Too Many Men

Fish tank sold.  Another miracle.  Some poor Portuguese guys.  Poor meaning, "What were they thinking????!!!  How are they going to move that thing downstairs where they plan on putting it!?" That tank was big.  But we won't question it!  That was just amazing that it sold when we needed it most.

Now, we are continuing to walk by faith.  The faith chapter is over for now, that is, we finished studying it at church.  The pastor concluded last Sunday by looking at the final list of people mentioned in Hebrews 11.  The fact that names are put down by the author of Hebrews is interesting.  Each name included represented a different type of person...Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets....Each person was a different personality type.  For example, Gideon... fearful.  David...bold.  Samuel....rash.  Samson.....impulsive.  Kind of like me - I can be all of those things at times.  I love how God includes the fact that faith can be lived out even by a fearful person, like Gideon.

My husband was asked to do the reading that morning at church and read the story of Gideon in Judges 7.  This is how it begins,

^"2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ ³ Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained."

You have too many men.  That is a great line.  We had too much money in our account a few weeks ago, it seems.  If the cheque we got in the mail last week had come then, we would have boasted, "My own strength has saved me.  Thank goodness we worked all that tax stuff out in time, otherwise we'd be in real trouble."  I'm not sure that we would have acknowledged God right away.  We probably would have patted ourselves on the back for making sure we'd been on top of our accountant.  So, knowing that, God reduced our army, just like with Gideon.

^"4 But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men."  He reduced his army even further.

^"7 The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.” "

He took his army from 22,000 down to 300 just so it was clear God had saved them.  As our bank account went lower and lower the week before, it was clear a miracle was needed.  Sure enough, as soon as that cheque came in, we looked at one another in awe and realized God had intervened....immediately....with only 300 men.  We didn't have to stop and wonder if a miracle had happened....we knew!  I'm so grateful for Gideon!  He was fearful and always asking for signs.  God was faithful and patient and even answered his requests.  He used Gideon, despite his fear.  He saved Gideon, despite his fear.  God was glorified and no one boasted their own strength had saved them.