Doing Battle God’s Way

Doing Battle God’s Way

Q: Gideon’s army was cut from 32,000 to ________ men.

• a. 30,000
• b. 3,000
• c. 300

It was time to go to battle, so Gideon rounded up his 32,000 soldiers. Then God said to him, “You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength.” God told Gideon to have everyone who was afraid leave and go back home. How many do you think left? 22,000!

Now there were 10,000 soldiers left to fight with Gideon. God told Gideon to take them to the spring for a test. Gideon must have wondered what God was up to, but he obeyed. God told Gideon to divide the men into groups based on whether they cupped water in their hands to drink or leaned down to drink from the spring.

Only 300 of the men cupped the water in their hands to drink, and it was those men God chose for battle. God cut the army of 32,000 down to 300! Gideon then divided the men into three groups. Each man received a ram’s horn and a clay jar with a torch in it.

Just after midnight, the soldiers reached the edge of the enemy camp. They blew their horns, broke the clay jars, held the torches high, and yelled, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!”

The enemy army panicked. They became confused and started fighting each other. The enemy army was defeated not by the Israelites’ strength but by Gideon’s obedience to God.

For You

God doesn’t want you to act in your own strength, but in his. The Israelites won the battle not because of power but because of obedience to God. Your obedience and commitment to God—not your talents or popularity or possessions—are your strength as you journey through life following the Lord.

Answer: c

Only 300 of the men drank from their hands. All the others got down on their knees and drank with their mouths in the stream. The LORD told Gideon, “With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home.”   Judges 7:6-7

(The Whole Story: Judges 7)