Friday, March 21, 2014

GIDEON'S THREE HUNDRED - J. C. O'Hair


 GIDEON’S THREE HUNDRED
Pastor J. C. O’Hair

TRUTH WITHOUT COMPROMISE

In the seventh chapter of Judges we find a very interesting account of the defeat of God’s enemies by three hundred Israelites under the leadership of faithful and courageous Gideon.

Of course Gideon gave God the glory; for the Israelites cried, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon,” (Judges 7:20).

In Ephesians 6:17 and Hebrews 4:12 the Word of God is called the Sword of the Spirit and described as sharper than any two edged sword.

There were at first 32,000 Israelites. But the Lord told Gideon that if his men should be victorious over the Midianites, with a host, they would take the glory unto themselves. (Judges 7:21). So 22,000, with fearful hearts, left Gideon. Then God had Gideon eliminate 9700 of his men, selecting those who did not stoop down to drink water.

Then note God’s word to Gideon in Judges 7:7: . . . “by the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand.” The Midianites were as numerous as grasshoppers. (Judges 7:12).

We note in Judges 7:15 that Gideon worshipped, and “He divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers.” “When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the Lord and of Gideon.” “And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried; “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon.” “And they stood every man in his place round about the camp; and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.” (Judges 16 and 18, 20 and 21).

The Israelites had their lamps in earthen vessels, in their left hands, near their hearts. They brake the vessels, held the lamps in their left hands and with their right hands put the trumpets of their mouths and cried “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon.” God’s enemies fled defeated.

Note God’s will concerning members of the Body of Christ in this age of grace: “Be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, with out rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world. Holding forth the Word of life.” Philippians 2:15 and 16.

Then Christians are “to show forth the praises of Him Who hath called you out of darkness unto His marvelous light.” (I Peter 2:9).

Surely we can see how the weapons of Gideon and his army, and their method of attack, picture the ministry of Christians as described in II Corinthians 4:5 to 7: “For we preach not ourselves but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. 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. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God and not of us.”

God’s enemies today are many, but we read this truth in Romans 5:10: “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

The trumpets of Gideon and his followers spoke of Christians preaching Christ. We have the light of II Corinthians 4:6 in pitchers, earthen vessels, our bodies.

Christians are to live Christ and preach Christ and to give out the Sword of the Spirit.


Pastor John LaVier
What are these two witnesses?


Cecil Spivey


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