But the LORD told Gideon, “There are still too many! Bring them down to the spring, and I will test them to determine who will go with you and who will not.” When Gideon took his warriors down to the water, the LORD told him, “Divide the men into two groups. In one group put all those who cup water in their hands and lap it up with their tongues like dogs. In the other group put all those who kneel down and drink with their mouths in the stream.” Only 300 of the men drank from their hands. All the others got down on their knees and drank with their mouths in the stream. The LORD told Gideon, “With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home.” [Judges 7.4-7]
I have heard it said (and probably have repeated it myself) that the men who drank from their hands were the true warriors. It is alleged that those who drank from their hands were more superior for warfare than those who put their mouth to the stream.
Well... That all sounds well and good until we look back to see what God was doing...
The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength. [Judges 7.2]
God was not interested in building a super-army. In fact, He was doing just the opposite. Now, before we argue that verse three indicates otherwise...
Therefore, tell the people, ‘Whoever is timid or afraid may leave this mountain and go home.’” So 22,000 of them went home, leaving only 10,000 who were willing to fight. [Judges 7.3]
...we should understand God is first removing the timid or fearful because fear is the opposite of faith. While it might indeed be assumed that fearless warriors are the beginning of a super-army, it should understood that faith-filled warriors please God - they know and believe it is not about the quality or quantity of warriors, but about God's power. There is a significant difference.
There is sufficient Bible evidence to conclude that "pure faith" is what God was wanting in Gideon's army because what they would be a part of and witness would be nothing short of "purely miraculous." And, as all of Judges 7.2-7 (all the passages above) reveals, it was God's desire to accomplish a God-only miraculous feat - all He wanted was a small contingency of men who would, in faith, cooperate. That cooperation began not with fighting, but with a somewhat "ceremonial" act of faith.
He divided the 300 men into three groups and gave each man a ram’s horn and a clay jar with a torch in it. Then he said to them, “Keep your eyes on me. When I come to the edge of the camp, do just as I do. As soon as I and those with me blow the rams’ horns, blow your horns, too, all around the entire camp, and shout, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon!’” It was just after midnight, after the changing of the guard, when Gideon and the 100 men with him reached the edge of the Midianite camp. Suddenly, they blew the rams’ horns and broke their clay jars. Then all three groups blew their horns and broke their jars. They held the blazing torches in their left hands and the horns in their right hands, and they all shouted, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” Each man stood at his position around the camp and watched as all the Midianites rushed around in a panic, shouting as they ran to escape. When the 300 Israelites blew their rams’ horns, the LORD caused the warriors in the camp to fight against each other with their swords. Those who were not killed fled to places as far away as Beth-shittah near Zererah and to the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath. [Judges 7.16-22]
God did not need Gideon to be able to defeat the Midianites. But what God wanted was for a few faithful men to experience what genuine obedient faith in God can yield. And, they did!
Interestingly enough though, Gideon had a lapse of faith when he "made" the ephod mentioned below:
But Gideon replied, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The LORD will rule over you! However, I do have one request—that each of you give me an earring from the plunder you collected from your fallen enemies.” (The enemies, being Ishmaelites, all wore gold earrings.) “Gladly!” they replied. They spread out a cloak, and each one threw in a gold earring he had gathered from the plunder. The weight of the gold earrings was forty-three pounds, not including the royal ornaments and pendants, the purple clothing worn by the kings of Midian, or the chains around the necks of their camels. Gideon made a sacred ephod from the gold and put it in Ophrah, his hometown. But soon all the Israelites prostituted themselves by worshiping it, and it became a trap for Gideon and his family. [Judges 8.23-27]
Although it could be speculated that Gideon innocently made the ephod to represent what God had done, it could also be interpreted that the man-made ephod was a symbol of human accomplishment - an idol. And, that is precisely what happened as it became a trap for Gideon and his family. The rest, as they say, is history.
There exist certain man-made industries today that are speculated to be the work of God. Although the accomplishments of these man-made industries often began with well-meaning and even faithful Godly men, history is unfolding that they have become a trap just like Jacob's moving his family to Egypt became to them and like well-meaning, faithful Gideon's ephod became a trap to his family. Idolatry's modus operandi is always the same: lure people in with a reasonable idea, and then, trap them with it. It started in the Garden of Eden ("Has God really said...?") and continues on in our day.
God does not need our strength and certainly not our reason. He wants our faith and obedience so He can show Himself strong on our behalf. As Gideon's story reveals, God wants us, like Gideon, to rid ourselves of any notion that we can accomplish anything in our own strength. Likewise, Gideon's story reveals that if man "makes" something, be it a carved image or multi-billion dollar industry - even as a testament to God, it will, in Biblical prophetic fulfillment, eventually become a trap - a pillaging idol to God's people and their families.
Not ironically, Jesus' timeless demand stands, marking anything of 'our own way' (accomplishments, reason) not only unimportant, but a roadblock to pleasing God:
If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]
Father in heaven, thank You for Your Word. In all Gideon's obedience we see the call of Jesus to "give up your own way." In Gideon's well-meaning but unnecessary ephod, we see why Jesus made that call... May we make every effort to give up our own way, take up our cross, and follow Jesus. So be it.
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