Broken

You have heard the expression … "Dust to dust." That's what we came from and that is what we will be in the end. We are just clay, shaped by God our creator, into an earthen vessel, like a pot or a pitcher.

What are pots or pitchers used for? They are designed to hold or carry something; let's say, like water. Water is a good example. It is necessary for life. We drink it, cook with it, bath in it, grow food with it, fish in it, play in it and on and on, etc.

I want to take you back to a day years ago when a man called Jerubbaal, found another use for three hundred empty earthen pots or pitchers. He is better known as Gideon, a farmer's son, and as such was employed in the business of agricultural.

In fact, on the day I am speaking about we find Gideon at home threshing wheat in private, working under an oak tree so as to hide his wheat from the Midianites.

Judges 6:1 … "And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years." God had allowed the Midianites to conquer Israel and steal not only their crops but livestock as well.

Vs. 11 … "And there came an angel of the LORD …" and sat under that very same oak tree or one near it, if perhaps Gideon was working in a clump of oaks. The word LORD means …"Self Existent One, eternal Jehovah, the Lord."

I believe whenever the (angel of the LORD) appeared, it was always Jesus … "the Word of God" … manifested in bodily form. After Jesus became flesh, born of Mary, the angel of the LORD … never again appears to man.

Observe how the Lord found Gideon … all alone. God often makes Himself known to you when you are alone, out away from the noise and madness of this world. Silence and solitude many times opens the door and creates an opportunity for God to speak not just to us but with us.

Vs. 12 … "And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valor."

Vs. 15 … "And Gideon said unto Him, who me? I am the least in my father's house. I'm not a man of valor, just a farmer." (My translation)

So, here we have this young farmer, doubting himself … just like we do many times … even after the Lord tells him in person, that he is the one chosen by God to free Israel from the Midianites.

Vs. 36-40 … Gideon wants even more assurance then just the word of the Lord (if that is possible) so he asks for a wet wool fleece which God honors; but even that is not proof enough. He now asks God for another fleece … but this time Lord, make it dry. Again God, in His loving patience does what Gideon asks of Him and finally convinces him that it would be by God's hand only and not Gideon's that will cause the Midianites to be defeated in battle.

Gideon has now gathered thirty-two thousand men for his army. But God said it was too many … He didn't need all of them. So Gideon sends home all the men who were fearful. Now he has only ten thousand men left with him.

But God says to Gideon … "No, still too many men."

So God tells Gideon … "Take them down to the water and have them drink. Only those who continue to watch as they lap the water out of their hands will be your army."

Gideon now has only three hundred men left out of the original thirty-two thousand he started with. Okay God says … "That looks about right. With this few men, no one in Israel can boast of their own victory."

Judges 7:16 … "And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers."

Vs. 17 … "And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise."

This reminds me of the Apostle Paul when he wrote in 1st Corinthians 11:1 … "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ." In the Amplified Bible it reads this way … "PATTERN YOURSELVES after me, follow my example, as I imitate and follow Christ (the Messiah)."

Vs. 18-21 … So Gideon, and all the men that were with him stood every man in his place around the enemies camp in the middle night and blew the trumpets, and broke the pitchers, and held the lamps in their hands, and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. And the enemy ran and fled. (Edited)

So today, what can we learn from the story of Gideon? I have already made the comparison of the clay pitcher with the man that God formed from the clay.

Genesis 2:7 … "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground …"

That's why God named the first man Adam. The word "man" in Hebrew is … "aw-dawm" or Adam … which means red or ruddy, made from red clay dust.

We are a vessel (like that pitcher) and God has made us for a purpose. So, if we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Saviour … the Holy Spirit has placed within us a measure of the life that Christ had within Him.

In John 1:4-5 we read … "In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness …"

We are vessels … just like the earthen pitchers Gideon and his army used to carry their lamps in. The light needed to rout the enemy with was … hidden in their vessels … but the pitchers had to be broken to expose the light hidden within.

Many times God allows … LIFE … to be the source needed to crack open or break the outer shell so that the light in the heart of our vessel can be exposed to the world. Sorry … but that's the hard truth. Many times He doesn't intervene for reasons only He knows.

But be of good cheer …

Psalm 34:18 … "The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit."

Psalm 51:17 … "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."

So expose the light of Christ that is within you … or your vessel may need to be "broken" to allow it to properly shine.

Many times God puts our "Faith" on trial. A trial is the act of testing something, trying something to find out about it, an examination process or the act of undergoing testing.

Gideon was tested … are we any different?