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Week 07 · Gideon and the three hundred

Thirty-Two Thousand Down to Three Hundred

Judges 7

God makes Gideon's army smaller on purpose. He does not want Israel to boast that they won by their own strength. A small victory that honors God is better than a large victory that makes men proud.

Printable study sheet

Hidden in the Text

Weekly Devotional

God reduced Gideon's army at the same spring where Gideon received the name Jerubbaal. That name reminded him that Baal had failed to defend his own altar. Later, God encouraged Gideon through an enemy's dream. A loaf of barley bread, the food of poor people, rolled into camp and knocked down a tent. The enemy feared the weakness Gideon was ashamed of. Then Gideon's men had to break their jars before the hidden torches could shine. God kept choosing things that looked small, poor, and easy to break so everyone would know the victory came from Him.

Setting the Scene

Gideon gathers thirty-two thousand men to fight a much larger Midianite army. God says Gideon's army is too large. Twenty-two thousand fearful men go home. A test at the water sends home another nine thousand seven hundred. Only three hundred remain. Gideon is still afraid, so God lets him hear an enemy describe a dream about Israel's victory. The three hundred men go to battle with trumpets, jars, and torches.

What to Notice

  • God makes the army smaller so Israel cannot take the credit. Their pride is a greater danger than the enemy army.
  • God lets every fearful man go home. Twenty-two thousand men take the offer. Many men will quit when quitting is easy.
  • God knew Gideon was still afraid and sent him to listen in (vv. 10-11) rather than shaming him. Grace meets a leader in his fear that remained.
  • Gideon worshipped in the enemy camp (v. 15) before anything had happened. Faith worships on the promise, not on the outcome.
  • The victory requires breaking the pitcher for the light to show. The light was always inside; the vessel had to be broken.

Hard Questions

  1. 01God removed resources to protect Gideon's humility. What has God removed from you that you have been seeing as God leaving you rather than protection?
  2. 02Twenty-two thousand men left when fear was given an honorable exit. Is your ministry environment making it too easy for men to quit with dignity, or too shaming for them to admit fear at all?
  3. 03Gideon was still afraid after the fleece, after the Spirit, after the altar. What does that tell you about expecting fear to disappear before you lead?
  4. 04The light only shone when the vessel broke. What in you is God trying to break, and what are you calling 'protecting my ministry'?
  5. 05Would you rather have a big win you managed or a small win God obviously did? Answer with an example from the last year.
  6. 06Numbers are the easiest idol in ministry. What number do you check most often, and what does it do to you when it's low?
  7. 07Who in your life is a 'three hundred' man — few, tested, and all in? What are you doing to keep them?

Cross References

  • 2 Corinthians 4:7

    Treasure in earthen vessels, 'that the excellency of the power may be of God' — Gideon's pitchers, explained.

  • 1 Samuel 14:6

    Jonathan: 'there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.'

  • Deuteronomy 20:8

    God's law already allowed fearful men to go home from battle. God follows that law here.

  • Zechariah 4:10

    Despise not the day of small things. Three hundred is not a shortage.

  • James 4:6

    God resisteth the proud. The reduction in Judges 7 is mercy aimed at pride.

Heart Work

Pride can remain even after God does a great work. But God can cleanse pride from your heart. Where has success, even in ministry, started feeding your pride?

For the Men You Lead

Resist the urge to build a big program. Pour into the three hundred you actually have. Write down the names of the few men who are truly all in, and reorganize one hour of your week around them.

Memorize

“The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me.”

Judges 7:2

Pray Together

Ask God to reduce whatever needs reducing. Confess any number you have been worshiping. Worship before the victory, like Gideon did in the camp.