“The more, the merrier!”
That’s a common phrase I use, whether I am talking about having people over or I am recruiting help for a major undertaking.
Having mentioned the latter, I am reminded of the number of friends and family that helped us in our move from New York to Dallas. Between packing up boxes, loading furniture, and moving it to its correct location, it simply would not have worked in my mind if it was just my husband and me versus the many folks who were there with us.
So reading Judges chapter 7 has really fascinated me because the opposite is seen to be true in the story of Gideon defeating the Midianites. He had 32,000 men in his army … seems like a mighty force to be reckoned with, right? However, God told Gideon that there were too many men. He instructed Gideon how to begin the process of decreasing this number.
After round 1, there were 10,000 men remaining. That’s a pretty deep cut in my opinion, but God said there were still too many. Huh??
After round 2, God instructed him to take JUST 300. You read correctly … from 32,000 to 300!
Frankly, I was puzzled and I didn’t understand this plan. I mean, if I were the leader of an army, I would want the largest one possible.
However, I reread verse 2 in which God said, “I can’t let all of you fight the Midianites, for then the people of Israel will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength!” (TLB)
Wow … God knew the struggle was real when it came to folks being prideful and boastful. He knew there would be the temptation for these men to attribute the win to their own strength and might. Therefore, God trimmed the size of this army with care and precision. Ultimately, this tiny army of Israelites was surprisingly victorious against the Midianites. And there is only One who would receive all the praise for this powerful defeat: God.
When you look at certain circumstances in your life and wonder why God’s plan looks different than yours, trust that it is because He has one purpose in mind: to receive all the glory for the win that is on its way. Ultimately, when we share our story of victory with others, may it be said, I didn’t know how things would turn around for good … BUT GOD.
“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:36 ESV)
~Joyce
