Are You Part of the 300? (Part 3)

Welcome to Part 3 of our study on Gideon. If you haven't read Part 1 or Part 2, you might want to do so before continuing on. Bible study always needs to be in context. You need to know the whole story!

(A little housekeeping:  The general consensus is that you like links! Each underlined phrase is a link to either earlier parts of the study or to the scripture for each passage.)

Have you ever faced an enemy in your life that it seemed to you to be bigger than an army without number? Impossible situations don't scare God! Let's see how God delivers in an unusual way.

Judges 7:1-8  WINNOWED DOWN TO THE FEW

• God tells Gideon that his 32,000 troops are too much because knowing man like He does, people would say the victory was because of the 32,000 heroes, not because of God. So Gideon's army is winnowed down and then once more to 300.

• 300 against an army without number. Later on, we will read that the enemy was like the sand on the seashore. You can't count grains of sand!

• And this is where I wonder if we as a church stand right now. Are we one of the 300? The 300 that God uses for an impossible task, a task so great that we could never never in a million years do it ourselves.

• God has to build this church, not us. Oh yes, we have to be willing to go and tell but it's not going to be the brilliance of the pastor's preaching, the fantastic worship services, the exciting programs, or the personality of one going out and knocking on doors in the community that builds this church, it's going to be by a move of God's spirit.

Judges 7:9-11  AN UNASKED FOR SIGN

• I love this! Gideon doesn't ask for another sign, but because God knows about his fears, He tells him to take his buddy Purah with him and sneak down to the Midianite camp to hear something that would strengthen Gideon's faith. God cared about Gideon and planned ahead to do something that would not only increase the faith Gideon had, but would empower and amaze.

Judges 7:12-15   BEING AT THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME

• It was no accident that the man dreamed the dream that night; no accident that he told his friend about it at just that moment; no accident that Gideon came to the exact place where he overheard the man telling the dream.

• Gideon realized this and became a man of action!

Judges 7:16-18  DO WHAT???

• Remember back in Judges 6:33-35 we read the Spirit of the Lord fell on Gideon? No doubt this plan was the spirit's doing. 

• In the natural, it looked cray-cray. A trumpet, an empty pitcher and a torch was their battle equipment against a sea of warriors.

• Just like in the natural, it looked crazy for 12 disciples to turn the world upside down, or for our small band of believers to accomplish anything for God in today's world.

Judges 7:19-25  UNBELIEVABLE VICTORY

• The Midianite army jerked awake to crashing sounds and blinding lights coming from all directions. Little wonder they imagined being attacked from a much bigger army! 

• Shouting The Sword of the Lord and of Gideon" just reinforced the fear the Midianites already had for Gideon.

• God specializes in impossible situations and using unconventional means in winning battles.

What an exciting story! The reasons stories like this were included in the Bible is that God wants you to know of real human situations where God has intervened in and brought victory. We are a lot like Gideon and have the same fears and doubts. But when we are clothed in the Spirit like Gideon, we can do mighty exploits for God.


Are you facing insurmountable odds today? Take heart from Gideon's story.

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