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Yesterday we shared both key warnings and practical preparation for you to meet the challenges this hour presents. Gideon’s army… it’s time to light your lamps!
The good news is that this battle is first spiritual. And God’s battle cry right now is “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit says the Lord” (Zech. 4). That’s actually the phrase God spoke to Zechariah as he learned the meaning of his own “lampstand vision.” And He is conveying the same in this hour!
So take this as a word from your Father, and let Zechariah 4 prophesy to you. Grace, grace! Not by might nor power but by My Spirit, says the Lord. He will cause your light to shine in darkness!
As we shared yesterday, restoring covenant with God apart from all idolatry is a primary key to victory. It is also a primary key to moving with Holy Spirit and accessing the power of partnership with His angelic hosts. And this is where the promise “Not by might nor by power but by My Spirit” begins to really become fun.
We believe Crown & Throne is a key resource to help you on this journey. Order your copy today!
Gideon—Preparing for Victory
Today I want to share on two aspects of Gideon’s ministry that are truly revolutionary—Gideon’s help from the unseen realm, and keys he was given to position Israel for military victory. God wants to empower you in the same way! And these same keys will help you position your family, your office, your town for the victory God desires to bring.
You’ve probably perceived these concepts before in Gideon’s story, but you might never have thought about them in this way. And that’s what makes them truly revolutionary.
Angelic Partnership
Lets begin by tracing the remarkable journey Gideon’s unseen warrior—the Angel of the Lord. Judges 6 records how Gideon’s own journey takes a dramatic turn when the Angel of the Lord appears to him, and calls him forth as a mighty warrior. But this same angel was extremely influential in Israel long before Gideon came along.
Did you know that God assigns angels over nations? He does. And He assigns angels over spheres of your life and world. Exodus 12 records how God released His angel to execute judgment against Pharaoh, and usher God’s people into freedom. An angel—identified as the Angel of the Lord, just like the angel who visited Gideon—is dispatched to take out all the firstborn of Egypt. Then the Red Sea parts, with the people of God crossing over and Pharaoh’s army drowned. Freedom!
This same angel then continues to prepare the way for God’s people, as summarized in Exodus 23:20. I cannot emphasize how important this promise is for your life in this very hour:
“See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him” (Exodus 23:20).
Do you see the importance of this angelic partnership in Israel’s formation? History clearly records the results.
Do Not Bow Down Before Their Gods
The commission continues. Please note below God’s explicit warning not to adopt the idolatry of the land, but to instead demolish their idols and altars.
“If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out. Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces” (Exodus 23:22-24).
Next God promises healing and deliverance, both personally and as a nation.
“Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, and none will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will give you a full life span.
“I will send my terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn their backs and run. I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way…” (Exodus 23:25-8).
That’s what I’m talkin’ about! Friends, this is exactly how God wants to partner with us in our Gideon season. He wants to give His angels charge over us, to keep us and to bring us into the place He has prepared for us.
But the warnings are as “real” as the blessings. As you will see, Israel failed to heed them, giving the Usurper legal right to enter the gates of their land and plunder their blessing. Things didn’t change until Gideon burst on the scene. In fact, the national partnership with the Angel of the Lord was literally recommissioned through Gideon! And so were God’s promises to His people.
Bochim: When the Angel Vacates the Premises
Watch now. Judges 2 records how this same Angel of the Lord arose to help God’s people complete the task of possessing the Promised Land. But tragedy broke out instead. The Angel announced that he could not prepare the way because God’s people had fallen into idolatry.
“Now the angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land which I have sworn to your fathers; and I said, ‘I will never break My covenant with you, and as for you, you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed Me; what is this you have done? Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they will become as thorns in your sides and their gods will be a snare to you.’” When the angel of the Lord spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept.So they named that place Bochim; and there they sacrificed to the Lord…” (Judges 2:1-5)
The Angel of the Lord then left, his own commission unfilfillled. When God’s people embraced idolatry, their national borders became porous and accessible to the enemy. Usurpers plundered their harvests, abused their wives, and subjugated God’s covenant people.
Preparation for MILITARY VICTORY
The Gideon comes along. THIS IS REALLY KEY. The Angel of the Lord visits Gideon, and commissions him to save his land. What are his first marching orders? Not military training runs, pushups, or advanced sharpshooting. Instead, Gideon is ordered to tear down his father’s altar to Baal.
Watch this now. The Angel of the Lord is arrested from partnering with God’s people in Bochim due to their idolatry. And this Angel is not recommissioned to save the nation until Gideon repudiates this same idolatry—and divorces Baal.
Do you see this? Hope so! Please don’t underestimate the value God places in restoring covenant with Jesus Christ alone. More important than you can imagine!
Note that God was positioning Gideon as a military leader for a military victory within his own land. In other words, the divorcement from Baal prepared the way for God to again “protect and defend”—to take the lead and secure the borders of his covenant land. Friends, it is absolutely the same in this hour. The divorcement of Baal is key to securing God’s partnership as the Captain of the Hosts. It is absolutely key to prepare for for military victory—within our borders and across the globe.
Your Invitation
Friends, Gideon’s partnership with the Angel of the Lord saved his nation from destruction. And just as the Lord recommissioned His Angel to work with Gideon, so He desires to re-commission His angels to partner with you. Further, He desires to work with you to position your sphere of authority for protection and victory in the days to come. I encourage you wholeheartedly to seek the Lord for this partnership.
