“And you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”
Judges 6:16b
Gideon was already aware of the unprecedented victory that God would give him over the Midianite army. Nevertheless, he had to learn the way that God works. At first, Gideon thought that if he could muster as many men as possible, rallying all Israel to join him in battle against Midian, God would back them up. He was possibly remembering the way that God acted in Joshua’s time where even in the presence of one, thousands fled. Maybe he thought that God would use the same strategy. But on this particular occasion, the Lord decided to use a different way. This was going to require a much greater level of faith as well as a stronger reliance on the Lord.
The great army that he managed to bring together of about 32,000 men was reduced to merely 300 men. Of these, 22,000 had returned home because of fear, while the other 9,700 were rejected because they were not battle-ready and lacked strength of heart. They had demonstrated this while drinking water from the river; only a handful of men showed true ability. The reason why these 300 men were found worthy to remain was because they were ready to carry out with diligence, all that God had entrusted them to do. They proved it by the way they drank the water, lapping it from cupped hands rather than putting their faces into the river. In this way they showed they were constantly alert and in touch with their surroundings.
Gideon did not do anything extraordinary in order to gain the victory. All he did was obey and believe. What were the weapons he used? They were nothing special, just empty jars of clay, trumpets and torches. The empty clay jars represent the weakness, and brokenness in our lives. God wants empty jars. He wants none of our own strength or efforts , just a completely empty jar, a life that is broken in surrender before God. The torch represents the fire of the Spirit, or the flame of the Word, which is the power that God gives to strengthen our lives. The trumpet represents the proclamation or spoken word, because through words, divine truths are proclaimed. Gideon said, “…Do as I do” (Judges 7:17).
The secret to Gideon’s victory can be found in the fact that all of the men were all on the same wavelength. They waited for God’s timing and then took action, winning the victory! They waited until midnight when the guards were being changed. Then, they blew the trumpets, broke the jars and shouted “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” The Holy Spirit used this proclamation to throw the enemy into confusion, leading to their complete destruction. There was such confusion in the Midianite camp that they began killing each other, and Gideon emerged victorious.
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
Pastor John E. once shared with me about one of the most difficult inner-battles he faced on the way to his first missionary experience. “I had been invited to minister to eminent leaders in the Christian world. While going to the airport, my thought was, ‘Who am I in comparison to these tremendous leaders? They have much more experience than I do and they have a lot more to show for their ministry than I do.’ However, God gave me the answer prophetically through you, Pastor Castellanos, when you said, ‘My son, there are people who are better than you, and more experienced. But I have chosen you because your heart is faithful.’ Those words brought healing and encouragement to my life, and I felt much more secure in what I was doing.
TODAY’S DECLARATION
“I will complete every step of the Vision, because it brings growth to my ministry.”
Today’s post is an excerpt from Pastor Cesar Castellanos’ book, Declarations of Power for 365 Days of the Year: Volume One.
TODAY’S BIBLE READING
- Old Testament: Deuteronomy 32; Psalms 70
- New Testament: Matthew 28:1-10; Romans 15:14-33
