“And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. …Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?” (Judges 6:12,14).
Just a few days before his fatal accident, Dr. Tyng had spoken to over 5,000 men at a noon-time YMCA meeting at which over 1,000 responded to the gospel. His text for the sermon was Exodus 10:11, “Go now ye that are men, and serve the LORD,” a theme repeated in the second verse of “Stand Up for Jesus,” written in his memory.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, The trumpet call obey; Forth to the mighty conflict, in this His glorious day. “Ye that are men, now serve Him,” Against unnumbered foes; Let courage rise with danger, And strength to strength oppose.
This verse reminds us of the task facing Gideon following his commission into God’s army, as given in our text. Israel was defenseless and outnumbered, but “the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man” (v.16).
The chosen warrior-to-be obeyed, and “the spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet” (v.34), thus gathering a fighting force soon to be pared down to only three hundred choice men (7:7). With these courageous men God wrought a mighty victory, overcoming a well-armed fighting force numbering over 120,000. Truly it was “His glorious day.”
In summary, we might remember the Lord’s promise to Joshua, Israel’s first general: “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: …I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. …Only be thou strong and very courageous” (Joshua 1:5,7). Let us follow his lead and “Stand Up for Jesus.”
