Bawipa le Gideon Ngunnam 2021 Sermon in 2021

Title: “The Sword of the LORD and Gideon,” (v.14) Judges 7:1-25 Illustration God’s miracle in Golan Heights before Syrian The Golan Heights Attack https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/... Yom Kippur War In 1973, while the entire country of Israel fasted for Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), one hundred thousand Egyptians invaded Israel from the south and over 1,400 Syrian tanks invaded Israel from the north. Six-day War of Miracle June 15th 1967, (3 weeks period of their independent day) Miracle Characters and scenes Key Word & Phrase [rebellion, punishment & deliverance] “I will give Midian into your hand” (Judg 7:7; compare v 9). Interrogative Sentences (1) Ziangah O.T san hi saltang le ral do na-in an khawsa (2) Judges cabu ih key word & phrases: (rebellion, punishment, deliverance) (3) Judges pawl hi ziang hna an tuan (Military or judging, or prophesying, or ruling?) (4) Ziangah Pathian in mi malte thaw’n ral a do? (5) Ziangasi an ral nehnak? MAIN POINTS 1. TEST ONE, GOD SAID, "TOO MANY" AND 22,000 LEFT, 10.000 REMAIN (V. 1-3) v. 3 All fear-stricken people may return home and not fight. (Compare Deut 20:8.) Younger notes: “It is ironic in this context that one of the tests for eliminating unnecessary Israelite warriors (viz., ‘fear’) is the very problem that affects the leader, Gideon, himself” 2. TEST TWO, "STILL TOO MANY" GOD SAID, 9,700 MEN SENT HOME AND 300 MEN REMAIN (4-8)) Schneider surmises that “the lappers were the less militarily able group” (111). Matthews sees the soldiers selected as “the most inattentive, least vigilant of his assembled forces” (92). Wolf sees the three hundred as displaying “a greater alertness in staying on their feet, but in actuality they may have been no more courageous than the 9,700 others” (3:425). He goes further to see the verb החזיק, “retained,” as meaning, “hold against one’s will.” Amit decides “those who were chosen did not belong to either of the two designated groups.” 8 Gideon stands bravely on Yahweh’s side, obeying his voice and sending the great majority of his army sent back “were still under some type of military command but not taking part in the battle itself” (Schneider, 112). Or as Matthews phrases it, in strong contrast to Moses and Joshua, “Gideon is reluctant from the very beginning, and no matter how many proofs he is given there seems to be an assumption that he must be convinced each time he is called to lead the people” (92). 3. REASSURING GIDEON TO HEAR THE DREAM OF MIDIANITE (V. 9-14) 4. GIDEON'S 300 ARMIES' VICTORY OVER MIDIANITES (15-25) Olson sees, “Gideon had earlier felt that he was nothing (6:15) and the Lord was everything (7:15). v. 20. sword. As in vs. 14. The, same word connotes “battle,” as in the analogous milḥāmā le-yahwē, “Yahweh’s battle!” in Exod 17:16. Cf. Lev 26:7, 36, 37; Num 14:3; 20:18; Josh 10:11; Job 5:20; Song of Songs 3:8; Ezek 38:4, 21; 13. The idea seems to be that Gideon and his small force will exceed the field orders; the grand demonstration was to have been sufficient (vs. 18, with no mention of fighting.) Thesis: When covenant children were rebellious, they were captured by enemies—as God is faithful to His covenant, His mighty deliverance hands displayed through men of faith, who were weak, ignoble, and perhaps minority among others!