DECEMBER 21, 2023
“So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.” (Judges 7:5-6)
At this point in the book of Judges, Israel was being oppressed by the people of the land of Midian. Gideon, Israel’s current judge and military general, gathered a host of 32,000 men and camped near a river where they waited to attack Midian. This number might seem significant but it is a relatively small army compared to what Israel might have raised. Gideon believes it is too small but God says the number is too large. He trimmed the host down because He knew the people who would boast in themselves and not in Him. Often, God achieves excellent things by few hands in order to bring glory to His name. So, 22,000 of the already small army are turned away.
God then says that the new amount is still too many. He and Gideon quell this in two ways:
First, all the men are encouraged to examine themselves, and if they count themselves as nervous or fainthearted, they should be dismissed from service. They were now encamped on an over-looking mountain where they could see many enemies, making it easy for the men to become fearful. Without God’s direction, Gideon probably wouldn’t be on board to diminish his already small army. Still, He knew that cowards would be as likely as any to take the honor of the victory from God, and therefore, God wouldn’t give them the opportunity. Sin stared these men in the face, and because of this, they could not face death. We should note that fearful people are not fit to be employed for God because they may come face to face with their fear while working for the Lord.
Secondly, God determines again that there are too many. Gideon is ordered to bring his soldiers to the nearby stream and observe how the men drink. Most would kneel on their knees to drink and put their mouths to the water like animals would. Others would not make such a formal business of it, choosing to cup a handful, lap it with their tongue, and continue walking. Just 300 men drank in haste like this, and God tells Gideon that by these men alone, He would destroy the Midianites. None were retained but hearty men – men resolved to do their best for Israel; men who were hardy and could endure prolonged fatigue. Hasty men, who didn’t think it would be long until they were engaged with the enemy but, instead preferred the service of God and their country before their own refreshment.
Gideon likely thought the remaining men too few, but God is taking a course to lessen them so that He may be exalted in His strength; showing that God’s thoughts and actions are so far above men’s. The people God chooses to employ are zealous for the work. When living for the Lord, we must be like those who lap the water. We must not put everything else on hold while we indulge ourselves. Like these men, we should quickly drink and continue on our way, not worrying about the amount we consume.
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