After Gideon had been tested the first time, God spoke to him again and told him to go against the Midianites. But, before this happened God told Gideon to bring the number of people down by some tests. The tests are not the important thing, what is important is that when it is finished there only 300 men to go against so many Midianites (135,000) that Gideon was afraid because he still was not trusting God. This is one of the most important lessons we need to learn in understanding God’s principles of spiritual warfare. God doesn’t just want us to be victorious, but the greatest principle is learning to trust Him. If we become more self-reliant or self-sufficient by our victories, we are learning the wrong lesson and it will ultimately lead to disastrous results. God commands Gideon to get ready for battle, but strengthens his faith by allowing him to hear a conversation between two Midianite soldiers stating that they were going to be defeated by Gideon. It is sad that Gideon did not believe the promise of God, but believed it when he heard the soldiers talking. What will it take for us to believe what God has said and take Him at His word?
Judges 7:2,9-15 And the LORD said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me. 9’It happened on the same night that the LORD said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand. 10 “But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant, 11 “and you shall hear what they say; and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outpost of the armed men who were in the camp. 12 Now the Midianites and Amalekites, all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude. 13 And when Gideon had come, there was a man telling a dream to his companion. He said, “I have had a dream: To my surprise, a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian; it came to a tent and struck it so that it fell and overturned, and the tent collapsed.” 14 Then his companion answered and said, “This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel! Into his hand God has delivered Midian and the whole camp.” 15 And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel, and said, “Arise, for the LORD has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.”
HAVE YOU READ YOUR BIBLE TODAY? HERE IS TODAY’S DAILY BIBLE READING- WWW.HISLOVEMINISTRIES.NET – 4/16 Judges 7–8, Luke 11:37–12:12, Psalm 66:1–8
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