I. A young couple decided to wed. As the big day approached, they grew apprehensive. Each had a problem they had never before shared with anyone, not even each other. The groom-to-be, overcoming his fear, decided to ask his father for advice. "Father," he said, "I am deeply concerned about the success of my marriage. I love my fiancée, very much, but you see, I have very smelly feet, and I’m afraid that my future wife will be put off by them." "No problem," said dad. "All you have to do is wash your feet as often as possible, and always wear socks, even to bed." Well, to him this seemed a workable solution. The bride-to-be, overcoming her fear, decided to take her problem to her dad. "Dad," she said, "When I wake up in the morning my breath is truly awful." "Honey," her father consoled, "everyone has bad breath in the morning." "No, you don’t understand. My morning breath is so bad, I’m afraid that my new husband will not want to sleep in the same room with me." Her father said simply, "Try this. In the morning, get straight out of bed, and head for the bathroom and brush your teeth. The key is, not to say a word until you’ve brushed your teeth. Not a word," her mother affirmed. Well, she thought it was certainly worth a try. The loving couple was finally married in a beautiful ceremony. Not forgetting the advice each had received, he with his perpetual socks and she with her morning silence, they managed quite well. That is, until about six months later. Shortly before dawn, the husband woke with a start to find that one of his socks had come off. Fearful of the consequences, he frantically searched the bed. This, of course, woke his bride, who, without thinking, immediately asked, "What on earth are you doing?" "Oh, no!" he gasped in shock, "You’ve swallowed my sock!"
II. The principle: “As is the man, so is his strength,” found in Judges 8:21 is illustrated by four lives in the story particularly for the men who worship with us today.
A. Good men who choose the wrong god and whose lives end in tragedy.
1. Zebah and Zalmunna (zal MUHN uh) “Man killer”
a. Do not discount these men too quickly. As is often done in scripture, God uses them to illustrate some virtuous qualities.
• Compare “Z Z Top” with the officials of Succoth and men of Peniel and see the striking difference.
b. There are many qualities about Zebah and Zalmunna:
• They are both kings.
• They are both kings leading their people to a better life.
• They both possess qualities of character and wisdom.
vs.18, “What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?’ ‘Men like you,’ they each answered, ‘each one with the bearing of a prince.’”
c. They were men like Gideon and his three hundred soldiers, honorable, brave, smart men; EXCEPT they followed a false god.
• Midian was the son of Abraham, mother was Keturah and also the father-in-law for Moses, this is the tribe that Joseph was sold to, Jethro was a priest of Midian.
• However the people of Midian were led astray with the people of Moab by following Balaam and they oppressed Israel for seven years.
• They worshiped Baal-Peor BAY uhl-PEE awr and tried to lead Israel astray.
• Some 250 years later, the Midianites again begin to torment the Israelites.
2. Courageous men who have as it appears chosen the wrong god:
a. Mohammed Ali
b. Tom Cruise
c. Dalai Lama
3. Zebah and Zalmunna were strong men in courage but weak in their belief in God.
a. Courage alone is not enough.
b. Dads need not only be protector but also spiritual leader of their homes.
c. Have you chosen the right god?
B. One man, who lived a full life, loved God and left a legacy.
1. Gideon was Israel’s most famous judge. Gideon was to Israel what William Wallace was to the Scots as depicted in the movie Braveheart. Show a picture of Braveheart.
a. Gideon was a brave and courageous man.
• He had 70 sons! Now that would be a Father’s Day!
• vs. 10, He killed 120,000 men with 300 men!
• Now he faced 15,000 of the Z Z’s best fighters.
b. Gideon’s humanity is evident in two poor decisions:
• His decision to take multiple wives.
• His decision to make a gold Ephod in which in turn they worshiped.
c. The difference for Gideon is the God he served.
• Gideon’s virtue is evident because he refused to be made king.
vs. 23, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The LORD will rule over you.”
2. Tim Russert’s death, his tribute to his father, etc.
3. He was courageous and chose the true God of Israel. Consider the lessons Gideon leaves for his sons.
a. A legacy of passion over perfection.
He was not a perfect man, nor is any man perfect.
b. A legacy of purpose over indifference.
He believed in something and had something for which to fight.
c. A legacy of love of God over love of self.
vs. 28, “During Gideon’s lifetime, the land enjoyed peace forty years.”
C. A young man’s life filled with potential.
1. Jether, (JEE thuhr)
a. The eldest son of Gideon. Jether: name meaning “surplus or excellence.” HE HAD GREAT PROMISE/POTENTIAL.
b. Jether is the father of Amasa, Absalom’s commander-in-chief.
1 Kings 2:5, "Now you yourself know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me--what he did to the two commanders of Israel’s armies, Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether. He killed them, shedding their blood in peacetime as if in battle, and with that blood stained the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet.”
c. Gideon request of his son: Judges 8:20, “Turning to Jether, his oldest son, he said, "Kill them!" But Jether did not draw his sword, because he was only a boy and was afraid.”
• It was a great insult to be killed by a youth in the ancient world, i.e. David and Goliath.
• Jether is afraid to kill the two kings.
• It appears that Gideon had not given his son the investment of time for him to perform on that day.
• Gideon had spent time with the 300 men, but not with his 70 sons.
2. One recent study showed that 70% of young adults ages 18-22 leave the church. Over two-thirds of churchgoing young adults drop out between the ages of 18 and 22. Why?
a. Simply wanted a break from church
b. Church members were hypocritical
c. Work responsibilities
d. Became too busy
e. Disagreed with the church’s stance on political/social issues
f. Chose to spend more time with friends outside of the church
3. You cannot ask your son to slay the kings if you have not trained a king slayer.
a. Jether did not possess inwardly what was needed to do the right thing. When life demanded that he kill the kings, it was not possible because he did not possess inwardly what was required.
• There were many expectations placed on him, but he was frustrated because no one had prepared him for this defining moment in his life.
• Imagine the disappointment and the failure that Jether experienced on that day.
• Gideon forgot to train the warrior at home.
b. Recent article by Oliver Buzz Thomas’ keys to parenting:
• Just be there. Avoid being an absentee father. Weekend fathering or two weeks in the summer he says, “It’s simply not enough time to be a strong steady influence in a busy child’s life.”
Study at Columbia University showed that teens who eat at home at least five nights a week have higher grades and are less likely to use alcohol and drugs.
• You be the dad. You don’t have to put aside your good judgment to be their parent. Your child has lots of pals, you be the dad. The best dads discipline themselves first, their children second.
c. Engage in the life of your children and train them to become Christ-followers and defenders of the faith.
III. Jesus Christ the perfect man who embodied this very truth, “As a man is, so is his strength.” President Bush presented the nation’s highest military honor to a 19 year old soldier who died saving the lives of four comrades in Iraq by jumping on a grenade tossed into their military vehicle. The honored soldier, Ross McGinnis was represented by this parents, Tom and Romayne and his two sisters Becky and Katie. His father accepted the metal for his son and said to those four soldiers who survive because of his son’s sacrifice, “Live noble, courageous lives.”
Illustrations:
ZEBAH man-killer, or sacrifice, one of the two kings who led the vast host of the Midianites who invaded the land of Israel, and over whom Gideon gained a great and decisive victory (Judges 8). Zebah and Zalmunna had succeeded in escaping across the Jordan with a remnant of the Midianite host, but were overtaken at Karkor, probably in the Hauran, and routed by Gideon. The kings were taken alive and brought back across the Jordan; and confessing that they had personally taken part in the slaughter of Gideon’s brothers, they were put to death (comp. 1 Samuel 12:11; Isaiah 10:26; Psalm 83:11).
ZALMUNNA zal MUHN uh one of the two kings of Midian whom the “Lord delivered” into the hands of Gideon. He was slain afterwards with Zebah (Judges 8:5-21).
»See: ZEBAH
JETHER JEE thuhr (th as in thin)
(1) The eldest of Gideon’s seventy sons!
(2) Gideon’s eldest son (Judges 8:20), who was called upon by his father to slay Zebah and Zalmunnah, but "feared, because he was yet a youth." The narrative there (Judges 8:4ff) should be connected with that of Judges 6:34, where Gideon is followed by his clan, and not with that of Judges 7, where he has 300 picked men. The captives would be taken to Orpah, Gideon’s home, and slain there.
Most men who I know who are not Christ followers are good men. The truth be told many of them are “better” men than some Christian men I know.
