Judges 7:4 – “ Then the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Therefore, it shall be that he of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go with you; but everyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”
What a day to be alive, the last of the Last Days! Excitement explodes inside my heart and mind! As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, I was reminded of the power of fear, faith, and words.
The account of Gideon and his 300 never ceases to awe, inspire, and challenge me. Gideon faced insurmountable odds with 32,000 men, and God said, “Sorry, that’s too many!” God, have you lost your mind?
Fear thinned the ranks. God said, “Let the fearful go home.” 22,000 headed home. 10,000 were left, and no doubt they had some serious trepidation. God said, “Sorry, still too many!” Now, God, I know you have either lost your mind, or you plan to sacrifice us. 300 were left. 300 vs. thousands is not just bad odds; it is IMPOSSIBLE!
Then God said something that caught my attention. He initially sent home those who had FEAR. Here, with 300 left, he instructs Gideon, “Go down; I have given the Midianites into your hand. BUT if you are AFRAID…” Wait, isn’t afraid fear? Gideon, the leader, was afraid? God provided a point of inspiration to kick-start faith. Sneak down and listen to what the Midianites are saying. Words have power. The fearful words of the Midianites produced words of faith in Gideon.
God calls us to the impossible but always provides a pathway to trust! The fear of the Midianites produced faith in Gideon and the 300. The words of God and the fear of Midian produced confidence in Gideon, and victory came. You have to keep moving toward the Word to attain victory. If you stop, you lose, fear overwhelms, and defeat comes.
When Paul was on the road, God intervened with the Light of Heaven! Then, when He got Paul’s attention, He spoke. His words were arresting and revelatory. We need to consider the words and revelation. If we are attacking followers of Jesus, we are attacking Jesus. God cleanses His own; that is not our job.
Paul was a Jewish purist, and the followers of Christ were deemed enemies. How often do we do that today? We attack everything and everyone not like us. Paul thought he had everything 100% correct. Don’t we act that way? We seek to silence all who hold views contrary to ours.
What if Jesus considers our purging an attack on Him? What if Jesus considers our actions a failure to remove the log from our eyes while trying to remove the speck of dust from someone else? What if our doctrine and eschatology have even a minute error? Are we to be purged, too? If we are the Body of Christ, could it be that we can help each other find Truth? We can if we stop fighting and start talking and listening.
My opinion must never become the most important thing, or a wall. Jesus is building His church, and I suspect it will include things some think are heresy! How miserable heaven would be if sectarianism were allowed. He is LORD, and He is well able to guide us into the light and right. Our job is to love, live faithfully, and keep His commandments. Pure lives, with pure hearts, living in faithful obedience will impact others far more than argument, condemnation, and hate!
LORD, help us to trust you completely!
