EXPLORE THE TEXT

Too Many (Judg. 7:1-3)

Application Point:

Believers dishonor God when they seek the glory that belongs to Him alone.

1 Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the troops who were with him,
got up early and camped beside the spring of Harod.
The camp of Midian was north of them, below the hill of Moreh,
in the valley.
2 The Lord said to Gideon,
“You have too many troops for me to hand the Midianites over to them,
or else Israel might elevate themselves over me and say,
‘I saved myself.’
3 Now announce to the troops,
‘Whoever is fearful and trembling may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’”
So twenty-two thousand of the troops turned back, but ten thousand remained.

Context:

Summarize how Gideon tested the Lord with a fleece.

(v. 1)

Three significant events took place to confirm Gideon’s call in Judges 6.

1. Gideon built an altar to the Lord.
   fire came down from heaven to consume the offering.
   The angel also extended a word of peace, assuring Gideon that he would not die (Judg. 6:23).
2. Next, Gideon tore down Baal’s altar.
   Not surprisingly, this put Gideon’s life in danger.
   However, his father intervened and convinced the Baal worshipers that any real deity could “plead his own case” (v. 31).
   This earned Gideon the name Jerubaal, which means “let Baal contend.”

3. Gideon asked God for a sign.
   He began by placing a fleece outside.

In this test, Gideon asked God to make the fleece wet with dew, while the ground around it remained dry.
God honored the request.
Gideon reversed the request, asking the Lord to keep the fleece dry, while the ground got wet (vv. 36-40).
Again, God miraculously complied with the request.

Note that by Judges 7, Gideon was committed to following God’s call.

Ask:

• When has anyone ever asked you to do something that seemed outrageous and not doable?

Discuss:

32,000: this was the original number of fighting men Gideon had recruited from the tribes of Israel.
Briefly discuss why God felt that number was too big, especially considering the size of the Midianite army.
Summarize this content from pages 93-94 of the PSG:

“The Lord told [Gideon] he had too many
troops for the Lord to give the Israelites a victory over the Midianites.
Certainly, the Lord could do whatever He wanted to do.
The issue was not the Lord’s ability but Israel’s misplaced trust and lack of humility.
The Lord knew that if He gave Israel the victory with their thirty-two thousand troops . .

then Israel would boast and take credit for the amazing victory
instead of recognizing that it was God who did it for them.
Therefore, the Lord instituted a two-pronged Israelite army reduction plan.
The first stage was straightforward.
God told Gideon to announce to his troops that whoever was fearful and trembling at the prospect of fighting the Midianites could leave.”

Ask:

• In what ways might we try to do God’s work by our own might and for our glory? (PSG, p. 94)

Transition:

Gideon lost two thirds of his soldiers in a matter of minutes.
The worrisome discrepancy between the armies had grown larger-but God wasn’t done yet.