Sunday 30 October 2005

The people are too many

“And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.” - Judges 7v2

Gideon was finally convinced that God was with him so prepared for the battle. He had 32,000 men but was still outnumbered by the Midianite army.

Then, a strange thing happened. God appeared and told him that he had too many men to fight this battle. If they won they way it would the men would think that they did it on their own. He told Gideon to send anyone home who was afraid. Twenty-two thousand men left! Gideon now had only 10,000 soldiers. God wasn’t done yet. He told Gideon that he still had too many men for God to be glorified. God winnowed the numbers down to only 300. Now the numbers were right. Now there could be no doubt that God gave the victory.

Many times we feel that we are greatly outnumbered and that because of that defeat must be around the corner. However, God always wants to show Himself mighty. He can save by many or by few. It is not by power, nor by strength or by might that the battles are to be one, it is by God’s Spirit. God uses the base, foolish, weak things of the world to confound the noble, wise, and strong.

Why is this? What are God’s people always the “underdogs” in the eyes of the world? God works this way that no flesh might glory in His presence. The victory is to be us. Let us therefore rejoice in our weakness, for in our weakness He makes us strong.

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