GIDEON DEFEATS THE MIDIANITES

PROCLAMATION

“And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and put a trumpet in every man’s hand … When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side … and say, ‘The sword of The Lord, and of Gideon.’ ”  Judges 7:16-20 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the Prophet Samuel.  After Gideon had gathered his men to fight the Midianites and the Amalekites who had joined forces against him, (Judges 6:34-35) The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men …” and he was told to send some of them back home.  He sent twenty-two thousand home and was left with ten thousand men. (Judges 7:2-3)  But The Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men …” and He devised a test to separate the men based upon how they drank water from a river.  Then He said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men who lapped water I will … give the Midianites into your hands.” (Judges 7:4-8)  That night The Lord told Gideon to get up and take his servant Phurah with him and go down to the enemy camp and listen to their conversations.  He did as God told him and found out that they were already afraid of him. (Judges 7:9-15)  Gideon returned to his camp, told his men to rise, and divided the three hundred men in to three companies.  He gave each man a trumpet, and empty pitcher, and a torch, and told them what to do.  Then he sent each company to a different side of the enemy camp.  When Gideon blew his trumpet, the men all blew their trumpets, broke the empty pitchers, held up their torch and shouted: “The sword of The Lord, and of Gideon.” (Judge 7:16-20)  The Midianites were frightened and confused, and some turned on each other while others fled.  The Israelites defeated the Midianites, slew their two princes, and brought their heads back to camp. (Judges 7:21-25)  

 

APPLICATION

The Lord God told Gideon that he had too many men to fight this battle because He did not want the Israelites to take credit for the victory which He was going to provide.  (Judges 7:2)  We need to recognize when The Lord God makes a way out of no way for us and give Him the credit for what He has done.  When the blessings that we prayed for are given to us, we should thank Him, praise Him, and tell others what The Lord has done for us.  We did not make it this far on our own, and we ought to acknowledge Him for making it possible. (Proverbs 3:6)  No one likes helping an ungrateful person.  Give God the credit and praise which He deserves.

IN ALL YOUR WAYS SUBMIT TO THE LORD

Proclamation:

“Trust in The Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.  Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear The Lord and shun evil.”  Proverbs 3:5-7 (NIV)

Explanation:

This proverb, like all of the other proverbs, was written by King Solomon under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God to provide instruction and guidance to the people of God.  This third proverb also addresses wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.  He begins by saying do not forget what he has taught them. (Proverbs 3:1-4)  The he adds, do not despise The Lord’s discipline because He disciplines those that He loves. (Proverbs 3:11-12)  Blessed are those who get wisdom and gain understanding for wisdom is more valuable that silver and gold. (Proverbs 3:13-15)  With wisdom comes long life, prosperity, and peace. (Proverbs 3:16-18)  Solomon continues with a discussion of the importance and the value of wisdom. (Proverbs 3:19-26)  Then he discusses sharing with those in need, and advises against doing harm to your neighbors. (Proverbs 3:27-30)  He ends by saying do not envy or imitate the evil wicked people, The Lord will deal with them. (Proverbs 3:31-35)  

Application:

It is the responsibility of every believer to learn, remember, and live by The Word of God.  We are to seek Him and live by His ways, and not our own.  The knowledge of His Holy Word is more valuable to us than wealth.  Those who are blessed to get wisdom and understanding by seeking Him first will also be blessed with all of the other things. (Matthew 6:33)

BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO HAVE LEARNED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE LORD

Proclamation:

“Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim You, who walk in the light of Your presence, Lord.  They rejoice in Your name all day long; they celebrate Your righteousness.”  Psalm 89:15-16 (NIV)

Explanation:

The words of this psalm were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by Ethan the Ezrahite regarding the Davidic Covenant.  Ethan, a singer during the days of King David, who saw the decline of David’s family, is thought to have written this psalm to remind the people of God’s Covenant with David.  This psalm expounds upon the mercies of The Lord God which the psalmist sings about. (Psalm 89:1-2)

Application:

Those of us who believe and acknowledge The Lord God in our lives and worship and praise Him, and who walk in His way are blessed.  We rejoice in His righteousness and we are thankful for His grace and mercy.  We lift His name and He in turn lifts us up and grants us His favor. (Psalm 89:17)

WE WILL PRAISE THE NAME OF THE LORD FOREVER

Proclamation:

“In God we will make our boast all day long, and we will praise Your name forever.”  Psalm 44:8

Explanation:

This psalm was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by an unknown human author (probably King David) for the sons of Korah to sing.  The psalmist begins this psalm talking about victories of the past, (Psalm 44:1-3) and current victories which have already been won, (Psalm 44:4-7) then continues and talks prophetically about defeats which have yet to come. (Psalm 44: 9-11 and 22)  He gives God credit for the victories, brags about what God has done, then says that they will praise Him forever.

Application:

We have no reason to brag or boast about ourselves, our accomplishments, or our possessions.  All that we are and all that we have are blessing from The Lord God. (2 Corinthians 10:13)  Our very lives and our existence is because of His goodness, mercy, and grace.  Any bragging we do should be about what The Lord had done.  Everything from creation to our last breath and heart beat is a blessing and a miracle from God.  We should give Him credit, thanks, and praise for all that He has done. (Proverbs 3:6 and Ephesians 5:20)

GOD'S FAVOR IS UPON US

Proclamation:

"May the favor of The Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us, yes, establish the work of our hands."  Psalms 90:17 (NIV)

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy spirit of God by Moses.  This is the only psalm written by Moses.  He ends it by asking God to grant His favor to the people of God and to grant that their life and their life's work may have meaning and be what God has called them to be.  After being in the wilderness for forty years the Children of Israel had done no work and had produced nothing.

Application:

Only with God's favor and His blessing can we be productive and lead productive lives.  Unfortunately, we do not give God the credit for all that we do.  We think and act like we did it ourselves.  Only in God do we live, move, and have our very being. (Acts 17:28)  Through Him were all things made, and without Him nothing was made. (John 1:3)  We should thank God for all that we do, all that we accomplish, and for every talent, skill, and ability that we have.  Since all of these were blessings from The Lord and nothing that we produced or accomplished would have been possible without His help.  We have been blessed and favored by God and we should be grateful and acknowledge His influence in our lives.  We should pray that our life and our life’s work will be pleasing to Him. 

TRUST IN THE LORD

Proclamation:

“It is better to trust in The Lord than to put confidence in man.” Psalm 118:8 (KJV) 

Explanation:

While there is some doubt as to the human author of this psalm, it is clear that it was written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God and it points the reader to Jesus, The Christ.  The point of this psalm is that only The Lord God is worthy of our trust.  Man will let you down and disappoint you, and maybe even deceive you.   

Application:

Blessed is the man who put his trust in The Lord. (Psalm 40:4)  He is always with us.  The Lord God will never leave us nor will He forsake us. (Deuteronomy 31:8 and Hebrews 13:5)  He hears our cry and He sees our tears.  He even understands our frustrations and our temptations.  He can get us out of a bad situation, clean us up, place us on the right path, and give us a new song of praise to sing because of His goodness and mercy. (Psalm 40:1-3)  No man can do that.  We cannot even do that for ourselves.  Trust in The Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)  The Lord is our strength and our protection, our help and our Savior, only He is worthy of our trust. (Psalm 28:7)  Do not put your trust in a person, trust in The Lord and be blessed.

IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM

Proclamation:

"In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths."  Proverbs 3:6 (KJV)

Explanation:
This is one of the sayings of King Solomon, who was blessed to be the wisest man to ever live. (2 Chronicles 1:11-12)  He told the believers that they should acknowledge The Lord God in all that they do, and God would give them guidance and direction as they go through life.

Application:

It has been said that everything that happens to us is either a blessing or a lesson; and it provides us with a test or a testimony.  All of the people that come into our lives are there to teach us or to test us, to help us or to hinder us.  In fact, all too often those who help us also hinder us because we lean on them for help instead of trusting in The Lord.  Some times God has to remove our human crutches in order for us to learn to depend upon Him.  He has to show us that He is all that we need.  Frequently, we give a person or a thing credit for what God has done.  We say we can’t live without a certain person, we can.  We say someone did something for us, but God blessed them so that they could bless us.  We give “mother nature” credit for the weather and talk about “father time”, but God is in control of all that happens.  Everything that occurs is part of His permissive will. (Job 1:6-12)  Our trials and tribulations should strengthen us, and increase our faith in The Lord. (Romans 5:3-4)  His hand is in everything, so we should thank Him, and give Him praise, honor, and glory for everything. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)  If we acknowledge Him for who He is, and for all that He has done, He will guide and direct us through this life. (Psalms 48:14)

In All Thy Ways Acknowledge Him

"In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths."  Proverbs 3:6 (KJV)

This is one of the sayings of King Solomon, who was blessed to be the wisest man to ever live. (2 Chronicles 1:11-12)  He told the believers that they should acknowledge The Lord God in all that they do, and He would give them guidance and direction as they go through life.

It has been said that everything that happens to us is either a blessing or a lesson; and it provides us with a test or a testimony.  God is in control, and all that happens is part of His permissive will. (Job 1:6-12)  Our trials and tribulations should strengthen us, and increase our faith in The Lord. (Romans 5:3-4)  His hand is in everything, so we should thank Him, and give Him praise, honor, and glory for everything. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)  If we acknowledge Him for who He is, and for all that He has done, He will guide and direct us through this life. (Psalms 48:14)  Remember, the steps of a good man are ordered by The Lord. (Psalms 37:23)

In All Your Ways Acknowledge God

"Trust in The LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."  Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

These are the words of the wisest man ever, King Solomon, the son of King David.  His advice to the people was that they should trust in The Lord and follow His ways, and not try to figure things out for themselves.  He told them to give The Lord credit for all that He had done in their lives, and He would guide and direct them.

Solomon's advice would be just as applicable to us today and it was to the people then.  The Lord God knows all about everything. (1 John 3:20)  We would be much better off trusting in Him who knows all, rather than relying on our own limited knowledge and poor understanding.  He said that if we acknowledge The Lord and give Him credit for all that He has done for us, then He would direct our paths.  He said in all our ways we should acknowledge Him.  Most believers give thanks to The Lord for some things, but we should thank Him for everything, great and small.  We should see the hand of God in everything in our lives, in our reasonable portion of health and strength, in the closed doors and open doors of opportunity (Revelation 3:8), and in the trials and tribulations which strengthen us. (Romans 5:3-4)  In all of the things in our lives we should acknowledge The Lord, and He will direct our paths.

Trust In The Lord And Acknowledge Him

"Trust in The LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths."  Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

This is the advice of King Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived, trust in The Lord, and trust in Him completely.  He spoke these words to the young and to the old people of his day telling them not to trust in their own limited knowledge.  They were to give The Lord God the credit for all that they accomplish, and He would give them guidance and direction as they journeyed through life.

The Lord God is all powerful (omnipotent) (Matthew 28:18 and Colossians 2:10);  all knowing  (omniscient) (1 John 3:20);  and everywhere all at the same time (omni-present) (Psalms 139:7-10).  There is no good reason to put our trust in anyone who has less to offer us, including putting our trust in ourselves.  We should trust in The Lord, and not just half-heartedly but with conviction.  Our knowledge, wisdom, and understanding is so limited, and we know nothing about what the future holds.  We should put God first, and include Him in everything.   Whatever we propose, plan, and prepare; or we begin, continue, and end; or we think, speak, and do, we should include God.  We should acknowledge that God makes it all possible, and that we rely on Him and depend on Him.  All of our decisions, directions, and dialogues should only be undertaken after much prayer. 

Trust In The Lord

"Trust in The LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;  in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight."  Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV)

King Solomon, the wisest man ever, said that we should not trust in our own limited understanding of things.  We should trust in The Lord, give Him credit for who He is and for what He has done.  If we do that, then He will direct our paths.

We need to rely on, and depend on God instead of on our instincts, our senses, our limited knowledge, or on ourselves.  We are so prone to errors, mistakes, poor decisions, bad judgement, and to sin that we should never trust ourselves.  We need to have an intimate and personal relationship with The Lord.  We need to recognize that His hand is involved in all that is going on around us and with us.  We need to have a total reliance upon Him, total confidence in His care, and total commitment to His Word.  We need to let Him direct the course of our life.  We need to understand and be secure in the fact that His way, really is the only right way.  We need to begin, continue, and end every effort, purpose, and plan in our life with God.

God's Love Is Perfected Within Us

"If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is The Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.  And so we know and rely on the love God has for us.  God is love.  Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.  In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like Him.  There is no fear in love.  But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment.  The one who fears is not made perfect in love."  1 John 4:15-18 (NIV)

The Apostle John told the believers that they should love one another.  He said that God dwells in them and they demonstrate this by showing their love for one another.  They were to be God's examples to the world of Christian love, loving everyone and afraid of nothing.

When Christians say "I love you" what they mean is "I love you the way that God intended for us to love each other."  The "old folks" used to say, "I love you in The Lord" to make sure that it was understood that nothing inappropriate was intended.  As we endeavor to love one another as Christ loves us, our love is made perfect or complete.  We cannot attain perfection while we yet live but we can become more Christ-like.  We should not be afraid to show our love for Christ or our love for our fellow man.  In fact, we should not be afraid of anything.  The Bible says "fear not" sixty-three times, twelve of which are recorded in the gospels as the words of Jesus.  With The Spirit of God within us and the love of of God being perfected within us, we should not fear any person, thing, or situation.  God is omnipotent and He is in control.  As long as we walk with Him, everything will turn out for our good. (Romans 8:28)

All Who Hear You Won't Believe You But Don't Believe Them

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.  This is how you can recognize The Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.  This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.  You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.  They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.  We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us.  This is how we recognize The Spirit of Truth and the spirit of falsehood."  1 John 4:1-6 (NIV)

In his old age, the Apostle John wanted to advise the Christians not be believe every person or spirit that they hear.  He gave them a way to test what they hear, to see if it is of God or not.  He also told them that not everyone will want to hear what they have to say because they are children of God.

We are in this world but not of it.  The God who is within us has overcome the world and He is greater than the spirit who is over this world.  We have to understand that everyone that we talk to is not going to want to hear what we have to say.  Talking about Jesus, The Christ, will turn some people off and it will upset others.  Some will want to argue, but don't engage them.  Just let them know that you disagree and "shake the dust off your shoes and keep on stepping" as a testimony against them. (Luke 9:5 & Matthew 10:14)  Our job is to tell the world about Christ, The Holy Spirit does the conviction, convincing, and converting.

Pray Like A Prophet

"A prayer of Habakkuk, the prophet ... Lord, I have heard of Your fame; I stand in awe of Your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy."  Habakkuk 3:1-2 (NIV)
Habakkuk, the prophet, frequently question God regarding how long He would let evil men triumph over the righteous.  After God answers him and tells him that judgement is coming, he prays for mercy.

Even today is seems that a lot of bad people enjoy a good life, often at the expense of the righteous, and a lot of good people seem to suffer a series of bad things in their lives.  The Bible states that there will come a day when we will all have to answer to God and give an account for our thoughts, spoken words, and actions.  (Matthew 12:36, Romans 14:12, Hebrews 13:17, & 1 Peter 4:5)  None of us is ready for, nor can we stand, God's judgement, we all need God's mercy.  We all need to pray, confess, repent, ask for forgiveness and mercy.

Be Strong And Do The Good Work

"And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge The God of your father, and serve Him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for The Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. Consider now, for The Lord has chosen you to build a temple as a sanctuary. Be strong and do the work." 1 Chronicles 28:9-10 (NIV)

After his many blessing and victories in the name of The Lord, King David wanted to build a temple to God to house the ark of the covenant (1 Chronicles 28: 2), which contained the stone tablets of the ten commandments. God told David that his son Solomon would build the temple. (1 Chronicles 28:3) Here David is telling Solomon to follow The Lord and do a good work. David was also talking to all of the people, "Hear me, my brethren, and my people ..." 1 Chronicles 28:2

We do not always get to do what we want or what we plan to do. Everything happens according to God's plan. We should acknowledge God and serve Him wholeheartedly and willingly. We need to be honest with ourselves and with Him, for He knows our heart, motives, and thoughts. We need to serve Him and do the good work that He has called each of us to do. We may not be charged with building a temple, but we are all charged with kingdom building here on earth.

Admit Being Christian, Don't Deny Jesus

"Whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will also acknowledge him before My Father in heaven. But whoever disowns Me before men, I will disown him before My Father in heaven." Matthew 10:32-33 (NIV)

Do not be ashamed to admit that you believe in Jesus The Christ. Do not deny Him in order to be accepted by people here on earth. If we deny Him now, He will deny us later.

Do your family and friends know that you are a Christian? They should not only hear you say it, but they should see you live like it.

I Will Lift Up My Eyes

"I will lift up my eyes to the hills; where does my help come from? My help comes from The Lord, The Maker of heaven and earth." Psalms 121:1-2

In this sin sick world that we live in, we need to recognize and acknowledge that God is our helper, our keeper, our protector, and our preserver. We need to keep our eyes lifted up and focused upon Him.

As we journey through the uncertain circumstances of life, we need the help of The Lord. We must trust in The Lord in times of trouble (health, financial, relationship, or whatever) and when we think that all is fine. From day to day, from minute to minute, from moment to moment, we need The Lord. We can't make it on this journey without Him.

Give Thanks To God # 4

"Give thanks to The Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." Psalms 106:1 (NIV)

May you have a blessed and joy filled celebration on the day of giving thanks to God for all that He has given to you.

Don't Walk The Dark Road Of Life Alone

"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." Psalms 119:105

"Order my steps in Thy Word; and let not any iniquity have dominion over me." Psalms 119:133

"In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:6

The steps and directions of a good man/woman are ordered by The Lord. Don't walk down the dark road of life by yourself. Let The Lord direct you, light your path, and protect you as you go through life. As you plan, begin, continue, and end every work and purpose in life, include God in it.

God Is Awesome!

My God is awesome!!! There is nobody greater. He is not to be played with.

My God is omnipotent, all powerful, (Revelation 19:6), omniscient, all knowing, (Matthew 6:8) and omnipresent, everywhere all at the same time, (Matthew 28:20).

He made me (Psalms 139:13-16), He knows me (Psalms 139:1-6), He loved me (John 3:16 & John 15:9), and He still loves me (Hebrews 13:8). "I love Him, I love Him, I really love The Lord." He deserves all of our praise, honor, worship, and glory.

"... My heart standeth in awe of Thy Word." Psalms 119:161