The Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying, ‘My own power has delivered me.’ (v.2)
This was a great test of Gideon’s faith. His army of 32,000 men was already overmatched by 135,000 Midianites. Yet God thought his army was too big, and He commanded Gideon to invite all who were afraid to go home. Gideon was probably surprised at the number of men who were afraid to fight and hoped that only a few hundred would leave. But we are told that they assembled in a place where they could see the 135,000 Midianite troops (Judges 7:8). The sight of a huge opposing army made many Israelite soldiers afraid. So, when the fearful were allowed to leave, 22,000 men went home (v.3).
Military commanders always want to have enough troops to accomplish their mission. Most would prefer having too many not too few, but not everyone agrees on just how many troops will be enough. When Gideon recruited an army of 32,000 men I'm sure he felt somewhat secure in that number. But to now have that number reduced by 22,000 men. Wow!
However, God wanted the odds even more unbalanced. He wanted it clear to Israel that the victory would be His alone so they could not boast in their own strength. Therefore a second reduction cut the force from the remaining 10,000 to 300 troops, of whom the Lord said, “By the three hundred … I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand” (v.7). And so He did (v.19-23).
Likewise, in our life of faith, if we really believe in the principle, "not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of hosts" (Zechariah 4:6), then our lack of resources does not matter. If we truly believe the principle, "some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will trust in the name of the LORD our God" (Psalm 20:7), then the odds stacked against us should not matter.
When the Lord reduces our resources from “32,000 to 300,” it is not punishment. It is preparation for Him to be glorified through our lives as we acknowledge and trust His power.
The Truth: But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26, Mark 10:27)
