Title: God's Selection Criteria (Judges 7:1-8)
Contents
The reality of our country these days is very difficult. I wondered if it was quiet now that the Sejong City issue was settled, but the situation is fluctuating due to the civilian inspection issue in the Prime Minister's Office. The Cheonan incident, which was referred to the UN Security Council, also failed to cross the Chinese wall and was dealt with succinctly. But the problem is that the political power to solve the difficulties is missing. The president keeps his mouth shut whenever there is an important event, and the ruling and opposition parties are only interested in the upcoming by-election or competition for power. The National Assembly is not as good as the distant European Parliament in terms of security.
This unfortunate reality can be said to be similar to the situation of Israel, which was in a national crisis due to the invasion of Midian in the text.
In Judges 6, when Deborah the judge died, the 40-year period of peace came to an end, and the people of Israel did evil again in the sight of God (6:1). The appearance of being oppressed is being introduced. The Midianites led a nomadic lifestyle, so when they invade other countries, they take all their livestock. Therefore, the area being invaded by them is literally devastated.
Also in the text, due to the looting of the Midianites, the Israelites could not live in houses and had to dig caves or build fortresses in the mountains to live. If we sin, we have no choice but to live such a miserable life. We must realize that the difficult reality we face is also due to sin. Especially when it was time to harvest the crops, they came to Israel with all their livestock, took everything, and even ate all the livestock.
It was not until this miserable situation came that the Israelites repented to God. But we do not repent. This is the problem. When the Israelites repented, God graciously appointed Gideon as a judge to defeat the Midianites. Unlike other judges, the text describes the process of selecting soldiers in a long and detailed manner. Therefore, the text is about preparing to do God's work, or the person God uses. In this time, through the process of Gideon selecting 300 elite warriors to fight Midaan, what kind of person is God demanding in the difficult reality that we are facing nationally and ecclesiastical? I'm trying to figure out what to do.
faith in God alone
When Gideon, a judge appointed by God, recruited soldiers to fight the Midianites, 32,000 people gathered. This number was so small that it was incomparable to the Midianite army. Yet God said, "The people who are following you are too many, and I will not give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast of themselves against me, saying, 'My hand has saved me'" (verse 2). You did.
The number of the Midianite army that was tormenting Israel at that time was said to be “like the number of the locusts” and the number of the beasts was “like the abundance of the sand on the seashore” (verse 12). To fight and win so many armies, you have to have more or at least that many. In particular, at that time, weapons were not developed, so the number was very important to the extent that the victory or defeat of the war depended on the number of soldiers. Nevertheless, the number of Israeli soldiers was only 32,000. Considering the number of soldiers, it was a situation where a fight was not possible.
But God said that the number of Israeli soldiers was too large, so they should reduce it further. The reason was to convince Israel that the victory in the war was not due to their strength, but because of the Lord. This is because if Israel fought and defeated Midian with a large number of soldiers, they could boast that they had overcome with their own strength without realizing the power and help of God. Such an attitude is a sin that takes away the glory to be returned to God, and God will never tolerate it. Isaiah 48:11 clearly states that no one can take away the glory of God by saying, “How can I dishonor my name? and give my glory to no one else.” That is why, from the very beginning, God commanded us not to fight with our own strength, but to rely on God alone, and to let those who feared us return because He wanted the glory of God as our Savior to be greatly revealed.
No matter what we do, if we do not depend on God but on people, we will fail. Moreover, God views such an attitude very wickedly. Because it is the sin of boasting against God. Pride is pride. From the very beginning, life was created to depend solely on God. Therefore, we must always live a life of trusting and serving God. Pride, which God hates so much, refers to not relying on God. That is why it is said, “Pride is the beginning of destruction, and humility is the guide to honor” (Proverbs 18:12). Therefore, we should not be arrogant under any circumstances. You shouldn't be arrogant either. As the saying goes, “Do not depend on man, his breath is in his nostrils, what is it worth counting?” (Isaiah 2:22), we must live humbly and depend only on God. Only those who depend on God alone can be used by God.
I hope you all depend completely on God. Our church is never too many. Even if you have a large number, you should not rely on your numerical strength, and you do not need to feel inferior in number just because you are small. Only by believing and relying on the power of God, you must become a church where God works through you.
a high-quality minority
Biblically, God's soldiers are soldiers. In Deuteronomy 20:5 and below, it is said, “Do not select those who have built new houses and have not built them, who have planted vineyards and have not eaten from their fruits, or those who are engaged and not married, do not select them as soldiers.” Because they are not mentally armed. Likewise, he told Gideon to send those who were not mentally or religiously armed, that is, those who were trembling in fear, from among the 32,000 who had gathered. Because there is a high possibility that such people will even lower the morale of others.
Also, the soldiers who would fight the Midianites were not just people who went to war, but people who were carrying out God's commands, so they had to be set apart. Those who are fearful or unwilling are not worthy to engage in the battles with Jehovah.
So when he sent those who were afraid, there were ten thousand left. God said that there are still many, so reduce it further. In other words, it is saying that the army should be made into a small number of elites. In doing God's work, it doesn't matter how many or few there are. God's power is not in the quantity, but in the quality. Even if they are small, when they are armed with faith, great power is revealed through them.
In order to win the battle against an army as numerous and powerful as grasshoppers, it is more suitable for a small number of soldiers who are firmly armed with the faith of absolute dependence on God rather than many men who are not mentally armed. Therefore, we also need to raise the quality of our faith a little more.
“Thou shalt suffer with me as a good soldier of Christ Jesus; no man serving as a soldier entangles himself in his life, so that he may please those who have enlisted him as a soldier” (2 Timothy 2:3-4). It should be our credo, Jeong Byung-in. Please bear in mind that those who seek personal honor through their office or are more obsessed with worldly gratifications without a willingness to please Christ our Captain are not qualified to be soldiers of God who wants the elite.
Sincerity to do the best in everything
God told Gideon how to select a few elite soldiers (verses 5 and 6). It was to lead 10,000 soldiers to the water's edge and have them drink water, and select them based on their drinking habits. Except for those who drink water while lying down while drinking, only those who grab water with their hands and lick the water were chosen as soldiers, so only 300 were chosen.
Drinking water is a very trivial matter that has nothing to do with war, but the reason why he said to use this as a criterion for selecting soldiers is because “a person who is faithful in small things can do great things well.” It means that God wants those who pay attention to even trivial things like drinking water and act with caution and sincerity, and only such people can win. Therefore, in the same way, we should do our best in everything, no matter how small or insignificant.
Also, since those who drink water with their hands are “one who is not vigilant for even a moment and is on the lookout for enemies and is ready for battle at any time,” it means that God uses such a person. In the same way, we should always be alert and prepare to fight Satan who hinders our faith and devotion, and on the other hand, we must not be vigilant about the worldly sins that are challenging day by day.
In addition, this attitude teaches that God's servants should not be drawn to selfish desires under any circumstances as 'the attitude that is more interested in accomplishing God's will while controlling one's thirst rather than satisfying one's own desires'.
If you look at Matthew 25:21, 23, you see the commendation saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant, you were faithful over a few things.” It is necessary to be faithful in big things, but don't forget that it is a precious attitude in the sight of God to be faithful in small things.
There is a movie called Titanic that won 11 Academy Awards in 1998. It was made into a movie about the sinking of the Titanic, a luxury passenger ship that sank in the Atlantic Ocean in 1912, and many people say that this movie was moved. It was truly a sight to behold, the real-life reenactment of the sinking of a 273-meter-long ship. Some say that they were moved by the love of the main character, who was with them until the moment of death. In my view, when I heard that the ship was sinking after hitting an iceberg, even in a situation where all the passengers on the ship were in a state of chaos to get on each other's lifeboats. It was really moving to see the people playing hymn 338 (Keeping My Lord Closer) to the end. The people who played the hymn to the end as they died with the sinking ship were small, but I think they did their best for their work. We, too, should do God's work with that attitude.
Of the 32,000 who followed Gideon, 300 soldiers who were selected according to God's standards enjoyed the honor and thrill of accomplishing the great work of rescuing their homeland Israel from Midian. Verse 7 says, “I will deliver you with three hundred men, and I will deliver Midian into your hand.” Those who are used by God will experience the joy and thrill of this victory.
Also, in verse 8, it says, “Bread and trumpets were in their hands,” which means that 300 soldiers occupied the food and trumpets for the thirty thousand and seven hundred (31,700) people who returned home. 300 people occupied the food for more than 30,000 people, so it is a 100-fold benefit. Please remember that those who remain until the end and are used by God will also receive abundant material grace.
In the future, under any circumstances, please do not depend on people, but only on God. We cannot live without God. Also, I hope that I will become a small number of soldiers armed with good faith so that I can be used honorably before God. By doing your best in small things, I pray that you will receive a thrilling victory like Gideon's 300 soldiers, as well as 100-fold grace and wealth.