May 1 - Gideon's ArmyLessons in the Life of the Judges: Gideon's ArmyBy Jim Laffoon Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet, summoning the Abiezrites to follow him. He sent messengers throughout Manasseh, calling them to arms, and also into Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali, so that they too went up to meet them. Gideon said to God, "If you will save Israel by my hand as you have promised---look, I will place a wool fleece on the threshing floor. If there is dew only on the fleece and all the ground is dry, then I will know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you said." And that is what happened. Gideon rose early the next day; he squeezed the fleece and wrung out the dew---a bowlful of water. Then Gideon said to God, "Do not be angry with me. Let me make just one more request. Allow me one more test with the fleece. This time make the fleece dry and the ground covered with dew." That night God did so. Only the fleece was dry; all the ground was covered with dew. Judges 6:34-40 Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. The Lord said to Gideon, "You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, announce now to the people, 'Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.'" So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained. But the Lord said to Gideon, "There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say, 'This one shall go with you,' he shall go; but if I say, 'This one shall not go with you,' he shall not go." So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, "Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink." Three hundred men lapped with their hands to their mouths. All the rest got down on their knees to drink. The Lord said to Gideon, "With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you . . ." Judges 7:1-7a When the spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, he confidently blew the battle trumpet of Israel. Now, as he surveyed the 32,000 ragged soldiers who had responded to his call, Gideon's heart was filled with fear. What hope did this broken band of cowards have against the 135,000 seasoned warriors of Midian? Although he should have known better, Gideon decided to test the Lord. He placed a small fleece on the rough-hewn threshing floor and asked the Lord to send dew which would specifically cover the fleece but leave the ground dry. In his fear, Gideon felt like a small helpless sheep which was going to be crushed by the Midianites; he needed to know God could apply His fresh power to the army of Israel. Miraculously, the next morning the fleece was wet and the ground was dry. Even then, Gideon asked for one more test. This time, he asked for the Lord to make the ground wet and the fleece dry. God's amazing response to the second test totally alleviated Gideon's fears. Unfortunately, however, the Lord was only beginning with His tests: "Gideon, tell your men if any of them are afraid, they are free to go now." As Gideon reluctantly obeyed the Lord, he was stunned to see 10,000 men turn to leave to go home. At this point, he was so frightened, he wanted to join those who were leaving. Once again, God spoke: "There are still too many men, Gideon." "Too many?" Gideon wondered to himself. "He's got to be kidding." God spoke again: "Bring them down to the water for I will sift them there. Watch closely as they drink. Those that lie down and drink like dogs are to be sent home. On the other hand, those who simply kneel and drink from their hands you are to keep." By the time that horrible day was done, Gideon's small army had been reduced to a mere pittance - three hundred men who were just as frightened as he was. Why did God take an already-small army and reduce it to a mere handful of men? The answer to this is simple. Historically, God has won far more battles based on the quality of His servants than He ever has through the quantity of His servants. In fact, He will do whatever it takes to raise the spiritual quality of a church or ministry. This process of divine preparation is beautifully illustrated through the story of Gideon's army. First of all, God told Gideon to send home every man with fear in his heart. God knew that fear, like faith, is contagious. If He allowed these fear-ridden men to remain, their terror would affect the faith and morale of the whole army. Second, God brought the rest of the army to a body of water so they could drink. Only those who carefully drank from their cupped hands were allowed to remain; those who lay down and plunged their faces into the water were disqualified. They were disqualified because they allowed their personal thirst to become the central focus of their lives. Unlike the three hundred who continued to carefully scan the horizons for enemies while they were drinking, the 21,700 other men were so dominated by their personal needs that they lost sight of the very battle that they had been called to fight. I cannot count the times I have seen this same type of self-absorption in the Body of Christ. For many Christians, this self-absorption takes the form of a myopic search for personal revival. Others are so bound by fear and insecurity, they ignore the hurting world around them. It is critical that you and I allow the Spirit of God to deal with our hearts today; no matter where you are or what you are facing, God is well able to set you free. © Copyright 2005 by Jim Laffoon |
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