Wednesday, October 17, 2007

By Faith... the Judges, Part 4 of 62

TEXT: "And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets" (Hebrews 11:32).

IDEA: Gideon’s faith was shown by his willingness to go to battle with a very limited group of soldiers using very unconventional weapons.

PURPOSE: To help listeners understand why Gideon is singled out in Hebrews 11 for his faith.

What is the difference between being courageous and foolhardy?

I. Gideon was not a courageous man.

He was afraid when God first called him and he needed multiple assurances. He was afraid before going into battle against the Midianites and God assured him again by overhearing a conversation between Midianite soldiers.

It seems almost laughable that when he is first greeted by the angel of the Lord, the angel says, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” Do you think the angel was just buttering him up?

II. Gideon became a mighty warrior because in faith he served a mighty God.

To prove that God was a mighty God, Gideon is told to strip down his forces from 32,000 to 10,000, then from 10,000 down to 300.

He is told to attack, not with spears and a sword, but with trumpets and lamps and jars.

Gideon the coward became courageous because he got to the place where he realized that he had no choice but to trust God to give him the victory.

III. Gideon was not an example of great courage; he was an example of a man who gained great courage because he came to trust in a great God.