“They are too many”

Judges 7

Gideon was sent to fight against the Midianites. He called up his fellow Israelites from the tribes of Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun and Naphthali and amassed 32,000 men. Meanwhile, their enemy, the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the east lay along the valley as thick as locusts; and their camels were without number, countless as the sand on the seashore (Jdg. 7:12). An army of 32,000 men seemed too small and insignificant.

But the LORD said to Gideon, “The troops with you are too many” and told Gideon to send back everyone who was afraid. 22,000 men left. Now, he was left with only 10,000 men.

Then, the LORD said again, “The troops are still too many,” and selected only 300! It was through this 300 men that the LORD gave Gideon victory.

From this story, we see a very important lesson for Christians today – the need to trust in the LORD even when we are outnumbered. The natural way of men is to amass as much men as possible in order to overwhelm their enemies. But the LORD first requires us to trust in Him in all circumstances.

The reason we fall too easily in the face of temptations and the onslaught of our enemies is probably because we tend to rely too much on our own wisdom, understanding and worldly wealth and strengths.

“I am weak, I cannot overcome sin” is the common outcry of most people. It could be that you cannot hear the LORD say to you, “they are too many” over the din of your own arrangements.