Latest / Bible in a Year with Jack Graham / Gideon's Army and God's Glory - The Book of Judges

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Gideon's Army and God's Glory - The Book of Judges · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred
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  Speaker 1: men that lapped, I will save you, and deliver the
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  Speaker 1: Midianites into thine hand, and let all the other people go,
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  Speaker 1: every man unto his place. Judges 7-7 Father, before I
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  Speaker 1: even begin my day, I thank you that word of
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  Speaker 1: my bravery and your hand upon me has reached the
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  Speaker 1: ears of all those who oppose me. Therefore, with boldness
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  Speaker 1: in my heart, I will continue my journey in overcoming
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  Speaker 1: the setbacks that have been sent to derail my destiny.
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  Speaker 1: As my feet touch the ground, I thank you that
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  Speaker 1: the devil and all his little minions are shaking because
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  Speaker 1: of the power that is moving through me. I confess
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  Speaker 1: that I will not have my mind set on a
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  Speaker 1: certain way to win the battle, but instead I will
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  Speaker 1: look to you, Lord, who, with creativity and individuality, produce
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  Speaker 1: methods that will confuse my enemy and give me complete
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  Speaker 1: victory without burnout and turmoil. Like the story of Gideon
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  Speaker 1: in Judges 7 and 8, today is the day that
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  Speaker 1: my name will be known throughout the enemy's camp. Today
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  Speaker 1: is the day that all hell will move out of
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  Speaker 1: my way because the all-powerful God is with me. and
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  Speaker 1: His angels go before me with trumpets and swords sent
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  Speaker 1: to confuse and stun my enemies. Glory to God, who
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  Speaker 1: shows up again and again to fight for His children.
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  Speaker 1: In Jesus' name. Amen. Thanks for making prayer a priority
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  Speaker 1: in your life. To hear the Bible come to life,
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  Speaker 1: stay tuned for The Bible in a Year, brought to.
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  Speaker 2: You Gideon's army and God's glory. Previously, we were introduced
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  Speaker 2: to God's new hero, Gideon. Gideon was a cowardly and
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  Speaker 2: weak man, but the strength of God fell upon him.
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  Speaker 2: He was filled with enough bravery to summon an army
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  Speaker 2: against the Midianite horde. Now the armies of Israel are gathered,
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  Speaker 2: ready to follow Gideon into battle. In this story, we'll
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  Speaker 2: learn of God's unusual tactics for building an army and
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  Speaker 2: how he uses Gideon's intelligence to lead Israel into victory.
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  Speaker 2: Inspired by the book of Judges.
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  Speaker 3: We're so glad you joined us on the Bible in
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  Speaker 3: a Year podcast today. The Bible in a Year podcast
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  Speaker 3: is an outreach of PowerPoint Ministries and can only come
• 3:04
  Speaker 3: to you each week through the support of listeners just
• 3:07
  Speaker 3: like you. Your support today is so important that we
• 3:10
  Speaker 3: want to thank you for your gift by giving you
• 3:12
  Speaker 3: a copy of my book called The Jesus Book. It
• 3:15
  Speaker 3: is a powerful guide that shows how every book of
• 3:18
  Speaker 3: the Bible points to Jesus and how his living word,
• 3:21
  Speaker 3: the truth of God's word, will transform your life. So
• 3:25
  Speaker 3: to get a copy of the Jesus book, simply go
• 3:28
  Speaker 3: to jackgraham.org slash Jesus. That's jackgraham.org slash Jesus. And thank
• 3:36
  Speaker 3: you for your support. In yesterday's episode, we heard how
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  Speaker 3: God called Gideon, an unlikely and reluctant leader. And Gideon
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  Speaker 3: was called to rally the troops against the Midianites and
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  Speaker 3: the Amalekites who were pillaging Israel's crops and stealing their livestock.
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  Speaker 3: Gideon was slow to accept his calling, but when he did,
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  Speaker 3: he was joined by 32,000 men ready for battle. Gideon
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  Speaker 3: then asked God for one more sign that he was
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  Speaker 3: indeed going to save Israel. And like a patient father
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  Speaker 3: reassuring his child, God gave Gideon the signs he asked for,
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  Speaker 3: not just once, but twice. Today we'll see how God
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  Speaker 3: chooses and uses a select company of men out of
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  Speaker 3: the 32,000 troops that go to battle with Gideon. It
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  Speaker 3: will serve as a sure sign that the victory belongs
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  Speaker 3: to God and God alone, not by might or power
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  Speaker 3: or military prowess. Let's listen right now to today's reading.
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  Speaker 2: The sun rose over the Israelite army. Sun rays shone
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  Speaker 2: into the common areas between tents. Men were preparing their
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  Speaker 2: armor and sharpening their swords. Over 32,000 Israelite soldiers camped
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  Speaker 2: in the valley opposite of the Midianite horde, and the
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  Speaker 2: quiet preparation before war filled the camp. Gideon sat before
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  Speaker 2: God for guidance and direction. Gideon was no general. In fact,
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  Speaker 2: he would have never even considered himself a brave man
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  Speaker 2: or warrior. He stood before God, hanging on every word
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  Speaker 2: he spoke. The people are too many for me to use,
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  Speaker 2: God said. Gideon perked his ears up, and his face
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  Speaker 2: gave a confused look. God continued and said, If all
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  Speaker 2: these men march into battle and win, they will boast
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  Speaker 2: of their own strength and not mine. Gideon put his
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  Speaker 2: hands in his face and sighed. Rubbing his temples, he
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  Speaker 2: nodded to God and left his tent. Who was he
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  Speaker 2: to question God now? He gathered all the men into
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  Speaker 2: a common area. Thirty-two thousand of them gathered before Gideon.
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  Speaker 2: Gideon spoke confidently, although he was not entirely sure how
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  Speaker 2: this was going to help them. He said, Whoever here
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  Speaker 2: is fearful and trembling, get out and hurry back to
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  Speaker 2: where you came from. Gideon watched as a sea of
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  Speaker 2: twenty-two thousand men departed from the group. Gideon stood, amazed
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  Speaker 2: that so many of them experienced the same fear as
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  Speaker 2: he did. Although Gideon might have been scared, he stayed,
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  Speaker 2: for God's Spirit was filling him up continually. Day by
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  Speaker 2: day he became more and more valiant. Ten thousand men remained,
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  Speaker 2: yet God still said there were too many. Take them
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  Speaker 2: down to the water, God commanded. Every man that laps
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  Speaker 2: the water with his tongue like a dog will remain
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  Speaker 2: with you, and whoever kneels down to sip from his
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  Speaker 2: hand will depart. So Gideon watched as the men drank.
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  Speaker 2: He watched closely, wondering what God was doing. The men
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  Speaker 2: who knelt down to drink like a dog fully paid
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  Speaker 2: attention to the water. The others who cupped the water
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  Speaker 2: in their hand were constantly looking over their shoulders. Gideon
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  Speaker 2: recognized what God was doing. The men who lapped had
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  Speaker 2: no fear of ambush. God wanted an army of fearless men,
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  Speaker 2: so he sent away all those that knelt down and
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  Speaker 2: was left with only three hundred soldiers. He gave them
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  Speaker 2: all trumpets and told them to rest, for that night
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  Speaker 2: they would have their victory. Night had fallen, and the
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  Speaker 2: light of day had disappeared from the earth. Gideon took
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  Speaker 2: one of his servants to go spy on the Midianite camp.
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  Speaker 2: The two men creeped in the darkness, remaining hidden. The
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  Speaker 2: Midianites lay along the valley like a dark sea. They
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  Speaker 2: were like locusts in number, and even their war camels
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  Speaker 2: could not be counted. Gideon's jaw dropped as he observed
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  Speaker 2: the vastness of their army. Their men seemed to outnumber
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  Speaker 2: the stars above them. The Midianites were mostly asleep, yet
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  Speaker 2: some of them stood watch around the fire. Gideon's ears
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  Speaker 2: perked up as he heard one of them speak. Gideon
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  Speaker 2: inched closer, trying to hear what they were saying. He
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  Speaker 2: heard one soldier say, I just had a dream. Some
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  Speaker 2: giant piece of barley bread tumbled down to our camp
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  Speaker 2: and crushed the tents. Though the image of bread crushing
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  Speaker 2: a campsite was laughable, the soldiers were not amused. One
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  Speaker 2: of the soldiers replied, saying, That bread is the great
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  Speaker 2: sword of Gideon. He is a mighty man of Israel,
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  Speaker 2: come to destroy us. When Gideon heard this, his heart
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  Speaker 2: welled up with confidence. They were afraid of him. Him, Gideon,
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  Speaker 2: the smallest man of the smallest tribe. Gideon departed immediately.
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  Speaker 2: He knew now without a shadow of a doubt that
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  Speaker 2: God would slay the Midianites under his blade. Gideon marched
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  Speaker 2: through camp, banging his sword against his shield. Wake up,
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  Speaker 2: he yelled. Arise, for God will give us the Midianites tonight.
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  Speaker 2: Gideon divided the three hundred men into three companies. He
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  Speaker 2: gave them trumpets and empty jars to put their torches in.
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  Speaker 2: He caught their attention and said, Look at me. Do
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  Speaker 2: as I do. When I blow my trumpet, you will
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  Speaker 2: do the same thing on every side of the Midianite camp.
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  Speaker 2: So he dispersed his soldiers and They spread out around
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  Speaker 2: the hills surrounding the Midianite camp. The jars above their
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  Speaker 2: torches made the light disperse, giving the illusion of thousands
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  Speaker 2: instead of hundreds. Gideon looked down at the Midianite horde.
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  Speaker 2: Then he looked all across the hills and saw his
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  Speaker 2: three hundred men surrounding the camp. The camp was quiet
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  Speaker 2: for a moment. Then Gideon raised his trumpet to his mouth.
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  Speaker 2: It echoed across the canyon. and 300 trumpets joined in.
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  Speaker 2: For the Lord and for Gideon, the men shouted. The
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  Speaker 2: music of war shook the ground and the Midianite army
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  Speaker 2: awoke in a confused frenzy. The trumpets continued to bellow
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  Speaker 2: across the valley below. The Israelites broke the jars in
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  Speaker 2: their hands, and the piercing sounds of broken glass frightened
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  Speaker 2: the camels. The trumpets continued to wail. It was dark,
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  Speaker 2: but the torchlights from the hills loomed over the camp
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  Speaker 2: like fiery arrows.' A sword for the Lord, and for Gideon!'
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  Speaker 2: every man shouted. The Midianites began to flee in every direction.
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  Speaker 2: One by one, they began to turn their swords on
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  Speaker 2: one another out of confusion. Gideon listened as the cries
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  Speaker 2: of dying soldiers filled the canyon. The Midianite horde dispersed
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  Speaker 2: in a bloody and frightened frenzy. And the army of
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  Speaker 2: Israel pursued them, picking them off in small groups. Gideon
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  Speaker 2: sent messengers out to the rest of Israel. saying, The
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  Speaker 2: Midianites are fleeing in every direction. Raise up your swords
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  Speaker 2: and slaughter them. So the rest of Israel joined in,
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  Speaker 2: finding scared Midianites and slaying them. Shouts of victory flew
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  Speaker 2: through the hills and valleys of Israel. Word of Gideon's
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  Speaker 2: bravery and the Lord's favor spread, and the people of
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  Speaker 2: Israel hoped once again. Though the danger was not yet over,
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  Speaker 2: The new leadership of Gideon put a fire in their bellies,
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  Speaker 2: and they were confident the Lord would provide.
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  Speaker 3: This is an absolute great story. This story begins with
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  Speaker 3: Gideon and his army of 32,000 men, which was a
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  Speaker 3: formidable force. But then God tells Gideon that there are
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  Speaker 3: too many, and if they go to war with that
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  Speaker 3: many men, Israel will boast in their own strength. Can't
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  Speaker 3: you imagine Gideon, who's already prone to doubt and fear
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  Speaker 3: and questioning as he's being confounded by such a statement
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  Speaker 3: that there are too many soldiers? Too many, isn't that
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  Speaker 3: a good thing? He must have been thinking. Still, he
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  Speaker 3: was all in for God now. And so on God's orders,
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  Speaker 3: he told his men that if anyone who was fearful
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  Speaker 3: of fighting, they could go home. So when that was
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  Speaker 3: said and done, his army of 32,000 was suddenly cut
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  Speaker 3: down to 10,000. But God said that was still too many.
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  Speaker 3: He had Gideon test the men by having them drink
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  Speaker 3: water and those who lapped up the water like a
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  Speaker 3: dog were to be separated from those who drank with
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  Speaker 3: their hands, with their swords ready. Only 300 men drank properly.
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  Speaker 3: This was a magnificent minority because now only 300 would
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  Speaker 3: stay and fight. God told Gideon still that he would
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  Speaker 3: defeat Midian. That night, Gideon snuck into the Midianite camp
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  Speaker 3: because God had told him, that if he needed some
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  Speaker 3: encouragement before the battle, just to go to the enemy's
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  Speaker 3: camp and listen and watch. And so he did. And
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  Speaker 3: he heard two soldiers talking. One was recounting an odd
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  Speaker 3: dream to the other. A piece of barley bread had
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  Speaker 3: tumbled into camp and toppled a tent. This was a
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  Speaker 3: strange dream, a nightmare really. And the meaning of this
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  Speaker 3: dream struck fear in the hearts of that soldier and
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  Speaker 3: all of the camp of the Midianites. This was a
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  Speaker 3: sign that God had given Midian over to Gideon, that
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  Speaker 3: Gideon's army would defeat the Midianites. Hearing this filled Gideon
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  Speaker 3: with encouragement. So listen to what he did in Judges 7, 15.
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  Speaker 3: As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream
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  Speaker 3: and its interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the
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  Speaker 3: camp of Israel and said, Arise, for the Lord has
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  Speaker 3: given the host of Midian into your hand. Gideon is confident.
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  Speaker 3: but his confidence is in God. And so he worships God.
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  Speaker 3: And he told the others all that God had done.
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  Speaker 3: Notice he doesn't say God will give the host of Midian. No,
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  Speaker 3: to him, this was a done deal. He is worshiping
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  Speaker 3: God because he knows God has given him the victory,
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  Speaker 3: the promise of victory, which is sure. Gideon's response is
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  Speaker 3: a great example for us to follow, that we are
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  Speaker 3: to trust God and and then tell others of the
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  Speaker 3: greatness of God. And so with an army of 300 men,
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  Speaker 3: Gideon surrounded the camp of Midian. With lit torches and
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  Speaker 3: loud trumpets, they woke the enemy from their sleep, breaking
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  Speaker 3: jars to create a deafening and terrifying sound. They were confused.
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  Speaker 3: The entire camp was thrown into confusion, and soldiers began
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  Speaker 3: killing each other, destroying, decimating the army. The remaining men
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  Speaker 3: were easily defeated by the 300 Israelites. Imagine this. a
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  Speaker 3: small army with the power of God defeating the enemy.
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  Speaker 3: Once again, God had used an unlikely person and unconventional
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  Speaker 3: means to grant Israel victory over a great foe. And
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  Speaker 3: now Israel can once again live in peace. But would
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  Speaker 3: it last? And would the next generation follow Gideon's example?
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  Speaker 3: We'll find that out tomorrow. So let's pray. Dear God,
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  Speaker 3: we thank you that you delight and desire to take
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  Speaker 3: the little things, and even small people and use them
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  Speaker 3: in a great way. Because when we surrender to you
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  Speaker 3: and give our lives to you, we know there comes
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  Speaker 3: great blessing and victory that honors you. We thank you
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  Speaker 3: for Gideon and his army, for faith and leadership and
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  Speaker 3: the commitment to do whatever it takes. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 3: And before we go, I wanted to let you know
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  Speaker 3: that the Bible in a Year podcast is an outreach
• 15:54
  Speaker 3: of PowerPoint Ministries and can only come to you each
• 15:57
  Speaker 3: week through the support of listeners like you. Your support
• 16:02
  Speaker 3: today is so important that we want to thank you
• 16:05
  Speaker 3: for your gift by giving you a copy of my
• 16:07
  Speaker 3: book called The Jesus Book. This book is a powerful
• 16:11
  Speaker 3: guide that shows how every book in the Bible points
• 16:14
  Speaker 3: to Christ and how you can better read and understand
• 16:16
  Speaker 3: the Bible. And How God's Word Transforms Our Lives. So
• 16:21
  Speaker 3: to get your copy of the Jesus book, simply go
• 16:24
  Speaker 3: to jackgram.org slash Jesus. That's jackgram.org slash Jesus. And thank
• 16:30
  Speaker 3: you for your support.