Equipped For Battle
Judges 6:1-7:25
I’m super excited for this morning because we will be jumping into the Story of Gideon, and we’ll be in Judges Chapters 6 and 7. The title of today’s message is “Equipped For Battle.” We’ll see how God, through his grace, draws Gideon into a deeper faith in God and how God uses that to equip Gideon for battle, and he does the exact same thing in our lives to equip us for battle.
To set the foundation of the story, what’s going on here is that the Israelites, God’s Chosen People, are being dismantled. They’re being taken out. They’re being destroyed by the Midianites, whom the Bible describes as a marauder people who rode on camels and practiced warfare. And what they did is they attacked God’s Chosen People. And as they returned, they would come and take their crops, and whatever they didn’t take, they would burn. And they would take all of their livestock, all of their resources, so much so that it brought God’s chosen People – God’s Elect – to live in fear, caves, strongholds, and mountains.
When God’s People are reduced to starvation, when they hit rock bottom, they finally cry out to the Lord. The Lord is faithful and gracious enough to respond. And what does he do? He sends a prophet. He tells them, “You did the very thing I told you not to do, and this is why I am allowing the Midianites to come and conquer you. The very thing I told you not to do was worship all of these other false gods that aren’t me. And that’s why this is happening because you have not obeyed.”
Judges 6:11-12 (NLT)
11 Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites.
12 The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!”
Who is this angel of the Lord? A lot of scholars believe that this angel of the Lord was a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ before he was actually born. What’s interesting here is how the angel of the Lord addresses Gideon. He says, “Mighty hero…” At this moment, Gideon isn’t reflecting any mighty hero behavior by threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress.
When you thresh wheat, you’re supposed to find a hilltop because when you thresh the wheat up, the wind carries the chaff away. And after a while, you have a refined pile of wheat that you can use for its intended purposes.
Gideon isn’t on a hilltop because he is afraid. He is operating under the fear that if the Midianites see him, they will not only come and kill him but will also take all of his possessions he has left.
What is unique here is that the angel of the Lord says at the end of verse 12, “the Lord is with you!” Just as we are going to follow along and see, it did not matter who Gideon was; it only mattered that the Lord was with him. And it’s no different in our lives. It doesn’t matter who we are; it only matters that the Lord is with us.
Oftentimes we wrestle with that. We wrestle with our insecurities. We wrestle with what it means for God to equip us for the battles in our life.
Judges 6:13 (NLT)
13 “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.”
Gideon’s question is, “Why?” This is us. Lord, why is my plan for my life not working out? Lord, why is my career not paying the bills? Lord, why is my life not working out the way I wanted it to? Lord, why is this happening to me?
Look at the response the angel of the Lord gives Gideon. He doesn’t bother to answer the questions that Gideon is asking.
Judges 6:14 (NLT)
14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”
The angel of the Lord did not bother to answer all these why questions. Instead, he reminds Gideon that he created him for a purpose and to go. You don’t have to fix yourself; you don’t have to align yourself; you just have to go and be obedient to what I called you to do, and I’ll do the rest.
Let’s read the second rejection by Gideon (But… but… Lord.)
Judges 6:15-16 (NLT)
15 “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!”
16 The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.”
Again, the angel of the Lord doesn’t bother answering all the questions that hold no value. Instead, he says, “Go! I am with you.” And his being with Gideon is the only reason he is going to conquer the Midianites.
Oftentimes we feel the same way. Lord, you can’t use me. Lord, I can’t follow you. I feel too incapable. I feel like an imposter. I feel too insecure. Lord, I’m too afraid. Lord, I just don’t have enough faith.
It did not matter who Gideon was. It doesn’t matter who you are and what insecurities and flaws you think you were created with because God created you. And when God creates you, he intends to create you for a purpose. It only mattered who the Lord was in Gideon’s life, and it only matters who the Lord is in each of our lives.
And as we read, we see this is the third time Gideon is doubting the angel of the Lord.
Judges 6:17-18 (NLT)
17 Gideon replied, “If you are truly going to help me, show me a sign to prove that it is really the Lord speaking to me.
18 Don’t go away until I come back and bring my offering to you.” He answered, “I will stay here until you return.”
Now it’s three times in this dialogue that Gideon is doubting what the plan of God is. What is so beautiful about verse 17 is that you see the grace and patience the Lord has on Gideon. He says, “Yes, go. I will still be here when you return.”
It’s no different in our lives. You see, we serve a God who so graciously and lovingly desires for you to reach out to him and have a relationship with him. He says to us, “Look, my child whom I created. I am waiting for you to draw close to me so that we can have a relationship and so that you can know me. I already know you because I created you. I just want you to have a desire to want to know me.
I’ll paraphrase verses 19 and 20. Gideon finally leaves the presence of the angel of the Lord. He goes home, finds a young goat, and cooks it up. He makes some bread without yeast (because it had to be perfect as it was an offering to the Lord). And then he brings it back and sets it on a rock before the angel of the Lord.
Judges 6:21 (NLT)
21 Then the angel of the Lord touched the meat and bread with the tip of the staff in his hand, and fire flamed up from the rock and consumed all he had brought. And the angel of the Lord disappeared.
This angel of the Lord is showing a glimpse of his all-consuming power. But why? Why does he choose to do this with the offering that Gideon brings him? Because it’s an action to tell Gideon to stop fearing, stop doubting, and start believing, start moving. Go. I have already told you to move.
In verses 22-24, Gideon realizes who it is he is standing in front of. He fears for his life because he knows that as far as the Israelites go, no one can stand being in the full presence of the Lord and still live to tell the story because his might and his glory are so powerful. But in that moment of fear, the angel of the Lord tells him, “Hey. You’re going to be okay.” And in that place where the angel of the Lord appeared to him, Gideon creates an altar to the Lord and calls it Yahweh-Shalom, which means “the Lord is Peace.” It’s so powerful because he realizes his life has headed in this direction and that he has to re-align it and head in the direction God had called him to go.
Judges 6:25-27 (NLT)
25 That night the Lord said to Gideon, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one that is seven years old. Pull down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole standing beside it.
26 Then build an altar to the Lord your God here on this hilltop sanctuary, laying the stones carefully. Sacrifice the bull as a burnt offering on the altar, using as fuel the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down.”
27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord had commanded. But he did it at night because he was afraid of the other members of his father’s household and the people of the town.
This was the first challenge that Gideon was given in order to become equipped for battle, to take away something where he lived that so easily caused him to sin and caused the Israelites to sin. This altar was the very reason that God allowed the Midianites to come and conquer them. And the Lord says, “Look. If you want to serve me, you have to take that out because you can’t serve me and live in sin at the same time.”
What we see in Gideon’s character is that although he doesn’t have the full confidence of being the mighty hero that the angel of the Lord saw him as, he still follows, and he’s still obedient. Although he’s afraid, he still takes a step of faith. That was the preparation ground. That was the test that the Lord allowed to take place in Gideon’s life to say, “Are you going to allow the fear that you have of the people around you to dictate your decisions or are you going to allow the fact that I have called you to do something dictate your decisions. The fact that I created you to be the decision-maker in your life.
Gideon does as the angel of the Lord tells him under cover of night.
In verses 28-32, what happens the following morning is the Israelites, the people who lived in this town, wake up. I can imagine they smell the after-sizzling of a bull that was sacrificed, like a barbecue. But then they realize, oh. The altar to Ba’al is gone. And in its place, there is an altar to the Lord. But their reaction, even though they know their actions are what caused their problems and the Lord to leave them, they still want the altar to Ba’al. After searching, they find out it was Gideon that was behind the destruction of the altar to Ba’al. They come to Joash, Gideon’s father, and say, “Give us your son because he is to be put to death for destroying the altar of Ba’al.” And Joash, as any father would, replies, “No. That is my son. Instead, anyone who defends this false god, let them be put to death before morning.” Joash goes on to say if Ba’al is the real god, let him defend himself. We know, of course, there is no God other than the King of kings and Lord of lords who reigns from Heaven.
And then we read,
Judges 6:32 (NLT)
32 From then on Gideon was called Jerub-baal, which means “Let Baal defend himself,” because he broke down Baal’s altar.
Gideon is being equipped and prepared for battle. He’s being faithful to be obedient to the direction that God is calling him to, although he’s afraid.
Judges 6:33-35 (NLT)
33 Soon afterward the armies of Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east formed an alliance against Israel and crossed the Jordan, camping in the valley of Jezreel.
34 Then the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon with power. He blew a ram’s horn as a call to arms, and the men of the clan of Abiezer came to him.
35 He also sent messengers throughout Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, summoning their warriors, and all of them responded.
The reason Gideon was able to do this, to have the courage, was because the Lord equipped him for this challenge. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon in that moment and clothed him with power.
We may live in a different time than Gideon, but it’s the same in our lives. The only reason we are truly equipped for battle is if God is with us and we are following his direction. In other words, if the Spirit of the Lord enables us and allows us.
After all of this – after the angel of the Lord appears to Gideon, after he consumes in a powerful way the offering, after Gideon’s life is spared against the people that want to kill him for destroying the altar of Ba’al, after Gideon is given an army – he still asks for more proof.
Here is a summary of Judges 6:36-40. Gideon says, “Lord if you are truly with me and if you are truly equipping me for battle, I am going to put a fleece before you. I’m going to put a piece of wool on the floor and in the morning, please allow this piece of wool to be completely soaked and everything around it dry.” So, what happens? Gideon goes to bed, he wakes up the next morning, and he gets this wet piece of wool while everything around it is dry. He squeezes it, and it fills a bowl with water.
And then he says, “Okay, Lord. It’s the fourth time you have made yourself so evidently known in my life. But don’t be angry at me. Just one more. One more thing I want to bring before you. Just one more thing to let me know that you are truly with me despite time after time after time after time, you have proven yourself. This time, the opposite. I’m going to put the same piece of wool on the floor, but this time allow the piece of wool to be completely dry, and everything around it wet with dew.”
And so, he goes to bed, and he wakes up, goes to the piece of wool, and it is dry, and everything around it is soaked. But what is so crucial about that section of scripture isn’t so much that Gideon tests him. Rather, it’s the patience that the Lord has on Gideon’s life. It’s the patience that God has. It’s like God is saying, “I am telling you, and I have shown you. How much proof do you need to know that I am with you? How much more proof do you need to know that I am calling you?”
And again, it’s no different in our lives. No different than Gideon testing the Lord, and no different than us doubting who the Creator of, not only our existence but of the universe. And the question is, how much proof do you need to have to finally know that not only God created you but is calling you to himself, to know that he is actually real? How much proof and confirmation do you need to have in your life to know that, just like Gideon, he’s calling you, and he’s getting ready to equip you for battle?
What is so incredible in all of this chapter is that the Lord is faithful and full of grace to put up with Gideon and to continually give Gideon a deeper and deeper faith. Time after time in Gideon’s life and the same in ours. The only reason we’re able to be in this room, the only reason we’re able to open the Word of God, the only reason we’re able to cry out to him as the Israelites did, is because he is gracious and loving toward us.
Now, we get into the exciting part as we jump into Chapter 7.
Judges 7:1-3 (NLT)
1 So Jerub-baal (that is, Gideon) and his army got up early and went as far as the spring of Harod. The armies of Midian were camped north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh.
2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength.
3 Therefore, tell the people, ‘Whoever is timid or afraid may leave this mountain and go home.’” So 22,000 of them went home, leaving only 10,000 who were willing to fight.
God knew their nature. God knows our nature, too. It’s no different from the Israelite’s nature. God knew that they would bring the glory to themselves, that they would say, “It is by my strength and by my might I got through that battle.” Not the Lord. And, again, it’s no different with us. We serve a God who is the only one who can justifiably be selfish in wanting and desiring all the glory because, without him, we cease to exist. He is the One who holds life in the palm of his hand, he is the One who spoke the breath of life into man, and he is the One who continues to sustain us to this day.
But again, what he does in this section of scripture not only to Gideon but to his army is that he removes the men that are fearful so that they would not stumble the men who were faithful. And that is all a part of equipping Gideon and his army for battle and of making sure that they were prepared to go into war.
Judges 7:4-8 (NLT)
4 But the Lord told Gideon, “There are still too many! Bring them down to the spring, and I will test them to determine who will go with you and who will not.
5 When Gideon took his warriors down to the water, the Lord told him, “Divide the men into two groups. In one group put all those who cup water in their hands and lap it up with their tongues like dogs. In the other group put all those who kneel down and drink with their mouths in the stream.
6 Only 300 of the men drank from their hands. All the others got down on their knees and drank with their mouths in the stream.
7 The Lord told Gideon, “With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home.
8 So Gideon collected the provisions and rams’ horns of the other warriors and sent them home. But he kept the 300 men with him. The Midianite camp was in the valley just below Gideon.
God still continually proves to Gideon and the Israelites that the only way they will have victory is not by their power but if God allows it. We can look at the scriptures and see the only way we are more than conquerors in his name is because he allows it.
When God equips us for battle, he doesn’t do it the way we want it to be done. He doesn’t do it the way we plan to do it. God does it his way, in a way that brings him glory. It’s in a way that when we look back, we can say that we only got through that difficult season of life because God was with us.
Judges 7:9-11 (NLT)
9 That night the Lord said, “Get up! Go down into the Midianite camp, for I have given you victory over them!
10 But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah.
11 Listen to what the Midianites are saying, and you will be greatly encouraged. Then you will be eager to attack.” So Gideon took Purah and went down to the edge of the enemy camp.
This was all still a part of God preparing and equipping Gideon for battle. God knew Gideon still needed one more push, one more confirmation that the Lord was with him and that the Lord saw him as a mighty conqueror. He knew who Gideon was because he created him, and he knew inside that he was still afraid. He still was not fully sure that with three hundred men that the Lord could truly help him conquer the Midianites.
How does this apply to our lives? How is it that God knows our very thoughts before we do? How is it that God knows us from the inside out? It’s so wonderful that we serve a God that knows us, created us, and knows us more than we know ourselves. Just like Gideon, God knows that we need one more push. He knows that he needs to continually encourage us.
You are in this room; you are in this season of life; you’re existing in the time that you are existing because God has deemed it worthy and is allowing you and has grace over you because there is a reason that he created you. But what is the battle that we face? You see, this message is not focused toward battles as in circumstantial things in our lives that cause us to cry out to God because we will go through those whether we know the Lord or not.
When you follow the Lord, he doesn’t promise that life is going to be perfect and you’re going to be living at the top of every mountain. He promises that when you do go through those valleys, when life doesn’t go the way you planned it, he’ll be there to carry you through them.
So, what is the battle in our lives just like that battle was so significant in Gideon’s life? We live in a world that is at war. It’s a war in the spiritual realm, and it’s a war in the physical realm, and we see it. The reason that God is calling us to battle is different, but it is focused on the same point.
Do we know his Word, and are we willing to proclaim his Word when there are so many other people around the world sharing their opinions and what they think is right? We don’t share our opinions; we share what the Word of God says to be true. And the Word of God has stood the test of time, through kingdom after kingdom, nation after nation. It was here yesterday, it is here today, and it will be here tomorrow – we won’t. We apply this to our lives by asking how do we get to the point that we can boldly teach and preach and declare the name of God. How does it look in your life? Wrestle with that question this morning.
Judges 7:12-14 (NLT)
12 The armies of Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east had settled in the valley like a swarm of locusts. Their camels were like grains of sand on the seashore—too many to count!
Look at the massive army they are getting ready to face. The enemy is so much that you can’t number them, and not only that, but they had their camels which were too many to number – it was an arsenal of an army.
13 Gideon crept up just as a man was telling his companion about a dream. The man said, “I had this dream, and in my dream a loaf of barley bread came tumbling down into the Midianite camp. It hit a tent, turned it over, and knocked it flat!”
Let’s look at this barley bread. It was a poor man’s bread that just about had no value. But in this dream, this man sees this piece of barley bread tumbling down the hill knocking a tent over. What is so beautiful is what the Lord allows Gideon to experience to continue to equip him for battle. We see it in verse 14.
14 His companion answered, “Your dream can mean only one thing—God has given Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite, victory over Midian and all its allies!”
“God has given” God was with Gideon. The Lord is with Gideon. It’s no different in our lives. If the Lord is with you, then God will give you victory over circumstantial battles and over the battle that you are called to live for in the extension of your entire life.
All along, God had a plan for the three hundred. All along, God knew that Gideon would still doubt and fear. So, he plans this moment to continually build and equip Gideon up for the battle that is about to take place and to remind Gideon that “I, the Lord, am with you, and I will give you victory.”
It’s the same in our lives. We have been a part of God’s plan since the beginning. Different sections of the scripture say that God created you, that God had you in mind, and that the thoughts he had about you are more than we can count. So much so that he created us before the foundation of the earth.
As I was studying, I didn’t want this message to become some prosperity gospel telling you that you are going to be “more than conquerors.’’ What I am not telling you is that you are going to be victorious in every circumstance. What I am telling you is that in every circumstance, the Lord will be victoriously in your life.
Who is this barley bread that otherwise would have no purpose or value, and at the sight of it, no one wants it? This barley bread that God re-shapes, re-molds, and equips for the purpose he created them for is every one of us in this room. We’re the barley bread. If you correlate yourself in any section of this scripture, it’s to be this barley bread, that, without value, God can still use. That without purpose, God can still re-direct. That without fulfillment, God can still fulfill. And when that takes place, the Lord equips you for battle.
What is the battle God calls us to? It’s to proclaim his name without being ashamed, to proclaim his name and say, “Look. He died on that Cross. He rose three days later, conquering sin and death for me so that I can have a relationship and spend eternity with him, all for the purpose of bringing glory to himself.”
We play a role in this beautiful plan God has to bring glory to himself. Part of that is to let you know that without him, you are broken. Without him, you’re not enough. But when he comes into your life, he fills every area of your life you need filled.
Judges 7:15 (NLT)
15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship before the Lord. Then he returned to the Israelite camp and shouted, “Get up! For the Lord has given you victory over the Midianite hordes!”
God equipped Gideon for battle. Continually, Gideon followed God, and he positioned his life over and over so God could equip him for battle. But why? God uses Gideon to equip, encourage, and uplift these three hundred men to inspire them to move under the obedience of the Lord and conquer the Midianites.
How does that look in our lives? As parents or grandparents, if you want your children and others around you to be obedient to the calling that God has called them to, if you want them to come to the realization of who Jesus Christ is, let him first get ahold of your life. Let him first equip you for the battles in your life, and as a result, let those around you and your children, and generation after generation, will come to know the King of kings and Lord of lords.
God inspires a leader, and he uses that leader to inspire other people into an obedient walk and a life filled with Christ. In this world, you can believe, you can follow, and you can make sure you are being equipped for different things. But the only thing you can take with you into eternity is your relationship with the Lord and what you did here on earth as a citizen of Heaven with his Word.
Judges 7:16-18 (NLT)
16 He divided the 300 men into three groups and gave each man a ram’s horn and a clay jar with a torch in it.
17 Then he said to them, “Keep your eyes on me. When I come to the edge of the camp, do just as I do.
18 As soon as I and those with me blow the rams’ horns, blow your horns, too, all around the entire camp, and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’”
Gideon got to this point because he continued to be obedient. Even in his fear and his doubting, he continued to show up. And for us, if we put our eyes on God, if we look at God for our direction in our lives, we’re able to walk in the path he set for us. But if we look to the left or look to the right and get swayed by this or swayed by that, no longer can God continually equip us because we are being distracted by things of this world.
Gideon’s obedience is what placed him in the right place for God to draw him into a deeper and deeper faith, and that faith that God gave Gideon is what equipped him to lead in the battle that night.
Are we allowing God to equip us for battle by aligning our lives in a way, in a place, in a position where he can easily use us? Are we taking away all the distractions and focusing on him?
Now the battle begins.
Judges 7:19-22 (NLT)
19 It was just after midnight, after the changing of the guard, when Gideon and the 100 men with him reached the edge of the Midianite camp. Suddenly, they blew the rams’ horns and broke their clay jars.
20 Then all three groups blew their horns and broke their jars. They held the blazing torches in their left hands and the horns in their right hands, and they all shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”
These men are going to battle in a way that they are totally outnumbered and in a way where if it were up to their own strength, they would be destroyed in an instant. But they are obedient despite it not making sense, despite not fully comprehending, they are obedient. They head to war, and they do as they are commanded by Gideon, who is their commander in this battle.
In our lives, when it doesn’t make sense, when we’re afraid, when it looks like we are not strong enough, are we able to be obedient? Are we able to say, “Lord, it is because you are greater that I am able to stand here?”
21 Each man stood at his position around the camp and watched as all the Midianites rushed around in a panic, shouting as they ran to escape.
22 When the 300 Israelites blew their rams’ horns, the Lord caused the warriors in the camp to fight against each other with their swords. Those who were not killed fled to places as far away as Beth-shittah near Zererah and to the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath.
This was the Lord saying, no matter the odds, no matter the enemy, when I, your God, are with you, nothing can stand against you, and nothing can stop you. When God is our driving source, nothing can stand against us – nothing spiritually and nothing physically. Yes, we will stumble, and yes, we will fall, but we are called to get up, dust ourselves off, and say, “Lord, where am I falling short? Where am I not focusing on you?” And then God is able to come into your life and re-align it. He reminds us that without him, we are nothing. When we focus on God and allow him to be the source, everything else falls into place. Everything else just works out.
Only God can defeat a massive army with pitchers, torches, and horns. What is unique is not a sword was drawn from the Israelites. The Lord still moves and allows these people to fight themselves. As Christ believers, there are often times when we don’t have to defend ourselves because we have a Lord who can defend himself.
What is our calling? What is our duty? What are we on this earth for? Yes, it is to raise godly children. Yes, it is to be a godly husband and a godly wife and to focus our eyes on God and let everything else fall into place. But as you do that, it’s to proclaim and teach the Word of God. When you’re obedient to God, there will be times when you fall falt on your face, and there will be times that you will be able to see that the Lord allows you to partner with his Spirit to change someone’s eternity. We serve and pray to a God who is able to allow us to be a part of praying someone out of the depths of hell.
The reason the Israelites and the reason we are able to defeat such a massive enemy is that we serve an even greater God. How are you letting God equip you for battle? How is it you are ensuring in every area of your life you are saying, “Lord, I want to be equipped? I want to be prepared for the battle you called me to.”
Judges 7:23-25 (NLT)
23 Then Gideon sent for the warriors of Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh, who joined in chasing the army of Midian.
24 Gideon also sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down to attack the Midianites. Cut them off at the shallow crossings of the Jordan River at Beth-barah.” So all the men of Ephraim did as they were told.
25 They captured Oreb and Zeeb, the two Midianite commanders, killing Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. And they continued to chase the Midianites. Afterward the Israelites brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was by the Jordan River.
This crusty, purposeless loaf of barley named Gideon was used by the Lord and was equipped by God to defeat an army and do the will of God. God saw him as the godly, full-of-faith man he would become.
How does this apply to you? No matter the challenge that is in front of you, no matter the obstacle, and no matter how great your enemy is, we serve a God who will bring the enemy’s head to your feet. Not for you to be glorified. Instead, for you to say, “I am victorious on this mountain because I serve a God who is greater than anything on or in this world.”
Just like God sustained Gideon with the faith that he needed to be equipped for battle, he’s also called you to himself. He’s also waiting for you to come back to him (like Gideon did with an offering) so that he can equip you for the battles he has called you to overcome.
To set the foundation of the story, what’s going on here is that the Israelites, God’s Chosen People, are being dismantled. They’re being taken out. They’re being destroyed by the Midianites, whom the Bible describes as a marauder people who rode on camels and practiced warfare. And what they did is they attacked God’s Chosen People. And as they returned, they would come and take their crops, and whatever they didn’t take, they would burn. And they would take all of their livestock, all of their resources, so much so that it brought God’s chosen People – God’s Elect – to live in fear, caves, strongholds, and mountains.
When God’s People are reduced to starvation, when they hit rock bottom, they finally cry out to the Lord. The Lord is faithful and gracious enough to respond. And what does he do? He sends a prophet. He tells them, “You did the very thing I told you not to do, and this is why I am allowing the Midianites to come and conquer you. The very thing I told you not to do was worship all of these other false gods that aren’t me. And that’s why this is happening because you have not obeyed.”
Judges 6:11-12 (NLT)
11 Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon son of Joash was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites.
12 The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!”
Who is this angel of the Lord? A lot of scholars believe that this angel of the Lord was a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ before he was actually born. What’s interesting here is how the angel of the Lord addresses Gideon. He says, “Mighty hero…” At this moment, Gideon isn’t reflecting any mighty hero behavior by threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress.
When you thresh wheat, you’re supposed to find a hilltop because when you thresh the wheat up, the wind carries the chaff away. And after a while, you have a refined pile of wheat that you can use for its intended purposes.
Gideon isn’t on a hilltop because he is afraid. He is operating under the fear that if the Midianites see him, they will not only come and kill him but will also take all of his possessions he has left.
What is unique here is that the angel of the Lord says at the end of verse 12, “the Lord is with you!” Just as we are going to follow along and see, it did not matter who Gideon was; it only mattered that the Lord was with him. And it’s no different in our lives. It doesn’t matter who we are; it only matters that the Lord is with us.
Oftentimes we wrestle with that. We wrestle with our insecurities. We wrestle with what it means for God to equip us for the battles in our life.
Judges 6:13 (NLT)
13 “Sir,” Gideon replied, “if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? And where are all the miracles our ancestors told us about? Didn’t they say, ‘The Lord brought us up out of Egypt’? But now the Lord has abandoned us and handed us over to the Midianites.”
Gideon’s question is, “Why?” This is us. Lord, why is my plan for my life not working out? Lord, why is my career not paying the bills? Lord, why is my life not working out the way I wanted it to? Lord, why is this happening to me?
Look at the response the angel of the Lord gives Gideon. He doesn’t bother to answer the questions that Gideon is asking.
Judges 6:14 (NLT)
14 Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites. I am sending you!”
The angel of the Lord did not bother to answer all these why questions. Instead, he reminds Gideon that he created him for a purpose and to go. You don’t have to fix yourself; you don’t have to align yourself; you just have to go and be obedient to what I called you to do, and I’ll do the rest.
Let’s read the second rejection by Gideon (But… but… Lord.)
Judges 6:15-16 (NLT)
15 “But Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!”
16 The Lord said to him, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man.”
Again, the angel of the Lord doesn’t bother answering all the questions that hold no value. Instead, he says, “Go! I am with you.” And his being with Gideon is the only reason he is going to conquer the Midianites.
Oftentimes we feel the same way. Lord, you can’t use me. Lord, I can’t follow you. I feel too incapable. I feel like an imposter. I feel too insecure. Lord, I’m too afraid. Lord, I just don’t have enough faith.
It did not matter who Gideon was. It doesn’t matter who you are and what insecurities and flaws you think you were created with because God created you. And when God creates you, he intends to create you for a purpose. It only mattered who the Lord was in Gideon’s life, and it only matters who the Lord is in each of our lives.
And as we read, we see this is the third time Gideon is doubting the angel of the Lord.
Judges 6:17-18 (NLT)
17 Gideon replied, “If you are truly going to help me, show me a sign to prove that it is really the Lord speaking to me.
18 Don’t go away until I come back and bring my offering to you.” He answered, “I will stay here until you return.”
Now it’s three times in this dialogue that Gideon is doubting what the plan of God is. What is so beautiful about verse 17 is that you see the grace and patience the Lord has on Gideon. He says, “Yes, go. I will still be here when you return.”
It’s no different in our lives. You see, we serve a God who so graciously and lovingly desires for you to reach out to him and have a relationship with him. He says to us, “Look, my child whom I created. I am waiting for you to draw close to me so that we can have a relationship and so that you can know me. I already know you because I created you. I just want you to have a desire to want to know me.
I’ll paraphrase verses 19 and 20. Gideon finally leaves the presence of the angel of the Lord. He goes home, finds a young goat, and cooks it up. He makes some bread without yeast (because it had to be perfect as it was an offering to the Lord). And then he brings it back and sets it on a rock before the angel of the Lord.
Judges 6:21 (NLT)
21 Then the angel of the Lord touched the meat and bread with the tip of the staff in his hand, and fire flamed up from the rock and consumed all he had brought. And the angel of the Lord disappeared.
This angel of the Lord is showing a glimpse of his all-consuming power. But why? Why does he choose to do this with the offering that Gideon brings him? Because it’s an action to tell Gideon to stop fearing, stop doubting, and start believing, start moving. Go. I have already told you to move.
In verses 22-24, Gideon realizes who it is he is standing in front of. He fears for his life because he knows that as far as the Israelites go, no one can stand being in the full presence of the Lord and still live to tell the story because his might and his glory are so powerful. But in that moment of fear, the angel of the Lord tells him, “Hey. You’re going to be okay.” And in that place where the angel of the Lord appeared to him, Gideon creates an altar to the Lord and calls it Yahweh-Shalom, which means “the Lord is Peace.” It’s so powerful because he realizes his life has headed in this direction and that he has to re-align it and head in the direction God had called him to go.
Judges 6:25-27 (NLT)
25 That night the Lord said to Gideon, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one that is seven years old. Pull down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole standing beside it.
26 Then build an altar to the Lord your God here on this hilltop sanctuary, laying the stones carefully. Sacrifice the bull as a burnt offering on the altar, using as fuel the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down.”
27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord had commanded. But he did it at night because he was afraid of the other members of his father’s household and the people of the town.
This was the first challenge that Gideon was given in order to become equipped for battle, to take away something where he lived that so easily caused him to sin and caused the Israelites to sin. This altar was the very reason that God allowed the Midianites to come and conquer them. And the Lord says, “Look. If you want to serve me, you have to take that out because you can’t serve me and live in sin at the same time.”
What we see in Gideon’s character is that although he doesn’t have the full confidence of being the mighty hero that the angel of the Lord saw him as, he still follows, and he’s still obedient. Although he’s afraid, he still takes a step of faith. That was the preparation ground. That was the test that the Lord allowed to take place in Gideon’s life to say, “Are you going to allow the fear that you have of the people around you to dictate your decisions or are you going to allow the fact that I have called you to do something dictate your decisions. The fact that I created you to be the decision-maker in your life.
Gideon does as the angel of the Lord tells him under cover of night.
In verses 28-32, what happens the following morning is the Israelites, the people who lived in this town, wake up. I can imagine they smell the after-sizzling of a bull that was sacrificed, like a barbecue. But then they realize, oh. The altar to Ba’al is gone. And in its place, there is an altar to the Lord. But their reaction, even though they know their actions are what caused their problems and the Lord to leave them, they still want the altar to Ba’al. After searching, they find out it was Gideon that was behind the destruction of the altar to Ba’al. They come to Joash, Gideon’s father, and say, “Give us your son because he is to be put to death for destroying the altar of Ba’al.” And Joash, as any father would, replies, “No. That is my son. Instead, anyone who defends this false god, let them be put to death before morning.” Joash goes on to say if Ba’al is the real god, let him defend himself. We know, of course, there is no God other than the King of kings and Lord of lords who reigns from Heaven.
And then we read,
Judges 6:32 (NLT)
32 From then on Gideon was called Jerub-baal, which means “Let Baal defend himself,” because he broke down Baal’s altar.
Gideon is being equipped and prepared for battle. He’s being faithful to be obedient to the direction that God is calling him to, although he’s afraid.
Judges 6:33-35 (NLT)
33 Soon afterward the armies of Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east formed an alliance against Israel and crossed the Jordan, camping in the valley of Jezreel.
34 Then the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon with power. He blew a ram’s horn as a call to arms, and the men of the clan of Abiezer came to him.
35 He also sent messengers throughout Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, summoning their warriors, and all of them responded.
The reason Gideon was able to do this, to have the courage, was because the Lord equipped him for this challenge. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon in that moment and clothed him with power.
We may live in a different time than Gideon, but it’s the same in our lives. The only reason we are truly equipped for battle is if God is with us and we are following his direction. In other words, if the Spirit of the Lord enables us and allows us.
After all of this – after the angel of the Lord appears to Gideon, after he consumes in a powerful way the offering, after Gideon’s life is spared against the people that want to kill him for destroying the altar of Ba’al, after Gideon is given an army – he still asks for more proof.
Here is a summary of Judges 6:36-40. Gideon says, “Lord if you are truly with me and if you are truly equipping me for battle, I am going to put a fleece before you. I’m going to put a piece of wool on the floor and in the morning, please allow this piece of wool to be completely soaked and everything around it dry.” So, what happens? Gideon goes to bed, he wakes up the next morning, and he gets this wet piece of wool while everything around it is dry. He squeezes it, and it fills a bowl with water.
And then he says, “Okay, Lord. It’s the fourth time you have made yourself so evidently known in my life. But don’t be angry at me. Just one more. One more thing I want to bring before you. Just one more thing to let me know that you are truly with me despite time after time after time after time, you have proven yourself. This time, the opposite. I’m going to put the same piece of wool on the floor, but this time allow the piece of wool to be completely dry, and everything around it wet with dew.”
And so, he goes to bed, and he wakes up, goes to the piece of wool, and it is dry, and everything around it is soaked. But what is so crucial about that section of scripture isn’t so much that Gideon tests him. Rather, it’s the patience that the Lord has on Gideon’s life. It’s the patience that God has. It’s like God is saying, “I am telling you, and I have shown you. How much proof do you need to know that I am with you? How much more proof do you need to know that I am calling you?”
And again, it’s no different in our lives. No different than Gideon testing the Lord, and no different than us doubting who the Creator of, not only our existence but of the universe. And the question is, how much proof do you need to have to finally know that not only God created you but is calling you to himself, to know that he is actually real? How much proof and confirmation do you need to have in your life to know that, just like Gideon, he’s calling you, and he’s getting ready to equip you for battle?
What is so incredible in all of this chapter is that the Lord is faithful and full of grace to put up with Gideon and to continually give Gideon a deeper and deeper faith. Time after time in Gideon’s life and the same in ours. The only reason we’re able to be in this room, the only reason we’re able to open the Word of God, the only reason we’re able to cry out to him as the Israelites did, is because he is gracious and loving toward us.
Now, we get into the exciting part as we jump into Chapter 7.
Judges 7:1-3 (NLT)
1 So Jerub-baal (that is, Gideon) and his army got up early and went as far as the spring of Harod. The armies of Midian were camped north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh.
2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength.
3 Therefore, tell the people, ‘Whoever is timid or afraid may leave this mountain and go home.’” So 22,000 of them went home, leaving only 10,000 who were willing to fight.
God knew their nature. God knows our nature, too. It’s no different from the Israelite’s nature. God knew that they would bring the glory to themselves, that they would say, “It is by my strength and by my might I got through that battle.” Not the Lord. And, again, it’s no different with us. We serve a God who is the only one who can justifiably be selfish in wanting and desiring all the glory because, without him, we cease to exist. He is the One who holds life in the palm of his hand, he is the One who spoke the breath of life into man, and he is the One who continues to sustain us to this day.
But again, what he does in this section of scripture not only to Gideon but to his army is that he removes the men that are fearful so that they would not stumble the men who were faithful. And that is all a part of equipping Gideon and his army for battle and of making sure that they were prepared to go into war.
Judges 7:4-8 (NLT)
4 But the Lord told Gideon, “There are still too many! Bring them down to the spring, and I will test them to determine who will go with you and who will not.
5 When Gideon took his warriors down to the water, the Lord told him, “Divide the men into two groups. In one group put all those who cup water in their hands and lap it up with their tongues like dogs. In the other group put all those who kneel down and drink with their mouths in the stream.
6 Only 300 of the men drank from their hands. All the others got down on their knees and drank with their mouths in the stream.
7 The Lord told Gideon, “With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home.
8 So Gideon collected the provisions and rams’ horns of the other warriors and sent them home. But he kept the 300 men with him. The Midianite camp was in the valley just below Gideon.
God still continually proves to Gideon and the Israelites that the only way they will have victory is not by their power but if God allows it. We can look at the scriptures and see the only way we are more than conquerors in his name is because he allows it.
When God equips us for battle, he doesn’t do it the way we want it to be done. He doesn’t do it the way we plan to do it. God does it his way, in a way that brings him glory. It’s in a way that when we look back, we can say that we only got through that difficult season of life because God was with us.
Judges 7:9-11 (NLT)
9 That night the Lord said, “Get up! Go down into the Midianite camp, for I have given you victory over them!
10 But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah.
11 Listen to what the Midianites are saying, and you will be greatly encouraged. Then you will be eager to attack.” So Gideon took Purah and went down to the edge of the enemy camp.
This was all still a part of God preparing and equipping Gideon for battle. God knew Gideon still needed one more push, one more confirmation that the Lord was with him and that the Lord saw him as a mighty conqueror. He knew who Gideon was because he created him, and he knew inside that he was still afraid. He still was not fully sure that with three hundred men that the Lord could truly help him conquer the Midianites.
How does this apply to our lives? How is it that God knows our very thoughts before we do? How is it that God knows us from the inside out? It’s so wonderful that we serve a God that knows us, created us, and knows us more than we know ourselves. Just like Gideon, God knows that we need one more push. He knows that he needs to continually encourage us.
You are in this room; you are in this season of life; you’re existing in the time that you are existing because God has deemed it worthy and is allowing you and has grace over you because there is a reason that he created you. But what is the battle that we face? You see, this message is not focused toward battles as in circumstantial things in our lives that cause us to cry out to God because we will go through those whether we know the Lord or not.
When you follow the Lord, he doesn’t promise that life is going to be perfect and you’re going to be living at the top of every mountain. He promises that when you do go through those valleys, when life doesn’t go the way you planned it, he’ll be there to carry you through them.
So, what is the battle in our lives just like that battle was so significant in Gideon’s life? We live in a world that is at war. It’s a war in the spiritual realm, and it’s a war in the physical realm, and we see it. The reason that God is calling us to battle is different, but it is focused on the same point.
Do we know his Word, and are we willing to proclaim his Word when there are so many other people around the world sharing their opinions and what they think is right? We don’t share our opinions; we share what the Word of God says to be true. And the Word of God has stood the test of time, through kingdom after kingdom, nation after nation. It was here yesterday, it is here today, and it will be here tomorrow – we won’t. We apply this to our lives by asking how do we get to the point that we can boldly teach and preach and declare the name of God. How does it look in your life? Wrestle with that question this morning.
Judges 7:12-14 (NLT)
12 The armies of Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east had settled in the valley like a swarm of locusts. Their camels were like grains of sand on the seashore—too many to count!
Look at the massive army they are getting ready to face. The enemy is so much that you can’t number them, and not only that, but they had their camels which were too many to number – it was an arsenal of an army.
13 Gideon crept up just as a man was telling his companion about a dream. The man said, “I had this dream, and in my dream a loaf of barley bread came tumbling down into the Midianite camp. It hit a tent, turned it over, and knocked it flat!”
Let’s look at this barley bread. It was a poor man’s bread that just about had no value. But in this dream, this man sees this piece of barley bread tumbling down the hill knocking a tent over. What is so beautiful is what the Lord allows Gideon to experience to continue to equip him for battle. We see it in verse 14.
14 His companion answered, “Your dream can mean only one thing—God has given Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite, victory over Midian and all its allies!”
“God has given” God was with Gideon. The Lord is with Gideon. It’s no different in our lives. If the Lord is with you, then God will give you victory over circumstantial battles and over the battle that you are called to live for in the extension of your entire life.
All along, God had a plan for the three hundred. All along, God knew that Gideon would still doubt and fear. So, he plans this moment to continually build and equip Gideon up for the battle that is about to take place and to remind Gideon that “I, the Lord, am with you, and I will give you victory.”
It’s the same in our lives. We have been a part of God’s plan since the beginning. Different sections of the scripture say that God created you, that God had you in mind, and that the thoughts he had about you are more than we can count. So much so that he created us before the foundation of the earth.
As I was studying, I didn’t want this message to become some prosperity gospel telling you that you are going to be “more than conquerors.’’ What I am not telling you is that you are going to be victorious in every circumstance. What I am telling you is that in every circumstance, the Lord will be victoriously in your life.
Who is this barley bread that otherwise would have no purpose or value, and at the sight of it, no one wants it? This barley bread that God re-shapes, re-molds, and equips for the purpose he created them for is every one of us in this room. We’re the barley bread. If you correlate yourself in any section of this scripture, it’s to be this barley bread, that, without value, God can still use. That without purpose, God can still re-direct. That without fulfillment, God can still fulfill. And when that takes place, the Lord equips you for battle.
What is the battle God calls us to? It’s to proclaim his name without being ashamed, to proclaim his name and say, “Look. He died on that Cross. He rose three days later, conquering sin and death for me so that I can have a relationship and spend eternity with him, all for the purpose of bringing glory to himself.”
We play a role in this beautiful plan God has to bring glory to himself. Part of that is to let you know that without him, you are broken. Without him, you’re not enough. But when he comes into your life, he fills every area of your life you need filled.
Judges 7:15 (NLT)
15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship before the Lord. Then he returned to the Israelite camp and shouted, “Get up! For the Lord has given you victory over the Midianite hordes!”
God equipped Gideon for battle. Continually, Gideon followed God, and he positioned his life over and over so God could equip him for battle. But why? God uses Gideon to equip, encourage, and uplift these three hundred men to inspire them to move under the obedience of the Lord and conquer the Midianites.
How does that look in our lives? As parents or grandparents, if you want your children and others around you to be obedient to the calling that God has called them to, if you want them to come to the realization of who Jesus Christ is, let him first get ahold of your life. Let him first equip you for the battles in your life, and as a result, let those around you and your children, and generation after generation, will come to know the King of kings and Lord of lords.
God inspires a leader, and he uses that leader to inspire other people into an obedient walk and a life filled with Christ. In this world, you can believe, you can follow, and you can make sure you are being equipped for different things. But the only thing you can take with you into eternity is your relationship with the Lord and what you did here on earth as a citizen of Heaven with his Word.
Judges 7:16-18 (NLT)
16 He divided the 300 men into three groups and gave each man a ram’s horn and a clay jar with a torch in it.
17 Then he said to them, “Keep your eyes on me. When I come to the edge of the camp, do just as I do.
18 As soon as I and those with me blow the rams’ horns, blow your horns, too, all around the entire camp, and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’”
Gideon got to this point because he continued to be obedient. Even in his fear and his doubting, he continued to show up. And for us, if we put our eyes on God, if we look at God for our direction in our lives, we’re able to walk in the path he set for us. But if we look to the left or look to the right and get swayed by this or swayed by that, no longer can God continually equip us because we are being distracted by things of this world.
Gideon’s obedience is what placed him in the right place for God to draw him into a deeper and deeper faith, and that faith that God gave Gideon is what equipped him to lead in the battle that night.
Are we allowing God to equip us for battle by aligning our lives in a way, in a place, in a position where he can easily use us? Are we taking away all the distractions and focusing on him?
Now the battle begins.
Judges 7:19-22 (NLT)
19 It was just after midnight, after the changing of the guard, when Gideon and the 100 men with him reached the edge of the Midianite camp. Suddenly, they blew the rams’ horns and broke their clay jars.
20 Then all three groups blew their horns and broke their jars. They held the blazing torches in their left hands and the horns in their right hands, and they all shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”
These men are going to battle in a way that they are totally outnumbered and in a way where if it were up to their own strength, they would be destroyed in an instant. But they are obedient despite it not making sense, despite not fully comprehending, they are obedient. They head to war, and they do as they are commanded by Gideon, who is their commander in this battle.
In our lives, when it doesn’t make sense, when we’re afraid, when it looks like we are not strong enough, are we able to be obedient? Are we able to say, “Lord, it is because you are greater that I am able to stand here?”
21 Each man stood at his position around the camp and watched as all the Midianites rushed around in a panic, shouting as they ran to escape.
22 When the 300 Israelites blew their rams’ horns, the Lord caused the warriors in the camp to fight against each other with their swords. Those who were not killed fled to places as far away as Beth-shittah near Zererah and to the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath.
This was the Lord saying, no matter the odds, no matter the enemy, when I, your God, are with you, nothing can stand against you, and nothing can stop you. When God is our driving source, nothing can stand against us – nothing spiritually and nothing physically. Yes, we will stumble, and yes, we will fall, but we are called to get up, dust ourselves off, and say, “Lord, where am I falling short? Where am I not focusing on you?” And then God is able to come into your life and re-align it. He reminds us that without him, we are nothing. When we focus on God and allow him to be the source, everything else falls into place. Everything else just works out.
Only God can defeat a massive army with pitchers, torches, and horns. What is unique is not a sword was drawn from the Israelites. The Lord still moves and allows these people to fight themselves. As Christ believers, there are often times when we don’t have to defend ourselves because we have a Lord who can defend himself.
What is our calling? What is our duty? What are we on this earth for? Yes, it is to raise godly children. Yes, it is to be a godly husband and a godly wife and to focus our eyes on God and let everything else fall into place. But as you do that, it’s to proclaim and teach the Word of God. When you’re obedient to God, there will be times when you fall falt on your face, and there will be times that you will be able to see that the Lord allows you to partner with his Spirit to change someone’s eternity. We serve and pray to a God who is able to allow us to be a part of praying someone out of the depths of hell.
The reason the Israelites and the reason we are able to defeat such a massive enemy is that we serve an even greater God. How are you letting God equip you for battle? How is it you are ensuring in every area of your life you are saying, “Lord, I want to be equipped? I want to be prepared for the battle you called me to.”
Judges 7:23-25 (NLT)
23 Then Gideon sent for the warriors of Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh, who joined in chasing the army of Midian.
24 Gideon also sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down to attack the Midianites. Cut them off at the shallow crossings of the Jordan River at Beth-barah.” So all the men of Ephraim did as they were told.
25 They captured Oreb and Zeeb, the two Midianite commanders, killing Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. And they continued to chase the Midianites. Afterward the Israelites brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was by the Jordan River.
This crusty, purposeless loaf of barley named Gideon was used by the Lord and was equipped by God to defeat an army and do the will of God. God saw him as the godly, full-of-faith man he would become.
How does this apply to you? No matter the challenge that is in front of you, no matter the obstacle, and no matter how great your enemy is, we serve a God who will bring the enemy’s head to your feet. Not for you to be glorified. Instead, for you to say, “I am victorious on this mountain because I serve a God who is greater than anything on or in this world.”
Just like God sustained Gideon with the faith that he needed to be equipped for battle, he’s also called you to himself. He’s also waiting for you to come back to him (like Gideon did with an offering) so that he can equip you for the battles he has called you to overcome.