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 Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. “I had a dream,” he was saying. “A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.”

.¹⁴ His friend responded, “This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.”

¹⁵ When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.” (NIV)

Many of the miracles in Scripture are miracles of timing. Gideon could not have arranged his arrival for the exact moment when one man was relaying the details of a significant dream to another. This was out of his hands, but the Lord set it up nicely for his benefit,

Not only does God know when we need encouragement, and what we need; He may actually surprise us with the type and level of encouragement He supplies.

Warren Wiersbe makes this comment about the dream, and its aftermath: ‘Since barley was a grain used primarily by poor people, the barley-cake image of Gideon and his army spoke of their weakness and humiliation…It’s significant that Gideon paused to worship the Lord before he did anything else…Before we can become successful warriors, we must first become sincere worshippers.’

Again we can marvel that God ”…God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.  God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are,  so that no one may boast before him.” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29)

Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. ⁹ During that night the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. ¹⁰ If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah ¹¹ and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp. ¹² The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore. (NIV)

The enemy forces were vast (11), and God had reduced the army of Israel to 300. On paper, they were hopelessly outnumbered. But once more the Lord assured Gideon of victory (9).

How good of God to deal gently and kindly with our fears. He knows just the form of encouragement we need, and ensures that we receive it. Gideon got just what he needed, when he needed it.

”As a father has compassion on his children,
    so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
 for he knows how we are formed,
    he remembers that we are dust.” (Psalm 103:13,14)

”He remembered that they were but flesh,
    a passing breeze that does not return.” (Psalm 78:39)

‘…the Holy Spirit devoted an entire chapter of the New Testament – Hebrews 11 – to the victories of faith won by ordinary people who dared to believe God and act upon His promises.’ Warren Wiersbe

We can thank God that He ”gives endurance and encouragement” (Rom.15:5)

My heart, O God, is steadfast,
    my heart is steadfast;
    I will sing and make music.
⁸ Awake, my soul!
    Awake, harp and lyre!
    I will awaken the dawn.

⁹ I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
    I will sing of you among the peoples.
¹⁰ For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
    your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

¹¹ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
    let your glory be over all the earth. (NIV)

One manifestation of a ”steadfast” heart is in evidence when someone can say ”I will” and then do it. Although David was in a ”cave” when he wrote this Psalm, he was definite in his commitment to get up early and to be a person of praise; to be a witness in his worship. This was his personal response to God’s ”great” ”love” and ”faithfulness” (10).

Selwyn Hughes pointed out that although we cannot choose all of our circumstances, we do get to choose our ‘inner-stances’: the attitude(s)/posture(s) we adopt.

I recall a very powerful line from a powerful television drama, about a simple kit-man for Stoke City Football Club. He said, ‘I wanted to be happy, so I decided to be!’

Question: Where do I need to say, ‘I will’, and then follow through?

 “It’s urgent that you listen carefully to this: Anyone here who believes what I am saying right now and aligns himself with the Father, who has in fact put me in charge, has at this very moment the real, lasting life and is no longer condemned to be an outsider. This person has taken a giant step from the world of the dead to the world of the living.

^25-27 “It’s urgent that you get this right: The time has arrived—I mean right now!—when dead men and women will hear the voice of the Son of God and, hearing, will come alive. Just as the Father has life in himself, he has conferred on the Son life in himself. And he has given him the authority, simply because he is the Son of Man, to decide and carry out matters of Judgment.

^28-29 “Don’t act so surprised at all this. The time is coming when everyone dead and buried will hear his voice. Those who have lived the right way will walk out into a resurrection Life; those who have lived the wrong way, into a resurrection Judgment. (The Message)

Jesus’ claim to be one with God the Father was explosive, and the Jews understood that He was claiming equality with God. That’s why they accused Him of blasphemy. Jesus’ oneness with the Father was seen, not only in His working on the Sabbath, but in sharing the Father’s prerogatives of Judging and giving life.

‘Life’ is one of John’s repeated themes. Jesus is ”the life” (John 14:6), and He imparts ”life”. I believe there are two senses in which we can experience this:

a.) Jesus raises people from the dead spiritually now. He is sovereign in giving ”eternal life” – ”real, lasting life”. This is a wonderful miracle. When you receive the life Jesus gives it can feel as if you have never lived before. Someone put it like this: ‘Previously, my life was in black and white; but after becoming a Christian, everything was in glorious technicolour!’ I attended a funeral where the son of the deceased, in his eulogy said, ‘My father was a Christian and believed in internal life!’ Indeed he did. I knew him well ‘Internal life’ starts with the new birth, in which the life of eternity is planted deep in the soul;

b.) One day He will raise all people from the dead. But they will not all share the same destiny. It is faith in Jesus that makes the difference (24). Jim Packer pointed out that in the Bible justification is by faith, but judgment is according to works, because the works reveal the reality of faith, or its absence.

I remember, as a young teenager, walking with my dad and uncle to visit my grandad’s new grave in a Lancaster cemetery. I’m sure they felt the pain and sadness of it, as did I. But I also recall the cheerful conversation initiated by my Uncle. He said, ‘Wouldn’t you just love to knock on the cemetery superintendent’s door and say, ‘Sir, do you realise that one day every grave here will open and every dead person come out?!!’ The ashes of my dad and uncle are now buried in that same cemetery, but I am grateful that I can affirm:

‘I believe in…the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

Amen.’

‘The partition thins between this world and the world to come, or
the next or the other world. On the other side of the partition
the dead are living. As one grows older some of the dead grow
more alive, more essentially themselves. One loves them more. As
the next world grows more distinct, this one becomes, not more
vague, but more strange.’ Wendell Berry

 “But you haven’t seen the half of it yet, for in the same way that the Father raises the dead and creates life, so does the Son. The Son gives life to anyone he chooses. Neither he nor the Father shuts anyone out. The Father handed all authority to judge over to the Son so that the Son will be honoured equally with the Father. Anyone who dishonours the Son, dishonours the Father, for it was the Father’s decision to put the Son in the place of honour. (The Message)

In order to honour God we must honour Jesus. The truth is, our attitude to God is bound up with our attitude to Jesus. To reject Jesus is to reject God. Some people want a form of religion/spirituality – want a god – but they do not want Jesus. But Jesus made it clear that the only way anyone can approach God is through Him (John 14:6). There is no other way.

”No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.” (1 John 2:23)

The Jews ‘…in fact…were blind. They didn’t realise that Christ was indeed equal with God. Therefore, they refused to honour Christ. They said, ”We honour only God.” But Jesus told them, ”He who does not honour the Son does not honour the Father.” It’s the same among men: whenever we dishonour a man’s son, we dishonour the man himself.’ Tom Hale

So Jesus explained himself at length. “I’m telling you this straight. The Son can’t independently do a thing, only what he sees the Father doing. What the Father does, the Son does. The Father loves the Son and includes him in everything he is doing. (The Message)

Someone observed that all Jesus’ movements were ‘according to a divine timetable.’ Isn’t this part of the reason why ” Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” (Luke 5:16)? His earthly ‘ministry’ flowed out of communion with His Father. The Father showed Him what to say, what to do, where to go, who to be with. During those three years, our Lord did not do everything; He did not meet every single need in Israel. But He did walk in step with the Father.

I am convinced that this is a vital key to effective Christian service: i.e. consistent communion with God. ‘Deep calls to deep’, and deep within we know it. I cannot think of one biography of a pastor/missionary/Christian leader I have read, where prayer was not their heartbeat. They followed Jesus into the ”lonely places” and prayed.

‘The measure of the worth of our public activity for God is the private profound communion we have with God.’ Oswald Chambers.

Chambers also said, ‘If you have ever prayed in the dawn you will ask yourself why you were so foolish as not to do it always: it is difficult to get into communion with God in the midst of the hurly-burly of the day.’

I once heard about a missionary, greatly used by God. Someone asked him. ‘What is the secret of your success?’ He replied, ‘I watch what God is doing and go and join Him.’

Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. ² The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ ³ Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.

⁴ But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”

⁵ So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.” ⁶ Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.

⁷ The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.” ⁸ So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others. (NIV)

”Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.” (1 Sam 14:6b)

Here are some key ingredients for ‘success’ in spiritual leadership:

1. A leader who listens to God;
2. A leader who does what God says, no matter how counter-intuitive or crazy it seems; no matter how much it goes against the grain. We need to be able to hear from God with clarity, and then step out with God in courage;
3. God must be in control of the whole enterprise;
4. God must get all the glory. The reason the Lord wanted Israel’s army reduced was because He didn’t want them boasting that they’d won the battle in their own strength (2). ”“You have too large an army with you. I can’t turn Midian over to them like this—they’ll take all the credit, saying, ‘I did it all myself,’ and forget about me.” (The Message).

‘Victories won because of faith bring glory to God because nobody can explain how they happened. ”If you can explain what’s going on in your ministry, ” Dr. Bob Cook used to remind us, ”then God didn’t do it.” When I was serving in Youth for Christ, I often heard our leaders pray, ”Lord keep Youth for Christ on a miracle basis.” That meant living by faith.’ Warren Wiersbe

‘When we rely upon organization, we get what organization can do; when we rely upon education, we get what education can do; when we rely upon eloquence, we get what eloquence can do. And so on. But when we rely upon prayer, we get what God can do.” A. C. Dixon

PRAYER: In our churches, lives and ministries, Lord, cause us to move in your power and live in your miracles.

 Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised— ³⁷ look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said.” ³⁸ And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew—a bowlful of water.

³⁹ Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece, but this time make the fleece dry and let the ground be covered with dew.” ⁴⁰ That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew. (NIV)

When I was a young Christian, in my teen years, I would often hear other believers talk about ‘putting out a fleece’ when seeking guidance. Of course, they got the idea from the story of Gideon. At the time it seemed to make sense. But as the years went by, I eventually heard voices saying, ‘No, this is not a good idea’, and I came to understand that Gideon’s ‘fleece’ was evidence of a lack of faith. Warren Wiersbe articulates the issue well:

‘The phrase ”putting out the fleece” is a familiar one in religious circles. It means asking God to guide us in a decision by fulfilling some condition that we lay down. In my pastoral ministry, I’ve met all kinds of people who have gotten themselves into trouble by ”putting out the fleece.” If they received a phone call at a certain hour from a certain person, God was telling them to do this, or if the weather changed at a certain time, God was telling them to do something else.

”Putting out the fleece” is not a Biblical method for determining the will of God. Rather, it’s an approach used by people like Gideon who lack the faith to trust God to do what He said He would do. Twice Gideon reminded God of what He had said (6:36-37), and twice Gideon asked God to reaffirm His promises with a miracle. The fact that God stooped to Gideon’s weakness only proves that He’s a gracious God who understands how we are made (Ps.103:14). Who are we to tell God what conditions He must meet, especially when He has already spoken to us in His Word? ”Putting out the fleece” is not only an evidence of our unbelief, but it’s also an evidence of our pride. God has to do what I tell Him to do before I’ll do what He tells me to do!’

In all of this, however, let’s not lose sight of the precious truth that our God is real, alive, vocal and active! He speaks; He acts; and He does guide His people in many mysterious and wonderful ways.