T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
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APRIL 18, 1920 THE VICTORY OF GIDEON’S BAND Golden Text: “ There is no restraint to Jehovah to save by many or by few.” 1 Sam. 14:16. LESSON TEXT. Judg. 7:1-8,16-21. (Read Judg. 7; Ps. 47.)
. , (1) Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, 1 and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the val ley. (2) And the Lord said unto Gid eon, the people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites ✓ into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. (3) Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And 1 there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. (4) And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down into the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomso ever I say unto thee. This shall not go with thee,,the. same shall not go. (5) So he brought down the people unto the water: and the Lord said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lap peth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. (6) And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. (7) And the Lord said Outline: i fp*| Condition of Israel and Cause. (2) Call o f Gideon and Credentials. (3) Choice and Character of the Army. (4) Conflict and , Conquest of Mi- dian. (1) CONDITION OF ISRAEL AND CAUSE. Bear in mind the conditions that ex isted in Israel. They were without a visible head. After the death of Joshua no successor was chosen. Joshua was
unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place. (8) So the people took victuals in their hand,, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midiah was beneath him in the valley. (16) And he divided the three hundred men into three com panies, and he put a trumpet in every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers. (17) And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that as I do, so shall ye do. (18) When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trum pets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the Lord and of Gideon. (19) So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch, and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands. And the three companies blew the trum pets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the Lord and of Gideon. (21) And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran and cried and fled.
chosen to follow Moses, but God chose no successor to Joshua. The key to the
LESSON EXPOSITION T. C. Horton
Book of Judges is found in the last verse of the book, “ In those days there was no king in Israel. Every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” That is,—there was a condition of an archy such as some Socialists and I. W. W.’s and other factions would like to produce in our own land.
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