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The Bible says in Gen 2:7
And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
When the Lord created man He did not use iron or brass, but He created man from the dust of the earth. When the Israelites were in bondage in Babylon they called out to their Lord as mentioned in
Is 64:8
But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
During time of sorrow and difficulties, and times of bondage we remember that God has created us of the dust of the earth. When the Lord looks upon us and has mercy and when He saves us, He remembers that we are made of dust. He knows we are fragile and can break any time, if He will cast us away.
The Bible says in Ps 103:14
For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.
He knows and remembers that we are dust. So the Lord has taken this dust and washed it with His blood and made a vessel of grace.
HIS TREASURES IN EARTHEN VESSELS
The Bible says in Jer 18:4
And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
Again and again this vessel keeps breaking in His hands when we commit sin, evil, uncleanness and in so many other ways. But today through His grace He has once again made us a vessel of grace. After making us a vessel of grace He fills this earthen vessel with His treasures. He has filled us with His treasures of praise, prayer, faith and many other similar blessings. He has put all this inside this earthen vessel. The Bible says in 2 Cor 4:7
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
The Lord has filled this treasure in us who are earthen vessels. So this creation of God from dust becomes the temple of God as written in Rev 21:3
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
By filling us with His Holy Spirit, by dwelling with us and becoming our God, today He has given us great grace in this vessel made of the dust of the earth.The Bible says in 1 Cor 3:16
Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
The Lord has kept His Holy Spirit in this earthen vessel, and so today we become the temple of God.
We see that the Lord created man from the dust of the earth and for this creation not to break away, He has made us a vessel of grace by His precious blood and in this vessel He has filled His treasures of glory and has kept His Spirit within us. Now through His Spirit this vessel made from dust becomes the temple of God.
GIDEON GOES TO WAR
We know how the Lord told Gideon to choose 300 people. All these 300 people were vessels of clay made by the Lord. These vessels were filled with the Holy Spirit and so the Lord told him to take these 300 people with him. We are those vessels of clay today. Let us read this in Judges 7:16-20. The Lord spoke to Gideon at a difficult and sorrowful time in His life.
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.
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.
When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.
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 trumpets, 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.
The Lord told him to give a trumpet, and an empty pitcher with lamps to the people. Now the lamp is the Word of God. To win the war against the enemy we need this lamp in our hand. To get victory in the darkness the Lord has given us this light in our hands. The Bible says in Eph 6:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
To win this war it is very important that we have the Word of God in our hands. The lamp can be considered as two things. One is the Word of God and the other is the Holy Spirit. If we have both with us then we can get the victory. It was the five virgins who were wise who had the lamp and the oil with them. To be wise and be victorious in this life we should have the lamp - the Word of God and the Holy Spirit which is the oil.
WAITING FOR GODS PERFECT TIME
The Bible says in Jer 5:14
Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.
The Word becomes like a fire. King David had hid the Word which is fire in his earthen vessel. We are vessels of clay and in this, the Lord has given His treasures of wisdom, knowledge and everything, and given His light in us which is His Word or the Spirit. The Word brings light into our life. King David hid this fire in his earthen vessel. The Lord desires to give many blessings in our earthen vessels. We do not know the many things that the Lord has already given us. The Lord does not leave any one as orphans. For us to be victorious in our lives He has gone to the cross and given His life for us and given us the Holy Spirit - the Comforter, the one who will take care of us. King David had the fire of the Word within him but he hid it in his heart as the Bible says in Ps 119:11
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
He hid the fire within himself so that it is not lost in this world. When we fall into sin then we loose the blessings and the love of God in our lives. When we walk in the evil way then we loose many of the blessings that the Lord has given us in this earthen vessel. To keep that flame alive within us we have to run far away from sin. The Bible says in Jer 20:9
Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.
The prophet Jeremiah tried to shut the Word of God within himself but he was unable to contain the it. So the Word of God becomes a light. Let us read Jer 23:29
Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?
We see that King David hid the light of God in his earthen vessel. Jeremiah the prophet tried to contain the fire of God within himself but the fire spread to his bones. As the above Word says the Word of God is like a fire. Let us read Ps 39:2,3
I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred.
My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue,
King David also tried to keep the fire within but finally he was unable to contain it and he had to speak. He opened his mouth and started to praise God. The Lord has given us this light and this flame in our lives. At the right time the world should know about this flame.
The Lord Jesus was born of the Holy Spirit. He had the fire, the Word and the Spirit within Him. But till the time came, the Lord who had come in the flesh hid all these from the people. Before He started His ministry He fasted for forty days and then He brought the flame to the world. We should know that we are a vessel made of clay. We know that the Lord has filled this vessel with many blessings, but till the time comes everything is kept quiet. But when the time comes, no one can hold it back.
Now the time had come to destroy the Midianites who were like the sands of the sea. Then the Lord told to choose the 300 people who were vessels of clay but who were being filled continuously by the Lord with His heavenly treasures. The Lord told them to take the trumpet and the lamp in the earthen vessels.
VICTORY IN THE WAR
Let us read Matt 4:1-11
Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
So the Lord Jesus who was filled with the Holy Spirit used the Word of God to face the devil during His ministry. As we have read in Eph 6:12 there is a war in our life. So to get the victory in our life we need the Word and the Holy Spirit. If we become victorious then we can become the beloved of the Lord. We have to accept what the Lord speaks to us in our lives. When the Lord told 300 people to Gideon, then he got the victory with the 300.
The Lord spoke to Elijah in 1 King 17:3,4
Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.
And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
As the Lord commanded Elijah in the same way he had to hide himself. To see the glory of God, we have to do what the Lord commands us. So whatever we do secretly, the Lord will openly bring out the fruit of that deed. When you do a good work in the sight of the Lord, without the world knowing it, or hearing about it, then one day the Lord will bring it out openly. When Elijah went and hid himself according to the Lords command then the people would have thought that he ran away. But at the right time the Lord openly performed His works through him. Let us read Song of Sol 2:14
O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
Those who are bound to the Lord and work silently and in secret for Him, the Lord is asking them to show their faces. How we serve, witness, and pray in secret and in silence - the Lord knows everything. What is happening in the dark the Lord will definitely bring out in the open. The Bible says in Matt 6:18
That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
ARISE - LET YOU LIGHT SHINE
Gideon had told the people to keep the lamp in the earthen vessels. Now it was time to break the earthen vessels. Let us read Is 62:1
For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.
As the above Word says it was time for the lamp to burn out from the earthen vessels. For the lamp to give the light the earthen vessels had to be broken. What does it mean to break the earthen vessels ? It is found in Rom 12:1. We have to give ourselves to the Lord and then the earthen vessels will break.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
For the light to shine from within the earthen vessel has to be broken by giving our self as a living sacrifice to God. Then the Lord will definitely bring out this light from within to show the world.
The Bible says in Jn 12:24
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.
The seed has to fall to the ground and die. If it dies then it can become a tree and bring much blessings. Similarly when we offer our lives as a sacrifice to the Lord, we have to change many things in our life for the Lord and then the Lord can bring out this light from within us.
THE TRUMPET CALL
The other thing to be carried was the trumpet. This was very dear to the people of Jerusalem. Whether it was time for them to start their journey or to go to war , when they heard the trumpet they would get ready. The sound of the trumpet would strengthen their bones for war or for their journey. It would signal them to be ready.
Let us read Num 29:1
And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month, ye shall have an holy convocation; ye shall do no servile work: it is a day of blowing the trumpets unto you.
The Bible says in Ps 150:3
Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
The blowing of the trumpet was a sign to praise the Lord in faith with your whole heart. The trumpet was used to bring down the wall of Jericho. As the people praised the Lord with all their heart and with a great sound the Jericho wall came down. So we see how the Lord through these three simple things empowered Gideon along with the 300 people.
The earthen vessel, resembles our body made of the dust of the earth, then the lamp which is the Word and the Holy Spirit. Finally the trumpet which is a sign to praise the Lord in faith with all our heart. So the Lord send Gideon along with 300 hundred people who had all the above qualities to defeat the Midianites who were in number like the sand of the sea.
Let us read Josh 6:1,20 to see how the Jericho wall fell.
Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the children of Israel: none went out, and none came in.
So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city.
As the people heard the sound of the trumpet it brought life into their bones and they started to shout and praise the Lord and the wall fell flat and they entered and took the city. As the people heard the trumpet they were strengthened with new power
The sword of Gideon was the sword of the Lord. Let us read Jud 7:20.21
And the three companies blew the trumpets, 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.
And they stood every man in his place round about the camp; and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.
Today in our lives we are also standing in such a war. It is very important that we also should have the sword of the Lord in our hands. We may be small, weak and few in number but we must have the sword of the Lord in our hands. The Bible says in Luke 12:32
Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
As the above Word says we need not fear as it is the Fathers pleasure to give us the kingdom. So today Gideon's sword is our sword. As Gideon was in sorrow and broken hearted as what to do next, the Lord spoke to Gideon and encouraged Him. The same Lord is calling us today as ' Little flock, don't fear as the Lord is pleased to give you the kingdom. ' Today we only have to live in His ways and then definitely the Lord will be with us and will fill us with all the blessings in this earthen vessels. We have to be in His way and live our life according to His will. As Jeremiah hid the flame within himself and so did David. As the Lord Jesus hid the flame within Himself till the appointed time. So till that appointed time we have to preserve the flame that the Lord has given us in this earthen vessels. The time will come for the earthen vessel to break and the time will come for us to take the sword of Gideon in our hands. Then our lives will be victorious. The Bible says in 2 Cor 10:4
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
Our sword is not as we see in this world. The sword of our Lord is one by which we can cut off every evil and every sin. The God of Gideon will go before you. As the Bible says in Ps 46:11
The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.
When the Lord of hosts is with us and will go before us then we will definitely get victory in our lives. The way of the Lord is one of blessing and when we plan to live our lives according to His will then our life becomes one of joy and happiness.
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