WHEN THE TASK SEEMS TO GREAT 

            As born again believers we are servants of the Almighty God and have enlisted ourselves in His army.  We know that nothing is impossible for our God and are quick to announce that with God all things are possible.  Yet, if we were honest we would admit that we believe that all things are possible, if God is using someone else.  Sure God can, but can I?  Certainly He does not want me to do that.  We often see the task as too difficult for us and are sure that God could find someone else to use.  In the natural there are certain qualities that we expect an army to have if it is to win great battles.  We expect great armies to have superior leadership, educated in combat strategy.  Great armies should have the most advanced equipment and weaponry.   And certainly an army that expects to win great battle should be numerically strong.   In the natural all of these things might be required.  But as Christians we do not operate in the natural.  God in His Word has shown us on many occasions how he can take a mere man and a sling shot and kill a giant, a marching army with 7 trumpets and a shout and bring down a whole city, 4 lepers and the wind and saved Israel.  I’m sure that each of these circumstances seemed impossible.  But God uses common people to perform His impossible feats.   God wins great victories with small armies.  In fact He wins great battles using only the Jr. ROTC. 

            God has called this group to do a great task and to some the task might appear much too great.  We are to build a local church and operate a ministry on what right now are very limited funds.  We have been appointed to bring healing and deliverance to Raleigh, as a start.  This task might seem overwhelming to many, impossible to others, and maybe even foolishness to some.  But God is in the business of doing the impossible, especially when the task seems great, and he uses mere men and women to perform His feats.   

Judges 6:1

            The Midianites were a powerful people.  They oppressed Israel, stripping them of their crops, herds, etc.  They would just take from the people what ever they wanted.  But God is going to approach one man and charge him with the task of delivering Israel.  I’m sure that he felt as we would feel that the task was too great.  So I want to talk to you today on the subject of “WHEN THE TASK SEEMS TOO GREAT”.

Judges 6:11-16 

            God calls Gideon.  The fact that Gideon is threshing wheat by the wine press tells us something about this man.  The wine press was at the foot of the hill.  The heavy grapes were bought down the hill.  In contrast the threshing floor was on top of the highest hill; where the wind could be used to blow away the chaff.  But Gideon was so afraid of the Midianites that he would not dare go atop the hill to thresh his wheat.  He would rather stay hidden at the foot of the hill and work extra hard than risk having to contend with a band of Midianites.  Gideon is not some hero endowed with natural courage.  He is a beaten down Israelite who is probably frustrated because he can’t even thresh the wheat that he has gathered in peace.  He is not a man who is feeling brave.  He would probably call himself as a coward.  But though fear drove him to the wine press, wisdom told him to hid and get the job done.  He is an ordinary human just as we are, faced with daily trying to survive what seem to be insurmountable odds.  But God is about to use this man. 

            Regardless to how Gideon might have seen himself, the Lord called Him a mighty man of valor, not a coward.  (Never been to battle, at wine press)  When the angel tells him to go in his might, he probably thought what might, I am a coward.  Not only is Gideon a coward he has a poor self image.  When he looked at himself he could not image why God was asking him to do anything.  Why he was from the tribe of Manasseh; a small tribe that was not noted for doing anything in particular.  Not only was he from Manasseh, but he was from a poor family and held the lowest position in the family.  He probably thought why certainly God you can find a better man for this task than I.  Even as people of God we often find ourselves focusing more on what the world says that we are not than on what God says that we are.  Gideon could not hear God calling him a mighty man of valor because he was focused on his fear, his poverty and his lack of position and status.  In his own eyes he was the least likely candidate for the job.  Yet this is the man that God called and commissioned to lead the army.  But then God generally tends to use the least likely candidates.  Many times God can not get his own people to move, because we are too busy looking for a better candidate than ourselves.  Those of us who have really messed up along the way and are willing to admit to ourselves that we messed up, think surely God can find someone who has a less sinful past.  When we compare ourselves to others we can always find someone who appears more holy, smarter, more talented, better prepared, more whatever than we are.  But God has set a pattern of using the most unlikely. 

I Cor. 1:26-29 says

            God is not looking for super heroes to send out to battle.  He is looking for common everyday people who will simply go in spite of their frailties.    It is this weak insignificant, fearful Gideon that God commissions to lead the attack.  We look at our pastors and expect them to be perfect, to understand our every need and be sensitive to our every whimper.  But if they were perfect God would have never called them.  If they had all the answers they would not be pastors over God’s people.  A person who believes himself to perfectly capable of leading will find no need to give glory to God.  God chooses not the likely candidate but the unlikely one.  Forget what you think you are or are not, or what others think about you and focus on what God calls you.  If He calls you minister then you call yourself Minster.  If He calls you and anointed songstress, then you call yourself an anointed songstress.   If he calls you giver, teacher, pastor, ruler, exhorter, intercessor, etc., then you call yourself that and live out that calling.

Not only is fear ruling Gideon, he appears of have lost hope of deliverance and faith in God.   

vs. 25-32

            Here God gives Gideon an opportunity to work on the biggest hindrance to his success; his fear.  Note that Gideon was commissioned to fight against the Midianites.  But God did not send him out immediately to the task.   Before sending Gideon out among his enemies, God allows him to confront his fear among his own people.  One would think that the two tasks that God gave Gideon to do would not elicit fear in a child of God.  You see according to Deut 13, all who participated in idolatry were to be stoned and any city that allowed idolatry was to be destroyed.  But the people and grown so far from God, that Gideon knew his acts would not be appreciated.  So Gideon made some servants go with him, and sneaked in at night to do the will of God.  Many times as we consider the task that God is requesting of us, we will be gripped by a spirit of fear.  But we must act on what God says in spite of our fears.  (II Tim. 1:7.  You see we know that fear is from the enemy, and we can not allow the enemy to rule our actions). 

            These are people who have a covenant relationship with God who are upset by the idols being torn down and an altar to God erected.  Sometimes when you begin to move on God’s behalf, it is those who are in the church who are most critical, desiring to tear down your ministry for God rather than applaud your obedience to God.  Sometimes because we do not know or understand the plan of God we come against the move of God. 

vs. 33-40  - There are 3 important points to be seen here.  First, before acting on the commission of God, wait on the anointing of God.  Though out both the Old and the New Testaments we see that God anointed those he commissioned.  Second, don’t move without the plan of God.  Gideon decided to gather him an army.  It is obvious that this was not the plan of God, for most of these were later sent home.  What we think we should do might seem right in the natural, but if God assigns the task, then He has a perfect plan for how it is to be accomplished.  Third, don’t doubt God.    Many time we put out a fleece before God.  We say God if you want this to happen then do this.  We say that we are simply trying to confirm God’s will.  Gideon had no need to confirm God’s will.  God had spoken to him twice (vs. 14, 16).  Gideon had accepted the fact that God was talking to him; he built the altar in verse 24, tore down Baal’s altar  and rebuilt God’s altar in verse 27.  Putting out the fleece was an act of doubt; maybe even an attempt to find an excuse to not attempt the task at hand.  We Christian are very good at finding excuses not to follow through on the will of God.  We will fleece God over and over again; often times already having an assurance that it is God speaking to us, and having some measure of clarity on the task being assigned.  It is Good to have God confirm His Word, but He may not always choose to do so before you complete the task.  How and when God confirms His Word is up to Him.  We must choose to act in faith, trusting what we know God has said to us. 

            In Chapter seven we begin to see the plan of God unfold.  By the time Gideon has finished amassing his army, he has 32000 men.  We do not know exactly how many Midianites there were, but from chapter 8:10 we can estimate a minimum of 135000, 120000 of whom were soldiers.  God looking at Gideon’s army said he had too many men.  He sent home 22,000 fearful.    Imagine Gideon’s panic.  In the heat of battle, the fearful might turn and run, and discourage others from continuing the fight.  Fear is like a ripple on the ocean; with a strong wind and  undercurrent, it becomes a huge wave, growing swiftly as if advances.  The best thing to do is stop the wave before it starts. 

Judges 7:4-7

             The remaining 10000 was still too many.   It was easier and quicker to drink water from a stream by getting on your knees, but from this position one would be less attentive and  less prepared for attack.   The 9700 sent back represent those who would not be attentive to the task for self motivated reasons. 

When God was finished pruning Gideon’s army there were only 300 men left (a 98% reduction).  God intended to wipe out a swarm of Midianites with a meager army of 300.  From 32000 to 300.  God does not need large numbers.  He only needs those whom He has qualified for the task. 

Judges 7:9-15 - Realizing that the task to Gideon appeared great and that Gideon was fearful, God wanted him to understand and be assured that God was fighting for him.  The victory was already won before Gideon even went to battle.  When we stand against the enemy, to do the will of God, we can be assured that the victory is ours.  We need only to present ourselves for battle, prepared and equipped by God.  God put a fear in Gideon’s enemies before Gideon even arrived.  (Matt 8:28-29 -Art though come to torment us before the time-- cast in herd of pigs). 

Judges 7:16-25 

            When we are doing a work for God it is important that we follow the plan of God.  God will take a few people, properly positioned and equipped by God to bring about His purpose.  We might wonder about the equipment God chooses and the timing of His plan, but even our wondering  it is important that we realize that all equipment is important and should be properly used and that God’s timing is perfect.

            There are 5 things they were instructed to do. 

1.  Hide the torches in pitchers.  Why? So that the enemy would not see them approaching. Now the light of the Gospel we are not to hide.  But God has hidden some treasures in us.  Treasures that he intends to expose to the enemy in due time.  Satan does not know everything about me.  He may know events that have occurred.  he may even know how the old Pam might have reacted to certain stimuli.  But he does not know the work that God has done in me, or what my response might be.  He does not know how God intends to use me and what parts of my life God intends to use and for what purpose.   God has fixed some things and now they are hidden treasures at His disposal.  

2.  Surround the enemy.  Attack from all sides.  This confuses the enemy.  This is a tactic that the enemy uses against us.  He rarely attacks only one area of our lives at a time.  Many churches only preach salvation.  But we must address salvation, healing, deliverance from oppression and possession.  We must address prosperity, financial and spiritual.  I John 3:8 says that Jesus came to destroy the works of the Devil.  As directed by God, the Church must address every work of the enemy and be willing to assist Jesus in destroying it.           

3.  Sound the trumpet.  Take the offensive, attack the enemy.  So often as Christians we assume a defensive posture with the enemy.  We appear to be content with holding the ground that we currently possess.  We fail to put him on the defensive.  We need to make the enemy struggle to protect his own camp (Chess - always be attacking a piece that is more valuable than the piece you stand to lose)  We need to be attacking more.  But many times we only initiate an attack when forced to.  We don’t take the offense because we value what we may lose more than what we will gain.  (friendship more than a soul, image more than deliverance, etc) 

4.  Remember the battle cry.  Though in the interpretation of the dream it was the sword of Gideon alone, Gideon knew that the battle was really God. It was the sword of the Lord, used by Gideon.  We often say that the battle is not ours but it is the Lord's, then we fight like it is our battle.   Whatever part in this war that God has instructed us to participate in, we must still remember that we are simply volunteer soldiers.  The strategy is God’s and weapons are tools that He has charged us to use.  No matter what part we play, our battle cry must always be “For the Glory of our Lord and the Building of His Kingdom”. 

5.  Break the pitcher.  When the pitcher was broken the flames of the torch ignite into bright flames.  In order for the light to be seen, the pitcher had to be sacrificed.  If the hidden treasure that God has placed in each of us is to come forth, we must be willing to be broken.  The bright light of the image of Christ can not clearly be seen through the mulch and mire left by our past  lives.  We must choose to submit every crevice, every thought, every action to the scrutiny of the Holy Spirit, so that the light of Jesus can shine forth and be seen in us. 

In following this strategy, Gideon and his men never lad to lift a sword.  The enemy defeated themselves.  Like Gideon, when God ask us to do something, the task might seem to be to great, but we need only to submit to Him, act in spite of our fears, use the equipment He provides in the appropriate manner and time, trust Him and follow His game plan.