Jdg 9:22-40 God Sent an Evil Spirit Between Abimelech and the Men of Shechem

[Study Aired May 17, 2021]

Jdg 9:22  When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel, 
Jdg 9:23  Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: 
Jdg 9:24  That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren. 
Jdg 9:25  And the men of Shechem set liers in wait for him in the top of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and it was told Abimelech. 
Jdg 9:26  And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him. 
Jdg 9:27  And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech. 
Jdg 9:28  And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him? 
Jdg 9:29  And would to God this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out. 
Jdg 9:30  And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled. 
Jdg 9:31  And he sent messengers unto Abimelech privily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren be come to Shechem; and, behold, they fortify the city against thee. 
Jdg 9:32  Now therefore up by night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in wait in the field: 
Jdg 9:33  And it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early, and set upon the city: and, behold, when he and the people that is with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find occasion. 
Jdg 9:34  And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies. 
Jdg 9:35  And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from lying in wait. 
Jdg 9:36  And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, there come people down from the top of the mountains. And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as if they were men. 
Jdg 9:37  And Gaal spake again and said, See there come people down by the middle of the land, and another company come along by the plain of Meonenim. 
Jdg 9:38  Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou hast despised? go out, I pray now, and fight with them. 
Jdg 9:39  And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech. 
Jdg 9:40  And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the gate.

In the first part of Judges Chapter 9, we reviewed how Abimelech became king in Shechem and got the necessary resources from the men of Shechem to hire vain and light men to follow him. Instead of plural leadership, the people of Shechem chose Abimelech and the result was the slaying of the seventy sons of Gideon. However, God left a remnant by the name of Jotham, the youngest son of Gideon who proclaimed that fire would come from Abimelech and devour the men of Shechem and Millo and vice versa.

The review for today is the beginning of the fulfillment of this prophesy by Jotham that fire from Abimelech would consume the men of Shechem and Millo and vice versa.    

Jdg 9:22  When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel, 

Abimelech represents the old man within each of us. His reign of three years over us refers to the period in our lives where we are held in bondage by the dictates of the flesh, or the old man, even though we have started our journey with Christ. The three years therefore symbolize the fact that this period of the experience of evil in our lives is all part of the process of becoming spiritually complete through judgment.

Luk 13:31  The same day there came certain of the Pharisees, saying unto him, Get thee out, and depart hence: for Herod will kill thee.
Luk 13:32  And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.

This experience of evil when our old man dominates us is part of the perfecting process of the Lord as we walk with Him. We mature through judgment, and so God seeks for an occasion to judge us. In this case, He sends an evil spirit to precipitate the opportunity to judge us as follows:

Jdg 9:23  Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: 

As indicated in the previous review, the men of Shechem represent the churches or Babylon. This verse says that the purpose of God sending an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem was for the purpose of using the men of Shechem to deal treacherously with Abimelech. That is to say God causes a conflict between us (represented by Abimelech) and Babylon while we are in Babylon which forces us to leave Babylon with the purpose of gradually putting to death our old man. For our old man (Abimelech) cannot die while we are in union with Babylon. In other words, we cannot sing the Lord’s song in a strange land, so we must leave Babylon. On our own we cannot leave, and God sends an evil spirit to facilitate our exit through judgment so that our old man (Abimelech) can be dealt with treacherously.

Rev 18:4  And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

Psa 137:1  By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
Psa 137:2  We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
Psa 137:3  For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion.
Psa 137:4  How shall we sing the LORD’S song in a strange land?

What we have to bear in mind is that the conflict between Abimelech and the men of Shechem is one of God’s four judgments. The purpose of all judgments which the elect experience is to learn righteousness. Here God is using the sword as judgment to bring about His purpose. The sword, on a positive note, is the word of God. However, in this context, we are looking at the negative application of sword which includes the physical use of sword for the destruction of lives, false doctrines, bitter words against each other, lies, etc.

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Eze 14:21  For thus saith the Lord GOD; How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?

Jdg 7:22  And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.

1Sa 14:20  And Saul and all the people that were with him assembled themselves, and they came to the battle: and, behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture.

Eze 38:21  And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.

Zec 8:10  For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one against his neighbour.

Jdg 9:24  That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren.

The seventy sons of Jerubbaal (Gideon) represent the prophets in the Old Testament and our Lord Jesus Christ and His elect in the New Testaments. This verse is therefore another way of saying that the blood of the prophets and that of Jesus Christ will be required of this generation, which includes us. We are all therefore guilty for the killing of our Lord Jesus Christ as our old man (Abimelech) detests the reigning of our Lord Jesus in our hearts.

Luk 11:50  That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;
Luk 11:51  From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.

Jdg 9:25  And the men of Shechem set liers in wait for him in the top of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and it was told Abimelech. 

A mountain or mountain top signifies the place of worship, whether we are worshiping idols or Christ, as indicated by the woman at the well with Jesus.

Joh 4:19  The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
Joh 4:20  Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

What is being said here in this verse is that it is in the church (men of Shechem) that we are robbed by these false apostles who lie or deceive us.  These lies are what strengthen our old man.

2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
2Co 11:15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Jdg 9:26  And Gaal the son of Ebed came with his brethren, and went over to Shechem: and the men of Shechem put their confidence in him.

In our time in Babylon, we put our confidence in the “men of God” whose preaching caused us to be attracted to fleshly desires, making us worse off than when we started. According to Strong, the meaning of the name ‘Gaal’ is loathing. Loathing means hatred or intense dislike. Therefore in this verse, Gaal represents the leaders in the churches whose preaching promotes intense dislike for the truth of the word of God. What these men of God preach is of the world, and since we were worldly at that time of our lives, we put our confidence in them.

1Jn 4:5  They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them.
1Jn 4:6  We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.

Jdg 9:27  And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, and trode the grapes, and made merry, and went into the house of their god, and did eat and drink, and cursed Abimelech. 

The field means the world. “They went out into the fields” means that our walk during our time in Babylon was worldly as we loved pleasure more than the truth of God’s word. This verse is the same as what Peter said:

2Pe 2:12  But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction,
2Pe 2:13  suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you.
2Pe 2:14  They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children! (ESV)

Jdg 9:28  And Gaal the son of Ebed said, Who is Abimelech, and who is Shechem, that we should serve him? is not he the son of Jerubbaal? and Zebul his officer? serve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem: for why should we serve him? 

Gaal’s statement, “Who is Abimelech that the men of Shechem including himself should serve him” shows our mindset while we were in Babylon. We thought that we had the power to deal with our old man (Abimelech) and, therefore our sins, at our own discretion. This notion was based on the notion that as long as Christ died for our sins, we do not need to die and that our old man is already dead with Him. We did not consider that the old man only dies through God’s judgment of our sins. What this means is that we did not consider suffering as part of the ways that God deals with us.

We quoted Romans 6:6 as showing that Christ has already died for us as follows:

Rom 6:6  We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.
Rom 6:7  For one who has died has been set free from sin.
Rom 6:8  Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
Rom 6:9  We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him.
Rom 6:10  For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.
Rom 6:11  So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

We forgot that in verse 8 above, there is a caveat. All the verses above are dependent on verse 8 – that is, our old man is crucified only if we have died with Christ.  We die with Christ through suffering by filling up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in our flesh.

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

Jdg 9:29  And would to God this people were under my hand! then would I remove Abimelech. And he said to Abimelech, Increase thine army, and come out. 

All of us when we were in Babylon supported this spirit of the Nicolaitans. According to Strong, the word ‘Nicolaitan’ means to dominate. So the spirit of the Nicolatians is the spirit which makes us think we must dominate the children of God or rule over them instead of being a servant to the people of God. That was the spirit of Gaal and is the spirit of the leaders of Babylon who want the people of God to serve them instead of being their servants as Jesus stated.

Rev 2:6  But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

Mat 20:26  It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,
Mat 20:27  and whoever would be first among you must be your slave,
Mat 20:28  even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (ESV)

Apostle John also warned us of this spirit when he talked about Diotrephes who was dominating the church to which John wrote.

3Jn 1:9  I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.
3Jn 1:10  Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.

Again, in this verse, Gaal thought that he could easily deal with Abimelech by saying to him to increase his army and come out. Our old man, representing Abimelech, cannot be destroyed by our own self-will or effort or by our own timing. Everything is of the Lord, and He deals with our old man gradually through our fiery trials.

Rom 9:16  So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

Jdg 9:30  And when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the words of Gaal the son of Ebed, his anger was kindled. 

It is our own words which will serve as fuel for the destruction of the Babylon within each of us as we see Zebul angered by the words of Gaal. Outwardly, religious organizations (Babylon) are setting themselves up for their destruction by their own words. The destruction of Babylon is a looming disaster ready to happen, and it is not going to take long as we see how the world is heating up for the kingdom of this world to become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ.

Rev 18:5  For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.
Rev 18:6  Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double.
Rev 18:7  How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
Rev 18:8  Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.
Rev 18:9  And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning,
Rev 18:10  Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgment come.
Rev 18:11  And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:

Jdg 9:31  And he sent messengers unto Abimelech privily, saying, Behold, Gaal the son of Ebed and his brethren be come to Shechem; and, behold, they fortify the city against thee. 

As stated by Zebul, the words of Gaal end up fortifying the city against Abimelech. So the words we heard from Babylon fortified us against our old man’s destruction. In other words, our old man was strengthened by the words we heard in Babylon making it impossible for the old man to be destroyed while we were still in Babylon. This is spoken of by the Lord as follows:

Rev 9:3  And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

Rev 9:9  And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle.

Both the messengers and the hearers in Babylon are described as locusts with breastplates of iron. The fortification of the city is the same as the locusts with breastplates of iron.  What the breastplate of iron means is that, in Babylon, our hearts and minds are strengthened by the false doctrines we hear such that it is impossible for the truth of the words of God to penetrate into our hearts as our hearts and minds are like iron.

Jdg 9:32  Now therefore up by night, thou and the people that is with thee, and lie in wait in the field: 

Abimelech is being advised by Zebul to rise up in the night and lie in wait in the field. It is during the night that we are met by the woman who is dressed as a prostitute who seduces us causing our old man (Abimelech) to lie in wait in the field (the world) where we conform to the standards of the world.

Pro 7:9  in the twilight, in the evening, at the time of night and darkness.
Pro 7:10  And behold, the woman meets him, dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.
Pro 7:11  She is loud and wayward; her feet do not stay at home;
Pro 7:12  now in the street, now in the market, and at every corner she lies in wait.
Pro 7:13  She seizes him and kisses him, and with bold face she says to him,
Pro 7:14  “I had to offer sacrifices, and today I have paid my vows;
Pro 7:15  so now I have come out to meet you, to seek you eagerly, and I have found you.
Pro 7:16  I have spread my couch with coverings, colored linens from Egyptian linen;
Pro 7:17  I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
Pro 7:18  Come, let us take our fill of love till morning; let us delight ourselves with love.
Pro 7:19  For my husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey;
Pro 7:20  he took a bag of money with him; at full moon he will come home.”
Pro 7:21  With much seductive speech she persuades him; with her smooth talk she compels him.

Jdg 9:33  And it shall be, that in the morning, as soon as the sun is up, thou shalt rise early, and set upon the city: and, behold, when he and the people that is with him come out against thee, then mayest thou do to them as thou shalt find occasion. 

The morning signifies the time that the daystar (Jesus) comes to us, and His coming is with judgment for what we have done in the night. It is the period that God finds an occasion to judge us with the view of learning righteousness. In this story, God is using Abimelech as the instrument to judge the men of Shechem and vice versa. That is what it means by every man’s sword shall be against his brother.

2Pe 1:19  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:

Eze 38:21  And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.

Zec 8:10  For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one against his neighbour.

Jdg 9:34  And Abimelech rose up, and all the people that were with him, by night, and they laid wait against Shechem in four companies.

It is while we are in darkness as a result of the night that Christ prepares for our judgment using all His resources (four companies).

Rom 5:8  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Jdg 9:35  And Gaal the son of Ebed went out, and stood in the entering of the gate of the city: and Abimelech rose up, and the people that were with him, from lying in wait. 
Jdg 9:36  And when Gaal saw the people, he said to Zebul, Behold, there come people down from the top of the mountains. And Zebul said unto him, Thou seest the shadow of the mountains as if they were men. 

In the absence of the light of Christ, we are engulfed in darkness, and we cannot see properly. In other words, we were not given eyes to see and ears to hear. That was what happened to us while we were in Babylon because we were experiencing the night of our lives. This situation is just like the story of the blind man who was touched first by Jesus, and as a result, he could see men as trees. However, after another touch by the Lord Jesus, he was able to see clearly. We all were seeing “men of God” as trees to go under their shade to rest from the scorching sun, but after having received mercy from the Lord, He touched us again, and so we are seeing clearly now.

Mar 8:22  And he cometh to Bethsaida; and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him.
Mar 8:23  And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.
Mar 8:24  And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.
Mar 8:25  After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.

In verse 36, although Gaal saw men coming down from the top of the mountains, he chose to believe the lies of Zebul that he was actually seeing the shadow of the mountains. What we are being told here is that even though sometimes we stumbled on the truth during our time in Babylon, we did not believe the truth but rather chose to believe the lies of our “men of God.”  The reason we believed in their lies instead of the truth at that time was simply because God had sent us strong delusion to believe in lies.

2Th 2:9  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12  That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

Jdg 9:37  And Gaal spake again and said, See there come people down by the middle of the land, and another company come along by the plain of Meonenim. 
Jdg 9:38  Then said Zebul unto him, Where is now thy mouth, wherewith thou saidst, Who is Abimelech, that we should serve him? is not this the people that thou hast despised? go out, I pray now, and fight with them.

When we start to see clearly, then it means that judgment is about to begin in our house. In essence, that was what Zebul told Gaal when he started seeing clearly that people were coming down by the middle land, and another set of people were coming by the plain of Meonenim.

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.
1Pe 4:13  But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

His glory being revealed in verse 13 is our eyes seeing and our ears hearing the words of the Lord.

Jdg 9:39  And Gaal went out before the men of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech. 
Jdg 9:40  And Abimelech chased him, and he fled before him, and many were overthrown and wounded, even unto the entering of the gate. 

The fighting between the men of Shechem, led by Gaal and Abimelech, is the fire which Jotham prophesied will consume the men of shechem and Abimelech for not dealing truly and sincerely with Gideon and his house.

Jdg 9:19  If ye then have dealt truly and sincerely with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, then rejoice ye in Abimelech, and let him also rejoice in you:
Jdg 9:20  But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the house of Millo; and let fire come out from the men of Shechem, and from the house of Millo, and devour Abimelech.

This fire is the fighting between the men of Shechem and Abimelech which represents one of God’s four sore judgments which is the sword. As stated, being judged by the sword includes physical fighting, bitter words that people (including family members) say about us to others or say to us directly, misunderstanding between family members, etc.

1Sa 14:20  And Saul and all the people that were with him assembled themselves, and they came to the battle: and, behold, every man’s sword was against his fellow, and there was a very great discomfiture.

Eze 38:21  And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother.

Zec 8:10  For before these days there was no hire for man, nor any hire for beast; neither was there any peace to him that went out or came in because of the affliction: for I set all men every one against his neighbour.

We will conclude this story of Abimelech’s fight with the men of Shechem next week.

[Author may be contacted at abarnes (at) semfinancial.com]

Jdg 8:1-21 – Gideon and the Three Hundred Men with Him Were Fainting but yet Pursuing

[Study Aired April 19, 2021]

Jdg 8:1  And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? And they did chide with him sharply. 
Jdg 8:2  And he said unto them, What have I done now in comparison of you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer? 
Jdg 8:3  God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison of you? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that. 
Jdg 8:4  And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing them. 
Jdg 8:5  And he said unto the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me; for they be faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian. 
Jdg 8:6  And the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thine army? 
Jdg 8:7  And Gideon said, Therefore when the LORD hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers. 
Jdg 8:8  And he went up thence to Penuel, and spake unto them likewise: and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered him. 
Jdg 8:9  And he spake also unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower. 
Jdg 8:10  Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the east: for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword. 
Jdg 8:11  And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host: for the host was secure. 
Jdg 8:12  And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued after them, and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the host. 
Jdg 8:13  And Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle before the sun was up, 
Jdg 8:14  And caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and enquired of him: and he described unto him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, even threescore and seventeen men. 
Jdg 8:15  And he came unto the men of Succoth, and said, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom ye did upbraid me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thy men that are weary? 
Jdg 8:16  And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth. 
Jdg 8:17  And he beat down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city. 
Jdg 8:18  Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king. 
Jdg 8:19  And he said, They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother: as the LORD liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you. 
Jdg 8:20  And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth. 
Jdg 8:21  Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels’ necks. 

In chapter 7 of Judges, we saw the victory of Gideon and his men over the Midianites. In this victory, Gideon and his men did not do any fighting. They just stood still at the outskirts of the camp of the Midianites and blew trumpets and broke the earthen jars with lamps in them. This is to let us know that our victory is dependent on what God does and not what we do. In spite of this victory, some of the enemies slipped away, and so there was the need to pursue them so that nothing that breathes survives. In our struggle to have our heavens cleansed, we have to depend on God to thoroughly dismantle everything that breathes.  Any inclination to resist the cleansing of all that offends in our heavens will come to haunt us later in our walk with Christ and may derail our goal of receiving the reward.

Deu 20:16  But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:

The first part of chapter 8 under review is about how the slippery enemies were captured and put to death by Gideon and his three hundred men.

Jdg 8:1  And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? And they did chide with him sharply. 

The men of Ephraim accused Gideon fiercely for not involving them at the very onset of the war with the Midianites. In other words, the men of Ephraim were accusing Gideon of thinking he could take on the Midianites alone. That is another way of saying that Gideon was lifting himself above the congregation of God just like the accusation levelled against Moses by Korah and the two hundred and fifty princes of the people of Israel.

Looking at this accusation from the surface, it makes sense that Gideon should have involved them earlier, but God sees the intent of the heart and therefore did not allow Gideon to bring them on board. In another similar situation, Aaron and Miriam also accused Moses of thinking that the Lord only speaks through him. Within us, the old man, powered by the devil without, sometimes accuses us as follows: “Do you think you are an overcomer? Do you think you are better than the other people of God and that God speaks through you? You fall far short of the apostle Paul and the others who served God, so stop wasting your time in thinking you can take on the beast.” Such accusations from within can be very depressing, and if not countered with the word of God, we find ourselves disillusioned, thinking we cannot achieve such high standards required by God. However, my brothers and sisters, all the overcomers ahead of us had weaknesses just like us.  They trod where we are treading.  Therefore let us not lose our confidence which has a great reward. Such accusations at least suggest that we are doing something right!!

Outwardly, such rebellion or accusations are common in our gatherings, but this is all of the Lord so that those who are approved may be manifested among us.

Num 16:1  Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men:
Num 16:2  And they rose up before Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown:
Num 16:3  And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?
Num 16:4  And when Moses heard it, he fell upon his face:

Num 12:2  And they said, Hath the LORD indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it.

Heb 10:35  Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. 

1Co 11:19  For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

Jdg 8:2  And he said unto them, What have I done now in comparison of you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?
Jdg 8:3  God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison of you? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that. 

As God’s elect, we must always pursue the way of peace by considering others better than ourselves. In saying that what they (Gideon and his men) achieved was small in comparison with what the men of Ephraim did is another way of saying that we should not think of ourselves more highly than we ought to and that God has given us different gifts according to His own purpose.

Rom 12:3  For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
Rom 12:4  For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function,
Rom 12:5  so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.
Rom 12:6  Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;
Rom 12:7  if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching;
Rom 12:8  the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

Jdg 8:4  And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing them. 

This verse is to make us aware that we should be relentless in our pursuit to get rid of the enemies within. We should not allow anything that has breath to remain in our heavens.

Deu 20:16  But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth:

What we need to notice here in this verse is that Gideon and his men were pursuing the enemies even though they were weary. One of the effects of the challenges we face in this live is that we get weary, and therefore we need the nourishment of the Lord to sustain us. Apart from battles we engage in which sap our energy, we also suffer wear and tear from the tribulations we go through in this life as Jesus plainly told us that in this world we will have tribulations. What nourishes us is the word of God.  That is why we are admonished to come together regularly to charge our batteries with the word of God.

Mal 3:16  Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.

Heb 10:25  Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

This search for nourishment is what led Gideon and his men to encounter the men of Succoth as follows:

Jdg 8:5  And he said unto the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me; for they be faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian. 
Jdg 8:6  And the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thine army? 

As we can see, what we need to nourish us in this life is the word of God as represented by loaves of bread requested by Gideon. According to Strong, Succoth means booths. The word booth means a small temporary tent. Our bodies of flesh represent this temporary tent or booth. So the men of Succoth stands for people of this world who are not called or chosen. The people of this world do not see us as saviors of the world now as we have not been perfected yet.  As this story suggests, there are still pockets of resistance by the enemies within us (signified by Zebah and Zalmunna) that we need to overcome before we are perfected.

According to verse 6, the people of Succoth refused to assist Gideon and his men simply because they do not see them as overcomers as long as Zebah and Zalmunna have not been captured.

As you are aware, creation (the whole world) is waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God who will be the instruments God will use to deliver them from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.  However, the people of the world do not even know that what they are looking for are the sons of God, the elect. The fact that creation is still longing for the sons of God to be revealed means that our brothers and sisters in Babylon (the church system of this world), who parade themselves now as sons of God, are NOT!!  Since the world, represented by men of Succoth, does not see us as overcomers, it is beyond their imagination to even consider us as those they are waiting for to be manifested as sons of God.

Rom 8:19  For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.
Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
Rom 8:21  Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.

Jdg 8:7  And Gideon said, Therefore when the LORD hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers. 

Gideon’s response to the men of Succoth is very insightful. In other words, what Gideon is basically saying is that the dying of the old man, represented by Zebah and Zalmunna, is a prerequisite to being manifested as sons of God in the first resurrection. That is when we will sit in judgment to judge the people of the world (tear their flesh) to correct them using their sins and their false doctrines (thorns and briars).  We know from scriptures that what will be is what has been. When the Lord glorified Joseph, a type of the elect, Joseph used his brothers’ false doctrine of “hell” to torment and correct them until the death of their father, Jacob. What happened to Joseph’s brothers is what will happen to the people of the world.

Jer 2:19  Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

Ecc 1:9  The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. 

Gen 42:21  And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.
Gen 42:22  And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required.

Jdg 8:8  And he went up thence to Penuel, and spake unto them likewise: and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered him. 
Jdg 8:9  And he spake also unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower. 

After Gideon and his men were refused any assistance from the men of Succoth, they went to Penuel. According to Strong, Penuel means ‘face of God’. So what this means is that Gideon and his men, after being rejected by the world, went to those who seek the face of God, that is Babylon (the church system of this world), to request assistance, and they were also refused. This is also to make us aware that the church system of this world does not also recognize us as overcomers. However, in the fullness of time, when our obedience becomes complete, that is when they will see the true sons of God manifested for their salvation.

In verse 9, Gideon said that when he comes in peace, he will break down their tower. Coming in peace here means being manifested as sons of God. Breaking down their tower is destroying their false doctrines or the idols of their hearts which block out the light of the glorious gospel of Christ. So verse 9 means that we will be used by the Lord to destroy the idols of the heart of Babylon.

2Co 10:6  And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

Eze 14:4  Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I the LORD will answer him that cometh according to the multitude of his idols;

Jdg 8:10  Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the east: for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword. 

According to Strong, Zebah means ‘sacrifice’ and Zalmunna means ‘shade has been denied’. The place these enemies were stationed was called Karkor which means ‘foundation’. Now, there were fifteen thousand men who were with Zebah and Zalmunna. The number fifteen thousand is 15x10x10x10. The first time the number fifteen was used in the word of God was during the flood that swept away the people living on the earth with the exception of Noah and his family. The depth of the water was 15 cubits upwards. This water is the water of death, and therefore the number fifteen represents the false doctrines in the heavens of our flesh. So putting verse 10 together with verse 9, what is being said here is that the foundation or the basis (Karkor) of being an overcomer is to sacrifice or burn out (Zebah) these false doctrines (fifteen thousand men) or the shade that has been denied (Zalmunna) from our heavens.

Gen 7:20 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.

The latter part of verse 10 says that a hundred and twenty thousand men of the Midianites that drew sword were already dead. In this case, the drawing of sword by these men represents a negative application of the use of the word ‘sword’. In other words, the swords of these men symbolize false doctrines which mitigates against the true word of God. This confirms the fact that the fifteen thousand men left also represent false doctrines. This verse is to affirm that our victory over the old man is achieved little by little and not all at once less we become prone to deception again.

Exo 23:29  I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.
Exo 23:30  By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.

Jdg 8:11  And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host: for the host was secure. 

Here Gideon went by the way of them that dwell in tents as he and his men were preparing to wage war against the Midanities. So what does it mean to go by the way of them that dwell in tents? The answer is in Hebrews 11:8-10 as follows:

Heb 11:8  By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
Heb 11:9  By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.
Heb 11:10  For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. (ESV)

So from these verses we see that going by way of them that dwell in tents means walking by faith. The only way we can win this battle against the old man is if we walk by faith. When God called Abraham, he did not know how things will turn out, and it was faith which carried him through. ‘For without faith, it is impossible to please God for whoever comes to God must believe that He exists and that He is a rewarder of them that seek him diligently.’ Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and became the father of many nations. In a similar pattern, against all the hopeless situations we are encountering, let us believe that our God will see us through to inherit the promise of the purchased possession.

Rom 4:18  Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
Rom 4:19  And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb:
Rom 4:20  He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
Rom 4:21  And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
Rom 4:22  And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

We need to know that it is not how we can conjure ourselves to believe. We used to do that in times past, but through the scriptures, we have come to know that even this faith is of the Lord and not us. We do not need to believe big things to demonstrate our faith. Jesus said that if our faith is like a mustard seed (one of the tiniest of seed) we can move mountains. That means we can achieve the impossible with the little faith God has given to us!! If we cannot believe God that He will take care of us on a daily basis (that means the things that we see), then we cannot have faith to believe in inheriting the promise (that means things not seen) of overcoming the old man or the flesh!! So let’s not look at ourselves and ask, “Where can we get the faith to believe like Abraham?” That is equivalent to asking, “Who shall ascend into heaven to bring down Christ?” That faith we need is right within each of us!!

Rom 10:6  But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above
Rom 10:7  Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
Rom 10:8  But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;

Jdg 8:12  And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued after them, and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the host. 

As indicated earlier, we need to continually ask God to destroy everything within us that offends or breathes. That is what it means for Gideon and his men to continue the pursuit of the Midianites, represented here by their two kings, Zebah and Zalmunna. The reason we are not to allow any pocket of sin in our lives is that it will be like leaven that will leaven us to go after another Jesus and so sin against our God.

Deu 20:16  But of the cities of these people, which the LORD thy God doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth: 
Deu 20:17  But thou shalt utterly destroy them; namely, the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee: 
Deu 20:18  That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the LORD your God.

Jdg 8:13  And Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle before the sun was up,

Gideon returning from the battle victorious before the sun was up means that we must put to death the old man before the new man after the image of Christ (He is the sun) is birthed in our lives. Outwardly, this verse is assuring us that our victory over the flesh will be completed before our Lord Jesus (representing the sun) comes in His glory to make the kingdoms of this world to be the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, the elect. We will not be left as half-baked believers.

Mal 4:2  But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

Rev 12:10  And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Jdg 8:14  And caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and enquired of him: and he described unto him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, even threescore and seventeen men. 

To understand who this young man represents, let’s look at two instances in the word of God where God used young men to send messages to His elect. Let’s start with David as follows:

2Sa 1:1  Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag;
2Sa 1:2  It came even to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance.

2Sa 1:4  And David said unto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, That the people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.

2Sa 1:13  And David said unto the young man that told him, Whence art thou? And he answered, I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite.

In this case, God used an enemy (an Amalekite) of David to let him know of the death of Saul. There is another witness where God used another young man to let Moses know that he is not alone but that He has other messengers in the camp.

Num 11:27  And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. 
Num 11:28  And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them. 
Num 11:29  And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the LORD’S people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit upon them! 

So a young man represents those who might not necessarily be believers who convey God’s message to His elect. In our lives, we have encountered many people who did not know the Lord but spoke to us in a way that echoes the direction God wanted us to take at that time. From hindsight, we can clearly see the hand of God in what they said to us. In the case of Gideon, what is significant about what the young man told him? The young man gave Gideon the description, the list and the number of the princes in Succoth, which was 77. To understand what this number represents, let’s observe what Jesus told Peter about forgiveness.

Mat 18:21  Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?”
Mat 18:22  Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times. (ESV)

From this dialogue we can see that the number 77 and multiples of it represent forgiveness. So what the young man was telling Gideon was that even though the princes of Succoth were mean to Gideon and his men, Gideon, representing the elect, must forgive them. In other words, the elect should be merciful to all men as a result of the mercy we have received from God. For our God desires mercy, not sacrifice, and mercy triumphs over judgment.

Hos 6:6  For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

Jas 2:12  So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty.
Jas 2:13  For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Jdg 8:15  And he came unto the men of Succoth, and said, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom ye did upbraid me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thy men that are weary? 
Jdg 8:16  And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth. 
Jdg 8:17  And he beat down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city. 

Verse 16 indicates that when we are manifested as overcomers, we will judge the world as Gideon judged the princes of the city of Succoth. The thorns and briars symbolize the false doctrines in the mind of people of the world which prevents them from the glorious light of the gospel of Christ and as a result, they sin against God. So their own sins (their false doctrines) will be used to correct them. As indicated earlier, Joseph used the false doctrine in the mind of his brothers to judge them.

Jer 2:19  Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

As shown earlier, the people of Penuel represent the Babylonian system. The tower of the Babylonian system is their false doctrines which will be destroyed from their heavens in the lake of fire age.

Jdg 8:18  Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king.

Verse 18 is to show us that we, the elect, are no different from anybody else. It is just by the mercies of God that we were penciled to become overcomers before the foundation of the world. So we can say that Zebah and Zalmunna represent the beast within every human being born of a woman whose agenda is to render us spiritually dead, that is slay us. In the case of the elect, God ensures that in their lives here on earth, they come to see that they themselves are beasts, but for the others, they will see this beast later.

Ecc 3:18  I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

The fact that Zebah and Zalmunna’s victims resemble children of a king means that unless we test the spirit to see if they are of God, we will end up being victims of Zebah and Zalmunna as many parade as children of a king when indeed they are false prophets.

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Jdg 8:19  And he said, They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother: as the LORD liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you. 

In verse 19, we are given the reason why we should be relentless in defeating the Midianites of our lives, as their victims are all spiritually dead. Gideon told Zebah and Zalmunna that if their victims are alive, then there is no need for any war, but because all their victims are spiritually dead, we need to destroy them from our lives, otherwise we will end up becoming their victims.

Jdg 8:20  And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth. 

As explained in this verse, Jether’s inability to slay Zebah and Zalmunna, who represent higher principalities in our heavens, was because he was still young. Being young spiritually is not about age but depends on the level of maturity we exhibit in handling the word of God. As we start this journey out of Babylon, we are classified as youth in the handling of the word of God as shown by Jether’s inability to draw his sword. Being unable to draw a sword is the same as being incapable of testing the spirit to see if it is of the Lord.

Verse 20 also tells us about another characteristic of being youthful in the things of God – the fear factor. Jether was afraid of Zebah and Zalmunna. Nevertheless, the word of God says that God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind. As we look at the world today, everything looks gloomy. Economies are crumbling, social structure is disintegrating in the name of greed, racism, hate crimes, etc. Many of us are therefore fearful of what is going to happen to us, our children and grandchildren. But wait a minute!! Do we have to fear what is going to happen to planet earth? No!! As God’s elect, we need not fear because God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble.

2Ti 1:7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Psa 46:1 To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. 
Psa 46:2  Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
Psa 46:3  Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah. 
Psa 46:4  There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

In Psalm 46, one of the reasons we are not to fear is that there is a river where the streams thereof make glad the city of God. This river is of course the word of God which makes people who belong to the city of God or the New Jerusalem (the elect) glad!! As long as our eyes are seeing and our ears are hearing, we are swimming in this river which will lead us to the New Jerusalem!!

Psa 27:1  A Psalm of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? 
Psa 27:2  When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. 
Psa 27:3  Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. 
Psa 27:4  One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple.
Psa 27:5  For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.

The Psalmist says that one thing he desired of the Lord is to dwell in the house of the Lord. To dwell in the house of the Lord is being in Him, and when we are in Him, He is also in us. So what we must desire above all else in these fearful times is for our Lord to make His habitation in us.  That is the antidote to our fears as the Psalmist suggests.

Jdg 8:21  Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels’ necks. 

Finally, Zebah and Zalmunna were put to death by the sword of Gideon. This is to assure us that what our Lord starts, He is able to finish!!  Again, our Lord will not leave us as half-baked elect. He will bring us to maturity in the fullness of time!

We need to take note of what Gideon did after slaying the kings.  He removed the ornaments on their camels’ necks. These ornaments are gold, as shown in verse 26.

Jdg 8:26  And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels’ necks.

On a positive note, the removing of the ornaments of gold from their camels’ necks is another way of saying that the little knowledge of the truth (gold ornaments) with which God has endowed the church shall be taken away from them and given to the elect.

Mat 13:12  For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

On a negative note, the removing of ornaments of gold from their camels’ necks signifies our covetousness of worldly mammon which makes us think that gain is godliness. We will delve into this aspect next week as we look at the second half of Judges 8.

1Ti 6:6  But godliness with contentment is great gain.
1Ti 6:7  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 
1Ti 6:8  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
1Ti 6:9  But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 
1Ti 6:10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Jdg 7:1-25: The People are too Many for Me to Give the Midianites into Their Hands

[Study Aired April 12, 2021]

Jdg 7:1  Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley. 
Jdg 7:2  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 vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. 
Jdg 7:3  Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. 
Jdg 7:4  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, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. 
Jdg 7:5  So he brought down the people unto 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 boweth down upon his knees to drink. 
Jdg 7:6  And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. 
Jdg 7:7  And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place. 
Jdg 7:8  So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley. 
Jdg 7:9  And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand. 
Jdg 7:10  But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host: 
Jdg 7:11  And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host. 
Jdg 7:12  And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude. 
Jdg 7:13  And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along. 
Jdg 7:14  And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.
Jdg 7:15  And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian. 
Jdg 7:16  And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers. 
Jdg 7:17  And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do. 
Jdg 7:18  When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. 
Jdg 7:19  So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands. 
Jdg 7:20  And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. 
Jdg 7:21  And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled. 
Jdg 7:22  And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath. 
Jdg 7:23  And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites. 
Jdg 7:24  And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites, and take before them the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan. 
Jdg 7:25  And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan. 

This chapter is divided into three components: the selection of those who were going to war against the Midianites, God’s assurance of victory over the Midianites and the defeat of the Midianites. In order to understand this chapter, we need to understand what the Midianites represent.

In an earlier review, it was shown that the Midianites represent the false doctrines which make us focus on receiving our full reward while living here on earth.  Therefore, we end up fixing our attention on the cares of this life, and so when the word of God is sown in our lives, it is choked and does not bear any fruit.

Mat 13:22  He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

The Selection of Those to Wage War

Jdg 7:1  Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley. 

It was at the well of Harod that the Israelites under Gideon gathered in preparation for the battle against the Midianites who were in a nearby valley by the hill of Moreh. ‘Harod’ means ‘fear’, and the well represents the word of God. So it is through the word of God that we learn the fear of the Lord.  The fear of the Lord makes us walk in His ways, causing us to love Him and serve Him with all our heart and soul. As a result, our Lord causes our enemies within and without to fear us, making us victorious in our walk with Him.

Deu 10:12  And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,

Deu 11:25  There shall no man be able to stand before you: for the LORD your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath said unto you.

It is important to note that the Midianites were gathered on the north side of the Israelites. This is to show us that the Midianites were instruments God was using to judge them as out of the north comes judgment. So the false doctrines (the Midianites) we have imbibed in our heavens serve as fuel for God’s judgment in our lives. The result of this judgment is that we learn righteousness or the fear of the Lord.

Jer 1:14  Then the LORD said unto me, out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land.

Jer 10:22  Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a den of dragons.

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Jdg 7:2  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 vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.

This verse is telling us that God does not want any flesh to glory in His presence. That is why God chooses the stupid things of this world to confound the wise who think that their own decisions are responsible for their current status. One of the false doctrines that makes us think our own hands have saved us is the doctrine of man’s free will. God clearly says in His word that it is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs, but of God that shows mercy. Romans 8:21 says that the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly. All these verses of scriptures make it clear that we do not have our own free will to make decisions but that everything is of the Lord.

1Co 1:26  For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
1Co 1:27  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1Co 1:28  And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
1Co 1:29  That no flesh should glory in his presence.

Rom 9:16  So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.

Rom 8:20  For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,

Therefore, it is God who chooses who should come to serve him and who is not blessed to serve him in this life. Those who are blessed to be chosen are those who are selected to wage war with the flesh. These are those who get caught in their sins now but those who are not part of the elect are those whose sins do not show up until later.

1Ti 5:24  Some people get caught in their sins right away, even before the time of judgment. But other people’s sins don’t show up until later. (CEV)

This is how God chooses the stupid things of this world:

Jdg 7:3  Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. 

The total number of those who had gathered to battle the Midianites were thirty-two thousand. In the Book of Chronicles, the same number of warriors (32,000) got themselves ready to wage war. So this number symbolized those who are responding to calls to wage war against the old man or the flesh. However, it is one thing to be called to wage war against the flesh, but it is another thing to follow up this call to start engaging the enemy in battle.

1Ch 19:7  Thirty-two thousand troops, as well as the king of Maacah and his army, came and camped near Medeba. The Ammonite troops also left their towns and came to prepare for battle.

One of the ways that separate those who actually engage the enemy in battle from those who are called but never pursue the enemy is the fear factor. In verse 3, those who are fearful and afraid were allowed to return home, and as a result, twenty-two thousand people left. The question is, “what does it mean to be fearful and afraid?” To be afraid or fearful means we regard ourselves as being incapable to drive the enemies (false doctrines, fleshly desires, etc.) from our land as we cannot think of life without them. We therefore try to stone those who are urging us to let these false doctrines, desires, etc. go. That was what happened to Caleb and Joshua as the Israelites almost stoned them.

Num 14:6  And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:
Num 14:7  And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land.
Num 14:8  If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey.
Num 14:9  Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not.
Num 14:10  But all the congregation bade stone them with stones. And the glory of the LORD appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Israel.

The consequence of refusing to start this war is that we end up worshiping the beast saying, “Who is like the beast or can make war with the beast?” We are the fearful and afraid at certain periods of our walk with Christ when we are being called out of Babylon but we do not think we have what it takes to come out of the wilderness of Babylon to confront the giants (our false doctrines, desires and addictions) within us.

Rev 13:4  and they worshiped the dragon who had given its authority to the beast. They also worshiped the beast and said, “No one is like this beast! No one can fight against it.”

Jdg 7:4  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, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. 

Verse 4 emphasizes the point once again that it is the word of God (represented by water) that separates the sheep from the goat. It also makes us aware that it is God who chooses who should wage this war in this life and who should not. This is to make us aware that our will does not play a part in God’s salvation.

Jdg 7:5  So he brought down the people unto 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 boweth down upon his knees to drink.
Jdg 7:6  And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. 

Those who scooped up water in their hands and lapped represent those who test the spirit to see if it is from God because false prophets have gone out into the world. They do this by comparing spiritual with spiritual. The number of those who were selected was three hundred. The number 300 = 3x10x10. The number three signifies the process of spiritual completion through judgment, and the number ten stands for the completion of the flesh. Thus, the number three hundred stands for those who are in the process of being judged to become spiritually complete in this life (flesh).

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

1Co 2:13  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

Those who bow down on their knees to drink water are those who have no discernment and just take in whatever is thrown at them without testing the spirit to see if it is of God. They are the foolish Galatians who have been bewitched so they cannot obey the truth. At a certain stage of our walk with Christ, while we were in Babylon, we were those who bowed down on our knees to drink water of the great swelling words emanating from the traditions of man’s wisdom to pollute our heavens. In this way, we behaved just like the Israelites who were ready to stone those who told them that they could overcome the giants in the land.

Gal 3:1  O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?

2Pe 2:18  For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.

Jdg 7:7  And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.

As indicated, the three hundred men are those who are in the process of being judged to become spiritually complete in this fleshly life. These are the people that are able to wage war against these false doctrines in our heavens represented by the Midianites and remove them from their land.

Jdg 7:8  So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.

This verse reflects the giving of food and other resources of those sent away to the three hundred men who were going to wage war with the Midianites. Spiritually, this is the same as saying that those sent away were made disobedient so the elect will be shown mercy. In other words, the food and other resources meant for those turned away were given to those going to wage the war. Later on, they will also be given the food and other resources (will be shown mercy) by the three hundred warriors who have received mercy in this life.

Rom 11:30  For as ye in time past were disobedient to God, but now have obtained mercy by their disobedience,
Rom 11:31  even so have these also now been disobedient, that by the mercy shown to you they also may now obtain mercy.
Rom 11:32  For God hath shut up all unto disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all.

Assurance of Victory over the Midianites

Jdg 7:9  And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand. 
Jdg 7:10  But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host: 
Jdg 7:11  And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host.

Our Commander in Chief, our Lord Jesus Christ, knows how to motivate us to wage war against the flesh as we engage in this long drawn-out war with the old man or the flesh. Without assurance of victory, we may likely draw back and concede that there is no way we can win this war, just as the whole world think that this war cannot be won. This is because we may be discouraged at some points in our walk due to the intensity of the battle. That is why we are admonished that we should never draw back but walk in faith.

Heb 10:38  Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.
Heb 10:39  But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

Our Lord is always assuring us of this victory throughout the word of God.  For example, when Joshua and the Israelites were getting ready to fight Jericho after crossing the Jordan River, Joshua had an encounter with the Lord who assured him of victory as follows:

Jos 5:13  And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?
Jos 5:14  And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant?
Jos 5:15  And the captain of the LORD’S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.

Of course, the captain of the Lord’s host is Jesus our Lord, and if He is for us who can be against us? All that the Lord requires from us based on this encounter with Joshua is that we should loose our shoes from off our feet as we are standing on a holy ground. That means that we should change from our old ways of walking with Him as we get to know Him. Standing on a holy ground means our eyes are seeing and our ears are hearing the word of God.

We have been assured, just like Gideon and Joshua, throughout the word of God that victory is ours. Thus, we are not to retreat or surrender but move forward always even if the situation seems like we are losing the fight!!

As long as we see the Ark of the Covenant being carried by the priests, we are to move on. This was the command Joshua, representing Christ, told the elect (the officers) to tell the Israelites. The Ark of the Covenant represents Christ who is the word of God, and the carrying of this Ark by the priests signifies the elect who speak and walk according to the word of God. So, as long as our eyes are seeing and our ears are hearing the word of God, we must move on irrespective of our failures, which includes the sins which easily beset us, our addictions, etc., and victory will definitely be ours!!

Jos 3:2  And it came to pass after three days, that the officers went through the host;
Jos 3:3  And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it.
Jos 3:4  Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.

As we follow the Ark, there must be a space of two thousand cubits. This means that as we are understanding the word of God, we must always be conscious of not neglecting the testing of the spirit to see if it is of the Lord by comparing spiritual with spiritual. Two thousand cubits space can be broken down as: 2000 =2x10x10x10. This means that as fleshly beings (number 10), we must always remember to have a witness (signified by number 2) concerning the word of God which is the Ark.

Jdg 7:12  And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude. 

The Midianites, the Amalekites and the children of the East are described here as grasshoppers for multitude because they are without number, and they enter into the land to destroy it. According to Strong, grasshoppers and locusts are the same. From Revelation 9:3, we read that these locusts come out of the smoke from the bottomless pit (our sea of flesh). The smoke that darkens the sun and the air are the false doctrines which keep us from seeing the light of Christ. The locusts therefore are the product of our darkness which further deepens our darkness as they cover the earth bringing the land in darkness. That is, this oppression of the Midianites in our lives sends us into more darkness, blocking us from seeing the light of the glorious gospel of Christ. We all, at a certain period of our lives, have encountered their effects in our lives.

Rev 9:2  And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.
Rev 9:3  And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

Exo 10:13  And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.
Exo 10:14  And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such.
Exo 10:15  For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt.

2Co 4:4  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Jdg 7:13  And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along. 
Jdg 7:14  And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.
Jdg 7:15  And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian. 

As indicated, our Lord allowed Gideon to hear what the enemies were discussing to assure him of victory as promised by the Lord. The cake of barley bread that tumbled into the host of the Midian and into the tent typifies the fiery word of God which destroys our false doctrines (the Midianites) from our tents which is our hearts and minds. This is confirmed in verse 14 when one of the Midianites said that the cake of barley bread is the sword of Gideon, which is the word of God.

Eph 6:17  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

The Defeat of the Midianites

Jdg 7:16  And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers. 

The dividing of the three hundred men into three companies signifies that the defeat of the enemies in our lives is done little by little just as the trials we face in our lives are carried out little by little, less we faint.

Exo 23:29  I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.
Exo 23:30  By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.

Rev 8:8  And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;

Rev 8:10  And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;

Rev 9:15  And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.

The trumpet in the hands of those selected to fight symbolizes the need for the elect to sound the alarm for us to wage this war against the old man. The empty pitchers with the lamps within the pitchers represent the treasure, which is the lamp (the word of God) in our earthen vessels (pitchers).

2Co 4:7  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

Jdg 7:17  And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do.

In this verse, Gideon represents Christ, and as our Chief Commander, we are to look up to Him and follow Him by doing what He did while walking here on earth.

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

Jdg 7:18  When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.

One of the things that our Lord Jesus did while walking here on earth is that He warned us of this impending war with the old man. That is what it means to blow the trumpet as we see Gideon instructing the people with him to blow the trumpet after him. In His dialogue with the disciples, Jesus was always warning them of this war as follows:

Joh 12:25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

To love your life means you are not ready for war.  The process of losing your life is this war we are talking about.

Joh 2:13  And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem,
Joh 2:14  And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:
Joh 2:15  And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables;

This war is the clearing of our temple of all that offends as Jesus did.

Joh 2:18  Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?
Joh 2:19  Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

Again, the destroying of our temple is what this war is about. Our old man representing this temple must be destroyed before the new man comes.

Jdg 7:19  So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands.
Jdg 7:20  And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.

This call to war against the flesh (blowing of trumpets) is about the breaking of pitchers.  To break the pitchers means that the beast within is being taken and destroyed. It is only when it is destroyed that the lamp, which is the word of God or Christ concealed within us, begins to shine forth in our lives. So the breaking of the pitchers signifies the dying of the old man and the simultaneous birth of the new man after the image of Christ.

2Pe 2:12  But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;

The weapon we need to win this war is the sword of the Lord and of Gideon as proclaimed by the warriors. The sword is the fiery word of God which is a consuming fire and is able to burn into ashes all our false doctrines, additions, fleshly desires and our self-righteousness.

Heb 12:29  For our God is a consuming fire.

Deu 4:24  For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.

Jdg 7:21  And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled. 
Jdg 7:22  And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man’s sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.
Jdg 7:23  And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites. 

Although we are called to wage war against the enemies within, we do not do it by our own strength.  The battle is the Lord’s!! Our God fights our battles for us. The scriptures have demonstrated in several places that it is the Lord who fights our battles for us, and all we have to do is to desire His righteousness above all else as we stand still to see the salvation of the Lord. Standing still therefore means having confidence in the Lord that what He has started in us, He is able to finish!! There is also this element of patience as we stand still to see the salvation of the Lord, for without patience we cannot inherit the promises.

Deu 20:4  For the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.

Exo 14:13  And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever.
Exo 14:14  The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

Heb 10:35  Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.
Heb 10:36  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

Did the Israelites have to do anything to defeat the Egyptians? The answer is absolutely, “No!!” If victory depends on us, then who can be saved? Incidentally, this was the question that the disciples asked Jesus when He told them about the requirement for an overcomer.

Mat 19:23  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 19:24  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
Mat 19:25  When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
Mat 19:26  But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

The rich man here is you and me who trust in our own righteousness.  In other words, he thinks it is within our means to become righteous. This is contrary to those who are poor in spirit, that is, those who come to realize that they are the worse sinners.

Jdg 7:24  And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites, and take before them the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan.
Jdg 7:25  And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan.

Our victory inspires others to also join this fight and win this war of the flesh as demonstrated by the men of Ephraim joining the war when Gideon and his warriors started winning the war. It was through the men of Ephraim that the two princes of Oreb and Zeeb were captured and killed. In a similar vein, the victory of David over Goliath inspired the Israelites to go after the Philistines and victory became theirs.

1Sa 17:50  So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.
1Sa 17:51  Therefore David ran, and stood upon the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith. And when the Philistines saw their champion was dead, they fled.
1Sa 17:52  And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou come to the valley, and to the gates of Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way to Shaaraim, even unto Gath, and unto Ekron.

May the Lord help us to win this war and so inspire others to also overcome the flesh!!

[Study Aired April 5, 2021]

Jdg 6:25  And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take thy father’s young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it: 
Jdg 6:26  And build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down. 
Jdg 6:27  Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father’s household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night. 
Jdg 6:28  And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built. 
Jdg 6:29  And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they enquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing. 
Jdg 6:30  Then 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 grove that was by it. 
Jdg 6:31  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 whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar. 
Jdg 6:32  Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar. 
Jdg 6:33  Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel. 
Jdg 6:34  But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him. 
Jdg 6:35  And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who also was gathered after him: and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them. 
Jdg 6:36  And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, 
Jdg 6:37  Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said. 
Jdg 6:38  And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. 
Jdg 6:39  And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. 
Jdg 6:40  And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground. 

The first half of Judges Chapter 6 deals with the oppression of the Midianites and the calling of Gideon by the Lord to wage war against them. Before we can wage any war in our heavens, we must have an encounter with Christ. This encounter with Christ means that our eyes begin to see and our ears begin to hear the word of God. That is the same as seeing Jesus face to face. That is when we are assured that we shall not die. In other words, we are not going to be hurt by the second death, which is the lake of fire.

Jdg 6:22  And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face.
Jdg 6:23  And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.

Rev 20:6  Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

The second part of Chapter 6 which we are reviewing today has to do with further preparations that we need in order to start this war with the old man or the flesh.

Jdg 6:25  And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Take thy father’s young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it:

It is while we are still in darkness that Christ comes to us to lead us to the way of peace. Gideon was instructed by the Lord to take the second bullock, who was young, and one seven years old to offer a burnt offering to the Lord. The first bullock is Adam, and the second bullock is Christ who was offered at a young age for our sins. The bullock being seven years old means that the bullock is complete in the sense that it was without spot or wrinkle. That is another attribute of Christ that made His sacrifice acceptable to God. As indicated, the first bullock is Adam or us who are earthy and cannot be used as a burnt offering for our sins.

It is only when we take hold of this second bullock (come to know Christ) that we can overthrow all the false doctrines which have permeated our heavens, signified by the altar of Baal and the grove by it, which represents the goddess Asherah.

Exo 29:10  And thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought before the tabernacle of the congregation: and Aaron and his sons shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock.
Exo 29:11  And thou shalt kill the bullock before the LORD, by the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Exo 29:12  And thou shalt take of the blood of the bullock, and put it upon the horns of the altar with thy finger, and pour all the blood beside the bottom of the altar.

1Co 15:45  And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
1Co 15:46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
1Co 15:47  The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
1Co 15:48  As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
1Co 15:49  And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

Jdg 6:26  And build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this rock, in the ordered place, and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou shalt cut down. 

The altar to be built for the Lord must be on top of a rock, which is Christ. The foundation upon which we offer ourselves must be based on Christ or the word of God. Anything else means we are laying a foundation on sand which will tumble down when the winds blow and the rain and the floods come. The winds, the rain and the floods represent our judgment.

1Co 3:11  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Mat 7:26  And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:
Mat 7:27  And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

It is the wood of the grove that is used as fuel for the burnt offering. This is another way of saying that it is our own sins which serve as fuel to burn all the chaff within us, making us able to present ourselves as living sacrifices to God. So God uses our own sins to correct us.

Jer 2:19  Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the LORD thy God, and that my fear is not in thee, saith the Lord GOD of hosts.

Jdg 6:27  Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father’s household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night. 

The number 10 signifies the completion of the flesh. Gideon taking ten men to destroy the altar of Baal and the grove is an indication that he was yet carnal when he decided to destroy the altar of Baal. This is confirmed by his fear of his father’s household and the men of the city. The fact that the demolition of the altar was carried out in the night also attests to the fact that Gideon was not out of the woods of darkness yet.  He had started the journey to come out of darkness into His marvelous light, but he was not there yet. Scriptures say that the fear of man is a snare in the sense that such fear are like traps which lead us into darkness.

Pro 29:25  The fear of man bringeth a snare: but whoso putteth his trust in the LORD shall be safe.

Jdg 6:28  And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was built. 
Jdg 6:29  And they said one to another, Who hath done this thing? And when they enquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing. 
Jdg 6:30  Then 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 grove that was by it. 

These verses speak of the hatred we experience when we start our journey out of Babylon. Jesus warned us of this hatred when He said that we will be hated of all nations for His name’s sake. There are several reasons why we are hated. In this case, they wanted to put Gideon to death because he had cast down the altar of Baal and cut down the grove by it. Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing he received from his father, and Joseph’s brothers hated him because their father loved him more. In all cases, the underlying issue here is what the woman at the well revealed to Jesus during their dialogue. That is, in leaving Babylon we are saying, just like the woman at the well, that the New Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship God instead of the mountains (Jerusalem which is) where our brothers and sisters are worshiping.

Mat 24:9  Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
Mat 24:10  And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Mat 24:11  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:12  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
Mat 24:13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

Gen 27:41  And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.

Gen 37:4  And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.

Joh 4:20  Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

Thanks be to God who always delivers us from those who hated us.

2Sa 22:18  He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me: for they were too strong for me.

In Gideon’s case, God used his father to come to his rescue as follows:

Jdg 6:31  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 whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself, because one hath cast down his altar. 
Jdg 6:32  Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar. 

What Joash said to the people who wanted to kill Gideon is the same as what Gamaliel said when the Sanhedrin wanted to kill the apostles for preaching in the name of Christ. “Let Baal plead” for himself is another way of saying that if what Gideon has started is of the Lord, it shall stand and nothing can withstand it, but if it is of man, then definitely it will not stand. As we encounter issues in our walk with Christ, let us be guided by this truth. That is, whatever is of the Lord shall stand (means it will be for our good), and whatever is of man’s origin shall not stand. We are all going through a lot, whether sickness, relationship gone sour, putting food on our table, loneliness, etc. However, in all of these, we are more than conquerors. It will work for our good!!!

All those who have gone before us (the elect) have also had their fair share of what we are going through. For example, Paul went through periods of loneliness and neglect apart from the physical beatings he endured. However, in the end he was able to overcome.  We also shall overcome!!

Act 5:33  When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.
Act 5:34  Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee, named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles forth a little space;
Act 5:35  And said unto them, Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves what ye intend to do as touching these men.
Act 5:36  For before these days rose up Theudas, boasting himself to be somebody; to whom a number of men, about four hundred, joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought to nought.
Act 5:37  After this man rose up Judas of Galilee in the days of the taxing, and drew away much people after him: he also perished; and all, even as many as obeyed him, were dispersed.
Act 5:38  And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought:
Act 5:39  But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God.

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Jdg 6:33  Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel.

Both the Midianites and the Amalekites are related to the Israelites. The Midianites were descendants of Abraham’s son Midian, and the Amalekites were descendants of Jacob’s brother’s (Esau) grandson.

The term “children of the east” seems to have been applied to the inhabitants of any part of the country East of Palestine. It is stated that Jacob, when he fled from Esau, “came to the land of the children of the east” (Gen 29:1), and the place to which he came was Haran in Mesopotamia. It was from there that Jacob had his wives Leah and Rachel.

Therefore, the children of the East are also related to Israel. What is being pointed out here is that these enemies are fleshly related to Israel. In other words, this war is about the enemy within us or our flesh. Collectively, these enemies are called the old man, the flesh, the beast, etc.

Gen 29:1  Then Jacob went on his journey, and came into the land of the people of the east.

Gen 29:4  And Jacob said unto them, My brethren, whence be ye? And they said, Of Haran are we.

Gen 29:9  And while he yet spake with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep: for she kept them.

It is important to note that these enemies pitched their tent in the valley of Jezreel. According to Strong, the name Jezreel means “God will sow”. The question is, “What does God sow?” Remember that the parable of the sower says that the sower is Christ who went out to sow. Of course what he sowed was the word of God, and it is sown in our hearts and minds. Therefore, the place where all these enemies have gathered for battle is our hearts and minds. This battle is the same as the war in our heavens in Revelation 12:7 where Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. The outcome of this war in our heavens is that the dragon and his angels (the enemies within) will prevail not and neither will their place be found anymore in heaven (Rev 12:8). This outcome should give us confidence and hope that we will win the war of our heavens!!

Mat 13:3  And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;

Rev 12:7  And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
Rev 12:8  And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
Rev 12:9  And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Jdg 6:34  But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him. 

The Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and as a result, he blew the trumpet to gather his people for battle. As Jesus taught us, the words He speaks are spirit. Thus, another way of saying that the Spirit of the Lord came on Gideon is that Gideon’s eyes of understanding concerning the word of God were enlightened. So verse 34 means that when we start seeing and our ears start hearing, that is the time that we declare war on the enemies in our heavens by blowing the trumpet. As indicated in an earlier review, blowing a trumpet may signify a call to gather or a call to war. In this case, blowing of the trumpet by Gideon was a call to gather and also a call to war.

Joh 6:63  It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

Num 10:1  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Num 10:2  Make thee two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them: that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps.
Num 10:9  And if ye go to war in your land against the enemy that oppresseth you, then ye shall blow an alarm with the trumpets; and ye shall be remembered before the LORD your God, and ye shall be saved from your enemies.

When Gideon blew the trumpet, the Abiezrites gathered after him. The Abiezrites were the descendants of Abiezer, the son of Gilead. Joash and Gideon were members of this clan, and Gideon describes the Abiezrites, as “the weakest in [the tribe of] Manasseh.” This is to confirm to us the characteristics of those whom God is selecting as the elect to wage war with the enemy within.

Jdg 6:15  And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.

In the Book of Samuel, the elect are described as follows:

1Sa 22:2  And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.

Are you in distress? Are you in debt? That is, do you feel you owe God so much because of your sins? Are you discontented with your current state in terms of being poor in spirit? If your answer is yes, then you are heading toward the right direction with God!! The reason God is choosing such people is that He does not want any flesh to glory in his presence.

Paul also described the qualification of those God is selecting as follows:

1Co 1:26  For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
1Co 1:27  But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
1Co 1:28  And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:
1Co 1:29  That no flesh should glory in his presence.

Jdg 6:35  And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who also was gathered after him: and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them. 

Gideon sent messengers to specific tribes of Israel to come wage war against the Midianites. Our Lord Jesus Christ (representing Gideon) is sending messengers (His elect) to the following tribes of God’s people (Israel) to wage war against the flesh – those from Manasseh, Naphtali, Asher and Zebulun. We can know what these tribes represent if we get to know the blessings Jacob pronounced on these tribes in Genesis 49.

Manasseh: The tribe of Manasseh came out of Joseph, as Manasseh was the son of Joseph, and so the blessing proclaimed to Joseph is also relevant to Manasseh. Joseph or Manasseh is described as being the target of an archers’ attack, who shot him and harassed him severely. However, he was made agile by the hand of the Lord. Archers are the propagators of false doctrines who are Satan’s messengers. So what this means is that we have to come to realize that we are those whose heavens are the target of all false doctrines, and as a result, we have defiled our heavens with these false doctrines.  So it is only those who recognize that their heavens have been defiled by these false doctrines who are being called by the Lord to wage this war against the false doctrines (Midianites). We are assured that the Mighty one of Jacob will come to our aid and fight our battles for us.

Gen 49:22  “Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a spring; his branches run over the wall.
Gen 49:23  The archers bitterly attacked him, shot at him, and harassed him severely,
Gen 49:24  yet his bow remained unmoved; his arms were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob (from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel),
Gen 49:25  by the God of your father who will help you, by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that crouches beneath, blessings of the breasts and of the womb.

Zebulun: It is said in Genesis 49:13 that Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea. It is at the shore of the sea that we see the beast rise from the sea. So those who are being called to wage this war against the flesh are those who have seen who the beast is – that is you and me. Without seeing the beast, there is no way we can wage war against it.

Gen 49:13  “Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon.

Rev 13:1  And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

Asher: This tribe is described as having his food (bread) rich (fat). Our food being rich means that we have the true word of God. So those who are being called to wage this war against the flesh (Midianites) are those who have started knowing the truth of God’s words, that is, their eyes are seeing and their ears are hearing.

Gen 49:20  Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.

Naphtali: These represent those who are being set loose from the clutches of Babylon (worldly church system) and have the word of truth. These are those who are being called to wage the war.

Gen 49:21  Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.

The Sign of the Fleece

Jdg 6:36  And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, 
Jdg 6:37  Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.
Jdg 6:38  And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. 
Jdg 6:39  And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. 
Jdg 6:40  And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground. 

Gideon’s test to assure himself of God’s hand in his life in delivering his people from the Midianites signifies the unveiling of God’s plan of salvation for the elect and for the world at large. A fleece is the woolly covering of a sheep or a soft warm fabric with a texture similar to sheep’s wool. It is therefore the covering of a sheep, and so this speaks of our righteousness in Christ which comes to the elect (His sheep) through the fiery word of God represented here by the dew of heaven.

Now the first test of Gideon was for the fleece to be soaked with dew and the earth remaining dry. This signifies that salvation (being clothed with Christ’s righteousness through the word) first comes to His elect, and it is through the elect that the whole of the earth will be saved (the dew will also fall on the earth, the second test). So that was what Gideon’s test teaches us – that is the elect being saved first in this life. Later, they will be used by the Lord to save the world.

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
1Co 15:23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.
1Co 15:24  Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

So what Gideon’s test was trying to prove was whether God will save the world (represented by the Israelites) through His elect (Gideon’s hands).

Verse 38 says that after squeezing the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water was obtained. This is to make us aware that those whom God is redeeming now to become saviors of the world must know the full counsel of the word of God and be able to rightly divide the word. Our bowl (our hearts and mind) must be full of water (the word of God) and not half full.

Oba 1:21  And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD’S.

Hi Mike,

I have a question about Gideon. When he prepares the offering to the angel of the Lord, he first prepares the meat and then the unleavened bread and then pours the broth into a pot. The angel then tells him to put the meat and bread on the rock, then says to pour the broth over it, then the angel sets it on fire which means he’s purging it. What I want to know is, what is the broth, and what is the point of pouring it over the bread and meat in Jdg 6:19-22?

Thank you,
J____

Hi J____,

Thank you for your question, and thank you for being with us each Sunday. You ask me what the broth is that God instructs Gideon to pour out over the bread and meat.

Jdg 6:20 And the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay [ them] upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so.

The first thing we need to remember is that we ‘live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God’.

Mat 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

These instructions to Gideon are spoken by “the angel of the Lord” and are therefore “proceeding out of the mouth of God.”

Jdg 6:12 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.

This tells us that “the broth” is poured out on us as we present our bodies as a “living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is our reasonable service.”

Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

The “reasonable service” is better translated as “reasonable divine service” as the Concordant Literal Version and most other versions have it.

Rom 12:1 I am entreating you, then, brethren, by the pities of God, to present your bodies a sacrifice, living, holy, well pleasing to God, your logical divine service,

So when we see Christ on the cross, we should see ourselves there with Him, and when we see Him as an offering of any kind, we too, should think of ourselves as an offering being made to God with Christ. After all we are plainly told:

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

Christ is to be living His life of sacrifice within us. That makes us “as He is… in this world.”

Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what [ is] the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Rom 6:3  Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
Rom 6:4  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: n evertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

If ‘Christ lives in me’ then I really am “as He is in this world.” I am a “living sacrifice.”
So what does all of this have to do with the broth that Gideon poured out over his offering to “the angel of the Lord.”

The broth is the water in which the meat of the offering was cooked. So, if we are “as He is” then we too, are prepared to be presented to the Lord in the boiling broth of the offering.  What is it that we are in when we “present our bodies a living sacrifice to God?” We are in the broth. What is this water in which we are being cooked in preparation of service to God. It is the fiery word of God which is also referred to as a fiery sword and a fiery commandment

Gen 3:24  So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
Deu 33:2  And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them.

But God’s Word is also called “water,” and it is this “water of God’s word” which cleanses and purifies us, just as the fire cleanses us.

Joh 7:38  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,

Christ tells us that His words are spirit:

Joh 6:63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

I hope this has answered your question. The broth that was poured out over the meat and the bread is the word or spirit of God by which we are “sanctified and cleansed.”
God bless your desire to know the things of the Spirit.

Your brother in Christ,

Mike