to separate those who lap water like a dog from those who kneel to drink. • What is the significance between the lapping and the kneeling?

  8. Why did the Lord prefer the lappers over the kneelers? • The lappers were those who drank water while crouching or standing, lapping it in cupped hands and readily watching the enemy. • The lappers were the ones who were afraid because they were looking around them as they drank. • The kneelers were confident in knowing they were not in danger because the Midianites were 4 MILES AWAY FROM THEM!! • God strategically chose the 300 lappers, men who HID THEIR FEAR FROM GIDEON! • 9,700 men who knelt in the water were sent home. • The kneelers’ faith caused the Lord to fight their battles. They did not have to fight, their faith released them from the battle.

  9. Judges 7:6-8 • Three hundred men lapped with their hands to drink, all others knelt down to drink. • God chose the 300 men who lapped to accompany Gideon to war against Midian. • He sends all the others to their own homes. Those who left gave their provisions and their trumpets to those who stayed.

  10. Judges 7:9-11 • The Midianites were camped below Gideon’s army. The Lord tells Gideon to prepare to go down into battle. • Fear was a constant issue for Gideon, so the Lord made a concession for him by telling him he can take his servant, Phurah, with him to spy on Midian. • Phurah is interpreted foliage. Foliage is a covering or a hiding place. Gideon was hiding behind his armor bearer! • By overhearing the enemy’s conversation, Gideon would be surely strengthened for the battle. • Apparently Gideon was afraid, for He took God at His Word and along with Phurah, made a visit to the Midianite camp.

  11. Judges 7:12-14 • The enemy’s camp was littered with Midianites, Amalekites, and their eastern allies numbered as grasshoppers in the valley. Their camels were also innumerable. • Gideon arrived just in time to over hear a dream being told. • Read verses 13-14. • The significance of this dream was to encourage Gideon that his enemy was more afraid of him than he was of them! • Ironically, the Lord would use a coward to deliver His people, Israel. Talking about the foolish things?!

  12. Why was Gideon compared to Barley? • Barley is an inferior to grain and is considered half of the value of wheat. It represented the inferiority of Israel in numbers- This was how Gideon viewed himself. • Barley water was used as a medicine – Gideon was to be used as a balm to restore Israel’s sickness through the sin of idolatry. • Barley was also used as a food to train athletes – Gideon would train the cowardly men of Israel in the art of warfare. • In China, barley represents male virility because the heads are heavy and contain numerous seeds – Gideon’s faith in God produced an army of cowards turned valiant who would in turn raise up their sons in warfare tactics. • Barley also has a short growing time – Gideon’s spiritual growth took place over a very short period of time. • Barley is also used to make intoxicating beverages – indicating the effect Gideon would have on his enemies.

  13. Judges 7:15 • Overhearing the interpretation of this dream renewed Gideon’s strength and determination to carry out the purposed will of God. He immediately begins to worship the God of all Courage (Chazak). He runs back to the camp invigorated and stirs up the camp with these words of encouragement to rally them for war against their enemies.

  14. Judges 7:16-18 • Gideon divided the army into three companies of 100 hundred each. This strategy was used at least three more times, 9:43, I Sam. 11:11, and 2 Sam. 18:2. • They surrounded the enemy with trumpets and torches. Spiritually, they surrounded the enemy with praises and the fervent prayers. • They were to conceal the torches within open –topped pitchers until they were signaled to break the pitchers, wave the torches and blow the trumpets. This gave the impression that the Israelites were massive in number. • “The Sword of the Lord and of Gideon!”

  15. Judges 7:19-21 • Gideon and one company of one hundred men approached the edge of the enemy’s camp at the beginning of the middle watch - midnight. • There would be a guard change as camp goes to sleep. • Synonymously, the three Israelite armies blew their trumpets and smashed their jars. They held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands as they blew. “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” • Each company held their position as the Midianite camp ran and cried for help.

  16. Notes on Near Eastern Warfare Tactics • Armies rarely fought at night. (Joshua- the sun remained all day and night to aid Joshua in battle.) • 1 Sam. 17:17, the two armies re-engaged each other during the day, but ceased fighting at dusk. • When an army did engage in battle at night, only a minority of men carried torches in order to light up the battlefield. • Only a certain number of men could carry and blow the trumpets during the conflict. • When the Midianites awoke to the sight of three hundred torches and the sound of three hundred trumpets blaring at them from every possible direction, they assumed thousands upon thousands were attacking them. The Art of Warfare in Biblical Lands, Y. Yadin

  17. Judges 7:22-23 • When the trumpets sounded, the Lord caused the enemies to turn on each other. • This is why we are admonished to “make a joyful noise unto the Lord”- this dispatches hundreds of spirits of confusion, frustration, lunacy, and derision into the enemy’s camp. • The sound of the trumpets signaled the call to battle and the breaking of pitchers simulated the clashing of swords. Because of this hysterical noise, the Midianites assumed they were outnumbered. • Israel’s enemies literally confused and dazed, attacked each other.

  18. Judges 7:24-25 • The Midianites rushed eastward toward the Jordan River trying to cross back over. • Gideon summoned the Ephraimites to help him capture those who had escaped. All the men of Ephraim gathered together to block the Midianites from escaping. • The captured the two strongmen of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. They slaughtered them and brought back their heads to Gideon as trophies.

  19. Judges 8Gideon’s saga continues May 27, 2009

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