Gideon - small to smaller

Gideon

Last night at our ISCA meeting Josh Skinner taught on the person of Gideon (Judges 6-9). Josh did a great job, complete with “circles drawn to scale”, showing us how Gideon started with 32,000 men to face an army of 120,000 so God had him release 22,000 men to get the army down to 10,000 (Judges 7:1-3). That was still too many men, for God wanted Israel to know for sure that it is by God’s strength that the battle is won. So God used another method of sorting the men and got the “army” down to 300. (see how Judges 7:4-8).

In josh’s drawings we started with a small green circle (the 32,000 men) going against a large circle (the 120,000 Midianites). Then he reduced to the 10,000 men, which looked like a slice of pie going against the big circle. Finally he reduced to 300 – a sliver of that original circle going against the big circle. God wanted that army so small so the people would know that it was God fighting for them so they wouldn’t boast.

It really struck me listening to Josh. God likes to reduce things. Gideon was already the of the “weakest clan in Manasseh and the least in my family”. He started with an Army that was logically too small, 32,000 ageist 120,000+. But God wanted to be smaller.

This all reminds me of the parable of the Mustard seed in Mark 4:30-34. The smallest seed becomes the largest plant – that even the birds can benefit from. At the time the crowds that were following Jesus was starting to thin out and Jesus began focusing on his 12 disciples and the others that were around them. (read the parable of the sower in Mark 4:1-20) Jesus was going to train and prepare his faithful few because from this small seed he was going to grow the largest plant.

Great questions to ask: Are you part of the masses? Or are you a part of that small seed that God will use?

What do you need to do to become part of the inside circle, the small seed?