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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 weak.
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  Speaker 3: Man, but the strength of God fell upon him. He
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  Speaker 3: was filled with enough bravery to summon an army against
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  Speaker 3: the Midianite horde. Now the armies of Israel are gathered,
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  Speaker 3: ready to follow Gideon into battle. In this story, we'll
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  Speaker 3: learn of God's unusual tactics for building an army and
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  Speaker 3: how he uses Gideon's intelligence to lead Israel into victory.
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  Speaker 3: Inspired by the book of Judges.
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  Speaker 4: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
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  Speaker 4: Bible in a Year podcast. In yesterday's episode, we heard
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  Speaker 4: how God called Gideon, an unlikely and reluctant leader. And
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  Speaker 4: Gideon was called to rally the troops against the Midianites
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  Speaker 4: and the Amalekites who were pillaging Israel's crops and stealing
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  Speaker 4: their livestock. Gideon was slow to accept his calling, but
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  Speaker 4: when he did, he was joined by 32,000 men ready
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  Speaker 4: for battle. Gideon then asked God for one more sign
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  Speaker 4: that he was indeed going to save Israel. And like
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  Speaker 4: a patient father reassuring his child, God gave Gideon the
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  Speaker 4: signs he asked for, not just once, but twice. Today
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  Speaker 4: we'll see how God chooses and uses a select company
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  Speaker 4: of men out of the 32,000 troops that go to
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  Speaker 4: battle with Gideon. It will serve as a sure sign
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  Speaker 4: that the victory belongs to God and God alone, not
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  Speaker 4: by might or power or military prowess. Let's listen right
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  Speaker 4: now to today's reading.
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  Speaker 3: The sun rose over the Israelite army. Sun rays shone
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  Speaker 3: into the common areas between tents. Men were preparing their
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  Speaker 3: armor and sharpening their swords. Over 32,000 Israelite soldiers camped
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  Speaker 3: in the valley opposite of the Midianite horde, and the
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  Speaker 3: quiet preparation before war filled the camp. Gideon sat before
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  Speaker 3: God for guidance and direction. Gideon was no general. In fact,
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  Speaker 3: he would have never even considered himself a brave man
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  Speaker 3: or warrior. He stood before God, hanging on every word
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  Speaker 3: he spoke. The people are too many for me to use,
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  Speaker 3: God said. Gideon perked his ears up, and his face
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  Speaker 3: gave a confused look. God continued and said, If all
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  Speaker 3: these men march into battle and win, they will boast
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  Speaker 3: of their own strength and not mine. Gideon put his
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  Speaker 3: hands in his face and sighed. Rubbing his temples, he
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  Speaker 3: nodded to God and left his tent. Who was he
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  Speaker 3: to question God now? He gathered all the men into
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  Speaker 3: a common area. Thirty-two thousand of them gathered before Gideon.
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  Speaker 3: Gideon spoke confidently. although he was not entirely sure how
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  Speaker 3: this was going to help them. He said, Whoever here
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  Speaker 3: is fearful and trembling, get out and hurry back to
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  Speaker 3: where you came from. Gideon watched as a sea of
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  Speaker 3: 22,000 men departed from the group. Gideon stood, amazed that
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  Speaker 3: so many of them experienced the same fear as he did.
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  Speaker 3: Although Gideon might have been scared, he stayed. for God's
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  Speaker 3: Spirit was filling him up continually. Day by day he
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  Speaker 3: became more and more valiant. Ten thousand men remained, yet
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  Speaker 3: God still said there were too many. Take them down
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  Speaker 3: to the water, God commanded. Every man that laps the
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  Speaker 3: water with his tongue like a dog will remain with you,
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  Speaker 3: and whoever kneels down to sip from his hand will depart.
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  Speaker 3: So Gideon watched as the men drank. He watched closely,
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  Speaker 3: wondering what God was doing. The men who knelt down
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  Speaker 3: to drink like a dog fully paid attention to the water.
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  Speaker 3: The others who cupped the water in their hand were
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  Speaker 3: constantly looking over their shoulders. Gideon recognized what God was doing.
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  Speaker 3: The men who lapped had no fear of ambush. God
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  Speaker 3: wanted an army of fearless men, so he sent away
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  Speaker 3: all those that knelt down and was left with only
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  Speaker 3: three hundred soldiers. He gave them all trumpets and told
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  Speaker 3: them to rest, for that night they would have their victory.
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  Speaker 3: Night had fallen, and the light of day had disappeared
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  Speaker 3: from the earth. Gideon took one of his servants to
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  Speaker 3: go spy on the Midianite camp. The two men creeped
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  Speaker 3: in the darkness, remaining hidden. The Midianites lay along the
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  Speaker 3: valley like a dark sea. They were like locusts in number,
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  Speaker 3: and even their war camels could not be counted. Gideon's
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  Speaker 3: jaw dropped as he observed the vastness of their army.
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  Speaker 3: Their men seemed to outnumber the stars above them. The
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  Speaker 3: Midianites were mostly asleep, yet some of them stood watch
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  Speaker 3: around the fire. Gideon's ears perked up as he heard
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  Speaker 3: one of them speak. Gideon inched closer, trying to hear
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  Speaker 3: what they were saying. He heard one soldier say, I
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  Speaker 3: just had a dream. Some giant piece of barley bread
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  Speaker 3: tumbled down to our camp and crushed the tents. Though
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  Speaker 3: the image of bread crushing a campsite was laughable, the
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  Speaker 3: soldiers were not amused. One of the soldiers replied, saying,
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  Speaker 3: That bread is the great sword of Gideon. He is
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  Speaker 3: a mighty man of Israel, come to destroy us. When
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  Speaker 3: Gideon heard this, his heart welled up with confidence. They
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  Speaker 3: were afraid of him. Him, Gideon. the smallest man of
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  Speaker 3: the smallest tribe. Gideon departed immediately. He knew now without
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  Speaker 3: a shadow of a doubt that God would slay the
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  Speaker 3: Midianites under his blade. Gideon marched through camp, banging his
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  Speaker 3: sword against his shield. Wake up, he yelled. Arise, for
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  Speaker 3: God will give us the Midianites tonight. Gideon divided the
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  Speaker 3: three hundred men into three companies. He gave them trumpets
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  Speaker 3: and empty jars to put their torches in. He caught
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  Speaker 3: their attention and said, Look at me. Do as I do.
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  Speaker 3: When I blow my trumpet, you will do the same
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  Speaker 3: thing on every side of the Midianite camp. So he
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  Speaker 3: dispersed his soldiers. They spread out around the hills surrounding
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  Speaker 3: the Midianite camp. The jars above their torches made the
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  Speaker 3: light disperse, giving the illusion of thousands instead of hundreds.
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  Speaker 3: Gideon looked down at the Midianite horde. Then he looked
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  Speaker 3: all across the hills and saw his 300 men surrounding
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  Speaker 3: the camp. The camp was quiet for a moment. Then
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  Speaker 3: Gideon raised his trumpet to his mouth. It echoed across
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  Speaker 3: the canyons and 300 trumpets joined in. For the Lord
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  Speaker 3: and for Gideon, the men shouted. The music of war
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  Speaker 3: shook the ground and the Midianite army awoke in a
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  Speaker 3: confused frenzy The trumpets continued to bellow across the valley below.
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  Speaker 3: The Israelites broke the jars in their hands, and the
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  Speaker 3: piercing sounds of broken glass frightened the camels. The trumpets
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  Speaker 3: continued to wail. It was dark, but the torchlights from
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  Speaker 3: the hills loomed over the camp like fiery arrows. A
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  Speaker 3: sword for the Lord and for Gideon, every man shouted.
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  Speaker 3: The Midianites began to flee in every direction. One by one,
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  Speaker 3: they began to turn their swords on one another out
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  Speaker 3: of confusion. Gideon listened as the cries of dying soldiers
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  Speaker 3: filled the canyon. The Midianite horde dispersed in a bloody
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  Speaker 3: and frightened frenzy. And the army of Israel pursued them,
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  Speaker 3: picking them off in small groups. Gideon sent messengers out
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  Speaker 3: to the rest of Israel, saying, The Midianites are fleeing
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  Speaker 3: in every direction. Raise up your swords and slaughter them.
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  Speaker 3: So the rest of Israel joined in, finding scared Midianites
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  Speaker 3: and slaying them. Shouts of victory flew through the hills
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  Speaker 3: and valleys of Israel. Word of Gideon's bravery and the
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  Speaker 3: Lord's favor spread, and the people of Israel hoped once again.
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  Speaker 3: Though the danger was not yet over, the new leadership
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  Speaker 3: of Gideon put a fire in their bellies, and they
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  Speaker 3: were confident the Lord would provide.
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  Speaker 4: This is an absolute great story. This story begins with
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  Speaker 4: Gideon and his army of 32,000 men, which was a
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  Speaker 4: formidable force. But then God tells Gideon that there are
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  Speaker 4: too many, and if they go to war with that
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  Speaker 4: many men, Israel will boast in their own strength. Can't
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  Speaker 4: you imagine Gideon, who's already prone to doubt and fear
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  Speaker 4: and questioning as he's being confounded by such a statement
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  Speaker 4: that there are too many soldiers? Too many, isn't that
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  Speaker 4: a good thing? He must have been thinking. Still, he
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  Speaker 4: was all in for God now, and so On God's orders,
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  Speaker 4: he told his men that if anyone who was fearful
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  Speaker 4: of fighting, they could go home. So when that was
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  Speaker 4: said and done, his army of 32,000 was suddenly cut
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  Speaker 4: down to 10,000. But God said that was still too many.
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  Speaker 4: He had Gideon test the men by having them drink water,
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  Speaker 4: and those who lapped up the water like a dog
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  Speaker 4: were to be separated from those who drank with their hands,
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  Speaker 4: with their swords ready. Only 300 men drank properly. This
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  Speaker 4: was a magnificent minority because now only 300 would stay
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  Speaker 4: and fight. God told Gideon still that he would defeat Midian.
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  Speaker 4: That night, Gideon snuck into the Midianite camp because God
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  Speaker 4: had told him that if he needed some encouragement before
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  Speaker 4: the battle, just to go to the enemy's camp and
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  Speaker 4: listen and watch. And so he did. And he heard
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  Speaker 4: two soldiers talking. One was recounting an odd dream to
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  Speaker 4: the other. A piece of barley bread had tumbled into
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  Speaker 4: camp and toppled a tent. This was a strange dream,
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  Speaker 4: a nightmare really. And the meaning of this dream struck
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  Speaker 4: fear in the hearts of that soldier and all of
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  Speaker 4: the camp of the Midianites. This was a sign that
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  Speaker 4: God had given Midian over to Gideon, that Gideon's army
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  Speaker 4: would defeat the Midianites. Hearing this filled Gideon with encouragement.
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  Speaker 4: So listen to what he did in Judges 7, 15.
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  Speaker 4: As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream
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  Speaker 4: and its interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the
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  Speaker 4: camp of Israel and said, Arise, for the Lord has
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  Speaker 4: given the host of Midian into your hand. Gideon is confident,
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  Speaker 4: but his confidence is in God. And so he worships God.
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  Speaker 4: And he told the others all that God had done.
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  Speaker 4: Notice he doesn't say God will give the host of Midian. No,
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  Speaker 4: to him this was a done deal. He is worshiping
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  Speaker 4: God because he knows God has given him the victory,
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  Speaker 4: the promise of victory which is sure. Gideon's response is
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  Speaker 4: a great example for us to follow, that we are
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  Speaker 4: to trust God and then tell others of the greatness
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  Speaker 4: of God. And so with an army of 300 men,
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  Speaker 4: Gideon surrounded the camp of Midian. With lit torches and
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  Speaker 4: loud trumpets, they woke the enemy from their sleep, breaking
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  Speaker 4: jars to create a deafening and terrifying sound. They were confused.
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  Speaker 4: The entire camp was thrown into confusion, and soldiers began
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  Speaker 4: killing each other, destroying, decimating the army. The remaining men
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  Speaker 4: were easily defeated by the 300 Israelites. Imagine this, a
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  Speaker 4: small army with the power of God defeating the enemy.
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  Speaker 4: Once again, God had used an unlikely person and unconventional
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  Speaker 4: means to grant Israel victory over a great foe. And
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  Speaker 4: now Israel can once again live in peace. But would
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  Speaker 4: it last? And with the next generation, follow Gideon's example.
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  Speaker 4: We'll find that out tomorrow. So let's pray. Dear God,
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  Speaker 4: we thank you that you delight and desire to take
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  Speaker 4: the little things and even small people and use them
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  Speaker 4: in a great way. Because when we surrender to you
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  Speaker 4: and give our lives to you, we know there comes
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  Speaker 4: great blessing and victory that honors you. We thank you
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  Speaker 4: for Gideon and his army, for faith and leadership and
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  Speaker 4: the commitment to do whatever it takes. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 4: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 4: I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com
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  Speaker 4: make a big difference in someone's life in Jesus' name.
• 15:29
  Speaker 4: If you want to know more about the Lord, how
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  Speaker 4: to know Him, how to serve Him, and be His disciple,
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  Speaker 4: then let me encourage you to visit my website, which
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  Speaker 4: is jackgraham.org. We would love to assist you in any
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  Speaker 4: way possible as you grow in your journey of faith. Again,
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  Speaker 4: that's jackgraham.org. God bless you. This episode is sponsored by MediShare,
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