Pattern all your calculating to: Christ will come again - Day 2
Judges 7:2-8
2 The Lord said to Gideon, “The troops with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand. Israel would only take the credit away from me, saying, ‘My own hand has delivered me.’ 3 Now therefore proclaim this in the hearing of the troops, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home.’” Thus Gideon sifted them out; twenty-two thousand returned, and ten thousand remained.
4 Then the Lord said to Gideon, “The troops are still too many; take them down to the water and I will sift them out for you there. When I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go with you; and when I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” 5 So he brought the troops down to the water; and the Lord said to Gideon, “All those who lap the water with their tongues, as a dog laps, you shall put to one side; all those who kneel down to drink, putting their hands to their mouths, you shall put to the other side.” 6 The number of those that lapped was three hundred; but all the rest of the troops knelt down to drink water. 7 Then the Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred that lapped I will deliver you, and give the Midianites into your hand. Let all the others go to their homes.” 8 So he took the jars of the troops from their hands, and their trumpets; and he sent all the rest of Israel back to their own tents, but retained the three hundred. The camp of Midian was below him in the valley.
Gideon sent out the invitation, “Anyone who wants to help drive the Midianites off the land of the people of Israel, come join me.” 32,000 people showed up ready to fight the Midianites. Gideon must have been feeling pretty good, 32,000 soldiers was a respectable number maybe they could beat the Midianites. But God said, “This is too many. Because when this group drives the Midianites out the 32,000 will say they did it in their strength. So, send home anyone who is afraid.” 22,000 men went home. That does not mean Gideon was left with the elite 10,000. Instead, he was left with 10,000 who were too foolish to be afraid.
God said even the 10,000 was too many. God got the number down to 300 soldiers with Gideon. It was now impossible for Israel to defeat Midian, 300 was not enough. Standing with the 300 soldiers it would have sounded ridiculous to talk about victory, to talk about rescuing Israel from the hands of the Midianites. No human planning would have developed this plan.
How often do our plans involve overwhelming the opposition or the seemingly immoveable problem with sheer force of will, turning it into a power struggle measured in human terms? If there are more on our side we will win, is the way we often think. God acts outside of human power struggles and brings about God’s victories on God’s terms. We like Gideon are invited to join God in what God is doing, not asking God to join what we are doing. For God’s way is always beyond our calculations and planning.
PRAYER:
God of surprises, we often think we need to make the plan, the perfect plan and then you will come join us. Help us to see that in your grace and mercy you invite us to join your unexpected – unanticipated plans. Teach us that we can rest secure in your plans. In Jesus’ name. Amen.