Year 7, Day 268: Judges 7

Theological Commentary: Click Here

In Judges 7 we see how God takes care of the Midianites through Gideon.  The part of this passage that I think is really neat is that while Gideon is the physical hero, clearly God is the power behind the action.  After all, what human being would come up with a plan that involves sending away 99% of the people who come out to fight with you?  God is the power here in this chapter.

Look, though, at the process that God walks Gideon through.  Gideon starts out with 32,000 men for battle.  God tells Gideon to send everyone home who has a bit of fear within them.  22,000 people leave.  God looks at Gideon, who is a bit timid and fearful himself, and sends away the timid.  God is telling Gideon that while fear is human nature, it can be successfully put aside.

Next, God sorts out the people who live by instinct versus those who think.  Gideon has the people drink from a stream.  300 of the people dip their hand in the water and bring the water up to their mouth.  The other 9,700 kneel down and bring their face to the water like animals drink.  God sends those who lap up the water like animals away.  God is sending another message to Gideon.  God casts away out instinct and wants us to think.  God has empowered us to be able to rise above our natural instincts.

With those 300 men, God has Gideon explain his plan.  Imagine attacking a whole city of thousands of people with a mere 300 men.  Then, imagine doing it with clay pots and candles as your major strategy.  This is why the fearful and the instinctual had to be sent away.  This plan is ridiculous; it takes a thinking man and a God-fearing man to see the brilliance in it.  The brilliance is that it is all about God, not about us.

In the end, the city is set into panic.  People flee.  They turn on each other with their swords.  As they flee, more Hebrew people join the fight and hunt down these Midianites.  God has won through His power and Gideon’s obedience.  God didn’t mind Gideon’s timidity and doubt.  Obedient people can be timid and doubt.  They just need to be obedient in their timidity  and doubt.

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