(Men God Made) Gideon — Willie Mullan

675 please, 675 there's a royal banner given for display to the soldiers of the king. As the men find fair we lift it up today while as ransomed ones we sing. 675 please.

Chapter 6 please.

Gideon Called to Liberate Israel

Book of Judges, Chapter 6. And I want to make a little introduction here for you. When God called Gideon, that is, selected him and he became a chosen vessel for God God wanted him to lead and to liberate Israel I want to tell you that God took him to be the leader and the liberator of his people in a very dark day in Israel's history.

Well let's get the hold of this, we're at Judges Chapter 6 and we're in 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.

You see when God's people disobeyed him then God chastens them and God was chastening his own people here and he delivered them into the hand of the Midianites seven long years and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel.

And because of the Midianites, the children of Israel made them the brims which are in the mountains and caves and strongholds. They were being so overcome by the Midianites that they ran from their inheritance.

You'll find them in the caves and in the dens and in the strongholds in the mountains. It was a tough day for Israel and so it was when Israel had sown that the Midianites came up and the Amalekites came to help them and the children of East were also there, these three lots amalgamated even they came up against them and they encamped against them and destroyed the increase of the earth till they came on to Gaza they went right down through the whole land you know and left no sustenance for Israel neither sheep nor ox nor ox.

For 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 and Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites and the children of Israel cried unto the Lord.

Now that's the day and hour when God called Gideon and was going to take him into the school and was going to make him one of the great warriors of the nation of Israel. And that's the day he was chosen to liberate and to lead the people of God.

The Angel of the Lord Appears to Gideon

We're at verse 11, we're at Judges 6. Verse 11 and there came an angel of the Lord and sat under a nook which was in Osra. I think I should stop for the young people's sake and talk for a moment about this phrase an Angel of the Lord.

In one or two of the older translations it reads like this. And there came THE Angel capital T, capital L the Angel of the Lord. And when you see it like that you know it's not talking about a shining angel like Gabriel coming to the Blessed Virgin Mary or anything like that.

It's a figure that shows for the Lord coming. And there were times when the Lord came down to earth and came in this figure which is called THE Angel THE capital T, capital L the Angel of the Lord. Now let me make you sure of that verse 12.

And the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him and said unto him the Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of power. And Gideon said unto him O my Lord, if the Lord be with us why then is all this befallen us?

Verse 14 says. And the Lord looked upon him and said go in this thy mate and thou shalt see this field from the hand of the Midianites. Have not I sent thee? Now, no angel is commanding and sending it was the Lord.

And I'm afraid the translator's just messed up that little bit. It should have been THE Angel cause the whole story tells us see verse 16. And THE Lord said unto him surely I will be with thee and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.

So let's get it quite settled that it was the Lord that came and sat under the oak tree in Osra. Let's go back to verse 11. And there came THE Angel of the Lord the Lord himself and sat under the nook which was in Osra.

Now we've got to get this Osra right? And some of you who are going through the map of Israel these days and it's a great thing to understand it. And I would think that I know it better than I know the map of Ireland.

Maybe that's a talk of shame on me but nevertheless I think I do. Now you'll find this if you go to the Golan Heights and you know the map of Israel and here is Galilee and you'll find the Jordan going down.

You'll find over here on the right wing looking at the map the East Coast you will find that the Golan Heights are just a little bit over from the Sea of Galilee. And if you get a detailed map right in the heart of those mountains is a little place tonight called Osra.

Now that's not the one you're seeing. That's where you would be making a mistake. Unfortunately there are two Osras on the map of Palestine if it's a good detailed map and the one that we have here is found just a little bit south of Samaria and a little bit north west of Jerusalem just in between Jerusalem and Samaria you will find on a good detailed map the hills of Ephraim and right in the centre of the hills of Ephraim and I'd be up here you know I know this bit of land this place called Osra.

Now that's why we're thinking about this evening. Verse 11. And there came an angel of the Lord and sat under a nook which was in Osra that came upon to do us. The Rabbi Ezra and his son Gideon pressed wheat by the winepress to hide it from the Midianites.

Now that's the first glimpse we get of Gideon. He's a man and I can tell you now we'll come to it in a moment. He's a married man at this time and I can tell you he has a big son and we'll come to see the son in a moment or two.

So I'm guessing, only guessing and you're allowed to mark me wrong when I'm guessing I'm guessing he might have been about 60 years of age. You've got to be very careful with the ages. You know when it said last week when Moses would come to you we would think he was about 18.

We found out he was 40. So let's get the hold of this. This fella might have been around the 60 mark here. So he's he's under these trees and he's threshing wheat and he's going to hide it from the Midianites.

Gideon's Misery and God's Call

And I have called that Gideon's misery. What a miserable thing for a big man to be doing standing threshing just a little bit of wheat just to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the Lord appears here just where he was threshing this wheat blessed so says, and the angel of the Lord appeared unto him and said unto him the Lord is with thee thou mighty man of valor he was nothing of the kind did the Lord tell a lie.

I can tell you that he had done nothing at all up to this moment. I can tell you that he was never a butler or anything else. Now this has been a debatable thing done through the years. And some of the old scholars who get out of this that's before us now they say this was pure sarcasm that here he was a big evil body soft of warrior like man and he was hiding in the hills and the Lord of being salty about it saying thou mighty man of valor.

Now I don't believe that. I don't believe when God's taking up a fellow and he's going to put him into the first class in school and he's going to knock the edges off him that God uses sarcasm like that.

I wouldn't like to be guilty of that to any of the young creatures here if you make a mistake we'll try to help you but none of that sort of stuff. And I would think that God is better than me. Now I don't accept that.

That's not the way out of that. And then there's another answer that has been tried on some of the folks say that this is sound psychology. You know when a fellow's a bit faint hearted or if you have a pain and you're lying on the broad of your back and you're scared.

And some of us get scared when we get a pain. You know as the old doctor comes round and says now look here you'll be alright in a day or two and you'll be on your feet and you'll be a mighty man. He's doing that sort of psychological medicine on you.

It's to help you. And sometimes it works and there's nothing wrong with the doctor doing that sort of thing. But I don't think the Lord is doing that. Don't just accept any old thing. You know now what I see is this.

You see all the time when the Lord elects some fellow or some lass for some job. You know the Lord knows the end from the beginning all the time. See each one of us in this meeting tonight say it by guess it doesn't make a matter who we are what our name is or what qualifications we have.

Or even if we don't have any. You know the Lord knows tonight that the finished article will be I shall be conformed to the image of his son. That's what he's working for as far as I'm concerned. That's why I'm in the school at all for one day I shall be like him.

And so will you too. And that'll be wonderful. You see the Lord always knows the end from the beginning. And the Lord looks at this raw recruit. He's just about to lift him and put him into the school and he knows that one day you lad you'll be a mighty man of honour.

And he's calling those things which are not as though they were. And he alone is allowed to do it. I am not allowed to do it because I don't know the end from the beginning. So I think this is what is going on here now.

I think that's what we call God's message. It's looked at him and said the Lord is with thee thou mighty man of honour. Of course that's what he actually became eventually. We shall find out this evening.

Gideon crossed back verse 13. And Gideon said unto him O my Lord. Gideon knew it was the Lord. He wasn't taking them as if it were an angel. O my Lord if the Lord be with us why then is all this befallen us.

And where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of saying did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt. But neither Lord hath forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. You can hear the murmur here.

You can hear him saying if the Lord be with us why then. And where be. He's asking questions. And he's murmuring before the Lord. Now what's God's message to him. Verse 14. And the Lord looked upon him and said go in this thy might.

Oh that's a great message. You know if this is what you really believe. If you really believe I'm able to do the job. And that once upon a time I did it and I did it. Well and it's just this real thing that has put them into the picture.

You know if you really believe that go in this thy might. And then he went a little bit further with the message. You see Gideon tried to get out of this. In verse 15 he said he said unto him O my Lord wherewith shall I favor you behold my family is poor in Manasseh and I am the least of my father's sons.

Then here comes the message again. And the Lord said unto him surely I will be with thee and thou shalt smite the Midianites at one round. That's the message. You can get the hold of this. You can see Gideon's misery as he hides in the hills.

You can see the message of the Lord as he puts him into the school. You can hear the murmur from Gideon. Can't you. And God's message is go in this thy might. And surely I will be with thee now. That's him in the class.

And I can tell you that he's got the message in the class now knows the Lord is sending him and he knows the Lord will be with him. He's sort of graduated out of that class and he's got to pass into another class.

And the other class is just a little bit more difficult for him. Yes now I want you to get this just behind that. You know Gideon was one of these fellows verse 17. And he said unto him if now I have found grace in my sight then show me a sign.

Now I don't want them to linger with these signs this evening because they don't come into the classroom work at all. You know I find young believers today who who feel that they hear the voice of God.

They get the message of God the being sense of God. And then they're like Gideon they're back looking for signs and they try to tell me that that's spiritual. And I don't think that's spiritual. I think that's carnal.

I think that's walking by faith and not by faith. Did you get that? In case you're tired and all of this nonsense you see we've got this to face that the Jews require a sign all the time it seems to be bread and God and Jews.

Well I am no Jew my dear friend we don't walk by sight. We walk by faith. You know see this book it is complete. Now every word that God wants to say to me is in that book. And you're not allowed to add anymore.

There is not an angel in heaven allowed to add anymore. It's all there now. And what is more. You're not allowed to take any away and all the directions I need will be found in there. That's what I need.

You know. If not sight you want sound. It's hearing. You want. Do you know that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. And you want to hear God speaking to you and directing you. And stop your nonsense about these old signs.

They belong to Jews and they're not in the schoolroom at all. So we're not bothering with them. I'm just doing what the schoolroom did you know. Now here's what God did with them. We're in the new classroom now.

Destroying Baal's Altar

We're at chapter 6 and we're at verse 25 and it came to pass the same night that the Lord said unto him take thy father's young book even the second book of seven years old and throw down the altar of Baal at thy father's house and cut down the grove that is by it.

Now the Lord has been talking to him in the first class and he stopped off like a good brickle fella and he learned you're sending me and you'll do with me. Now the Lord just doesn't want you to be a worshipper.

You know close your eyes and be nice. And he doesn't want you just to be a worker. You know. And I know you have to work for the Lord but he does want you to be a warrior. And that's what you learn in the second class.

You see the task now is throw down the altar of Baal. And that's what you call taking off your cotton wool not your sleeves and throw them down. The presbyterian legal in this land are afraid to do with the world council of Duchess are afraid to throw them down.

And I wouldn't throw them I would sink it into hell. A crowd that can take 42 ,000 pounds to give to rebels to shoot missionaries. And it takes the presbyterian years to make up their mind. Whether it's right or wrong that's not throwing it down.

That's dusting around it with a feather duster.

Standing Firm Despite Fear

Standing up for the Lord.

You need to throw certain things down. You know. Take your head and raise it high and be a man. This class was never made with mamby pamby stuff like that. I have no intention of being paralyzed like that.

This is what God this is the Thurian God. God says all right. Come on. You're going to be mine. Throw down the altar. You know God knows everything. Doesn't he. Yes he knows all about babies. You remember he knew what Moses was and about boys and grains and broads.

And what. Oh he knew where this old fellow's second bullet was. Take my father's young bullet. Even the second bullet of seven years old he did. God knew about this bullet. This old fellow was rearing this bullet up.

What a sacrifice this will be God says. Now listen. I'll tell you what to do is I want you to do this. Throw down the altar and cut down the grove and build an altar unto the Lord thy God upon the top of this rock.

Go behind it under a tree on the top of the rock where they can all see it and offer. And take the second bullet and offer a burnt offering with the wood of the grove which thou hast cut down made all Gideon's heart go.

Pitter patter. Didn't it. Yeah. We will go to school with God in Ixom Navi. Yes I think you can see the surely. God's surely. I want you to see Gideon's fear because although he heard the message and he knew that God was sending him and he knew that God had promised I will be with thee.

And although he can see how furious God is against this altar of Baal this is something that we've got to see. That's in him verse 27. Then Gideon took ten men of his servants which proves that they had a little bit of the farm there because they had ten men of his servants and did as the Lord had said unto him and so it was.

Now watch this a bit. Because he feared his powerful soul and the men of the city that he could not do it by day that he did it by night. And you can see Gideon's fear. You see the whole book is pleasing the picture perfectly.

This man that God has elected to be the leader and the liberator. This man that God took into the classroom and taught. This man is still afraid of things. And the best of God's servants remember have been afraid at times.

Remember that Elijah was afraid and you would never have thought he would have been afraid. And remember God had to come to Paul or the Lord had to come to Paul in the middle of the night and say fear not Paul don't be afraid of them.

Paul stand and speak. No man shall lay a hand to hurt thee. And I suppose all of us have been afraid at some time then you're not human if you haven't God would like to knock a bit of the fear out of you.

And I don't think you'll be any use to the Lord unless he knocks a whole lot of it out of you. But the young fellow has admitted that he was afraid of his father's household and he was afraid of the men of the city.

And he was afraid to do it in the middle of the day. But fear I know fear he went and did it by night. And you must say amen to that. That's big enough for to begin with he's only in the second class anyway.

It's not bad for a second class scholar. So he did it. Yes you know that the leader of the Salvation Army General Bruce sitting with all the kids at night round the table reading about Peter getting over the edge of a boat and walking on the water.

And then Peter got afraid. You remember that began to sink. Young Bramwell asked the old father where he could have the life. The old man stopped and said what are you afraid of. You wouldn't have had the guts to put your leg over the boat.

And you know we've all been afraid. And so here we are. God's determined in his fury that it will come down on them. Gideon's afraid. Now here's a lesson that's here. Verse 28. We're at Judges 6, 28. And when the men of the city arose early in the morning behold the altar of Baal was cast down and the gold was cut down.

That was by it. And the second billet was offered upon the altar that was built. Young fellows worked hard all night and they said one to another who have done this thing. And when they enquired and asked they said Gideon the son of Joash have done this thing.

And the men of the city said unto Joash bring out thy son that he may die because he hath cast down the altar of Baal. And because he hath cut down the gold that was by it. Now Joash he was the man that built this altar of Baal and he worshipped there for many a day.

That's why Israel was in trouble. Because a lot of these old fellows at home were worshipping idols. But here is the point verse 31. And Joash said unto all that stood against him will ye plead for Baal?

Will ye save him? He that will plead for him. Let him be put to death while it is yet morning. If he be a god let him plead for himself. Because one hath cast down his altar. The old fellow was converted that day.

A Father's Faith Becomes Contagious

They just steadied you young ones for a minute. You know dear there is nothing so infectious as your faith. And you may have a father at home who is against you and who is going contrary to the ways of God.

And who may be as dark at this moment as hell can make him. I'll tell you you learn to stand on your own feet and you have faith in God. And your faith will be infectious.

And the first convert.

That Gideon had was his dad. The old man stood up now to be comforted. Say ye boys here to plead for Baal. He is not able to look after himself in the middle of the night. Let's show the boys a stroke for him.

I think there is a great lesson. There isn't there you can see Gideon's father. Verse 32 says. Therefore on that day he calls him Jerobel. And I'll tell you this word means the contender with Baal. That's what Gideon's name was changed to.

He's graduated in the second class. Now God helped him you know he came down through the class and when he was put to the test here he is. He has graduated and I'll tell you his name from that day forward was called Gideon the contender against Baal.

Everybody knew that this young fellow stood up for this lad. Oh he's developing. There is no doubt about it developing very much. I'll tell you this. You see when you begin to stand on your own two feet in the evil day.

And having done all to stand you know the devil will come back at. You see it must have been the devil himself. Verse 33. Then all the Midianites and the Amalites and the children of the east were gathered together and went over and pitched in the Valley of Gesui.

See the Midianites and the Amalites and the children of the east. Now get me a little word all. Then all the Midianites and the Amalites and the children of east that gathered together went over and fixed in the valley of Jezreel.

It's the valley of Armageddon. You know what a crowd was in it that day. The devil's going to fix this young fellow if he can. I'll tell you this. If you stand up for God, God will stand up for you because this book says them that honour me.

I will honour. And the minute this young fellow gets this name the contender against Baal then the whole army of the devil seems to gather in this big plain. And we're going to have a terrible war. Here's what the next verse says, verse 34.

The Spirit of the Lord Clothes Gideon

But, but, but it's a blessed but but the spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon. And that's a mighty phrase. That's there. But the spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon in an old bible that I have, here's how it reads.

But the spirit of the Lord clothed himself with Gideon as if the spirit of the Lord took Gideon and just wrapped Gideon round himself clothed himself with Gideon. I'll tell you this. He was spilled food on the spirit of the Lord.

He's graduating pretty well isn't he. And I'll tell you this when you are filled and filled and filled and filled and you need to be constantly being filled with the spirit of God. You know every little thing you do though they're only little things.

They turn out to be great things. Because watch this, see verse 34 but the spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon and he blew a trumpet, that's all he did. He just blew a trumpet, I don't know if he ever blew a trumpet before.

But this Danish young fellow that had never been to war before stood up on the rock and blew a trumpet. And it's just a very ordinary thing to blow a trumpet. All the extraordinary things happened because the spirit of God was in him.

The whole nation jumped to attention. Yes it says here he blew a trumpet and a beaver was gathered after him and he sent messengers through all Manassas who also was gathered after him. And he sent messengers on to Asher and on to Debulon and on to Nassau.

He's sending messengers out to all the tribes and they're all on their toes now. Oh this was a wee fellow. He wasn't counted. No wonder God said mighty man of God. God knew what he'd develop into. Yeah.

Have you got the hold of this. You know. Yes you know I want you to get this. It's the mighty thing this God's he's developed into something and I want you to see at the end of this chapter and I don't want to touch it again.

He's back to these signs. Gideon said unto God verse 36 if I would say this here by my hand of thou I said behold I would put a fleet of wool in the floor. I just did you. And he's back to the signs. I don't want to mix up the two schemes because we're not living in that age.

We need to get the plain clear unmistakable word of God and go on with it when he gives you it. God came to me 25 years ago and said behold three men seek thee arise and go with them doubting nothing.

For I have sent them and I never look for any fleet on the floor. Why would I want to have a word of God like that. You need to believe of that. You need to hear faith come upon hearing. I hear God say arise and go with them.

Are you seeing a word of truth? Sit still. I don't need any fleet of God's words. That's the day we're living in. He said you got the hold of this now. And so you see he has graduated again and he's come out of his second class now here's another class.

Gideon's Reduced Army

We're at chapter 7 to Liverpool. Who is Gideon? That's his name now from now on. And all the people that were with him rose up early and fixed beside the wall of Harvard so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them by the hill of Moray in the valley.

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 bomb themselves against me saying mine own hands have faced me now. Therefore go through put me in the ears of the people saying whosoever is fearful and afraid let them return and depart early from on Gilead.

And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand and there remained ten thousand. You see when he blew the trumpet and was about to march out to meet them in the valley of Jezreel. You can see there were thirty two thousand people behind him.

Quite the nice little army. It's Gideon's army. And any general would be quite pleased if you look back you know and there's thirty two thousand down there. My that would go a long way back. You know what thirty two thousand people is like.

And he must have been really with his head in the air and marching out. God said look you will be missed. There's far too many of them now. You know when you're going to fight for God and this God you have to learn God's arithmetic.

It's a funny arithmetic. So if you take the number of the Amalekites that were here they were ten times the number of what was walking behind Gideon. And Gideon he's a professional. You know if you're looking at that there somewhere these guys have got ten to one.

God said there's far too many. You know you're always in danger when you're going to win God knows the danger. Just in case you might say well I did it. I'll sit and write out these notes and send them through.

And I've got to shut my eyes and say it is not I but Christ that liveth in me. Otherwise I might get swelled headed and I come back to the plain simple fact that you're an unlearned and ignorant man and anything you ever got you got it from God.

You have to get back there. Cut the army down a bit. Thank God 22 ,000 of them go home. That's far. 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 this one shall go with thee and of whomsoever I say unto thee this shall not go with thee the same shall not go. So he brought down the people.

I want you to see how wonderfully refined he was for the whole thing. You know if someone visited 32 ,000 members and God said well we're taking 22 ,000 off here and then we're going to copy our crowds down the long way.

We'd have all the audience in a day. And the Lord knows it'll be a bit of a show. I just marched down the road here. God's not listening sir. But Gideon did not. And Gideon just said OK. Alright he's gargantuan grown up.

You know it's the drones and all that are going to go on with the Lord. This fellow was beginning to trust the Lord. OK. You cut it down whatever way you like. And so he brought down the people onto the water.

And the Lord said unto Gideon every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue as a dog lappeth him. Shalt thou set by himself. Likewise every one that bowed down upon his knees to drink and the number of them that lapped putting their hands through their mouth were 300 men.

But all the rest of the people bowed down on their knees to drink water and so all the rest were sent home. And you know I'll tell you this. God is cutting down the army again 10 ,000 marching now and 9 ,000 stricken home and you're sent home.

Boy if you have 52 ,000 in the morning and you're down in 10 minutes to 300 take that starch off you no wonder God called the mighty man of valor. God knew the man. God knew the way he would make him.

You see the people that chins with the water and put their hand down and lifted it and drank as a dog drinks a lot as a dog licks the water. You God people know he watches all around them on the guard all the time.

And these people who were watching for the enemy and watching the enemy these people were mad to get on with the job. But the fellow who can lay down the bow and arrow or the spear and get down on his knees and get himself into the water and doesn't care what's going to happen.

It's time he was sent home anyway. A lot of the Christians just play like this anyway they're no in the battle at all. You could send a whole lot of them home. You would never miss them. God knows what he's about.

Can't you see this. And this army overthrew these Midianites completely overthrew them and it was a wonderful victory. And you know Gideon summed up this wonderfully. I don't think we should read all about the battle because really the battle he took these 300 men to the battle with only trumpets and pitchers and the like.

Actually they left all the weapons at home. Not only was the army brought from 32 ,000 down to 300 because lay the spears down there. Let's take these pitchers. Let's take these trumpets. I'll show you what to do.

A hundred of you go that way and a hundred this way and look around these boys. And when you break these pitchers and show the light and we all shout the sword of the Lord and of Gideon was caroled like that.

And that's exactly what they did. But that's a gospel story and it's a Lord Evangelical slant on it. And I don't want to go into that you see because that's not in the school book either. I want you to see that he won the day and I want you to see that after he won the day.

Gideon Refuses Kingship but Stumbles over Gold

We're away through chapter 8. Now see verse 22. And the name of this Lord said unto Gideon rule thy over us both thou and thy son. Because I can tell you that he had a son. Yes both thou and thy son and thy son come also for thou hast delivered us from the hand of many.