GIDEON OVERCOMES GREAT OBSTACLES TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS
SCRIPTURE: Judges 6, 7, 8
INTRODUCTION: Today, we study a man who becomes a man of might and valor, but only after rising from obscurity and overcoming severe handicaps. Gideon means “a cutting down,” which reminds us of his actions in destroying his father’s grove dedicated to the worship of Baal. No wonder they also called him Jerubbaal, meaning “Discomfiter of Baal.”
GIDEON’S HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
• His Family – Judges 6:25
This indicates that Gideon came from an ungodly family – one of the many thousands in Israel who worshiped Baal. The widespread practice of idolatry was the cause of God’s allowing Midian to oppress Israel. (Judges 6: 1 shows the direct correlation between Israel’s evil and God’s judgment.)
• His Finances – Judges 6: 15
Like virtually everyone else in the land, Gideon was in poverty (because of the oppression of the Midianites.)
• His Failure – Judges 6: 11
Gideon was just a poor farm worker, threshing wheat secretly, hoping the Midianites would not find it and take it away from him. At this point, Gideon was just a “nobody” – no prestigious family tree, and certainly no impressive past accomplishments.
• His Friends – Judges 7:3-6
We find here that when “the chips were down,” Gideon was surrounded by fearful and faithless people. There was no one else to inspire and motivate Gideon to be strong for God. This opens the subject of one of the most important human relationships–that of FRIEND! Think about the benefits of having a true friend and the great privilege of being a friend! The classic friend relationship in the Bible is that of David and Jonathan. You may wish to review this and consider what a blessing and help Jonathan’s friendship was to David. No doubt, about this time Gideon would have greatly valued a friend with the character of Jonathan!
• His Fear- Judges 6:11, 23, 27, 36-40
These verses indicate that Gideon was a fearful man. This makes the word of the angel of the Lord (v 12) all the more significant. Gideon, in his natural state, was anything but a mighty man of valor! (But God saw Gideon’s potential. Thank God, He can see what we cannot, even in our own selves!) Now–looking at these five facts about Gideon, his background, and the circumstances he faced, it would seem that he would never be a success at anything. BUT, when God comes on the scene with His power and enabling grace, the situation is drastically altered! Let us consider – – –
GIDEON”S EXPLOITS – Compare 6:1-7 with 7:24, 25
Notice first the pathetic condition of the Israelites – 6:7. They were in bondage to their Gentile oppressors. Vast hordes of the Midianites would come into the land, especially at harvest time, and spoil and destroy the increase of the land and leave nothing for Israel. The Israelites were helpless to defend themselves, hiding in caves, strongholds and mountain dens …. BUT THEN God called a man to lead in battle against a vastly superior host of the Midianites. The great victory God wrought through Gideon is recorded in Judges 7: 15-25. Gideon, then, became a man who freed a nation!
HE EXPLANATION OF GIDEON’S SUCCESS
How could such a miracle come about as we find accomplished through Gideon? There are at least three reasons:
• He Was Willing to Trust the Lord
The only logical explanation for Gideon’s success in the face of all the drawbacks and obstacles is that he had faith in God. (See Heb 11 :32 where we find Gideon listed among the heroes of the faith.) Please note that it is the object of our faith (God) rather than the amount of faith that is most important! Quite simply, Gideon succeeded because he was willing to do exactly what God told him to do. He was willing to put his fear in the background, forget about the failures of the past and the odds against him, and just follow God!
• He Was Willing to Go Against Conventional Wisdom
To say the least, Gideon’s approach was different! Who would have thought that surrounding the enemy with a mere 300 men, armed only with pitchers, lamps and trumpets, then breaking the pitchers and blowing the trumpets could defeat the mighty army of the Midianites!?! But this was the plan God gave Gideon, and he used it.
• He Was Willing to Stand Alone
We find in Judges 7:2-8 that many of the soldiers of Israel left Gideon! When God’s “down-sizing” program was completed, only 300 men were left to face the Midianite hordes, and Gideon was virtually alone.
In this day of apostasy and compromise, how we need men and women, and even young people, who will stand alone–stand for God and do what is right regardless of what the crowd is doing! The words of the Lord given through Moses in Ex 23:2 still need to be heeded today: “Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil….“
In summary, Gideon had the indispensable requirement for being a successful Christian worker: he was willing to trust the Lord instead of trusting his own judgment.