Two By Two
Submitted by Pastor Kevin Stevicks
Fellowship Baptist Church
Bearden, AR
June 26, 2024
Jg 7:9-11 And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand. 10 But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host: 11 And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host.
Just before Gideon led his little army of only three hundred men against 135,000 Midianites, God offered him one final confirmation that what He had told Gideon to do would succeed. He sent Gideon down to the camp of the enemy army. There Gideon heard one of the Midianite soldiers recount a dream that foretold Gideon's victory. Thus encouraged, Gideon led his men into battle and won the victory.
But God knows the way in which fear often impacts the way we deal with situations, so He offered Gideon the encouragement of having someone go with him when he made that dangerous trip. The presence of Phurah gave him confidence to walk into the enemy camp.
God did not design us to be alone and isolated from each other. He knows that we need the fellowship, help, encouragement, and sometimes, correction of others.
Solomon wrote, Ec 4:9-10 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. 10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.
When Jesus sent the disciples out on their own for the first time, He sent them in pairs. Each of us needs people like Phurah was for Gideon in our lives who help us keep going. As the old saying put it, “He may have been called the Lone Ranger, but he wasn't alone—he had Tonto.”
Consider—The Christian life is meant to be a life of fellowship and encouragement, not a life of isolation and despair.
Smile A While—Don’t you hate it when someone answers their own questions? I do.
