Year One, July 8

Blessed Are Those Who Have Not Seen and Yet Have Believed1

Judges 6:33-40

33Now all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East came together, and they crossed the Jordan and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. 34But the Spirit of the LORD clothed Gideon, and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him. (When the enemy crossed over the Jordan River, the Lord moved his chosen servant to meet them. At the sound of Gideon’s trumpet, many of the downtrodden people gained courage and came out of their hiding places to face the enemy.) 35And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, and they too were called out to follow him. And he sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they went up to meet them. (The Lord’s people will offer themselves freely on the day of his power.2)

36Then Gideon said to God, “If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, 37behold, I am laying a fleece3 of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.” 38And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water. 39Then Gideon said to God, “Let not your anger burn against me; let me speak just once more. Please let me test just once more with the fleece. Please let it be dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground let there be dew.” 40And God did so that night; and it was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew. (See how tenderly the Lord looks on the weakness of his servant’s faith and gives a double miracle to strengthen his confidence. The Lord also gives assurance of his presence to strengthen our faith. Sometimes during the Communion Service he will give us a special awareness of his grace, even though others do not experience it. On another occasion others rejoice in the abundance of the Lord’s grace and we do not. If our religion was a lifeless machine, we could adjust it to always act the same way. If it were merely rituals and ceremonies, we could always keep it from changing. But because it is from the Lord, he is the one who decides when and where his almighty power will be made evident.)

  

Judges 7:1-8

1aThen Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod.

2The LORD said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ (God’s helpers are never too few, but we learn from this passage that they may be too many. This is a blow for those who boast in their numbers, and an encouragement for the few and the weak.) 3Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained.

4And the LORD said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.” (This was a great test for Gideon’s faith. He may have been weak in some points, but he was mighty in others.) 5So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.” (Those who reached down with their hand and drank only a little water at a time were the men who would respond quickly to the enemy. They were ready for war. They were not about to relax until their cruel oppressors had been driven out of the land. These are the kind of people the Lord will use.)

6And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouth, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water. 7And the LORD said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.” 8So the people took provisions in their hands, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the 300 men. (The armed soldiers melted away, and only a few trumpeters remained. Now everything was prepared for the fight. Now they were ready for victory. When we are weak, then are we strong.4 When we have no strength that can be seen, we rely on the Power that is invisible.) And the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

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¹ John 20:29

² A reference to Psalm 110: 3a, “Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power.”

³ Fleece, a soft cloth or coat made from sheep’s wool or the wool obtained from a sheep at one shearing.

⁴ See 2 Corinthians 12:10