Friday after Septuagesima Sunday
Posted on February 5, 2021 by under
Scripture: Joshua 7:1-8 (NKJV)
7:1 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the well of Harod, so that the camp of the Midianites was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley.
2 And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ 3 Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.’” And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.
4 But the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ the same shall not go.” 5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.” 6 And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water. 7 Then the Lord said to Gideon, “By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place.” 8 So the people took provisions and their trumpets in their hands. And he sent away all the rest of Israel, every man to his tent, and retained those three hundred men. Now the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.
Devotion
The Lord knows the hearts of all people, and thus He proclaimed to Gideon concerning those who would make war against the Midianites: “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’” It did not matter if they had known victory was beyond their reach; the victory over the Midianites had to be so unimaginably miraculous that the people could not find a way of crediting their victory to themselves.
In a sense, all of God’s people think in this fashion. When times are easy for us, we imagine that spiritual victory—remaining in the faith—is something which human will and determination can accomplish. It is when the path is dark and victory seems utterly unattainable that the mercy of God shines forth. Each victory is an echo of that complete victory which Christ Jesus has won for us. The victory of the Christ upon the cross is reflected each time that the Lord sends forth His saints to conquer in the midst of this fallen world. It is not that the Church is always victorious in this world; rather, it is that when the Lord grants the victory, the saints of God see the miracle for what it is, and give thanks to the Lord of heaven and earth.
Prayer: O Lord, we beseech Thee favorably to hear the prayers of Thy people: that we, who are justly punished for our offenses, may be mercifully delivered by Thy goodness, for the glory of Thy Name; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
