Joshua, who had been sent out 11 other men {RULERS of the tribes of Israel; one of which was Caleb, another HERO}, to go spy out the promised land, came back and heard what the 10 men proceeded to say about the promised land.
"Oh, for sure, it is a land that flows with milk and honey!"
"Take a look at these grapes that we cut down there! They had to be carried back by TWO men! AMAZING"
"There IS a problem however....."
"The people there, Moses, are strong! They live in WALLED cities, and they are HUGE!"
"There are people ALL around that are our enemies."
Caleb shushed them. He says, let's go now and possess this land. We are WELL ABLE to overcome it!!!!
But the men that had gone with him, kept speaking about the evil they saw there.
"We even saw GIANTS!! GIANTS, Moses! We were like grasshoppers in our own eyes, NEVERMIND their eyes."
The people who heard this, all those who had been PROMISED they would make it and take over this land, started bawling. They were ANGRY! They cried, "Why did God even bring us here? If we were going to die, it may as well have been in Egypt. He took us out of there only to have us DIE here? WAAAAA" The "ARMY" had made its abode. Fear in the forefront, doubt right behind him, and pity, in the backstretch.
They listened to the voices of the 10 men {no doubt there were definitely MORE MEN that DISBELIEVED, than the TWO that BELIEVED} and even though God had PROMISED them they would enter the land, and overtake the people there, they failed to believe it.
Even when Joshua and Caleb took a stand;
" The land, which we passed through to search it, is EXCEEDING GOOD land! If the Lord delights in us, He will bring us into it, and give it to us, this land that flows with milk and honey!!! But STOP rebelling against the Lord, and don't fear the people, because their defense is taken from them, and the LORD is WITH US! Don't fear them!!!!"The people {Whom God had shown the 10 plagues of Egypt, delivered them from the hands of Pharaoh, parted the Red Sea for them to cross over, DROWNING their enemies who were in HOT pursuit of them in it, and that's just a FEW of the miracles that this amazing God had done for them} wanted to stone Caleb and Joshua. Really? They had SEEEEEENNNNN the miracles first hand, and every time when God promised them something, they got it, and now they want to STONE the ones that are trusting and taking a stand? OK.
God got really upset. He wants to kill ALL the people, and never let them get in the promised land, but Moses pleads with Him, to not. Then, God strikes a deal...Noone will be entering the promised land over the age of 40, except Joshua and Caleb. All the young un's He would bring in, and because of the doubt that they people had in Him, lack of faith, He would not have them go out of the wilderness, into this land of milk and honey.
{You can read the account of the story, in the Book of Numbers, Chapters 13 & 14}
FAST FORWARD
Moses is dead. The Lord speaks to Joshua "Go and take over the land. Where you step, that place I have given to you. No man will be able to stand against you. Be strong, and courageous."
Think about how many YEARS he had to sit and wait for Moses to die, so that they could go into the promised land. He knew he was going, but boy, what a wait. And, because I am a human being, I know the LONGER I wait for something, the MORE fear creeps in. In the first chapter of Joshua, the Lord tells him THREE TIMES to be strong, and courageous. For what reason? Making SURE you get the message. I said I will give this to you, and I will, but you gotta go get it!!!!
Joshua prepares his people. He is leading them into the promised land, and he tells them, this is how it's going to go and if ANYONE rebels against your commandments, we won't be putting up with it. He felt so strongly with it, they were to be put to death. You wanna talk only of the giants, and not walk where we tell you to go? Death. The Lord WILL give us this, and there is no way we will let negative speaking take over this time. We are GOING into the promised land.
Do you think that maybe Joshua HEARD the 10 men that he originally went to the spy out the land, talking about the bad, scary things they saw there? Do you think maybe he just let it go, but then once they got back to tell Moses, Aron, and the people, he SAW what effects it had on them? I think so....we ALL know how this can go.
So, silencing the negative voices, they marched on. Conquered Jericho, fought in the battle of Gibeon, where the sun and moon stood still so they could finish the battle, and MORE!!!
Yes, FAST FORWARD AGAIN, lol(d)**for Dave**
Joshua is dying. In the last two chapters of Joshua, he reiterates all that he has stood for, tells the people what they need to continue to do, in order to survive. He was a strong leader, that filled the heads of the people with the GOODNESS of GOD. He told them, in that famous verse, Joshua 24:15"choose you this day, whom you will serve".
Then, enter Gideon. THIS is where my title came from. I had to give you some background, so you would KNOW where this foundation is laid. My lessons from Gideon are huge. Sometimes they are little, but that being said, the little things, can be such BIG things :)
Gideon, who came after Joshua, was stuck. Threshing wheat, in a wine press, which if you don't know the significance of that, which I didn't either till I did the study, is a hidden place, away from everyone else, because of fear. Stuck in a land of idols, scared of the people, and hiding in the wine press.
Then, the LORD met him there {Yes, in that place where he didn't feel like he was ANYTHING, or could ever be used of God, THERE is where God met him...just think on that for a bit}. Again, the Lord interjects these words "Fear not," into His talk with Gideon. Let's go take on the Midianites, God says. I will deliver them unto you. You won't die. FYI.
Gideon asks God to show him for SURE that God is with him, by putting out the fleece {Judges CH 6}, then gathers his army, and he has 32,000 men in it. Then God says there are too many men, Gideon. He reduces it down to 10,000. {Judges CH 7}, then down to 300. SAY WHAT???? God, I had an army that was big enough, I was still unsure about the victory, but you said that you would deliver them into our hands. THEN, you send some home? The fearful ones, OK I get that, but then the ones who didn't lap water out of their hands? *sigh* ok, I know you said you would deliver them into our hands, but....{enter the army of fear, doubt} Then the Lord confirms to him, that he is where the Lord has put him, and that he WILL succeed.
"Gideon, go down into the camp of the Midianites, for I have delivered them INTO your hands. But if thou fear....."You don't think God KNEW that he was afraid? Why would He say it? But if you are afraid, take your servant, Phurah, with you, AND you will HEAR what they say, and afterward your hands will be strengthened. And sure enough, Gideon took Phurah with him. He WAS afraid, but that did NOT stop him from doing what the Lord had asked. You can read the rest of the story in Judges CH 7, Verses 9-15.
The Lord knows that we fear. I am one that has dealt with fear for many, many years of my life. It has stopped me from enjoying simple things like camping, ministering to those who need it, living my life by being Spirit Led, because of fear.
"But, if thou fear..." has great meaning to me, and God used it to speak to my heart the other night. I came home from my friends house in High Level, and her home got broken into. She proceeded to tell me all the details, and the fear crept into my mind, then my throat, then the worst place, my heart. I came home to a BURNT out yardlight, pitch dark walk from the car to the house, thinking someone did this on purpose, cuz they don't want me to see them breaking into my house. What about all the wild animals...they are probably lurking somewhere right around here because now it's dark...DEAR JESUS....I don't know what to do...Mike isn't home till around 11:30 tonight, and I don't know what to do. Seriously, this is my thoughts. Turn around, run to the car, and go back to my friends house and wait for Mike. I can't express this to Chance, as he needs me to be strong, so I hunker down by myself, and pray for God's protection. That night, going to sleep, I hear noises, outside, and everything that is IN ME, cries out for protection, and I am so afraid. All I said to God before I fell asleep, which I did in about a minute, was "My weakness, your Strength". That night, I dreamed of a situation where I was weak with fear, but by praying and asking God's help, I overcame and IN THAT, I was able to help hurting souls. The dream is terrifying, but the STRENGTH in which I was able to do what I needed to, was INCREDIBLE. I realize, that I need to ask God to help, and He does. Every time.
The battle that Gideon fights, ends victoriously. God was his strength, and I enjoy this story so much. A man plagued by fear, that couldn't thresh wheat in the open air, hid in a wine press, and fought a battle against a troop of Midianites, whose CAMELS were without number, with a group of 300 men, and WON! Now, who got the glory? GOD DID. Yes, Gideon was seen as a hero, but without GOD, they would have surely lost.
Yes, I am fearful sometimes, but then when I do things that are way out of MY comfort zone, GOD gets the glory, and we WIN!!!!
#lessonsfromGideon
Choose you this day who you will serve...as for me and my house? We will serve the Lord! Joshua 24:15
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