The Sword of the LORD!
Scripture Reading: Judges 6:1-16
1 Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD delivered them into the
hand of Midian for seven years, 2 and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the
Midianites, the children of Israel made for themselves the dens, the caves, and the strongholds
which are in the mountains. 3 So it was, whenever Israel had sown, Midianites would come up;
also Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. 4 Then they would
encamp against them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no
sustenance for Israel, neither sheep nor ox nor donkey. 5 For they would come up with their
livestock and their tents, coming in as numerous as locusts; both they and their camels were
without number; and they would enter the land to destroy it. 6 So Israel was greatly impoverished
because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD.
7 And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried out to the LORD because of the Midianites,
8 that the LORD sent a prophet to the children of Israel, who said to them, “Thus says the LORD
God of Israel: ‘I brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of bondage; 9 and I
delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and
drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 Also I said to you, “I am the LORD your
God; do not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.” But you have not obeyed My
voice.’”
11 Now the Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which
belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to
hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, “The
LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!”
13 Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us?
And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us
up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the
Midianites.”
14 Then the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel
from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”
15 So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in
Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”
16 And the LORD said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one
man.”
Two weeks ago we took a look at the Israelites before they entered the Promised Land.
Last week we looked at them as they were entering into it. Today we are looking at a
time in Israel's history when they have been living in the Promised Land for some time.
In fact, they had been in the land for about two hundred and twenty years. Enough time
for them mess up again by not listening to God. Initially, when they first came into the
land, the LORD Yahweh told them to make sure they got all the peoples out of the land
so they could possess it. Numbers 33:55 - But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the
land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes
and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell. They had been
warned that the people of the land would become like a thorn in their sides and we can
see that they have.
It says in our scripture that the Midianites and the Amelekites would come in during
harvest time and destroy their crops. It doesn't even say that they stole them. It only
says that they came in to destroy the land. The Israelites had made for themselves
strongholds in the mountains, in caves and such. They basically hid out in the
mountains while these people destroyed their harvest. These were definitely not the
same people that walked through the Red Sea on dry land and watched the walls of
Jericho fall. They had become so detached from those things that they had become just
stories, which why I think it's so important for us to recognize that these are not just
stories; they are history.
I always enjoy reading about Gideon. He's not really what you'd expect to see from a
hero. He seems to be afraid of everything. When the Angel of Yahweh visits him he's
hiding in the winepress threshing wheat so he can hide it from the Midianites. When
he's told that the LORD Yahweh is with him, he's like - yeah, right! He's wondering why
they haven't seen the miracles that their fathers had told them about, not realizing it is
because they have not obeyed, nor have they had the faith of their fathers. Gideon
tells Him that he is the least of his father's house which is in the weakest clan. He's full
of hero confidence, isn't he? He's even afraid of his father's household and the men of
the city.
Judges 6:25-27
25 Now it came to pass the same night that the LORD said to him, “Take your father’s young bull,
the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut
down the wooden image that is beside it; 26 and build an altar to the LORD your God on top of this
rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood
of the image which you shall cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten men from among his servants and
did as the LORD had said to him. But because he feared his father’s household and the men of the
city too much to do it by day, he did it by night.
He wasn't ready to make a stand for Yahweh in the light of day, so he did it at night. But
he did do it. He tore down the altar to Ba'al, and when the men of the city found out
they were going to kill him. But when they called him out, his father stuck up for him.
His father got it, realizing that if Ba'al was really a god, the men wouldn't have to get
him. So, Gideon takes this little victory and moves on. That's the way God molds those
whom He has called. Giving them opportunities to succeed, so they can be molded and
made into the vessel they are destined to be. Now, the Midianites and the Amalekites
are getting ready to come against them.
Judges 6:33-35
33 Then all the Midianites and Amalekites, the people of the East, gathered together; and they
crossed over and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. 34 But the Spirit of the LORD came upon
Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him. 35 And he sent
messengers throughout all Manasseh, who also gathered behind him. He also sent messengers
to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.
Gideon still didn't feel he was ready to lead Israel to victory over their enemies. So, he
put's God to the test to make absolute sure that he is really the one to lead them to
victory.
Judges 6:36-40
36 So Gideon said to God, “If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said— 37 look, I shall
put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the
ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said.” 38 And it was
so. When he rose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece together, he wrung the dew out
of the fleece, a bowlful of water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me, but let me
speak just once more: Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on
the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew.” 40 And God did so that night. It was dry on the
fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground.
So, as always, God passes the test. So, now it's going to be up to Gideon to pass the
test. He has over thirty thousand men with him, but God tells him there's too many.
What? Too many? Isn't that the point? Having enough to be able to defeat these foes
that have had them under their thumb for so long?
Judges 7:1-3
1 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped
beside the well of Harod, so that the camp of the Midianites was on the north side of them by the
hill of Moreh in the valley.
2 And the LORD said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the
Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has
saved me.’ 3 Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and
afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.’” And twenty-two thousand of the
people returned, and ten thousand remained.
So, Gideon starts sending people home. Now, that took faith. You're about to go up
against thousand of warriors that have been whooping your behinds for years and you
start sending people home. But it was important for the people of Israel to understand
that it would not be their power or strength that would provide the victory. Zechariah 4:6
- So he answered and said to me: “ This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘ Not by might
nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts. Not only does Gideon end up
sending home this initial twenty-two thousand but he ends up, at the LORD Yahweh's
leading, cutting the manpower down to only three hundred men. But, you know what?
Those three hundred men had to be full of faith to stick around. They had to really trust
God to watch as wave after wave left their company to go home from the impending
battle.
Judge 7:16-18
16 Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet into every
man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers. 17 And he said to them, “Look
at me and do likewise; watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do as I do: 18
When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets on every side
of the whole camp, and say, ‘The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!’”
It would be the sword of the LORD Yahweh that would bring the victory here and that
would be evident to everyone involved and to us three thousand years later as we read
about it. How could three hundred men with horns, torches, and empty pitchers be any
match against an army of tens of thousands trained for battle? They couldn't, which is
why we know it wasn't them; it was God who won the victory. In the Valley of Jezreel God
showed His mighty hand of power. But you can see by Gideon's actions coming into this
valley that there's a lot of second guessing that comes before you see the power.
God's power is there and is available to us as believers but there is a process that will
bring us into that place of power. A lot of it has to do with our confidence.
Joshua 17:14-18
14 Then the children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given us only one lot and
one share to inherit, since we are a great people, inasmuch as the LORD has blessed us until
now?”
15 So Joshua answered them, “If you are a great people, then go up to the forest country and
clear a place for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and the giants, since the mountains of
Ephraim are too confined for you.”
16 But the children of Joseph said, “The mountain country is not enough for us; and all the
Canaanites who dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both those who are of Beth
Shean and its towns and those who are of the Valley of Jezreel.”
17 And Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh—saying, “You are a
great people and have great power; you shall not have only one lot, 18 but the mountain country
shall be yours. Although it is wooded, you shall cut it down, and its farthest extent shall be yours;
for you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots and are strong.”
First, Joshua questions them by saying 'if' you are a great people, go get the land you
need from the Perizzites and the giants. Then he encourages them by telling them that
they are a great people to be able to do this thing. But, you know what they seem to
have forgotten? They don't seem to be dwelling on the fact that it will not be their power
or strength that will win them the victory. That frequently happens to believers. I know
because it happened to me. When I came to Messiah I wanted to do all I could for Him.
Every time I could volunteer, I did. I just wanted to do so much but it became a chore. I
began to get burned out. I never got to the point where I turned away from the
fellowship of believers but I saw many who did and I know the pressures that may have
led to it. There are so many that I watched leave the fellowship soon after they get
involved in some ministry at the church. Whether they had begun to be a van driver
bringing people to worship services or a new Sunday school teacher, it was uncanny.
And the reason I believe this happens is that believers for get that it is not by our power
but by His power that we will win the victory. It like when Paul wanted to go to Asia and
the Spirit told him not to. We have to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, not our own
whim. When I began to do that I found that I was no longer stressed and
overburdened. There were times when I actually said no when asked to do something.
Which may have shocked the pastor but kept me walking in the power and strength of
the LORD Yahweh and not in my own strength. Paul tells the church in Ephesus this:
Ephesians 1:17-21
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom
and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that
you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in
the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according
to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the
dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and
power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that
which is to come.
That's what it's about! Our spiritual eyes being enlightened to see and understand what
God has put before us to do in His power. The same mighty power that raised Yeshua
from the grave. We have to pray that we learn to hear and recognize the voice of God
but once we hear it we must condition ourself to obey His command; no matter what.
Just like Gideon sending away all his fighting men. It made no sense, and many times
what God commands us may make no worldly sense. I Corinthian 1:25 - Because the
foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. The
Valley of Jezreel that lay before Gideon, was a battle that he knew he could not win; in
his own. In fact, in his own strength, he would have still been hiding in the winepress or
in the mountains in caves. For us, as believers in Yeshua, this valley represents the
things Yahweh has purposed for us that we would never even imagine being able to
accomplish. The things that in our own strength we would not be able to do. It is a
valley of power, but not our power; God's power! Go to Ephesians chapter 6 and keep
it open.
Ephesians 6:10-13
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole
armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not
wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of
the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and
having done all, to stand.
When must take on the armor our God has put before us if we are going to win the
battle. Look at the things meant to protect us. We have to wrap 'truth' tightly around
us, like a belt. We have to walk in that truth even when it would be so much easier to
lie. We need to put on the breastplate of righteousness, which is first and foremost, the
righteousness we get from Messiah but also our own right choices. The Gospel
message 'the good news' is what will take us where we need to go. Our faith will be a
shield for us as the enemy throws things against us that would normally take us down.
The helmet of salvation is our knowledge that we are saved, no matter what comes
against us, the true victory is ours. And they sword of the Spirit, which is the word of
God. Just like Gideon and his men ran into an impossible battle yelling 'the sword of the
LORD Yahweh', so can we. The sword of the LORD Yahweh, and of Denise!
Let us not run and hide from the seemingly impossible battle before us. Let us prepare
ourselves by putting on the whole armor of God, so we will be ready the next the enemy
gathers against us in the Valley of Jezreel.
Sermon by: Denise Baxley
Date: May 20, 2007
Scripture Reading: Judges 6:1-16
1 Then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD delivered them into the
hand of Midian for seven years, 2 and the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of the
Midianites, the children of Israel made for themselves the dens, the caves, and the strongholds
which are in the mountains. 3 So it was, whenever Israel had sown, Midianites would come up;
also Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. 4 Then they would
encamp against them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no
sustenance for Israel, neither sheep nor ox nor donkey. 5 For they would come up with their
livestock and their tents, coming in as numerous as locusts; both they and their camels were
without number; and they would enter the land to destroy it. 6 So Israel was greatly impoverished
because of the Midianites, and the children of Israel cried out to the LORD.
7 And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried out to the LORD because of the Midianites,
8 that the LORD sent a prophet to the children of Israel, who said to them, “Thus says the LORD
God of Israel: ‘I brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of bondage; 9 and I
delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and
drove them out before you and gave you their land. 10 Also I said to you, “I am the LORD your
God; do not fear the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.” But you have not obeyed My
voice.’”
11 Now the Angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which
belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to
hide it from the Midianites. 12 And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him, and said to him, “The
LORD is with you, you mighty man of valor!”
13 Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us?
And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us
up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the
Midianites.”
14 Then the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel
from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”
15 So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in
Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”
16 And the LORD said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one
man.”
Two weeks ago we took a look at the Israelites before they entered the Promised Land.
Last week we looked at them as they were entering into it. Today we are looking at a
time in Israel's history when they have been living in the Promised Land for some time.
In fact, they had been in the land for about two hundred and twenty years. Enough time
for them mess up again by not listening to God. Initially, when they first came into the
land, the LORD Yahweh told them to make sure they got all the peoples out of the land
so they could possess it. Numbers 33:55 - But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the
land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes
and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell. They had been
warned that the people of the land would become like a thorn in their sides and we can
see that they have.
It says in our scripture that the Midianites and the Amelekites would come in during
harvest time and destroy their crops. It doesn't even say that they stole them. It only
says that they came in to destroy the land. The Israelites had made for themselves
strongholds in the mountains, in caves and such. They basically hid out in the
mountains while these people destroyed their harvest. These were definitely not the
same people that walked through the Red Sea on dry land and watched the walls of
Jericho fall. They had become so detached from those things that they had become just
stories, which why I think it's so important for us to recognize that these are not just
stories; they are history.
I always enjoy reading about Gideon. He's not really what you'd expect to see from a
hero. He seems to be afraid of everything. When the Angel of Yahweh visits him he's
hiding in the winepress threshing wheat so he can hide it from the Midianites. When
he's told that the LORD Yahweh is with him, he's like - yeah, right! He's wondering why
they haven't seen the miracles that their fathers had told them about, not realizing it is
because they have not obeyed, nor have they had the faith of their fathers. Gideon
tells Him that he is the least of his father's house which is in the weakest clan. He's full
of hero confidence, isn't he? He's even afraid of his father's household and the men of
the city.
Judges 6:25-27
25 Now it came to pass the same night that the LORD said to him, “Take your father’s young bull,
the second bull of seven years old, and tear down the altar of Baal that your father has, and cut
down the wooden image that is beside it; 26 and build an altar to the LORD your God on top of this
rock in the proper arrangement, and take the second bull and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood
of the image which you shall cut down.” 27 So Gideon took ten men from among his servants and
did as the LORD had said to him. But because he feared his father’s household and the men of the
city too much to do it by day, he did it by night.
He wasn't ready to make a stand for Yahweh in the light of day, so he did it at night. But
he did do it. He tore down the altar to Ba'al, and when the men of the city found out
they were going to kill him. But when they called him out, his father stuck up for him.
His father got it, realizing that if Ba'al was really a god, the men wouldn't have to get
him. So, Gideon takes this little victory and moves on. That's the way God molds those
whom He has called. Giving them opportunities to succeed, so they can be molded and
made into the vessel they are destined to be. Now, the Midianites and the Amalekites
are getting ready to come against them.
Judges 6:33-35
33 Then all the Midianites and Amalekites, the people of the East, gathered together; and they
crossed over and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. 34 But the Spirit of the LORD came upon
Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him. 35 And he sent
messengers throughout all Manasseh, who also gathered behind him. He also sent messengers
to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.
Gideon still didn't feel he was ready to lead Israel to victory over their enemies. So, he
put's God to the test to make absolute sure that he is really the one to lead them to
victory.
Judges 6:36-40
36 So Gideon said to God, “If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said— 37 look, I shall
put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the
ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said.” 38 And it was
so. When he rose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece together, he wrung the dew out
of the fleece, a bowlful of water. 39 Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me, but let me
speak just once more: Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on
the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew.” 40 And God did so that night. It was dry on the
fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground.
So, as always, God passes the test. So, now it's going to be up to Gideon to pass the
test. He has over thirty thousand men with him, but God tells him there's too many.
What? Too many? Isn't that the point? Having enough to be able to defeat these foes
that have had them under their thumb for so long?
Judges 7:1-3
1 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped
beside the well of Harod, so that the camp of the Midianites was on the north side of them by the
hill of Moreh in the valley.
2 And the LORD said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the
Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has
saved me.’ 3 Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and
afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.’” And twenty-two thousand of the
people returned, and ten thousand remained.
So, Gideon starts sending people home. Now, that took faith. You're about to go up
against thousand of warriors that have been whooping your behinds for years and you
start sending people home. But it was important for the people of Israel to understand
that it would not be their power or strength that would provide the victory. Zechariah 4:6
- So he answered and said to me: “ This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘ Not by might
nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts. Not only does Gideon end up
sending home this initial twenty-two thousand but he ends up, at the LORD Yahweh's
leading, cutting the manpower down to only three hundred men. But, you know what?
Those three hundred men had to be full of faith to stick around. They had to really trust
God to watch as wave after wave left their company to go home from the impending
battle.
Judge 7:16-18
16 Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet into every
man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers. 17 And he said to them, “Look
at me and do likewise; watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do as I do: 18
When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets on every side
of the whole camp, and say, ‘The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!’”
It would be the sword of the LORD Yahweh that would bring the victory here and that
would be evident to everyone involved and to us three thousand years later as we read
about it. How could three hundred men with horns, torches, and empty pitchers be any
match against an army of tens of thousands trained for battle? They couldn't, which is
why we know it wasn't them; it was God who won the victory. In the Valley of Jezreel God
showed His mighty hand of power. But you can see by Gideon's actions coming into this
valley that there's a lot of second guessing that comes before you see the power.
God's power is there and is available to us as believers but there is a process that will
bring us into that place of power. A lot of it has to do with our confidence.
Joshua 17:14-18
14 Then the children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given us only one lot and
one share to inherit, since we are a great people, inasmuch as the LORD has blessed us until
now?”
15 So Joshua answered them, “If you are a great people, then go up to the forest country and
clear a place for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and the giants, since the mountains of
Ephraim are too confined for you.”
16 But the children of Joseph said, “The mountain country is not enough for us; and all the
Canaanites who dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both those who are of Beth
Shean and its towns and those who are of the Valley of Jezreel.”
17 And Joshua spoke to the house of Joseph—to Ephraim and Manasseh—saying, “You are a
great people and have great power; you shall not have only one lot, 18 but the mountain country
shall be yours. Although it is wooded, you shall cut it down, and its farthest extent shall be yours;
for you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots and are strong.”
First, Joshua questions them by saying 'if' you are a great people, go get the land you
need from the Perizzites and the giants. Then he encourages them by telling them that
they are a great people to be able to do this thing. But, you know what they seem to
have forgotten? They don't seem to be dwelling on the fact that it will not be their power
or strength that will win them the victory. That frequently happens to believers. I know
because it happened to me. When I came to Messiah I wanted to do all I could for Him.
Every time I could volunteer, I did. I just wanted to do so much but it became a chore. I
began to get burned out. I never got to the point where I turned away from the
fellowship of believers but I saw many who did and I know the pressures that may have
led to it. There are so many that I watched leave the fellowship soon after they get
involved in some ministry at the church. Whether they had begun to be a van driver
bringing people to worship services or a new Sunday school teacher, it was uncanny.
And the reason I believe this happens is that believers for get that it is not by our power
but by His power that we will win the victory. It like when Paul wanted to go to Asia and
the Spirit told him not to. We have to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, not our own
whim. When I began to do that I found that I was no longer stressed and
overburdened. There were times when I actually said no when asked to do something.
Which may have shocked the pastor but kept me walking in the power and strength of
the LORD Yahweh and not in my own strength. Paul tells the church in Ephesus this:
Ephesians 1:17-21
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom
and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that
you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in
the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according
to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the
dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and
power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that
which is to come.
That's what it's about! Our spiritual eyes being enlightened to see and understand what
God has put before us to do in His power. The same mighty power that raised Yeshua
from the grave. We have to pray that we learn to hear and recognize the voice of God
but once we hear it we must condition ourself to obey His command; no matter what.
Just like Gideon sending away all his fighting men. It made no sense, and many times
what God commands us may make no worldly sense. I Corinthian 1:25 - Because the
foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. The
Valley of Jezreel that lay before Gideon, was a battle that he knew he could not win; in
his own. In fact, in his own strength, he would have still been hiding in the winepress or
in the mountains in caves. For us, as believers in Yeshua, this valley represents the
things Yahweh has purposed for us that we would never even imagine being able to
accomplish. The things that in our own strength we would not be able to do. It is a
valley of power, but not our power; God's power! Go to Ephesians chapter 6 and keep
it open.
Ephesians 6:10-13
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole
armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not
wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of
the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and
having done all, to stand.
When must take on the armor our God has put before us if we are going to win the
battle. Look at the things meant to protect us. We have to wrap 'truth' tightly around
us, like a belt. We have to walk in that truth even when it would be so much easier to
lie. We need to put on the breastplate of righteousness, which is first and foremost, the
righteousness we get from Messiah but also our own right choices. The Gospel
message 'the good news' is what will take us where we need to go. Our faith will be a
shield for us as the enemy throws things against us that would normally take us down.
The helmet of salvation is our knowledge that we are saved, no matter what comes
against us, the true victory is ours. And they sword of the Spirit, which is the word of
God. Just like Gideon and his men ran into an impossible battle yelling 'the sword of the
LORD Yahweh', so can we. The sword of the LORD Yahweh, and of Denise!
Let us not run and hide from the seemingly impossible battle before us. Let us prepare
ourselves by putting on the whole armor of God, so we will be ready the next the enemy
gathers against us in the Valley of Jezreel.
Sermon by: Denise Baxley
Date: May 20, 2007
