“”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.”
– Judges 7:14
Hi James and Ellen,
What do you hope that the ripples from your lives will do for eternity’s sake? How has God been unfolding for His heavenly kingdom’s sake your fleeting stay on planet Earth? What do you think or hope that your legacy will be that you will leave on planet Earth when God conveys you through heaven’s gate into His holy presence? Why do you think that God unfolds His eternity schematic in the way that He is doing it? Why do you think that God is using planet Earth for His staging area for the guys, gals and kids who He especially chose and elected to spend eternity with Him in heaven’s realm where He is being spontaneously worshipped as He sits on His throne of grace? How much difference do you think that the life of one guy or gal – or even of one kid, can make for all eternity? What do you think that Jerub-Baal was thinking when God – in His way, manipulated him to lead an army of 32,000 guys against an enemy army of Midianite, Amalekite and eastern people groups guys? How do you think that Jerub-Baal felt when God told him that his army was too large and that he was to tell the guys who were suffering fear trembles to go back to their homes and families with 22,000 guys taking up his offer to go back to their homes and families? Why do you think that Jerub-Baal was okay with letting God pare down again his army – this time to just 300 guys, through a drinking exercise that involved lapping water out of their cuffed hands versus kneeling and lapping water directly from a river, when the pending battle would have him and his guys pitted against an amassed army that was dwarfing his minuscule band of fighters? Do you think that there are times when less is better than more?
Are you hoping that God will ask you to be a Jerub-Baal during your planet Earth tenure? Are you hoping that God will use your lives during your planet Earth sojourn in ways that will bring spiritual victories for yourselves and for guys, gals and kids who God – as God the Spirit, will lead/push into your planet Earth spheres through using the eternity blueprint that God – as God the Father, designed specifically for you? Are you hoping that God will directly and indirectly affirm you during your planet Earth stopover? Jerub-Baal was a Manasseh tribal clan farmer. There is nothing in Jerub-Baal’s live portfolio that would identify Jerub-Baal as being the guy who God – as God the Father, would send an angel to – to tell him that he was His pick to be the next judge to lead His specially chosen guys and gals. Jerub-Baal was trying to keep a low profile from marauding Midianite people group guys while minding his own business as he threshed wheat in a hidden winepress when the angel that was sent by God – as God the Father, suddenly showed up to let him know of life changing plans that God – as God the Father, had for him. Even though Jerub-Baal did not always immediately agree to do what God – as God the Father, – through an angel, was tasking him to do, Jerub-Baal would always invariably do what God was asking him to do and . . . Judges 7 is the true story of Jerub-Baal’s winning super battle. Jerub-Baal’s army had 300 fighters. Jerub-Baal’s opposition army had literally thousands and thousands of warriors. Jerub-Baal’s weapons included the absolute confidence to project victory over the enemy forces that had bivouacked in the valley that is near the hill of Moreh. This confidence was brought about after God had encouraged Jerub-Baal to go at night down to the enemy camp. When Jerub-Baal and Purah – who was Jerub-Baal’s servant, got to the edge of the enemy’s encampment, they heard an enemy soldier describing to another soldier a dream that he just had of a round loaf of barley bread tumbling into their camp with enough force to collapse a tent. Verse 14 has the response of the guy who had listened to his good buddy relating his dream, “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.”” In what ways has God assured you in one way or another?
Jerub-Baal – who is better known by the name Gideon, had the God-given confidence to surround at night a massive enemy army camp with just 300 guys – whose only attack weapons were 300 trumpets, 300 clay jars each hiding a burning torch and 300 loud voices ready to yell ‘a sword for the Lord and for Gideon’. Gideon waited until right after the middle watch and the changing of the guard before letting his guys blow their trumpets, smash their clay jars to show a burning torch and yell loudly. Extreme chaos and panic – that was God-driven, took over the enemy camp causing the enemy soldiers to first begin to kill each other and then to flee for their lives. God used Gideon to whomp the enemy people groups guys that had been actively harassing His specially chosen guys and gals. God had the heads of Oreb and Zeeb – who were the enemy army’s leaders that was made up of Midianites, Amalekites and eastern people group guys, chopped off as a way to dissuade more harassment by enemy people group guys. A guy, gal or kid who is told by God – through His unlimited options, to be a Jerub-Baal – a Gideon, will come to know that his or her life influences only happen through what God does through him or her to mature His kingdom for His sake. God does not want your grandmaa or grandpaa to ever take credit for anything that He has done through them. Your grandpaa today – which is about fifteen years after he first wrote this missive, cringes figuratively when a Christ-follower talks about leaving a legacy that . . . when his or her life story is God’s story.
Judges 7 (1052)