.....much

Gideon lived during the time of the judges—the approximately 325-year period after the death of Joshua and before Saul was anointed king. Again and again, the Israelites wandered away from God and fell under the oppression of their enemies. When they cried out for help, God raised up a judge to deliver them and lead them back to Himsel.

The oppression of the Midianites was so severe that when the people cried out to God, He chose Gideon to deliver them: “‘But Lord,’ Gideon asked, ‘how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family’” Judges 6:15.

Gideon seemed like an unlikely choice, but that was precisely the point. God wanted His children to understand that true deliverance comes through His strength and by His grace. By choosing Gideon, God taught His people a valuable lesson about trust.

Gideon gathered an army of thirty-two thousand men. “The Lord said to Gideon, ‘You have too many men for Me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast  that her own strength has saved her, announce now to the people, “Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.”’ So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.”  Judges 7:2–3  “But the Lord said to Gideon, ‘There are still too many men’” Judges 7:4.

Gideon began with thirty-two thousand men, but God did not send him into battle until only three hundred remained. From a human perspective, the odds were impossible. But God reigns supreme over the impossible, and He gave Gideon complete victory.

God is not impressed by the “wonderful” things we believe we can do for Him. He desires our obedience and trust. Centuries after Gideon, the prophet Isaiah delivered a similar warning: “Woe to those who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel” Isaiah 31:1

God will lead us into victory, but we must place our complete trust in Him. Victory does not come through our strength, skill, cleverness, or intelligence. It comes as we trust God to work in and through the surrendered vessels of our lives. True victory is won when we go into battle with all of Him and without too much of us.

- adapted from steve troxel