God's Team Selection

God’s team selection - Narritave

Judges 7

Greetings people of God, My name is Jerub-Baal. It’s a nickname it means contender with Baal. My real name is Gideon, son of Joash. Please feel free to call me Gideon. I know it is not quite as impressive.

I am here to tell you about a time when God choose his team. I will start by saying that, he did not it but the way I would have. I had never been involved in anything like this before. I really did not want to be there in the first place.

Days ago when I blew the alarm signal I never would have guessed the response. We were meeting in the valley of Jezreel, by the spring of Harod. The spring is an opening in the rock, a cave where cool water flow freely from the ground, about 20 feet across. Plenty of water for the 32 Thousand men responded to the call to arms.

It was really impressive. 32 Thousand men gathering pitching their tents. They were motivated. I was really starting to feel ok about all of this. I slept so soundly that night.

Now the Midianites and Amalekites were camped about 10 miles North of us near the hill of Moreh. My spies told me that there were so many that it was like a swarm of Locust. We could actually see their camp from our position. The camp fires made a massive smoke signal, announcing their presence

When I got up the next morning and God started talking to me again. He said, “You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, 3 announce now to the people, ’Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.”

I was flabbergasted. Too many men, how could that be? The army we are going to face has 5 times as many. To me 5 to 1 odds are not that good! However, I knew that God choose me, and he had already promised to deliver the enemy into my hands. So I did as I was told. I announced that if any of them was afraid they could leave.

22 thousand men packed up their tents and weapons and headed back to their homes and families leaving only 10 thousand.

My heart sank; my chest felt like there was a huge weight pressing on it. As the parade of men went into the hills headed for home, I was getting really depressed.

I wanted to ask God if this is what he wanted. 15 to 1 odds. That did not seem right. If you are going to fight a battle, the odds don’t need to get worse, they need to get better.

Then God spoke again, "There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say, ’This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ’This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go."

Ok, Who is talking, really….. Who’s side is God on????

I went down to the spring and watched as the men came in shifts to the water. The ones that used their hands, I told to gather on the side with me and the other I sent back to their tents.

When the last man drank, I counted and there were only 300 men. Oh My, What is God doing? I was worried when there were 32 thousand men and now there are only 300. Let me do the math, that is 500 to 1.

I went to bed knowing that I would not sleep. God spoke again. “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands.”

I don’t think I looked very happy. I would say that I probably looked terrified. Then he added, If you are afraid – (pause and look down)…… “If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah 11 and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp."

Purah and I went across to outpost of the enemy camp. We crept as close as possible, and we started hearing voices. Then we heard, “I had a dream," he was saying. "A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.

That sounded pretty interesting, then we heard the reply, "This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands."