What The Bible Says
Good Samaritan's Penny Pulpit by Pastor Ed Rice
Gideon was likely concerned about facing off against the Midianites with only 32,000 soldiers; they would be outnumbered by more than three-to-one. Sometimes one wonders if the LORD God really knows what we are up against down here. The hosts of the Midianites filled the whole valley by the hill Moreh, “and the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many” (Jud 7:2a). Like Israel, Christians might tend to “vaunt themselves against (God), saying, Mine own hand hath saved me” (7:2b). The LORD God does his best work when we are at our whit's end. God whittled Gideon's army down to only 300 nobodies before delivering his miraculous victory over the Midianites. He uses the same tactic today. God is in the remnant, not the mega or the majority. Be leery of church growth that comes from a charismatic leader, or entertainment program. God does not work through a majority vote. That vote might “trump” a queen Athalia who wants in power but either way we get an egotistical incompetent, and this rebellious nation, sinking into moral depravity, deserves no less. Then there is the Islamic invasion launched from Obama's endorsed Arab Spring. America is overwhelmed in evil and one can learn a lot from God's dealings with Gideon and his three-hundred. God does his most miraculous work when it is certain that we won't be taking any of his glory. A nobody telling everybody about somebody who can save anybody, is not for glory seekers. True believers are outnumbered and outgunned in this world. Whether it be church politics, world politics or a doctor's waiting room, God shines the brightest when the odds are against us. “O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee” (Psalm 84:12).
An Essay for week #14 Apr 3, 16
Msg in audio at www.GSBaptistChurch.com/audio/gs160403.mp3
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