April 3

Judges 7:1-8

Too many!

Now that God had given Gideon a clear sign that He would give him victory over the Midianites, Gideon and his men got up early the next day and camped beside a small river.

The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. Your men might boast that they won the battle all by themselves. Let those who are afraid go back home.” After thousands had returned home, the Lord said to Gideon, “You still have too many men. Take the men down to the river, and I will show you whom to choose.”

Then the Lord showed Gideon that the men who scooped up the water with their hands and lapped it should go with him, while those who knelt to drink were to go back home. So Gideon was left with only three hundred men.

How can fewer be better?

How would you feel if your coach decided to cut the number of players in half just before your team runs onto the field? You would probably hear comments from all sides about the disaster that seemed about to happen. You might even wonder if the coach cared that you would be facing one of the strongest teams around.

Yet, how would you feel afterward if your half-sized team beat the strongest team so thoroughly that the scorekeeper couldn’t keep up? Wouldn’t you be proud to have a coach who knows exactly what he is doing—and what his team can do?

Our Lord receives all the glory when the odds are against us—when victory seems impossible. Let us never boast in our own strength but in the strength of the Lord our God (1 Corinthians 1:28-29).

Verse for today

It is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD's… 1 Samuel 17:47