Judges 7:9 – 14 “That night the LORD said to Gideon, “Get up and go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hands. But if you are afraid to do so, then go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying. Then your hands will be strengthened to attack the camp.” So he went with Purah his servant to the outposts where armed men were guarding the camp.
Now the Midianites, Amalekites, and all the other people of the east had settled in the valley like a swarm of locusts, and their camels were as countless as the sand on the seashore. And as Gideon arrived, a man was telling his friend about a dream. “Behold, I had a dream,” he said, “and I saw a loaf of barley bread come tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent so hard that the tent overturned and collapsed.”
His friend replied: “This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has delivered Midian and the whole camp into his hands.”
Now that God has Gideon’s forces pared down to an incredibly low number, Gideon is nearly ready for the battle. But God knows that Gideon needs more reassurance, so He sends Gideon and his servant down to the Midianite camp to eavesdrop. The amazing part is the dream that God has given one Midianite soldier and the interpretation that follows. The statement God puts into the mouth of one of the Midianite soldiers is a reassurance to Gideon that God has already delivered the entire horde of Midianites and their allies into Gideon’s hands. It’s quite likely that neither soldier will realize what has happened or remember what this one man has said. Gideon is reassured and returns to his forces ready to fight.
Many times we would like reassurance from God, but we are afraid to ask for fear that God will disappoint us or be angry with us. Sometimes we even pontificate, claiming piously that “I just don’t want to test God.” Such a statement is rubbish! God is far more willing to be tried than we are to try Him! God is not sitting in heaven, shaking in fear that we might ask something impossible of Him. God tells us in Jeremiah 33:3 “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”
God knows us better than we know ourselves. If you had asked Gideon that evening whether or not he was trusting God to act on behalf of the Israelites, he would undoubtedly have blustered, “Of course!” But inside, Gideon’s heart muscles might have been fibrillating, quivering uncontrollably. God chose Gideon because of qualities that He had already built into Gideon when Gideon was conceived, before Gideon was even born. God knew that given the right encouragement, Gideon would be a willing tool for Him to use. But God also had no illusions as to Gideon’s level of bravery, hence the need for a quick trip to the outskirts of the Midianite camp to hear this dream and its interpretation.
Why was it necessary for God to use Midianite soldiers rather than men from Gideon’s own force? God wanted to create a situation that was so improbable that Gideon would have to believe this was really from Him. Had God given that same dream to one of Gideon’s men, Gideon wouldn’t have believed it and might have even suspected that his own followers had it in for him and were merely trying to lure him to an early death.
APPLICATION: At this moment, Christians in Afghanistan are being hunted down and murdered by the Taliban. Even in America, some politicians are making radical anti – Christian statements. If anybody has ever required courage to follow Jesus, it is now. G. K. Chesterton, the British Christian writer of an earlier century once said, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and left untried.” Those Afghani Christians who are dying for their faith know Whom they have believed and why they have believed on Him. These faithful believers have tried the Christian ideal and have not found it wanting.
Is it permissible to ask God for confirmation of His will for our lives? Of course! God knows us and knows when we need reassurance. But notice something: once Gideon received this strong sign of God’s favor, he didn’t demand anything else. Gideon returned to his camp, organized his men, and attacked the Midianites. Some of us would have told God, “Thanks, Lord, but I still need more signs.” There comes a point when you must trust God and act! The saying with which I grew up was that “You can either cut bait or fish.” When fishing with live bait, it may be necessary to cut the bait into pieces to fit on a fish hook before casting your line. But if you insist on continuing to merely prepare for fishing, you will never catch anything.
Are you facing a major decision in your life? Go ahead and ask God for confirmation. But once God gives you the confirmation you have requested, go forward! Stop cutting bait and go fishing!
PRAYER: Father God, many of us are facing difficult decisions, some of them life – changing. Please give those who need a sign from You the confirmation that they need. But also move us so that once we are sure of Your perfect will, we will take action. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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