Gideon's victory over the Midianites demonstrates that God's power is not dependent on numbers, as even a small group of faithful followers, with God's help, can overcome a vast enemy. The sermon highlights the symbolic meanings of the slain Midianite princes, Oreb (raven) and Zeeb (wolf), representing the old sinful nature and the world/devil respectively, whose defeat is found only in Christ, symbolized by the rock and the winepress. It also addresses the negative reactions of the Ephraimites, who were envious of Gideon's success, and the selfish neutrality of the people of Succoth and Penuel, who refused to aid Gideon's weary men. The message concludes by emphasizing that the cross of Christ is either salvation or eternal condemnation, and that true victory over sin, the world, and the devil requires a decisive stand for Christ, not neutrality, ultimately leading to rewards in God's presence.
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and they took two princes of the Midianites, Ored and Z. And they slew Ored upon the rock Ored, and Z they slew at the winepress of Z and besieged Midian and brought the heads of Ored and Z to Gideon and brought the heads of Ored and Z to Gideon on the other side Jordan. And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou callest us not when thou whenest the tight of the Midianites? And they did side with him sharply. And he, that is Gideon, said unto them, What have I done now in comparison of you, if not the glooming of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abaiza? God had delivered into your hands the jinxes of Midian, Orban, he?
And what was I able to do in comparison of you? then their anger was abated toward him when he had turned back. Considering Cain to Jordan and passed over, he and the three hundred men that were with him came yet to see him. And he said unto the men of Sukhoth, Could I pray you loathe of bread unto the people that follow me, the rabies came, and I am pursuing after Giba and Zelmuna, kings of Midian. The churches of Sukhoth said, Are the hands of Giba and Zelmuna now in thine hand that we should give bread unto thine army? William said, Therefore when the Lord hath delivered Giba and Zalmuna into my hand, then I will cure your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness, and with trials.
And he went up, sent his funeral, and speak unto them likewise. And the men of Tinnor answered him as the men of Shippah, and answered and answered him. And he spoke also unto the men of Tinnor, saying, When I come again unto him, I will break down. with how. Last week we concluded with the three hundred men following Gideon, and how they had more or less rooted the army of the Midianites, which were a great multitude, yet these three hundred faithful followers of Gideon, with the Lord with them, were able to that mighty army of Midian, going to show that a few of God was far better than a multitude without him.
God has never been on the side of great numbers. It's always the twos and the three, where two or three had gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. And so tonight we come to the roots of the Midianite army, and the reason I read that last verse of the preceding chapter is to draw your attention to the two princes of the Midianites. Here they're on the run, their armies have been defeated, and all of them deemed have been captured. Now names in the Old Testament are very significant. The name of this man, Ollib, means the raven, and who means the wolf. Now that's very significant.
Where they capture this man, Ollib, and his name means the raven, and immediately your mind goes to the ark. You remember how Noah let a bird out of the ark and it was a raven. They did not return. What did the raven see before? The raven was an unclean bird. And the raven cared upon the cottages, the rocking cottages, as the jolt choked upon the waters of the flood. It was able to settle and feed upon the corruption of that cottages. And so it did until the waters were decided. What am I referring to? That's the old nature of every person.
And when a person is born again, he still has that old nature. But to remember that Noah let loose a dove. And when the dove flew over the waters, you can imagine that dove, instead of descending to water level, the smell of those packages were such that the dove would rise above them. The difference in the nature goes too far. the raven descended and fell upon the corrupt flesh of those floating partages. The dove rose above it, and when it could find no place to the fall of its feet, it wouldn't settle off on a carpet if it turned the Noah into the ark. And he let the dove out again, and he returned with an olive leaf in its build.
No one knew the water was subsiding in them, and he let it out again. He returned the more because the earth was dry. There you have the true nature that is in every Christian. Although you're born again, Christian, you still have that old, fallen, graven nature. And if you don't stay in college with God, that old nature is going to feed upon this old hotness, the world. The corruption of this world. And the only way you can get the victory over the flesh, the old nature, the raven nature, is reviving Christ and the trumpeting of the guns rising above us in fellowship with the Lord.
And so you have this man, Orich. He speaks for the raven. And I want you to notice where they flew them. They flew them at the rock, Orich. In chapter six we were noticing about the rock and it was there that Gideon made his sacrifice unto the Lord and received strength. You know that's the place to slay the old raven nature. They got the rock like you. They ran to that critical rock with polygons and that rock with stripes. And the rock here speaks of Jesus Christ. And if you want to put that old sinful nature to death. In other words, to get the victory over, you'll find that victory found only in Jesus Christ.
And so they flew orbs at the rock orbs. Then they flew, slew Eve. Now, the meaning of Eve is woke, and the apostle warned against Those men who were woven in sheep's clothing who would enter in and seek to destroy the flock. The wolf is the natural enemy of the sheep. Now if a raven speaks of the old nature in the Christian, who might the wolf speak of? Who's the natural enemy of God's people? The world and the devil. The world hates God's people. So cause their godly life is an abuse to you. And, of course, the devil hates God's people. He's accuser of the brethren.
He's always on the prowl, seeking to devour God's beloved people. But to notice where this second character, he met his death. He met his death at the wine press. And you were pointing out also in connection with Gideon in chapter six. Those two things were very common in chapter six. Here is Gideon. You find them at the wine press. That's where the grapes are pressed and the beach of the grape flows out. Here again is Pellvary. Pellvary's cross, that precious blood, when Christ poured the wine press alone. And the rock also sits with him. You might think of the... The rock as sheep are fixed and as well as resurrection because Moses smoked the rock and it was a peltary that God smoked his son and the living water flowed.
The wine press speaks of peltary also the precious blood that flowed. And both these men, the ones speaking, the raiment speaking, of the old fallen sinful nature and man, and these speaking are the world and the devil, the wolf, the natural enemies of the sheep, the people of God. And they both met the... death, that that was true to Christ. And then let me tell you this, you can only overcome the devil through the blood of the Lamb. You can only overcome the world through the blood of Jesus Christ. I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live with not I, but Christ living with me. Paul says I am crucified under the world, and the world is crucified unto me.
There is a clock. And that new light in me, the only way you can get a victory over that raven is by saying and telling it to the Lord, Jesus speaking near the cross, there across its mountains, and to all of you who go from hell to the mountain. The early two princes were destroyed. No matter what they did, they took the heads off them and they brought the heads to Gideon their leader on the other side Jordan. Isn't that a lovely way to have that chapter conclude? Here's Gideon a type of type and they brought the heads of these two men, so few of their victories, to their leader on the other side Jordan. Our divine leader on the other side Jordan is in heaven.
The day is going to come when we're going to gather up the spoils of our victories over the world, the flesh and the devil, and present them to him. And he will reward us for them. I wonder, Christian, if you'll be rewarded in that day because at times over the world, the flesh and the devil, we will work at Jesus Christ at Calvary. And now we think that such we worship God's right hand. So we have these lessons concerning Origen's deeds. And you'll notice what was salvation and strength to the one, Gideon, in chapter six, the rock and the wine test, is, in this case, death and the heat, destruction to the other. Not very significant.
What was salvation and strength to the one, for Gideon, was death and destruction to the other. What do I mean by that? I simply mean this. The cross either will sell your foundation and eternal glory, or it will sell your death and eternity. One or the other. The cross of Christ will either be the faith where you meet God concerning your sins and have your sins forgiven, or you'll meet God face to face and be sent to eternal punishment for rejecting the price of that cross. Tell me you'll either mean your salvation or your eternal ponderment. One of them. You're either delivered or doomed at the place called home.
If you come up to the cross and accept Jesus Christ, God will save you. If you reject Jesus Christ, God will send you to everlasting life. The cross. But now you find something sad in this chapter. This chapter is open. Here is Ephraim. And here you see jealousy. How sad that Envi and jealousy should follow this wonderful victory. In Ephraim, envied the envy of this man of faith. Where was Ephraim when the children of Israel were enslaved in the Midianites? Ah, Ephraim wasn't one of him he was to do with.
Ephraim is lifting along with the bondage. And here God put his hand on Gideon and raised it up Gideon. And he uses Gideon and select three hundred men to be a faithful follower. And Ephraim's left out. And here it is God who uses these three hundred faithful followers, these gallant warriors of Gideon, and the root of the great army. of the Midianites. Right at the last, Gideon appeals to the Ephraimites. You come on down and get all of them brief, and that's what they did get. They got these two centuries, and they cut their heads off. And then Ephraim gets killed. And they come to Gideon. Why didn't you invite us, first of all?
When you decide to pick up battle against these Midianites? Why didn't you invite us? Why, you could all regret and all the glory for this great victory, and you left us out of it. You know, it's very interesting to notice here concerning this category of eating or this tribe. She called themselves a great people over in Joshua. She went to Joshua and said, why, we're a great people. We're big God. Oh, okay, he says, Joshua. If you're a great people, look at all the enemies in the mountains. Get up and dispose of them. Prove your greatness, not by talk, but by doing. And here are the stains of these Ephraimites.
They're the ones to read about over in the book of Hosea, and spoken of all as half-baked, a cape not turned. They're the ones who are envious and jealous here. You know these people who are half-baked, hooked on one side, unbalanced. You can hardly depend upon them. They're one-sided. They're generally the ones that cause trouble, as on this occasion. So Joshua said, all right, if you're a great people, too. Take your sword and this will guide the enemy. In other words, he says, doing is better than boasting. Let's see what he can do. Engle cannot bear to see others' use of God.
Do you know that? Engle. Can't bear to see someone being used of God. You know that's like the reason that person's not used of God, because he's going to only be a child. That's quite often the case. And that's what Ephesians said. You've got to defend him, as you'll notice here in verse eight. And the man of Ephesians said, or chapter eight verse one, the man of Ephesians said unto him, Why, thou sayeth us thus, that thou callest us not when thou whenest the fight of the Midianites? And it had tied with him sharply. Oh, yes, they were the Gideon. And now notice Gideon. I love this. And Gideon said unto them, Why, what have I done now in comparison to you? It is not the gleaming of the great Jerusalem, butter than the vintage of Abeliza.
It is true we rooted this great army. And it was quite a battle. But look what you did. You taught me the trenches when you took the headshot. It is true we took all the fruit on the tree. When we left just a couple of oranges for you, and you took them. Why, you got the test. You did the most. And you know by that soft answer and by praising them, they are wrapped in his grave. Isn't that strange? Tell you that down in verse three. God has delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Orban, who, and what was I able to do in comparison of you? Then their anger was available toward him when he had said that.
But that's somewhere, isn't it, she? True, a person's anger. Praise him. Well, that's often the truth. How gracious on the part of Gideon. He gave them credit for doing more than he did. You know, that's the way sometimes we can peel off a person who's envious and jealous, thinks himself big. It's crazy. Oh, he do more than I do. Well, look at what you did. And it goes over. The Bible says a soft answer turned it away last. Now, if you've got something that's had you, and I thought it was very good, I kept it as. And this is what it's got to say. A soft answer. The wisest judge that ever lived, and of course that was Solomon.
A soft answer turned away wrath, but tedious words stir up for anger. Let us study the power of mellow words. A soft answer is the quickest way to end the quarrel. A soft answer is the best way to calm a domineering husband or a nagging wife. A soft answer is the furthest way to quiet a storm in the kitchen. A soft answer will prove that you are retigned and educated more surely than a diploma on the wall. A soft answer is a clear way to put conviction on your schoolmate or those who work in the same office. A soft answer is likely to help promote you in the plant where you are working. A soft answer will generally keep one out of the lawsuit, a lawsuit over a cow or a dead pig.
A soft answer on the part of your child will end the part about marbles or a green plum because but he must first learn the teacher from his mother's example a soft answer is a beautiful thing in the part of a preacher when someone interrupts him while he is speaking yes not only tender words but tender eyes will generally win the day more satisfactorily than talk of them a loud talker could not be convinced in a thousand years so keep quiet let him blow his head off i see He's milliona. All crook. All I'm up. All right, this, Gideon. I'll let you take the credit of this great victory.
Why, he did far more than my three hundred more than he put together. Of course, they hadn't done one shift to what he had done. But when he praised them, he gave them credit to do more than he did. That's how they tried them. They got their toys. And they started the playroom. He looked bold to find a belt like that. So you'll notice here in connection with Gideon, verse four, taste yet for soon. Gideon came to Jordan and passed over here in the three hundred men that he was in place yet for a day. Now he runs into another situation here. And he said unto the men of Sikov, Give I pay you loaves of bread unto the people that follow me, for they the saints and I are pursuing after Ziba and Zalmuna, king of the Midian.
And the princes of Sikov said, Are the hands of Ziba and Zalmuna now in thine hand that he should give bread unto thine harness? What do we got here? Selfish mentality comes across these people living in the city. And here's another situation that has developed. Gideon says, you know, we're a faith. We've been working hard. We've been fighting for the day we started. We haven't taken time off. We're a saint yet. We're pursuing. We didn't say we're a faith and we're going to rest or we're giving up. No, here are the three hundred men. faithless, without the dropping of fat, faithlessless.
You know, it's wonderful what God can do when people, even though physically and mentally retired and yearly, he can get strength. The Bible says that. He gives a power to the faith and to them who have no might be in people's strength. And when you read in Isaiah forty and twenty-nine, that lovely book. They will abate upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up upon waves of evil. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not be. And Gideon will follow with me something of this strength, his divineth the strength, and the retent. What they set to say. Just then we can't live on our own earth. You can't take your armor off in this way. For the moment we do, the devil will hit you.
I'll tell you the devil gets in his bed that he lets when you get up in the morning. He likes to get out of the wrong side of the bed. You watch in the morning, especially when you're married to him. He won't start to fight. You shut up. Or you're going to have a battle. Learn the lesson of the sign of Sunday. It's off then. You say, well, you're fine with a coffee and a doctor. Well, it's true. I haven't heard an experience, but I've heard a whole lot. And I've read a whole lot. And I've observed the whole lot. And I've had a lot of mad people confess to me to this very thing.
I wish I'd have kept my mind shut. You know, it takes me to make a squirrel. And the one who gets the attention is the one who's learning the lesson with myself. When the Lord Jesus had gone before us, he was seated. Oh, they said, please, there is no forgiveness. They have called on the wine table and sent the public and things to me. And then he answered them not away. Then he got all kinds of charges against him before Herod and before Pilate. He answered them not away. It was the control of his tongue. I know it's not easy, children, for if anyone has a tongue like a razor, I've got it.
And I can be very sarcastic and very loving. I know that. Many a time I just was with my tongue as I said to him. And I just started getting my notes. He's a lesson for all of us today. But I thought to you learned the probable lesson, even in connection with Gideon and his men. comes to the city, and he said, I want you to give my men something to eat. We've been fighting now for these few days. Feed my men, will you? The men of soccer said, no, we won't. We won't give your men anything to eat. Why are those two men in your hands already?
Have you already won the victory? Jeevan Zalmuna, have you captured them? Suppose you get beat, did you? Why, these other two kings will rally their fortune, they'll come back, and what do you think they'll do to us? Why, they'll attack us and we'll lose our lives. No, Gideon. We're going to be spectators. We're not going to take side with you and we're not going to take side with the Jeevan Zalmuna. You want us to feed your army and if we do and then your army gets bleak, you know what Jeevan Zalmuna is going to do. They're going to come back and say, you have Gideon and that'll be the end of us. We're just going to be on the sidelines, spectators. Here is selfish neutrality.
We're living in a day when people are trying to be neutral. Let me tell you one thing, friends. The lines are drawn. There's no neutrality in the things that are drawn. There's the old gospel and the grace of God, and there is modernism leading to apostasy. The lines are drawn. People who walk the fence generally live long enough to see the fence burn under them. Take no mistake about that. You've got to take your chance. Your choice. Not a chance, but a choice. It answers all right. I'll take care of you. I'll handle you, men, you neutralists, when I come back, for the Lord will deliver those people in my hand.
And the compromises, the neutralists, the fence walkers, experienced just that. For Gideon did defeat those men, and he returned, and he jumped with these zealots that just the way he said it was. Let me tell you one thing, friend. Our divine leaders go to win. There's no question about that. Some people are so foolish. They say, well, I wouldn't take sides with Jesus Christ and the two church. Maybe after all, the devil in the world will win. What ridiculous talk. There's no possible chance. for the devil and the world to win. Jesus Christ will win.
And yet some of you are taking sides. Well, you say, I wouldn't take sides with the world, not exactly, but you won't take sides with Jesus Christ. And there's no neutral ground here, for Jesus Christ says, He that is not with me is against me. If you don't accept Christ, Christ looks upon you as a rejecter. No matter how you try to be neutral, Why, some people can really be expert at this neutrality. Oh, yes, you know, I can go to church on Sunday morning and put on my best clothes and my best behavior and act like a sister. I can cut my cloth to that company. But Monday morning, when I go back to the job, back to the work, back to the office, or back to the school, well, I guess you do at home when you do, I'm at where I am in Rome.
And I act like this. devil during the week. I act like the world during the week, because that's the atmosphere I'm in. Oh, of course, on Sunday I can really dress up and put it on. I'm a deacon. I'm a steward. I'm an elder. You're a hypocrite. That's the story. Trying to walk the fence, trying to be neutral. God has no use for people like that in another evening. You know, you read about the bats when I went to school, and that wasn't too long ago, but in our school reader, there was the story of the bat. And the story went on about, what is a bat? It's neither a bird nor a beast.
Maybe some of you remember that. And there was a war between the birds, the real birds, and the beast. And the bat, when the birds were winning, he flew over to the side of the bird. When the beast were winning, he flew over to the side of the beast. You can't do that. The things of God and whatever side you think's winning, you fly over there. Well, I'll tell you who's going to win. There's no question about that. The Lord Jesus Christ is going to win. If you're trying to act like a Christian one day a week, and you're trying to act like the world six days a week, then you're ending up on the wrong side. You're trying to be a bad, please, both sides. Don't offend anybody.
Just be neutral. They're like grape nuts. Neither grape nor nuts. Guinea pigs. Any other Guinea no pig? Benz walkers. That's what these people were. Spectators. Well, friend, you've got to take your stand. When I came to Albany, I said, well, you know the most fly-by-night creatures. We've just been in the town. He'd be gone a little while. They learned that we were not fly-by-nighters. We were fly-by-day. We have nothing to hide. Nothing to hide. Everything's out in the open. And they learned we weren't a flyer by night. And so when they found out we were here to stay with the principles of the word of God in this chapel went up, and they knew we weren't foolish enough to put up a chapel like this.
They were flying by night. Well, then they come up with some other excuses. In other words, friends, they were afraid to take a stand with the principles that were being preached. They thought more of safety. They thought more of their own reputation. They were afraid to pay the price. There are the principles of God's precious word. And they backed off. You might say the recurrence. The Bible says, buy the truth and sell it not. You pay a price for the truth today. In early days of the church they paid a price. They lost their lives. Throne to the lions are burnt to the stake. They paid a price for the truth.
You have to pay it today too. Oh, I could have an easy life. I'd become a reverent or a doctor, a big salary, or a big church, big home, big car, and a big head. Or I'd be wonderful. So easy. But no, friend, when you step outside of all this organization, and you take your stand on the authority of this blessed book and receive your orders from headquarters, when your orders come down from heaven and not from any head office on earth, and you prove your stand from this blessed book, I'll tell you one thing, they may respect you, but at the same time you're just as glad if you weren't around.
Because when the truth of God is preached and practiced, it's a rebuke to those who are not going according to the book. They don't like it. And so here's the word of God. And here are these people, they tried to be neutral, but you see what happened when they lost out in the end. For Gideon went after those men, and he slew them. He won that victory, and he returned to these men of Sukkot and Phineal. And he slew them too. That's what the neutralists got. And I can conclude with this. It's up to you to make a choice. Choose between Jesus Christ and the world. Choose between heaven or hell.
Choose between God and Satan, you've got to make a choice. You can't rock along like this, putting it off, postponing it. For all the time you do, God is putting you among his enemies. You're among God's enemies until the moment you take Jesus Christ as your Savior, then he says you're one of my friends. And I wonder if you're going to make your choice, your decision tonight. Avoid being a spectator. Watch a real child of God fighting the battle for the truth of God fighting the good fight of faith, and you stand on the sideline, afraid to declare where you stand, or stand up and be counted. What God wants is three hundred men like Gideon had, many can count on.
Men who can say, I belong to Jesus Christ. I'm out and out for Jesus Christ. I don't care who. who knows it. I'm going to take my stand at school. I'm going to take my stand in the office. I'm going to take my stand at the shop. I'm going to take my stand for Jesus Christ. I'll tell you one thing. God bless you. You may not get it all so smooth here, but you'll have it all smooth up there when he rewards you for your stand in this life. Choose ye this day whom you will serve. Are you willing to say as for me I'm going to choose the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. No longer will I be a neutralist, a compromising.
I'm going to accept Christ tonight. Like Gideon's men, they triumphed and they rejoiced in their victory along with their leaders. They'll come when you rejoice with Jesus Christ, when you meet them in the glory. Shall we pray? Our Father in heaven, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we come to be. We ask thy blessing upon thy word. Speak to all our hearts. Especially reach any of you here who are unsaved. Let them realize that on the losing side, losing every hour they live, the lonely big conquerors when they come to Christ, may they make that decision in this very hour for Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen.
chapter of Judges. Verse ten. Now Giza and Zalmuna were in Harcourt, and their host with them about fifteen thousand men, all that were less of all the hosts of the children of the East, for there fell a hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword. Now you notice the hundred and twenty thousand men, had been killed and they've got fifteen thousand left, making a total of a hundred and thirty-five thousand millionites, and you know how many were fitted against those one hundred and thirty-five thousand three hundred. Gideon with his faithful three hundred, opposed by a hundred and thirty-five thousand millionites.
And you know the outcome? Why the hundred and thirty-five thousand were defeated. quite interesting to notice where this host was gathered, the fifteen thousand and what was left of them. In verse ten is at a place called Cargore. That means city of destruction. That's the meaning of that place, and that's where they were assembled. They seemingly felt quite secure, as you'll notice at the end of verse eleven, we'll read verse eleven. And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwell in tents. Grant people in the old times grew up in tents to show their pilgrim character. Gideon was a real pilgrim, living for eternity, not for time.
So he went up, by the way, of them that dwell in tents, on the east side of Nova and Jagdeha, and smoked the host, for the host was secure. That is, they thought they were secure. But they weren't. And that's just like the world. The world thinks it's secure. They have no idea that this world is headed for destruction. They're in the face of Tarkov. I get you speak to people today, you listen to politicians, and they're speaking in terms of a hundred years from now. They never think in terms of the coming again of the Lord Jesus Christ. They're thinking this world is here, and it's up to man to devolve some kind of a remedy for the hills of humanity, and this world is going to keep going on and going on and going on.
Either man will destroy himself, or he'll come up with some kind of a formula for the atonement. Well, according to the Bible, the next thing is the coming again of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the world, just like these fifteen thousand Midianites, still felt secure. But the three hundred again appeared upon the scene, and they were distraught, except their leaders. So you notice verse twelve, when Ziba and Zamuna fled, he pursued after them and took the two kings of Midian, Ziba and Zamuna and discompeted all the whole. And Gideon, the son of Joach, returned from battle before the sun was up. In other words, a new day was dawning for Israel.
The sun was coming up, meaning after the enemy had been destroyed, a new day was gone for Israel. And so it will be in a day to come. And after the Armageddon, a new day was gone for this cruel world. And caught a young man of the men of Sukhoth and inquired of him, and he described unto him the princes of Sukhoth and the eldest of us. Even three-score and seventeen men, that is seventy-seven, and they were neutral, as we noticed, Saturday night, or Sunday night. And he came unto the men of Sukkot and said, Behold, Tifa and Zomuna, with whom ye did up greatly, saying, Are the hands of Tifa and Zomuna now in thy hand that we should get bread unto thy men that are weary? You will recall we were pointing out how Gideon asked these men, People in this city took off and their leaders to give food unto history a hundred because they were king.
And yet they will pursue it. And they said, No, we're not going to give anything to eat to your army. You haven't got it. You've answered Mullah yet, supposing they are able to rally their forces. And they didn't have fifteen thousand left. And at least you three hundred. Then they'll come back, and they'll take out their vengeance among us, because he said, Your army, well, we're not going to give you anything. We're going to be neutral. But we'll see how the tables were turned. Because the army was defeated, and now Gideon returned to these men. As Sukkot and the Zontois, who took in verse sixteen, the elders of the city and pawned to the wilderness and priors, and with them he taught the men of Sukkot. And he beat down the power of Tenuel and flew the men of that city, as they did likewise like the men of Sukkot did.
They wouldn't give food to his army. Then said he unto Zipa and Zalmuna, what manner of men were they whom he flew at Seboa. They answered, As thou art, so were they. Each one resembled the children of a king. Now here is praise. The enemy is starting to praise Gideon, calling him the child of the king. In other words, Gideon, there's something royal, there's something handsome, something dignified about you. Did it go over? No, it certainly didn't go over. Gideon didn't call for the praise, the subtle praise of the enemy. Well, what did he do in verse nineteen? Gideon said, They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother.
As the Lord liveth, if he had saved them alive, I would now not slay you. And he said unto Gither his firstborn, Up and slay them. But he used to do not his sword, for he feared because he was yet a youth. Now here's something solemn. It looks as though Gideon is getting a little fengism on this occasion, a little reckless. More or less trying to humble and belittle these two men, these kings, he calls upon his young son. He says, come on, you're strong enough, a good enough soldier. Kill these two men. In other words, it's not child's play to fight the battles of the Lord. It's a full-size man's job to fight the enemy.
And never take the enemy lightly. Don't take the world lightly, nor the devil. I've heard some people talk and boast about beating the devil around the stump, you can't do this. And remember, don't take the flame lightly. You've got an enemy within you. Take none of them lightly. They have to be taken seriously. It's not child's play to defeat the enemy. It's a man's job, and you'll need the strength of the sum of man, the sum of God if you're going to get an addiction. Here's Gideon, more or less trying to keep humiliation upon these two men. He says to his young son, Come on, he says, You can dispose of these men. But it's quite noticeable. Verse twenty-one. Then Ziva and Zalmuna said, Thais thou, and fall upon them.
But as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose and slew Ziva and Zalmuna took away the ornaments that were on their camel's neck. Now suppose that Gideon's young son had done what his father told him, and had challenged these two kings. And he had gotten killed. How that would have hurt Gideon. What a poverty would have reached, underestimating the strength and subtlety of the enemy. And it was a good thing they didn't agree. They were going to be humiliated like that. And Gideon himself was supposed to be. So let's remember that the man-sized John, not a kid's play, will fight our enemy. Verse twenty-two, then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou and thy son, and thy son son also, for thou art delivered us from the hand of Midian.
Now here's another temptation. Gideon seems to be running into a constant temptation. Up here in verse eighteen, the subtle praise of the enemy. Why, thou art a child of the king. Down here his own people say, Gideon, we want you to be our ruler. Rule thou over us by the temptation. What did Gideon say? Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you. Neither shall my son rule over you. The Lord shall rule over you. That was very commendable for Gideon. And Gideon said unto them, I would desire to be correct of you. Now get what he said. Isn't it sad?
There was always failure, deeming it toward the end. And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that he would give me every man the earrings of his prey. For they had gotten earrings because they were Israelites. That is, the people they had captured. a lot of them, and they took their prey. And they answered, He will willingly give them. And they set a garment, and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey. And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred peoples of gold, beside ornaments and collars and purple raiment, that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels next. And Gideon made an eagle thereof, and put it in his city, even in Orpher, All Israel went to the hoarding after it, which then became a snare unto Gideon and to his house.
Here is Gideon's favor. He declined the crown, but aspired to the priesthood, for only priests in the Old Testament had a right to the Ephraim. And to have the Ephraim meant they were representing the people in the presence of God, and that Gideon could not do. God had not called unto that. You remember on one occasion, over in the sixteenth of number. Or is it the Seventies? Here is Korah and his company. And they have fired unto the priesthood. They tried to tell Moses and Aaron why all the Lord's people are priests. What are you doing taking that leadership? And the Lord opened the mouth of the earth. And they went down two hundred and fifty of them were swallowed up in instant death because they had fired unto a physician, an office that God never intended them to take to that of the priesthood.
And here there's Gideon. After his victory over the Midianites, that great army, And then he did not fall for the subtle traits of the enemy. And here he find them. He wouldn't accept the rulership of his own people to be their king, but he said, I'll be your priest. I'll aspire to a spiritual position. Let me tell you, this is a more subtle type of evil than civil authority and power.