Preparation #45 (Gideon part 3,
An Odd Instrument in the hands of God)
Brian Kocourek
For the last couple
weeks we have examined the Life of Gideon, and we found his life to be like
that of so many other men God has called into service throughout the ages. His
life as we see it in the scriptures began in total obscurity. Gideon, like the other men of God became a
strange instrument of deliverance in the hands of God. There was no gradual
buildup of events that led to his arrival, but his calling sprang forth from a
need in his generation. So was the coming
of Elisha, who emerged from among the
seven thousand faithful but unknown men, not one of whom was known to
Elijah. John the Baptist came on the
scene like a whirl wind coming forth from the Wilderness. Moses with his crooked stick invaded
Last week we examined
the sifting process whereby God allows his servants to be tested and then to
stand alone. It is at this time when all have forsaken them, that God steps on
the scene and though the odds are greatly in favor of the enemy, yet one man
and God makes a mighty powerful team that has throughout history changed the
course of nations. From END TIME
EVANGELISM 62-0603, brother Branham said,
It's always in the weakest moments, when it looks like the true
message is about defeated; that's when God steps in. He let's the message and
the messenger get to the end of the road (See?), then He comes in, and He rides
the high waves. That's right.
Later in that same
Message pp 113, he said, "Notice
when the Message is rejected and the messenger seems to be defeated, that's
when God steps on the scene, his Message is over. Noah (closing now), Noah
preached in the door of his ark for a hundred and twenty years, till, when
finally they laughed him to scorn, Noah stepped in the ark thinking that
the--it would just be all right. God closed the door. And the people hung around
to see what was going to happen. Seven days he set there and sweated it out,
and on the seventh day the rain come. Uh-huh. Moses, what was he in? The very
line of duty, leading the people. The
We saw how God always
sets the stage to receive glory. He allows the enemy to come on like a flood.
Now a flood is no small thing. If you have ever been in a flood you will know
that it comes on suddenly and sweeps over everything. Nothing can stand in it's
way. It is so overwhelming. And just
like a flood which comes on swiftly and overtakes everything in it's path, so
too we hear God tell us in the book of
Deuteronomy that the curse of god will do the same thing… DEUTERONOMY 28:15 ¶ But
it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy
God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command
thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
And we read in the
Book of Ezekiel 47:1-5, ¶ Afterward he brought me again unto the door
of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the
house eastward: for the forefront of the house [stood toward] the east, and the
waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south
[side] of the altar."Then brought he me out of the way of the gate
northward, and led me about the way without unto the utter gate by the way that
looketh eastward; and behold, there ran out waters on the right side. And when
the man that had the line in his hand went forth eastward, he measured a
thousand cubits, and he brought me through the waters; the waters were to the
ankles. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through the waters; the
waters were to the knees. Again he measured a thousand, and brought me through;
the waters were to the loins. Afterward he measured a thousand; and it was a
river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in,
a river that could not be passed over."
And so we found in ISAIAH
59:19 So shall they fear the
name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When
the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a
standard against him. 20 And the Redeemer shall come…
Now, this morning I
would like to continue in our study of this man of God called Gideon, and today
we shall pick up where we left off last week when we examined the weapons of
warfare that these great men of God used.
And I would like to turn our attention to ….
THE
STRANGE INSTRUMENTS OF GOD
Nothing is more worthy
of notice than the character of the instruments employed by Almighty God for
the fulfillment of His purpose. In His selection of these men to be His
instruments in His hands, the Lord sees to it that the very nature and
character of these men is such, that it will reveal the power that actually is
vindicating them. The very quality of being inadequate for the task at hand of
the person used by God, is bound to direct the eyes and thoughts of those who
are observant to the God who is working through this strange instrument. And
so, of course, the glory and praise will go to the right place. And many times God doesn't allow his servants
to know everything about His plan. He just wants them to trust Him, and that
keeps them humble and feeling helpless without Him.
IS THIS SIGN OF THE
END SIR 62-1230E And we find out that there's many things that
God does, and that He doesn't reveal to His servants; and no servant is greater
than his Lord. And then, God will not share His glory with nobody. He's God.
And when a servant becomes a place that he tries to take the place of God, then
God takes his life and moves him away somewhere, or something. We must remember
that.
ISAIAH 55:8 For my
thoughts [are] not your thoughts, neither [are] your ways my ways, saith the
LORD. 9 For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. 10
For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not
thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may
give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of
my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which
I please, and it shall prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it.
I CORINTHIANS
If the natural man
were to send someone to talk to a great king or
lead a large group of people out from bondage, he would choose some golden-tongued politician
or some great General like George Patton. But God chooses a man who is slow of
speech, and, instead of a kings scepter, He had Moses carry a rod into
pharaoh's court. Now, this was no golden rod, nor was it a beautiful hand
crafted walking stick. This was a simple stick which Moses himself had cut out
of a thicket to guide and protect his flocks. And this was the scepter that
Moses held in his hand to show his authority when he came to see Pharaoh. No
wonder there were so many scoffers.
In other examples of
God's strategy, horns were used to knock down the walls of a city that were so
wide you could race chariots around the city on top of the walls. In another
strategic move, God used an ox-goad to secure a nation’s deliverance from
bondage. An Ox Goad.. That's just a simple sharpened stick to prod the ox to
make him move. Then in Paul's day, God commanded him to use handkerchiefs to
carry health to the sick; while a hammer and nail in a woman’s hand got rid of
a great general who was the enemy of
Now, in the victory
God proposed giving to Gideon, trumpets, lamps and pitchers were to be used. If
the Midianites could have seen the odd weapons beforehand what laughter and
scorn would have come from their vast multitude. How strange, it must have
seemed to the 300 in Gideon's army. It
must have been a great trial of faith to the men themselves as they marched
through the night to their posts with a trumpet in one hand and a pitcher
containing a burning lamp in the other. But God had so commanded through
Gideon, and they obeyed. The Lord has never ceased to work wonders after the
same manner. He uses the ordinary means, but time after time, He breaks in with
instruments that would seem to be extraordinarily inadequate.
I COR
In our day we have
seen Gideon's weapons of warfare being used again, the pitchers, lamps and
trumpets lifted and waved before the eyes of the world, A simple Kentuckian
with no education to speak of and poorly dressed to wear it was remarked that
often his trousers did not match his top coat. Yet no other man has been so
used by God in this hour or hardly any hour before this. And God chose this
vessel to accomplish what could not have been done by labored discourses and
learned volumes. An ordinary lam, or shall we say, an ordinary vessel of God sent a panic to the heart of a great
congregation just like it was in the days of Gideon. And oh how they hate
William Branham because he did what no man in their denomination could do. A plain-looking hammer in the pulpit but God
supplied the nail, and as the man nailed down the truth, it drove conviction
strait through the heads and turned the hearts of the children to the fathers.
As with Gideon,
William Branham was a mere stick in the hands of a Mighty God. He was a
man with no outward polish, nor had natural talents to speak. And he certainly
was no scholar, and in fact, had no remarkable natural endowments, but was
endued with the Holy Ghost; and we know that when he lifted his voice in
prayer, or testimony, or even in song, or when he was preaching, somehow the
fire fell from Heaven, and the presence of the lord was felt, even by those not
averse to knowing whose presence they had entered.
Now, don't think that the Lord despises great natural
gifts and intellectual ability. No, not at all. The trouble is not with God,
it's with those who have these great natural endowments. Most people endowed
with great ability will not allow God to use them. They don't know what it is
to get themselves out of the way. And even when such individuals are
surrendered to the Lord’s will and service, outsiders get the idea that their
success and influence springs from their wisdom and eloquence. Therefore, God
has to break in with his lowly human trumpets, lamps and pitchers and places in
order to receive the praise and Glory.
Now the next thought I would like to take from our
study of Gideon and his 300 man army comes from JUDGES
Notice the
faithfulness, obedience and courage contained in this single line of scripture…It
meant everything in that famous night conflict, and means as much today. In
order to surround the vast camp of the Midianites, Gideon’s Three Hundred could
not be deployed in compact ranks, but had to stand far apart. This meant
loneliness and called for individual faithfulness and personal bravery. The
night had settled, and, evidently, it was a dark one; a great host was
stretched out before these men; and each of Gideon's men had a thousand of the
enemy to think about; and yet, in the face of those tremendous odds, they stood
true, and every man stood in his place.
The Apostle Paul said, "when you have done all you can to
stand, then stand!"
Notice each man stood
true to his post of duty. Oh, if we could all learn this lesson. There is a
post of duty for each one of us. God’s Spirit and Providence will lead us to it
and this is where the Lord wants us to remain. To leave such a divine
appointment and trust is not only disastrous to our own spiritual life, but it
is as direful in its effect upon others. We are placed there for a blessed
purpose. God has need for us at that post. Somebody is to be lifted up, helped
and delivered by our consecrated lives. Some evil is to be met and conquered by
us. An attack is to be made upon sin wherever it is and the armies of the
aliens are put to flight.
Happy will be the man
and happy will be the church of God when God can find his servant always at the
post of duty; that when he needs his voice, influence and life and turns to lay
His hand upon him, he is there waiting for the touch and listening for the
call. I wonder how many Christian parents are not at their post of duty in
regards to family worship. And what about the empty pews, is not that our post
of duty? And what about the vacant post of duty at the monthly prayer
breakfast? And what about those who know they are being called by God to be
preachers and missionaries and yet pursue other better paying career? If we could only realize, the man who is not
in his place means loss to the cause of God, absence of blessing to their
fellow Christian, and trouble and judgment to the faithless one himself. The
place God calls us to fill is not always pleasant. It is a station sometimes
where darkness abounds, loneliness is felt, the majority is against us, and the
prospect, from a human standpoint, anything but cheerful, promising and
reassuring. And yet right there the Lord has placed us — and right there he
wants us to remain. He knows our frame and just how much we can endure. As the
Captain of the Guard He is making continual rounds. When He comes to visit the
lonely watchman, or relieve by change of post or circumstance, or promote to
Heaven itself, may He find us, as was said of Gideon’s Band, each one standing
faithful and true in his own place.
Jesus said, MATTHEW 24:43 But know this, that if the goodman of
the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched,
and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son
of man cometh. 45 Who then is a faithful and wise servant,
whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due
season? 46 Blessed [is] that servant, whom his lord
when he cometh shall find so doing.
47 Verily I say unto you, That
he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
48 But and if that evil servant
shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 49
And shall begin to smite [his] fellowservants, and to eat and drink with
the drunken; 50 The lord of that servant shall come in a
day when he looketh not for [him], and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51
And shall cut him asunder, and appoint [him] his portion with the
hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
THE
BATTLE AND VICTORY
Who ever heard of such
a battle as this one was, where three hundred men actually surrounded a vast
army, taking with them as weapons of conquest such peaceful, harmless
instruments as pitchers, lamps and trumpets? At a given signal from Gideon
every man blew his trumpet, broke his pitcher, waved his lamp and shouted, “The
sword of the Lord and of Gideon!” This was all, and anyone can see it
was a perfectly inadequate thing to accomplish what became an overwhelming
victory. You might say, the panic created by the sudden blare of three hundred
trumpets, the crash of as many pitchers and the flash of long lines of lights
seemed to burst out of the darkness on all sides is what gave them the victory. But a panic will not make a fleeing army hew
itself to pieces. Had it not been for God,
the multitude of frightened, maddened Midianites would have run over
Gideon’s little company and trampled them out of existence like a stampeding
herd of buffalo ground a plain into dust, cutting deep paths by it's
destructive flight. I want you to think
about that. God not only gave them victory, but He assured and secured their safety as well. Wasn't it here in Cincinnati that a mob of
people rushed the gates for some concert and crushed to death several people?
Then what about
135,000 men fleeing in the dark of night? And yet Gideon's men stood fast at
their post of duty.
God was in that awful
fear that fell upon the Midianites. He was in to guide and direct that frantic
rush that the three hundred escaped all harm, while their adversaries drew
their swords and slew one another on every hand.
The ordinary retreat of an army is a remarkable
spectacle, while one conducted under fire is simply dreadful. Even the
evacuation of Moscow by the French through Russia was so full of horror that it
has never been forgotten. But the
stampede of the Midianites was especially shocking in that, while they fled,
they kept wounding, striking down and killing one another, until over one
hundred and twenty thousand corpses lined the roads and covered the fields.
This was a greater fatality than the loss sustained at
Mannasseh, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, Shiloh, Corinth and Fredericksburg, six of
the largest battles of the Civil War. The truth taught in this occurrence is
that God can set the enemies of His people fighting among themselves, a fact
not only shown in the Bible, but proved in history and recognized even among us
today in our generation.
We all know what happened when the 400 ministers decided
to come against brother Branham up there in Chicago. They had formed their
coalition against god's prophet just like the prophets of Baal had done to
Elijah. And we all know what the outcome was there. What you sow is what you
will reap. And Jesus told the
disciples, "put away their
sword, for He that lives by the sword shall perish by the sword". Now, that doesn't speak only of the
weapon, but it speaks also of the
tongue. Because David said, PSALMS 57:4 My soul [is] among lions: [and] I lie [even among]
them that are set on fire, [even] the sons of men, whose teeth [are] spears and
arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. PSALMS
64:3 Who whet their tongue like
a sword, [and] bend [their bows to shoot] their arrows, [even] bitter words: PROVERBS
12:18 ¶ There is that speaketh like the piercings of
a sword: but the tongue of the wise [is] health.
Then if this holds true, those who have opposed the
Message that God's prophet brought must come to odds with one another, and can
not secure peace among themselves. Their tongues slash, their pens puncture and
their hands wound one another. There is also discord among their own rank and
file. There is war between the different theologies, creeds and catechisms,
and there are bitter rivalries between
their churches.
The strife is seen
continued in the ranks of the people who sidetrack on some false conception of
duty or misunderstanding of the Bible or religious experience. Just give it
time, and those who have fought the presence will be fighting among themselves,
and then the public will be treated to a spectacle of divisions and
subdivisions until the heart sickens. The only unity existing in the great
battle against the Midianites was in Gideon’s Band. That harmony and
unification was the great factor in God’s hands of securing the triumph and of
pressing the victory to the very end. We seem slow to learn Bible teaching and
backward in understanding the Spirit; but nothing has been more plainly taught
by the Lord than that He will not go out to battle with a company of people who
are fighting among themselves. This fact alone is sufficient to justify the
prediction of the coming defeat and failure of all striving bands and bodies.
The house divided against itself cannot stand; and they who use the sword shall
perish by the sword.
Now,
in looking at the weapons of Gideons warfare which god commanded him to use, we
see the trumpet which stands for testimony and the lamp represents the word of
God as well as that Word shining forth in a consecrated life. We know Psalm
119: 110 tells us that the Word of God is a lamp unto our feet, and Jesus also
told us that we are light that should not be hid under a bushel basket. Therefore the lights in a pitcher represent
both the hidden Word as well as the hidden life. And when the pitcher was smashed, it allowed
the light to shine forth. And that will cause the enemy to take flight every
time. JOHN 3:20 For every one
that doeth evil hateth
the light, neither cometh to the light, lest
his deeds should be reproved.
The
trumpet and lamp must go together if we would obtain victory over the hosts of
evil against us. The combination of the two was essential the night of Gideon’s
battle, and is as vitally necessary today. The testimony and life must be seen
together in blessed agreement and fellowship. The one without the other would
be like the lamp without the trumpet, or the trumpet without the lamp, when the
charge was made on the Midianites. It was the two coming together which brought
the confusion, fright, panic, flight and victory, As for the broken pitchers,
they stand for our human vessels which go down under the fatigue, exhaustion,
labors and wounds that come in the service and the battles of the Lord. The
lamp is plainly seen when the pitcher is broken. That means that, through our
toils, sufferings and death, the flame of Truth and the light of experience in
us will flash forth all the more clearly and powerfully. The self-denials, the
cross-bearing, the daily dying, the being ground to pieces for the truth.
II
CORINTHIANS 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine
out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to [give] the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the
power may be of God, and not of us.
And
Paul told us we must be crucified with Christ, then Christ may live in us and
the Light will shine. MATTHEW 5:14 Ye
are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15
Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a
candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in
the house. 16 Let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is
in heaven.
And
it does glow forth and men see it: the pitcher is broken, but the lamp is
thereby made visible, the light flashes forth, conviction is awakened,
salvation flows and victory comes.
THE
MEN OF NAPHTALI
In the seventh chapter
and twenty-third verse of the Book of Judges we read that when Gideon, with his
chosen band had defeated the Midianites and the scattered remnants of that army
were fleeing for their lives, that then the men of “Naphtali,
Asher and Mannasseh gathered themselves together and pursued after the
Midianites.” It is difficult to read this without a smile, because it is so
like poor, fallen human nature, and as we see it still today. These were the
very people who, through fear of the Midianitish
host, had left the battlefield and gone home. But now that the enemy had been
defeated and was in full retreat, became so bold. Here they come! Make way for
them! Look how they charge! How just like man, How bold they become after the
real danger is passed. It reminds me of
a small dog, when confronted by a person. If the person runs towrd the little dog or makes like it is going to, the dog
turns and runs, but as soon as the person turns around and starts walking away
or running in the other direction, the dog becomes so brave and comes out of hiding
and barks up a storm and even might chase after the person, until confronted
again, and then the scene will repeat itself all over again.
The same thing happens
in the churches today. The modern day Naphtalites
will come to church after that church has worked through it's sifting process
but then when the Spirit of God begins
to move on that congragation, then out of the wood
work comes forth all kinds of people who want to "help or participate in
the battle". The faithful little group had held on to God through much
surrounding indifference and opposition and prayed through and over trials of
the most heart-sickening nature; moreover, they were allowed to struggle on
alone and unaided by hundreds of the membership who were under as great obligation
to obtain the moral and spiritual victory as themselves; but when the fire fell
and the success of the meeting was unquestionable, here came the absentees in
perfect droves to take part in the triumph. These modern men of Naphtali declared that they had faith all along that
victory would come, and though they were not present at first in body, yet they
were there in spirit from the beginning, etc., etc.
The Tribe of Naphtali is not seen until the success comes. While the
struggle was going on with him and in him to keep his head above the water, or
his feet fixed on slippery ground, not a member of that remarkable tribe could
be seen. The lonely faithful needed sympathy, friendship, affection and
sometimes material help. He craved these things, sought for them, but did so in
vain, At last the long deferred success came; victory became apparent, and
everybody could see that the man had won in the great battle of life and was
now rich or famous in some way, when lo! and behold! here came the Naphtalites marching down in crowds to meet the conqueror
and offer help where none was needed. Yes indeed! They had always been his
friends! They always said he would come out all right! They would knock anybody
down who dared to say anything against him!
Some
of them suddenly discovered that they were identified with this success; others
named their babies after him; while still others claimed, with knowing looks
and nods of the head, that they had a great deal to do with the securing of the
success and had also much to do with the making of the man himself. O these men
of Naphtali, Asher and Mannasseh! These people who
are missing when we need their help most and who turn up armed to the teeth
when we have won the battle and need no more assistance! Who has not seen them,
laughed at them and grieved over them? And yet, no matter how the glaringly
inconsistent life and the true character become evident to all, yet, as a
people, they continue to live and flourish, leading the way when the retreat is
sounded, bringing up the rear when the advance guard is fighting, plundering
the wagon train when the victory is won and performing their great boastings of
valor when the war is all over and peace has been declared. They are invisible
when you need them most, and present when you don't; a soldier in times of
peace; an deserter in times of war; a toiler when the harvest has been
gathered; and the rest of the time a bragger when he has nothing in the world
to boast about.
THE
HUMILITY OF GIDEON
In little things the
character of men is constantly revealed; it is the small actions of life which
are like the cracks in a building through which the light may make visible what
is on the inside. In the war cry adopted
by Gideon, in the proper placing of the name of God, the man’s self-distrust,
his dependence upon God, in a word, his humility, are all clearly made
manifest. The battle-cry was, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon.” The Lord
was put first, and he placed himself last. This is not the rule of procedure
with very many of God’s people. T
How often we hear of
men who boast of their great victories against the devil and how much they have
done for God and then they will end their boasting with, "isn't the
Lord wonderful" and what they are really saying is,
"May God receive the Glory for all the things I have done."
“To God be all the glory,” seems to be a kind
of afterthought with most Christians. How different from Gideon’s words, can
you imagine if he would have said “The sword of Myself and the lord.”
I heard of a young man
whose father took him into business with him, and gave him a 25 % share of the
profits. The sign in front of the store read, “John Smith & Son.” Needing
to be repainted after a dusty season, it was taken down for repairs. The son,
at his own urgent request, was allowed to supervise the painting. When the father arrived at work the next
morning he was surprised to see the sign read, “James Smith & Father.” Of
course men would be ashamed to uplift such signs in the religious life, but
just listen to their conversations, read their letters, watch their spirit and
their manner and life, and you will plainly see that with them, God is the
junior member of the firm. The burden of their talk is not what the Lord did,
but what a certain sermon accomplished. And even in the work place how many
times do you here the clerk telling her friends that they really run the
business.
The great characters
of the Bible were little in their own sight. Moses could not see why God had
chosen him. Gideon had to have signs and miracles wrought in his sight before
he could believe that he would become a mighty conqueror. The truly great are
always simple, natural, approachable and gracious. Their very greatness enables
them to behold merit in others and at the same time recognize their own
deficiencies. The morally and mentally little man is dreadfully afraid of being
overlooked, and so we behold on his part a swagger, pomposity, and
boastfulness, that, however impressive it may be to the ignorant and
uninitiated, is disgusting to the discriminating and wise.
How often you look at
the wannabe's in this world who run up their credit cards to the hilt to show
they are somebody, yet when you look at the true rich, like Sam Walton, he
lived in a modest home and wore modest clothing, and worked long hours to
accomplish what he did.
It's like the shuck,
all puffed out and looking so grand but if you were to look inside, there is no
kernel of wheat within. Truly the meek
and childlike spirit is lovely in all, but in none is it more so than with
those who occupy high and exalted positions. If men were morally great who are
officially and financially prominent this would be blessed for all; but,
unfortunately, the two kinds of greatness are not often linked together. The
rule is that the higher the position and office the more difficult it is to get
on speaking and friendly terms with the individual and the more certain are we
to expect rebuffs. It is ten thousand million-fold easier to have audience with
God, the Almighty King of the Universe, than to obtain a glance or word from
men who are dressed in a little brief authority.
THE
MAGNANIMITY OF GIDEON
There is no comparison
between the words, littleness and the word magnanimous. Magnanimous is a
compound from the Latin magnus, great; and animus,
mind or soul; so that to be magnanimous is to be great-hearted, noble-spirited,
large-souled. The characteristics of such a nature
are admirable. How contrary it is to the word “littleness.” The truly
magnanimous man could not stoop to take an advantage; could not retaliate;
could not originate or circulate a slander; and would be incapable of doing
anything in a spirit of meanness or revenge. Neither would such a character
cherish unworthy suspicions of another; nor, under the guise of friendliness,
lay verbal traps to bring about the humiliation of a brother. In a word, we
cannot conceive of a great-souled man doing anything
little and despisable. One striking feature of soul
or character is the readiness to overlook and forgive slights, wrongs and
injuries of different descriptions.
A second feature is
the quickness to give credit to others for the merit they possess and works
they have performed. Such a man does more than this: he is willing to pass in
silence over his own achievements and victories, and his commendation and
praise be given to others who otherwise would have been overlooked. This is
true greatness. This is magnanimity itself. Gideon possessed this spirit in an
abundant measure. It cropped out when he was in the flush of his wonderful
victory over the Midianites, in the reply he made to the angry speech of the Ephraimites. It will be remembered that these last-named
people did not join in the battle until Gideon had defeated the enemy and was
driving them towards the Jordan. The tribe above mentioned then joined in the
pursuit and killed the two Midianite leaders, Oreb and Zeeb. After the fight
the Ephraimites chided Gideon very sharply about his
failure to send for them earlier; whereupon this great-minded leader of the
three hundred made one of the noblest
speeches of his life in the words: “What have I done now in comparison
of you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of
Abiezer? God hath delivered into your hands the
princes of Midian, Oreb and
Zeeb; and what was I able to do in comparison of you?
It took a noble man to make this speech. A little character could not have
uttered it. The two-by-four nature would have found it not only difficult, but
impossible to divide honors, much less give the greater credit to anyone else
than himself.
The man of God is
willing to give credit to others for a mighty sermon and performances in their
Christian life. But with the Naphtalie bunch, the
fear seems to be that there is not enough honor and glory to go around, and so
they would appropriate all that can be had. The Ephraimites,
did almost nothing, while Gideon did everything. They killed two men who were
running and doing their best to get away, while Gideon put a whole army to
flight and slaughtered them by thousands and yet they got mad at Gideon. But
notice how Gideon handled their grievance with him. He did not speak of the
thousands he killed, he did not rebuff them for their cowardice. He simply gave
praise to them rather than to himself, and, more than that, ascribing greater
honor to them than he reserved for his own proneness and achievements. The
words of Paul, and spoke the same thing when he said, “In honor preferring one another.” JUDGES
7:24
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.
JUDGES 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.
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. 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? 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.
THE
SNARE OF GIDEON
The first man in the land was now Gideon. He was the conqueror of the
enemies of his country and had been made Judge of Israel. The blessing of God
was upon him, and he possessed the favor, confidence and love of the people.
And yet, in the face of all this honor and glory, we see the man going down
under the double snare of gold and false worship. The fall brought not only
trouble to himself, but evil to the nation, as a degenerate leader and
corrupted religion are bound to bring woe to any people. In the very flush of
his victory Gideon got his eyes faced on certain golden ornaments worn by the Ishmaelites, which represented a vast fortune. Ant so he
secured them. With the entrance of covetousness came idolatry, for the Bible
declares that “Covetousness is idolatry.” An image of worship was made out of a
part of the gold and afterwards erected or set up in Ophrah;
and the Bible says that “and Israel went thither a whoring after it.” After
this, on the death of Gideon, the people worshipped Baal one wrong step leading
to others deeper, darker and more damnable. Why is it that so many great and
useful men, before finishing their course on earth, will write, say or do
something that, if it does not undo all their previous work, leaves some kind
of blemish on the good name or fame, causing the wicked to laugh and the
righteous to grieve?
The Bible tells of
just such happenings in the lives of Saul Samson, Balaam, David, Judas, Demas,
Mark and a number of others. History bears witness to the same melancholy fact
from John Calvin, who had a man burned at the stake on theological and
doctrinal grounds, and to Aaron Burr, who, after a life of brilliant service,
plotted the overthrow of his country. S. S. Prentiss, the gifted orator from
Mississippi, fell back exhausted at the conclusion of one of his most wonderful
speeches, when a member of Congress leaped to his feet, bent over the prostrate
man and shouted in his pallid face: “Die, Prentiss, die!” His idea was that the
eloquent speaker before him had reached the highest point of earthly success
and glory, and should pass away thus at his very best.
When we study the
spiritual life, the same character of facts confront us. Paul said to the
Galatians: “Ye did run well, who did hinder you?” The “hindrance,” it is
noticeable, came after the “running well.” The twofold snare of Gideon
presented itself after his great victory. David’s temptation drew nigh after he
had performed some of the noblest acts of his life and composed a number of his
sweetest Psalms. The teaching from these and many other scriptural instances
is, that awful moral lapses and falls may take place after years of remarkable
services and faithful living. An humble-spirited preacher is made a bishop and
develops into an autocrat or pope. A gifted but lowly-hearted country boy
enters the ministry, has success, gets his head turned, develops oratory,
strives for popularity, and by-and-by a backslider in heart and life is in the
pulpit giving announcements and pounding the Bible. A faithful layman, entrusted
with a large sum of money, is true for years, and then, in middle life, listens
to the Tempter, and first uses, and, later, purloins sacred funds and flies
from the country a disgraced man. Time would fail to tell of men who, after
ten, twenty, thirty and forty years of correct moral and even religious living,
went down under some sudden or prolonged temptation, and got as far from God as
they had been previously distant from the world and the Devil.
The snares that trap
and catch men are different; but Satan, who seems to give no man up while he is
living? finds some way by which to confuse, entangle, sidetrack and secure his
downfall if it be possible. The snare in Gideon’s case, as has been said, was
gold; with Samson and David, lust; with Saul, envy; with Balaam and Judas,
money; with Demas, the love of this present world. To this day men are falling
away from duty and God on account of these things. And because the Devil has
had such success in the employment of these baited traps and flower-covered
pitfalls, he is as persistent in his temptations these days as in former times.
He knows the power of the snare and the weakness of the nature he has to deal
with, and never seems to be discouraged.
This is the reason
that the Bible has so much to say about “Watching and Praying;” about working
out one’s salvation with fear and trembling; and utters the peculiarly solemn
words, “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth
take heed lest he fall.” We have all known men who not only thought they stood,
but really did stand in grace and were used of God; and yet we have seen them
sour, grow bitter, become envious, backslide in heart, backslide in life and
then lay around for years as helpless, useless and melancholy in appearance as
the wrecks of ships thrown by a storm on the beach and left after that to
whiten and fall to pieces as the days and months rolled by.
God save us from the snare of Gideon and from those of
Saul, Samson, David, Judas and Demas and from any and every other kind which
the enemy of our souls would place in position to cripple and capture us, and
finally, to destroy and damn us, both soul and body, in hell forever.
CHAPTER
18
THE
FINAL SCENE
The writer of the Book of Judges says, in the conclusion of the eighth
chapter, that Gideon “died in a good old age.” In another verse is the
statement that as soon as Gideon was dead the “children of Israel turned again
and went after Baal.” In Hebrews Paul says that “he died in the faith.” From
these different passages we gather that the famous leader of the “three
hundred” must have repented of his error and got right with God, for it is said
that “he died in the faith.” Not only that, but his influence for good must
have been reestablished, for the instant he died, and not until he died, the people
of Israel went after Baal. This teaches most unmistakably the restraining power
of the man and the ascendancy for good he regained and which he then wielded
until the hour of death. Not all men get back to God from their life-strayings, but when such wanderers do return, the coming
home rejoices not only Heaven but every true child of God on earth. The more
prominent and useful they were the sadder their lapse or fall is felt to be,
and the deeper is the joy if they get back to salvation and usefulness.
A man’s gifts and
power for good will naturally make him a target for the Devil. In the Boer War,
in South Africa, the best marksmen were stationed in tree-tops and upon lofty
crags to pick off the English officers, and, as a consequence, we read that the
mortality among them was simply dreadful. Satan knows that some men are worth
more to God than others, and that their fall would mean more than that of those
less prominent and successful; and so he makes peculiar and persistent and
violent attacks upon them. Death is said to love a shining mark; and so does
the great adversary. How he must gloat in entangling them in his toils on earth
and seeing them bound in everlasting chains in hell. If such a character is
wounded, but recovers strength and power again, it naturally brings dismay to
the Devil and a great joy and thankfulness to the people of God. But how much
more blessed and inspiring it is to see a man faithful to God and truth and
duty from the start to the finish of his career. It commends the cause of God,
commands respect, stimulates faith and brings in a great army of new
volunteers. David, Samson and Gideon went into sin and error before completing
their course in life. They were restored, and died in the faith; but the
blemish was left on their name and fame and the blot on the pages of their
history.
There were other
characters like Job, Daniel, Joseph and Paul who never failed. They were true
to God through trouble, temptation, worldliness and persecution. Heaven has
long ago approved them. Nor is this all, for mankind itself, in reading of
their trials and triumphs, their battles and victories, has also passed
sentence and declared them to be the real heroes and victors of this world.
Truly, it is better to be like this latter class than the former; and we can
be. The Scripture is faithful to warn us concerning the possibility of
disastrous failure. “Ye did run well, who did hinder you?” Again we have the
passage, “I keep under my body and bring it into subjection, lest by any means,
that I, after having preached the Gospel to others, may be a castaway; “ and
still again, the solemn passage, “Let him who thinketh he standeth
take heed lest he fall.” The same Bible, however, tells us that we need not
fall. The promise is that “He will keep us from falling;” that “He is able to
do for us exceeding abundant above all that we can ask or think;” while Paul
adds, “I am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto
Him until that day.” It was a heart-stirring scene in the old-time days of the
South to see all the slaves gather from the fields at dusk with their bags and
baskets stuffed full and piled high with beautiful snow-white cotton. The
laborers would stand or sit around in the shadows of the early night, while
their days’ work was weighed and publicly proclaimed.
But it will be a far
more wonderful sight to behold the toilers of Christ coming up from every land,
and, at the Judgment Day, lay down before their God their trophies, sheaves and
good works — the labors of a lifetime.
The unspeakably sorrowful feature connected with the close of a great war and the return of the soldiers is that so many who went forth never come back, but are left sleeping under the soil of many a bloody battlefield or in the obscure graveyard of some far distant hospital or prison. Far sadder than this will it be if many who were once soldiers of Christ and marched away to fight His battles should have been wounded, captured or destroyed by the enemy and never come back. The Devil will finally surrender, the war on earth be over and then the Celestial army, the Church Triumphant, will appear returning to enter upon everlasting peace, when lo! it is seen that many who once fought in the ranks for Christ are not beheld in the homecoming. They have been left on some distant field of sin. They were mortally wounded by Satan. They were not faithful unto death. Like the angels, they kept not their first estate. Like Baalam, Judas, Saul and Demas, they fell and “went unto their own place” in the world of the lost, the eternal captives of the Devil. How we pray that all of God’s Israel may be saved, that those who read these lines, as well as he who writes them, may endure hardness as good soldiers of Christ, fight a good fight, keep the faith, and dying, find our latest foe under our feet at last. May we be in our places on that wonderful day when the Saints come marching into Heaven from all climes and nations of the earth. And may we all have the King to smile upon us, and bless us, and say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.