Oh irony of ironies!!!
Gideon tested God twice with the whole laying the fleece on the threshing floor affair.
Now it was God’s turn to test Gideon back the same number of times (twice).
The Lord looks at Gideon’s army and tells him he has way too many troops.
Why in the world would God say that when Gideon’s troops were way outnumbered by the enemy?
The answer is simple and pay attention because what God told Gideon speaks volumes about the Lord’s character and how He operates.
The Lord told Gideon:
‘There are too many people with you for me to hand Midyan over to them, because I don’t want Israel to be able to boast against me, ‘We saved ourselves by our own strength.’-Judges 7:2
See, here’s the thing.
If Israel achieved victory with the number of troops they had at the moment, they’d become filled with pride and think it was because of their own strategies, cunning and capabilities that they triumphed over their enemies.
The result is they’d fall into the habit of relying on their own flesh instead of the Lord.
And God doesn’t want that.
The Lord wants His people to rely on Him and…
…understand that it is HE and He alone who gives the victory.
Therefore, what must be done next is clear.
THE NUMBER OF SOLDIERS ON GIDEON’S SIDE MUST BE REDUCED.
The Lord tells Gideon if there be any soldiers who are feeling fearful and anxious about going into battle, they are free to pick and leave.
This instruction fits perfectly with what’s commanded in the Torah.
It’s also a very practical instruction because fear is contagious.
If there are too many soldiers whose heart isn’t in the battle, the demoralizing impact it can have on the other men could be disastrous leading to panic and possibly even desertion in the heat of the battle.
The sad commentary here is that 2 out of 3 soldiers did decide to drop out.
After all the numbers were tallied up, only 10,000 men were left out of the original 32,000.
The takeaway here is simple.
Understand that most people in God’s kingdom are gonna disappoint you.
Yes, I’m talking about born again saved believers.
The majority are gonna fall short of your expectations
And if the statistics are correct that means you too will most likely fall within that group that falls short and disappoints others.
It happened in Moses’ time when 10 out of the 12 spies who reconnoitered the land decided they didn’t want to fight for their land inheritance
It happened during Joshua’s time.
It’s happening here in the Book of Judge
And it’s happening today.
If you ask a lot of people why they left the church, they’ll usually say it’s because they couldn’t stand the hypocrisy of those who preach Jesus with their lips but deny him with their lifestyle.
Even Mahatma Gandhi said “I like your Christ, but not your Christianity”.
He was just testifying to the fallen condition of the entire human race as it is today.
So don’t be surprised when other believers disappoint you.
But other believers aren’t your salvation.
Only God is.
So keep your focus on Him.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“…for all have sinned
and fall short of
the glory of God,”
-Romans 3:23
“‘Why do you call me good?’
Yeshua answered.
‘No one is good—
except God alone.'”
-Mark 10:18
indeed, all glory and honor goes to Yahweh
Amen!