DECEMBER 27, Judges 8:10-12 

Remember how many soldiers the Midianites, Amalekites and the peoples from the desert had before the battle? There were 135,000 of them. How many have been killed? 120,000 men! How many were left?

15,000. These remaining soldiers were with the two Midianite kings, Zebah and Zalmunna and still they could not escape from Gideon and his men. Remember that the Lord was with Gideon and He is all-powerful.

Dear child, the Lord chose only 300 men for Gideon’s army to fight against a force of 135,000. That was a ratio of 450 enemy soldiers to one Israelite warrior. Surely no other army on this planet earth would dare to venture into the combat knowing how terribly outnumbered they are. It would simply be suicidal. But Gideon’s soldiers are no ordinary soldiers. They are warriors representing Israel, a nation that God has chosen. Israel is the nation where the Son of God and Saviour of the world, Jesus Christ, will come from.

To teach Israel a spiritual lesson, God gave them a small army by any standards. It was an overwhelming disadvantage in terms of numbers. The objective was to prevent the children of Israel from thinking that they could survive the battle against their enemies on their own strength.

It was a test to see if Gideon and his men would trust Him. They did, and the rest is history. Do you think some of the men could have felt a wee bit frightened during the battle? Everyone has fears and concerns. But the men pressed on, trusting God and by the power of God they won!

Sometimes, when you read certain bible verses, don’t you feel like some of these 300 soldiers? The things that God wants you to do seem so tough, don’t they? Like not lying, being nice to a nasty person, to be patient, or to forgive and not seek revenge? Dear child, let’s try to do so with the Lord’s help!

Thought: Live a good Christian life and depend on God’s strength!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the reminder to trust You. There are a lot of times when I feel like doing something that is wrong. There are also a lot of times that I don’t want to do things that I should do. Father in heaven, please give me patience and determination to press on. This is my prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen.