Gideon – From Fear to Faith
Judges 7:9-15 – Victory Fellowship
May 17, 2026 - Rev. Roderick Grabski
“The Man Who Predicted 911.” Rick Rescorla, the 62-year-old head of security at the Morgan Stanley Bank, developed an evacuation plan for the bank. The bank’s offices were situated high up in the South Tower at the World Trade Center. Rescorla was convinced that terrorists would use jet planes to try and destroy the World Trade Center. The plan and its preparation were hugely unpopular with the Morgan Stanley staff, and many thought Rescorla was crazy.
When Tower 1 was hit on September 11, 2001, Rick Rescorla ignored building officials’ advice to stay put and began the orderly evacuation of Morgan Stanley’s 2,800 employees on 20 floors of World Trade Center Tower 2. He sang God Bless America and other songs over his bullhorn to help evacuees stay calm as they left the building. When almost all were out he started helping people out of the other building which, by that time, had also been hit. He was still inside heading up the stairs when WTC 2 collapsed. His remains were not recovered. As a result of Rescorla’s actions, none of Morgan Stanley’s 2800 WTC employees were killed.
Acting with faith in the face of fear accomplishes great things. This was a lesson that Gideon ultimately learned.
RECAP: God wanted this Victory to be a God thing, so He said “Gideon, you have too many warriors and when they win they are going to think they did it all by themselves. So tell them that whoever is afraid can go home” So 22,000 guys leave. 22,000 gone, leaving Gideon with 10,000 men. And just as Gideon’s kind of got his head wrapped around what has happened God says, “Still too many!” and so God tells Gideon to get the men to go down to the river for a drink: those who cupped the water into their hand and then drank from their hand lapping the water like a dog were to go into one group those who get right down on their knees were to go into another group. Only 300 of the soldiers drank from their cupped hands and God told Gideon to keep the men who drank from their hands and to send the rest home.
Now at today’s point in the story Gideon is obediently preparing to attack but God told him, “But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah. Listen to what the Midianites are saying, and you will be greatly encouraged. Then you will be eager to attack.”
And that’s what he did. Two guys are talking and the first said “I had the strangest dream last night, I dreamt that a loaf of barley bread rolled down the hill into the camp and flattened one of our tents” And that second guy says “you dream can only mean one thing, Gideon and his men are going to whup us.” (RRV) Gideon took the dream and the interpretation as a sign from God and went back to the camp to rally the troops.
He divided his three hundred men into three groups, a hundred in each group, He gave each man a horn and a clay jar with a torch in it. Just after midnight they surrounded the Midianite camp and on the given signal they blew their horns, broke the clay jars revealing the torches. The Midianites panicked, the Israelites blew their horns again and the Bible tells us that the Lord caused the warriors in the camp to start fighting each other, and those who weren’t killed fled in confusion. Because of God’s intervention, Gideon was victorious over Midian.
Over the past few weeks we have seen Gideon go from Fear to Faith.
We can take note of Gideon and determine how we will can walk in faith even when its tempting to be afraid. By his example we can see a three-fold plan for moving from fear to faith.
1. God’s promise is renewed.
God appears to Gideon and promises to give him victory.
For us too, faith comes through hearing God’s word daily. (Romans 10:17)
2. God’s providence is revealed.
Gideon overheard the dream and knew God was with him. He could go forward in faith knowing that God was with him.
When we trust God without fear we can go forward with the plans He has for us, even when we can’t see the outcome. Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of thing not seen. (Hebrews 11:1)
3. God’s person is revered.
Verse 15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship before the Lord. Then he returned to the Israelite camp and shouted, “Get up! For the Lord has given you victory over the Midianite hordes!”
We too must recognize God as our source of strength and guidance and thank in our acts of worship. In fact, doing what God calls us to do – going forward from fear to faith – is an act of worship in and of itself.
PRAYER
SONG: Faith
Judges 7:9-15 NLT
9 That night the Lord said, “Get up! Go down into the Midianite camp, for I have given you victory over them! 10 But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah. 11 Listen to what the Midianites are saying, and you will be greatly encouraged. Then you will be eager to attack.” So Gideon took Purah and went down to the edge of the enemy camp. 12 The armies of Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east had settled in the valley like a swarm of locusts. Their camels were like grains of sand on the seashore—too many to count! 13 Gideon crept up just as a man was telling his companion about a dream. The man said, “I had this dream, and in my dream a loaf of barley bread came tumbling down into the Midianite camp. It hit a tent, turned it over, and knocked it flat!” 14 His companion answered, “Your dream can mean only one thing—God has given Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite, victory over Midian and all its allies!”15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship before the Lord. Then he returned to the Israelite camp and shouted, “Get up! For the Lord has given you victory over the Midianite hordes!”
