We return to the book of Judges this morning. Chapter 7. There are three chapters that are devoted to Gideon and the Lord's work in him and through him. Gideon has fought his first battle. He has taken on the idolatry of false worship and the worshipers and he's taken on some of his own doubts and fears. Now he's entering the second battle. He has to take on the Midianites and their allies and company. From Judges chapter 7, if you don't have a Bible with you, you'll find it on the front of the bulletin. Well, a portion of it. We couldn't really print the entire chapter. But let me read for us from the word of God, Judges 7, 1 through 15. Then Jeroboam, that is Gideon, and all the people who were with him, rose early and encamped beside the spring of Herod. And the camp of Midian was north of them by the hill of Mora in the valley. The Lord said to Gideon, the people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, my own hand has saved me. Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people saying, whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead. Then 22,000 of the people returned and 10,000 remained. And the Lord said to Gideon, the people are still too many. Take them down to the water and I will test them for you there. And anyone of whom I say to you, this one shall go with you, shall go with you. And anyone of whom I say, this one shall not go with you, shall not go. So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, everyone who lapsed the water with his tongue as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, everyone who kneels down to drink. And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths was 300 men. But all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water. And the Lord said to Gideon, With the 300 men who lapped, I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand and let all the others go, every man to his home. So the people took provisions in their hands and their trumpets, and they sent all the rest of Israel, every man to his tent, but retained the 300 men. And the camp of Midian was below him in the valley. That same night, the Lord said to him, Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand. But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Porah, your servant, and you shall hear what they say. And afterward, your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.' Then he went down with Porah, his servant, to the outposts of the armed men who were in the camp. And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the east lay along the valley like locusts in abundance. And their camels were without number as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance. When Gideon came, behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade and he said, Behold, I dreamed a dream and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned it upside down so that the tent lay flat. And his comrade answered, This is no other than the sword of Gideon, the son of Joash, a man of Israel. God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp. As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped. And the verse finishes, he returned to the camp of Israel and said, arise, for the Lord has given the host of Midian into your hand. Let us pray. Father, open our eyes, open our ears. The eyes and ears of our hearts would be opened, Lord. to hear your word, its truth, its glory, and its power, that we too might worship. Hear us, we ask and pray. In Jesus' name, amen. I have some bad news for you, something you aren't going to like. are really good at seeking glory for ourselves. What we prize as independence, I think God often calls our own boasting. Now, I don't mean that we go around telling people how great we are. That's pretty annoying when that happens. But most of us would sooner take care of things all by ourselves than ask anyone for help if we think we can possibly manage it on our own. Now, maybe I'm only speaking for myself there, but I kind of doubt it. We're steeped in the mold of independence that permeates not just our physical lives, our physical world, but unfortunately I think it It tends to permeate our spiritual lives, too. We can work it out. I can figure this out. I can overcome this. I don't need to go to hell. I don't need to ask for help. I don't need to go to my brothers or sisters. I don't need to confess this sin. I can deal with this. I think it permeates our spiritual lives, too. Again, we wouldn't want to say it out loud, because that would be prideful or boastful. But I really am, I think as our passage points out, boasting in what I can do on my own. This morning, Judges chapter 7 shows us that in the kingdom, in God's kingdom and his people, there's no place for boasting. Here's our first lesson this morning. As the Lord reduces the army of Gideon down to this tiny little group, He reduces the army so that the people will see God's power. We need to see God as our true deliverer, that we aren't going to deliver ourselves. Now, Gideon has called and raised an army. He has called out the Abiezrites, he has called out the tribe of Manasseh, and Asher, and Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they have joined together. He's pulled together 32,000 men. And the army of the Midianites is just north of them, just southwest of the Sea of Galilee in the plain of Jezreel. Gideon and his men are above them. west on the western side of Mount Gilboa. 32,000 strong, we would say, by the spring of Herod. But compared to the army of the Midianites, well, let's just say the odds aren't very good in that they are spread out across the valley like a plague of locusts. And they can't even count the number of camels, you know, the ones that have been tromping through their fields and their land for the last seven years or so. Israel had become weak. Because they had become weak spiritually, they had become weak nationally as well. And Midian, when they see this army being raised instead of You know, they've got their spies there to know just when everything can be taken. Instead of people running for the hills, they're gathering together for war. And so the Midianites are not quite ready to lose their golden goose. And so they turn out for war as well. It's an easy target, they think. And we see that abuse of the weak in the world around us all the time. I heard a terribly disturbing report last week. in regard to the use of the handicapped and mentally handicapped, particularly, in facilities around the country. Now, I'm not going to go in the details and the statistics that were shared there, but it was distressing, preying on the weak. And so God says in verse 2, the people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands. lest Israel boast over me saying, my hand, my own hand has saved me. And so he says to them, he says to Gideon, anybody who's afraid, send them home. Now, that's, I say, you know, this 32,000 strong, 22,000 would rather continue to live under the oppression of Midian than go up against these odds. And as embarrassing as it might be to walk away, They run. And they're left with 10,000, these brave men. The oppression is so bad, they're willing to risk their lives for it. 10,000. Well, we still might have a chance. Well, God says, no, it's too big. It's too big. Too many soldiers. And we want to say, well, these were the 10,000 brave men. I don't think that's the point of this passage at all. It doesn't tell us that. And maybe they didn't want to stay under oppression. But the point of their bravery is not the point of the passage. And so they are divided yet even further. Too many soldiers. They are divinely divided by God. Some lapping. Now, I don't know exactly how they kneel down. They get the water there. And they do that. And some just leaning over and getting a quick drink. I remember the stories that I heard as a child, you know, that these 300, they were the wary ones, right? They're the ones who are really watching, you know. They're going to make sure they're looking for the enemy all the time. They're going to get their drink like that. We're missing the point. It is not about their courage. God doesn't need 300 men to deliver them. He doesn't need Gideon. He doesn't need anybody. Do you remember Sennacherib camped outside of Jerusalem when they were under siege? And what happens? The angel of the Lord comes into their midst, destroys them all, and Sennacherib goes home with his tail between his legs. Not one soldier of Israel was required to do anything. This is not about the courage of the men. It's not in the text. Actually, to take that tack, counters the text. God says there's too many. They're going to boast. They're gonna take credit themselves. No, you don't get the credit. I do. The sinful nature seeks its own glory. It's what we have been doing since the fall, brothers and sisters. We want glory. We want to find ways to show the courage of men in their honor, but it belongs to God. The Lord lets us experience, indeed, he brings us to a place of weakness, like he does here, brings us to that place of weakness in order that we would give him the glory for our deliverance, for our salvation. It requires that we admit, we see, we understand our weakness, like admitting our sin, which can be very hard for us. Our culture, Our economic affluence lets us function very independently. And so it's easy for us to begin to think, well, I earned this. I deserve this. I can handle this. I can manage these things on my own. And it appears that God is telling the Israelites and Gideon and us that that's just a form of pride, of boasting. There are too many for me to give them to the Midianites into their hands, lest they boast over me. I don't like to think that's what I'm doing, but I think that's what I'm doing. We need to see that apart from the hand of God and the grace of God, apart from Christ, I can really do nothing, nothing that will last, nothing that's worth doing. In other words, I have to learn to welcome my weakness. God brings weakness by design. That's maybe the second lesson that we see here. God rarely saves or delivers through the means that we expect. He uses weakness. Judges presents the most unlikely candidates for deliverers, doesn't it? Ehud, Jephthah, Samson, Gideon. This is a pattern. God is using what the world calls weakness. Jesus chose to be with him as some of his initial, his most dramatic mouthpieces were fishermen. They weren't the up and coming of the world. They weren't the ones who could stand before kings and governors in their own strength. This is a pattern. God uses what the world calls weakness. Look at Gideon for a moment. He is discovered in a wine press. He's the youngest, the most insignificant in a family that was an insignificant family in a less than powerful tribe. He was one who needs constant reassurance that it really is God who is watching over him. He showed fear of his family and the townspeople. The Lord now reduces his army dramatically, and his fear is rising again in regard to this upcoming battle. Take a quick review of your own life, if you will. What child is born ready to care for themselves? Not very many that I've seen, but it isn't very long before that little child is ready to show domination over the entire world. No, I want, you know. Wow, what a nature we have. Throughout our lives, the Lord puts us in places where our weaknesses are made plain. Physically, emotionally, relationally, intellectually. Why? So that we will look to the Lord for strength to reveal our sin and our weakness. He puts us in situations where we're helpless to affect the change we desire in ourselves or others. And by God's grace, we discover that it's in order to drive us to Him. It's to drive us to Christ. We need to see that weakness. We're born needing others to care for us. Today, how many of us will pass from this life without having others take care of us? We have an aging population in this country. Now, yes, I acknowledge. every population is aging. Okay, I do understand that. But I mean, we're getting to the place where there are going to be many more older people than younger because we're not, our children's children are not having enough children to even maintain our population. So a whole society has to deal with the challenges and the blessings of our, my, weaknesses being revealed more and more. Well, brothers and sisters, as we come into that position, loss of abilities, loss of strength, loss of dexterity, or sight, or memory, or reaction time, or the loss of my license, and on and on and on and on, how are we going to respond? bitterness frustration anger depression. As our weaknesses are exposed or in deeper trust a greater dependence. A greater rest in my savior and Lord. And the means and the blessings that he brings to provide for me now some of you you know teenagers aren't thinking about it but you better. because you're going to be taking care of me pretty soon. But how are you going to respond? Because you're going to experience those things. I'm experiencing more and more of them. So will you. How are we going to respond to that, to our weakness? You see, we were never really meant to stand on our own, all by ourselves. That's probably the third major lesson we see here, that God's strength is revealed not when we're strong, or maybe when we think we are, but when we're weak. Paul said it. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. What's that third lesson? I would put it this way. God doesn't work in spite of our weaknesses, but more to the point. He works through and in our weaknesses. He works wonders when we trust him, when we rest. and believe and obey and follow and seek and submit. Salvation or salvation rests in weakness. We have to humble ourselves. We can't save ourselves. We're hopeless to deliver ourselves from the bondage of sin and the penalty of sin. As long as you think you are good enough to somehow make your case before God, or you are strong enough and you have the ability to satisfy God's demands on your own, I have news for you. You will not know the grace of God, the forgiveness of sins, and eternal life in Him. In weakness we say there is none who is righteous. No, not one. Me included. And so we bow before the one who humbled himself, who took our weakness, the weakness of our flesh and of our nature. He would bear the scorn of the world. Are you too weak to even save yourself? How are you going to save anyone else? was screamed at him. And so that weakness is set before us, and God worked salvation through that weakness. And now that gospel is even today spread through weakness. No force or army can raise the dead to life, but the preaching of the Word can. the word of God. And even the weakest of God's people have those words of eternal life. For what the world calls foolishness really is the word of life. The foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. God tells Gideon, you will come to me in weakness. And you will see my strength. And so once again we see God giving assurance to Gideon. What does he say at verse 9? I have given it into your hand. Come on Gideon, go down into the camp. Now there's another sermon right there. We're going, you know, we're back where he said, look, you're doing this because I am with you. I have given them into your hand. Are you still scared to go down alone without the army? Let me take you down to the camp. If you're scared, take Pura with you. God may have delivered if Gideon had stepped out. I don't know. As I say, here's another sermon. God may have delivered them into Gideon's hand right there. If you're afraid, take Pura. And see what I will do. And here's that sermon. God asked Gideon to take a step that will bring assurance. I don't have time to go and to really think through all of that right now. But we use the means that God has given us to step out. And so he goes down into that camp with Porah. Now, he doesn't have an army with him, so he can probably dress himself up and get pretty close. and maybe right into things so he's close enough to hear what the soldier's dream and interpretation is. And so we read of a man telling his dream, behold I dreamed a dream and behold a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned upside down so that the tent lay flat. Well, this is nothing other than the sword of Gideon. I did laugh a little bit at that, because if they're making a barley loaf out of the grain that Gideon and others have been trying to thresh in the wine press, it probably is more like a bowling ball. That's going to have a lot of roughage in it. But here comes the barley loaf that rolls down and turns over the camp. And of course, what God was doing was stirring up fear in the Midianites, a fear that Gideon and his 300 men on their own could never do. Gideon hears, Gideon believes, and Gideon worships. Here is the right response to the power of God. It's not about our strength of the army. It is about the power of God. What are we seeing here? If we could see our weakness clearly and God's glorious power at work to save us, to care for us, to watch over us, we would worship. Not just when we come together here on Sundays or each week, whenever we get here, but always resting in Him, giving that glory to Him because He's the one at work. If you're not captivated by worship, My brothers and sisters, chances are we're still enamored of ourselves. We still think we have the strength and we have the power and we've got the ability and we can take care of this. When we finally fall humbly in weakness before God, then we worship. When we recognize how truly weak we are, we have grasp, we can grasp how great God is. And so Gideon takes his men into battle. The passage will tell us his plan. He will divide 300 men into three companies, put the trumpets into their hands, and the empty jars with torches lit inside of them. And he said to them, look at me and do likewise. When I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. When I blow the trumpet, and all who are with me then blow the trumpets also on every side of the camp and shout for the Lord and for Gideon." Now there's a plan. He's renewed in faith. He's ready to act. His weakness, that is relying on strength, the strength of God's hand, doesn't mean that we don't plan, we don't prepare, we don't count the cost. It's just that our final trust is not in our plans, but in his power. And it's a great strategy. He plays on the fear that he knows is there. The trumpets blasting, the sudden lights coming up is going to create confusion and chaos. He times it so that it's right when the changing of the guard takes place. So some are leaving, some are coming. And now all of this noise. And they, of course, we got to remember, it's pitch black. They don't know who's blowing, who's running, who's coming at them, who's coming past them. And they end up attacking each other. I can imagine that the camels, with the blasting and the screaming and the sudden lights, you've got the sands of the sea covered in camels. And they're big animals. And if they get terrified and start running around, they're going to do some damage. And that was God's action on their behalf. It was a great strategy. And Gideon's plan works because the warrior of Israel acted. And the Midianites set their swords against each other. And at verse 21, it tells us what part Gideon and his men played in the battle. Verse 21, every man stood in his place around the camp and all the army ran. They didn't even have to draw a sword and the route was on. And Gideon quickly got word to the Ephraimites and said, Guard the fords. Don't let them get out. And what was left of that army that nearly slaughtered itself never did get away. Unfortunately, it will lead to the third battle that Gideon must fight, and that's where we will go next week. Verse 21, there they stood. They couldn't take credit for the victory. No Shakespeare's Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt, you know, outnumbered more than three to one, 6,000 men, 5,000 or 6,000 men against 20,000 men. No, who stands with me this day, who sheds his blood with me will be my brother. We few, we happy few, we band of brothers and we'll go back to our land and we'll be proclaimed glorious. No. No, we stood there and we watched God work, and He wins the battle. At verse 25, their princes were captured, the princes of Midian, Oreb and Ze'eb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Ze'eb they killed at the winepress of Ze'eb. The Lord brings it all right around. Gideon met with the angel of the Lord at the rock, and the enemy of Midian loses his life, ends his tyranny at the rock. The angel came to Gideon in the winepress, and Zaeb was killed. at the wine press. Such is the grace and power of God. Brothers and sisters, we will surely face enemies and trials in this life that are stronger, that seem greater, that come up against us better equipped than we think we are. So many of the challenges we face in this life will prove to be more than a match for our strength. But they will never be greater or stronger than the one who calls us to walk with him through them. As we come in weakness, to walk in his strength, to God be the glory. Let us pray. Father, teach us. Teach us humility. Help us, Father, to grasp. And to accept our weaknesses in order that you might work, Lord, not in spite of them, but in them and through them, so that we know true glory and so may experience true grace and mercy and hope and rest. that the glory of your name might be lifted up and exalted. And we, through that glory and power, brought into your kingdom and presence. Hear us, we pray, Lord, and watch over us, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.