God’s Way

So Gideon took the men down to the water.                          Judges 7.5

I find this to be a most remarkable statement in the story of Gideon. Gideon saw himself as least in his family which was part of the weakest clan in Manasseh. Yet God had commissioned him as a mighty warrior. God’s purpose for Gideon was that he should annihilate the forces of Midian.

Before Gideon’s troops are amassed we read that ‘the Spirit of the Lord came upon’ him.

Thirty two thousand men had assembled under Gideon. This in itself is quite a statement of support for the least son of a weak family! God did not want the battle waged with such a high number of combatants else the Israelites might think they had won by their own power. God sought to reduce the Israelite numbers. In the first purge, twenty two thousand troops went home, leaving ten thousand with Gideon. This was a dramatic reduction. I wonder what effect it had on Gideon’s confidence. He could well have said, “Phew, that’s quite a reduction. Let’s leave it at that!”

God was not satisfied. The remaining ten thousand men were far too many for God. This is when He said to Gideon, “Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there.” I could well understand Gideon remonstrating rather loudly at this point, perhaps saying, “Lord, that’s enough. I’ve already lost the greater proportion on my men.” Does he do this? No, in total obedience he ‘took the men down to the water.’

I see this brief phrase as the most amazing statement of faith. Gideon – the least of the weakest – is transformed into God’s warrior.

It’s not how I see me that matters. It’s how God sees me, and how I respond to Him. I can remonstrate with Him in disbelief or I can, in faith, offer myself completely to him and be led by Him, in total obedience, in all that I do.

Lord God,

I am Yours. I give myself fully to You. Whatever Your plans and purposes are for me, I will in faith follow You. I rejoice in You. Hallelujah!      Amen.