Lenten Devotions - Day 13
“Yahweh said, ‘Gideon, your army is too big. I can’t let you win with this many soldiers. The Israelites would think that they had won the battle all by themselves and that I didn’t have anything to do with it.’” Judges 7:2
To start with, the odds weren’t too good for Gideon. Sure, Gideon had a force of 32,000, but the enemy numbered over 130,000. One to four odds in a battle of personal confrontation doesn’t strike my fancy as very good. When Yahweh whittled Gideon's force down to 10,000, the odds were one to thirteen. God still did not like those numbers. Sure, it would definitely be a stretch for them to win, but if they won with those numbers they would be proud of their heroic prowess, bravery, skill, and stamina. When Gideon was left with 300 men, God was finally pleased.
One man up against 433 was simply impossible odds. There was no way they could claim credit for a victory in those conditions. They did not have superior weaponry with which to mow down their enemies at a safe distance. They did not have modern air superiority or automatic assault weapons. In fact, they did not have the capability to even begin a battle. All they had was the opportunity to allow God to work through them and in spite of them.
The battle plan was interesting. They were to skyline themselves atop the hills surrounding the enemy encampment after nightfall. Each man would be armed with a torch, a pitcher, and a trumpet. The torch would be kept inside the pitcher until the proper time. On signal, each would break his pitcher to allow the light to shine on the one holding it. With his right hand, each man was to hold a trumpet and sound a loud blast. They were to yell, “A sword for Yahweh and for Gideon!”
There was just one glaring problem. What do you do with a sword, bow, sling, shield, or lance while one hand is busy holding a torch and the other holds a trumpet? None of the men had three arms to my knowledge. If they had swords at all, they were hanging useless by their sides.
To be sure, Gideon’s men were not called as warriors. Yahweh had summoned them, chosen them out of the 30,000, but not to fight. There was only one thing they were tasked to do. They were to stand on the hillside, hold a torch, blow a trumpet, and announce the presence of Yahweh. Skill, power, eloquence, background, education, status, and wealth were completely ignored. Their task was to point not to themselves, but to Yahweh, God of Israel. What had to be accomplished in the lives of others depended on God’s doing, not their own. They were tasked as heralds, not warriors.
Is it too different for us? God doesn’t expect great things from us because we are special, skillful, wealthy, powerful, intelligent, or otherwise important in the eyes of society. Serving God is not about our prowess. Rather, it is about heralding God. It isn’t declaring ourselves to the world. It is declaring to the world that Christ Jesus is in our midst. They need not reckon with us, but they must answer to Jesus Christ. Are we ready to join in heralding the presence and action of Christ Jesus in our world?
Find a way to declare the presence of Christ Jesus in your life. Witness does not point to our own qualities, but to Christ Jesus. Point someone else to Christ today, as a faithful herald.
“Lord, guide me to become a faithful herald of your presence, even when the odds seem hopelessly stacked against me. Remind me to point others to you and not myself.”
—©Copyright 2009 Christopher B. Harbin http://www.sermonsearch.com/contributors/104427/
To start with, the odds weren’t too good for Gideon. Sure, Gideon had a force of 32,000, but the enemy numbered over 130,000. One to four odds in a battle of personal confrontation doesn’t strike my fancy as very good. When Yahweh whittled Gideon's force down to 10,000, the odds were one to thirteen. God still did not like those numbers. Sure, it would definitely be a stretch for them to win, but if they won with those numbers they would be proud of their heroic prowess, bravery, skill, and stamina. When Gideon was left with 300 men, God was finally pleased.
One man up against 433 was simply impossible odds. There was no way they could claim credit for a victory in those conditions. They did not have superior weaponry with which to mow down their enemies at a safe distance. They did not have modern air superiority or automatic assault weapons. In fact, they did not have the capability to even begin a battle. All they had was the opportunity to allow God to work through them and in spite of them.
The battle plan was interesting. They were to skyline themselves atop the hills surrounding the enemy encampment after nightfall. Each man would be armed with a torch, a pitcher, and a trumpet. The torch would be kept inside the pitcher until the proper time. On signal, each would break his pitcher to allow the light to shine on the one holding it. With his right hand, each man was to hold a trumpet and sound a loud blast. They were to yell, “A sword for Yahweh and for Gideon!”
There was just one glaring problem. What do you do with a sword, bow, sling, shield, or lance while one hand is busy holding a torch and the other holds a trumpet? None of the men had three arms to my knowledge. If they had swords at all, they were hanging useless by their sides.
To be sure, Gideon’s men were not called as warriors. Yahweh had summoned them, chosen them out of the 30,000, but not to fight. There was only one thing they were tasked to do. They were to stand on the hillside, hold a torch, blow a trumpet, and announce the presence of Yahweh. Skill, power, eloquence, background, education, status, and wealth were completely ignored. Their task was to point not to themselves, but to Yahweh, God of Israel. What had to be accomplished in the lives of others depended on God’s doing, not their own. They were tasked as heralds, not warriors.
Is it too different for us? God doesn’t expect great things from us because we are special, skillful, wealthy, powerful, intelligent, or otherwise important in the eyes of society. Serving God is not about our prowess. Rather, it is about heralding God. It isn’t declaring ourselves to the world. It is declaring to the world that Christ Jesus is in our midst. They need not reckon with us, but they must answer to Jesus Christ. Are we ready to join in heralding the presence and action of Christ Jesus in our world?
Find a way to declare the presence of Christ Jesus in your life. Witness does not point to our own qualities, but to Christ Jesus. Point someone else to Christ today, as a faithful herald.
“Lord, guide me to become a faithful herald of your presence, even when the odds seem hopelessly stacked against me. Remind me to point others to you and not myself.”
—©Copyright 2009 Christopher B. Harbin http://www.sermonsearch.com/contributors/104427/
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