Learn From Gideon, 26

~ A Few Good Men ~

The Biblical account of the life of Gideon provides for one of the most interesting character studies in all of Scripture.  In this series we will discover practical lessons for living the Christian life today.  

Scripture  ~  “But the Lord said to Gideon, ‘The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there.  Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, “This one shall go with you,” the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, “This one shall not go with you,” the same shall not go.’  So he brought the people down to the water.  And the Lord said to Gideon, ‘Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.’  And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was 300 men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water.  Then the Lord said to Gideon, ‘By the 300 men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand.  Let all the other people go, every man to his place.’  So the people took provisions and their trumpets in their hands.  And he sent away all the rest of Israel, every man to his tent, and retained those 300 men.  Now the camp of Midian was below him in the valley” (Judges 7:4-8).

Learn From Gideon  ~  God is downsizing once again.  He wants a few good men whom He can use! 

1. Gideon originally started with 32,000, but then the fearful were eliminated. Bringing his army to a mere 10,000 (Judges 7:3). 
2. Now Gideon is downsizing once again and we find the 10,000 further reduced to just 300 men—God eliminated those who were not constantly on guard.  But 300 of God’s choosing!  “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). 
3. Even in today’s world we find military units selecting out a few good men for the most challenging tasks.  In the USA there are army Special Forces, Navy Seals, and so forth.
4. God wants to make it obvious when victory occurs it is His doing.  God is the only One who can give the victory.  “So he answered and said to me: ‘This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord of hosts’” (Zechariah 4:6).  It is not by the strength of men that God accomplishes His purpose but by the power of His Word and the Spirit of God.

Comment  ~  God’s strategy and approval process are clearly vastly different than man’s.  Gideon started with 32,000 men—God pared it down to just 300.  God let go over 99 percent of those Gideon had planned on using!  God didn’t need the fearful—those who didn’t trust Him.  Likewise those who would let down their guard for a drink of water would not be utilized.  (Have you ever watched an animal drink water?  Their eyes are always watching and their ears are listening carefully.)  God is about to take this band of 300 soldiers against a massive military enemy – “the Midianites and Amalekites, all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude” (Judges 7:12).

Challenge For Us  ~  Where do you fit in God’s current Christian army?  Are you part of the 69 percent who were fearful, the 30 percent who are not watchful, or the one percent which God can use for His glory?

concluding comment  ~  We learn about Gideon primarily from Judges 6-8, but also Isaiah 9:1-7, and Hebrews 11:1-3, 32-34.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

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