GIDEON’S ARMY & THE M.O. OF THE LORD
The Lord said to Gideon, “The People with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, ‘My own hand has delivered me.’” (Judges 7:2)
In the Book of Judges, a series of individuals are raised up to defend Israel against their enemies in the interim period after they’d settled the holy land but before they’d raised up Kings to lead them. These individuals are called ‘Judges’, and Gideon is one of those Judges. In the story of Gideon, the Lord tells Gideon to assemble an army of men to fight against their enemy at that time, the Midianites. Gideon brings together some 32,000 men when we read what is quoted above: “The people with you are too many.”
This is one of my favorite stories in all of scripture because it’s so counterintuitive, and thus so telling of the modus operandi of God.
God tells Gideon to assemble an Army.
Gideon assembles an Army.
The Army has 32,000 men in it.
God tells Gideon the Army is too big.
Why? Because if they win the war with 32,000 men fighting for them, they will think they won by their own human power.
The Lord tells Gideon to shrink the Army.
The Army is shrunk all the way down to 300 men.
The Lord then sends them into battle with the Midianites, and utterly destroys them, proving that only the Lord could work such a miraculous defeat.
The Lord takes what is weakest amongst us and makes it strong; He takes what is lowest amongst us and raises it up. When God desires to show His power most magnificently, He takes what is worst in us and transforms it. That’s His m.o.. He humbles the proud; He tempers the wrathful; He chastens the lustful. When you’ve known someone that was any of those things to an extreme and at a later date you see them and they have come to faith and they are that no more, then you know more perfectly that the Lord is the one who worked that transformation in them.
Christian/Jewish Supremacy
There’s an interesting discussion going on in conservative circles, in Christian circles (both protestant and Catholic circles), and in Jewish circles around the question of God’s election. There seems to be a growing chorus of figures—I’m thinking here most recently of comments I’ve heard Jordan Peterson, Bishop Barron, Andrew Klavan at the Daily Wire, and different writers on the Catholic Thing, say about the Jews and the reason for their election by God—they all endorse supremacist reasons for God’s election of Israel. Nothing could be more contrary to the truth of both the Old and the New Testaments. Nowhere are people chosen based on their merits, and that’s not a one-off observation located solely in the New Testament or something. That’s there from the absolute beginning…
Abraham is chosen out of nowhere and is told that nations will come from him, that Kings will come from him, and that the whole world will be blessed through his seed, when he is old in age and past the point of being able to have children.
When the Lord chooses Moses to deliver the Israelites, the first, second, constant, and last things they do is rebel against God—first with the Golden Calf, then repeatedly in the wilderness for 40 years before Joshua brings them into the promised land.
The books of Judges and Kings are a constant chorus of Israel’s rejection and obstinacy against God.
So too the Israelites in that same time with all the prophets.
The Apostles defect from Our Lord before returning.
Paul persecutes Christians before being converted by the Lord.
The M.O. seems to be the exact inversion of any supremacist notion—if anything, God’s desire seems to be to take those who will be most rebellious, most unfaithful, most irredeemable, and redeem them, humble them, and draw them into faith… If there’s a trait that characterizes the Israelite people above all others, it would have to be obstinacy (a demeritorious trait)—from Abraham with Hagar, to Jacob against Esau & Isaac, to the Sons of Jacob toward Joseph, to Aaron & Miriam against Moses, to the Israelites against Moses, to the Israelites against the Judges, to the Israelites against the Kings, to the Israelites against the Prophets…
Grace & Merit
As Christians, we have a tendency to think that we are the ones who are responsible for the life of faith we live (presuming we happen to be living it)—but nothing could be further from the truth. It is grace that draws us to the Lord, it is grace that inspires faith in us—“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8)—, it is grace that sustains us in the Lord—“‘In him we live and move and have our being.’” (Acts 17:28). What we work, we work because of the Lord. If we are to boast, let us boast in the Lord! (c.f. 1 Cor 1:31; 2 Cor 10:17) And if we know someone outside of the faith, let us pray that the Lord might draw them to Himself in due time…
“The Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to every one, an apt teacher, forbearing, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth.” (2 Timothy 2:24-25)
Notice it is the Lord who may grant it—not them of their own power.
Radical Humility
There is no place for anything other than humility in relation to the Lord, the good things He has given us, and the life of faith we aspire to live. God’s M.O. is not chosing those who have done the most for themselves, but rather, seemingly, the opposite. “For God has consigned all men to disobedience, that he may have mercy upon all.” (Romans 11:32)
There is no place for any notions of supremacy in the Christian worldview—not of those elect amongst us as Christians, and equally not of those elect in the Old Covenant. If any of us forget that, we will be cutoff from the divine assistance of God in that same moment… “Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness; otherwise you too will be cutoff.” (Romans 11:22)
In the story of Gideon, the Lord won the war with the Midianites with a measly 300 people, but right once Gideon passed away, the people ignored the good things of God and turned back to themselves.
So when God works great things in you, and you overcome your old faults, beware not to be too hasty to take too much credit, lest you fall right back into disbelief and become subject again to the holy & just judgement of Our Lord. +
And as soon as Gideon died, the sons of Israel turned again and played the harlot after the Ba’als, and made Ba’al-be’rith their god. And the sons of Israel did not remember the Lord their God, who had rescued them from the hand of all their enemies on every side.” (Judges 8:33-34)
Eye opening article👌 came to reflect Word of God.