What if Gideon Led His Troops to Water, but He Couldn’t Make Them Drink?

“Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the troops that were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod; and the camp of Midian was north of them, below the hill of Moreh, in the valley. The Lord said to Gideon, “The troops with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand. Israel would only take the credit away from me, saying, ‘My own hand has delivered me.’ Now therefore proclaim this in the hearing of the troops, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home.’ ” Thus Gideon sifted them out; twenty-two thousand returned, and ten thousand remained.

Then the Lord said to Gideon, “The troops are still too many; take them down to the water and I will sift them out for you there. When I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go with you; and when I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” So he brought the troops down to the water; and the Lord said to Gideon, “All those who lap the water with their tongues, as a dog laps, you shall put to one side; all those who kneel down to drink, putting their hands to their mouths, you shall put to the other side.” The number of those that lapped was three hundred; but all the rest of the troops knelt down to drink water. Then the Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred that lapped I will deliver you, and give the Midianites into your hand. Let all the others go to their homes.” So he took the jars of the troops from their hands, and their trumpets; and he sent all the rest of Israel back to their own tents, but retained the three hundred.” Judges 7:1-8

The story of Gideon’s process for choosing his troops for battle is a story that is almost laughable. No, it is laughable. What does this mean? Couldn’t G-d have told Gideon to “choose straws”, or “roll dice”, or even “pick numbers”? Not so with G-d. But G-d is making a point. If the defeat of the Midians is to be significant and spiritually convincing, then the victory will come with the fewest number of troops available – so the defeat will not be seen as a victory of the people, but for the people — by their G-d. So what if when they came to the river, no one knelt to take a drink? I hope you understand the process that is going on between the Israelites and their G-d. Since coming into the “Promised Land”, the Israelites have had a problem doing what the Lord asks of them. And so intermittently they are subjected to lordship by other nations. In this case, the people are under the oppression of the Midianites. One day Gideon is working, trying to hide his produce from the Midians, when the Angel of the Lord comes to him and says “Gideon, the Lord is with you, you Mighty warrior…go in this might of yours and deliver your people.” Of course Gideon complains that if the Lord is with the people, then why are they servants of the Midianites. But this is the Lord – who does with what is the Lords as the Lord wishes. The Lord will punish when the Lord deems necessary, and the Lord will deliver when it is the right time.
What would Gideon have done if no one was thirsty? The whole mission depends on this one act. It is interesting how we think G-d acts in our lives. We expect great things – magnificent sunsets, convincing miracles, and grand acts of purpose. But G-d is in all things in our lives – even in, it appears, what seems to be the randomness of how people choose to drink. Even in such a small thing, G-d can be using as part of G-d’s greater purpose.

Pastor Dave