Unconditional Courage

In Judges 7, we find the story of Gideon, a humble man that was called by God to deliver Israel from the cruel oppression of the Midianites. Let's take a moment to understand the conflict.

First of all, the Midianites were so powerful and so oppressive that the children of Israel were forced to abandon their homes and dwell in dens and caves in the mountains (6:2). They were unable to sustain any form of agriculture, for when the slightest progress was made, the cruel soldiers of Midian would rush in and destroy their crops and livestock (6:4). Israel had no semblence of government, no means of unity, and for seven years had to struggle to survive. Some may have been angry or even bitter toward the Midianites, but after seven years of relentless bullying, I would imagine that the majority of the Israelites had little spirit left; they were beaten down and filled with hopelessness and fear.

For a while, they hung on to their pride, but finally, they "cried out to the Lord" (vs. 6). They had tried everything else. They had exhausted all options. Like stubborn, rebellious children, they had pridefully rejected the loving help of the Father above. But at last, they had to exhale and acknowledge that only God could help them. And God did.

Gideon was called to be the judge, the man that God would use to provide deliverance to His people. He gathered 32,000 soldiers from among the tribes of Israel and they encamped not far from the camp of the Midianites. While 32,000 sounds like a lot of soldiers, these men were not trained soldiers and they certainly were not well-armed. I picture a scraggly bunch of men in tattered clothing milling about wondering how in the world they're going to fight against the professional military of Midian...whose armies filled the Jezreel Valley.

From the standpoint of human logic, these 32,000 men had little chance of winning the war. And so I wonder how shocked Gideon was when God  told him, "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.' 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 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained" (7:2-3).

Even when the army numbered 32,000, there was very little confidence that they actually had a shot at victory, for when given the opportunity, more than two-thirds of the army went home. I wonder what the other 10,000 were thinking as they watched the majority of the army walk away.

But God wasn't done. The army was STILL too big. So once again, God decided to reduce the size of the army. We find in Judges 7:4-7 one of the strangest passages in the Old Testament. God told Gideon to take these 10,000 men to the water's edge and to command them to drink. Those who lapped the water like a dog were to remain, but all the others -- those who drank the water normally -- they were to go home, not by choice necessarily, but by decree. In the end, 9,700 men drank the water normally and they were commanded to go home, while only 300 remained. God told Gideon, "By the 300 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" (7:7).

You know the rest of the story. Gideon took these 300 men, divided them up into three companies, gave them all trumpets, pitchers and torches and gave them very specific instructions regarding their attempt to ambush and surprise the slumbering Midianite army. In the end, the Midianites turned and fled and Israel routed this professional army.

Now, here's the point of the article...

The 300 soldiers that stood in the end were men of Unconditional Courage. Think about it.

The odds were against them from the beginning, even when the army numbered 32,000. But these 300 men stood alongside Gideon, awaiting the opportunity to go to battle.

When given the chance to go home, these 300 men stood firm. Did they know that over two-thirds of the army would take Gideon's offer and leave? Probably not. But their courage was not dependant on an army of 32,000. To these 300 men, it didn't matter whether the army was 32,000 or 10,000, their faith was in God and their courage was relentless.

When Gideon led them all down to the water's edge to drink, do you think these 300 men realized that in a short while, 9,700 of their brethren would be sent home? From 32,000 to 10,000...and now only 300 men remained. There's no way that these 300 soldiers expected this. There was little chance of victory when they numbered 32,000. The odds were slim to none when they numbered 10,000. But now it would be impossible, for 300 ragged, unarmed men could not topple a professional army...an army that had bullied and oppressed them for seven years. Right?

And yet they stood with Gideon. They obeyed his instructions. They surrounded the Midiante camp and cried out "The sword of the Lord and of Gideon." These 300 men were there in the end to witness God's mighty miracle of deliverance.

Unconditional Courage. Do you have it?

Perhaps you have joined the army of the Lord because you're tired of being oppressed, depressed and suppressed. You crave freedom and prosperity. In your desparation, you turn to the Lord. You've heard that the Lord can do awesome things. So you stand there with your fellow soldiers, knowing that the battle is looming ahead. Now your faith is being put to the test. It was easy to cry out to God for deliverance, but now the fear of battle is greater than your fear of continued oppression. Doubt begins to consume your thoughts. What am I doing here? What did I get myself into? There's a remote chance that you can defeat the enemy, but is it worth it to even try? So the opportunity comes to abandon your faith, and you take it.

Or, perhaps you're like Gideon and the 300 men that remained. You are tired of that old life. You're tired of having to struggle to survive. You're sick of it! So you humble yourself before God and pray for His mercy and deliverance. When you are asked to put your faith to work, you are willing. You join the army of the Lord. You're willing to do whatever it takes. You're committed. Sure, the odds are against you, but you have the mighty God of Israel on your side. Then things happen that you never could have anticipated, but you don't waver. You have Unconditional Courage.

These 300 men joined the army with unmatched determination and unwavering faith in God. To borrow from the words of Thomas Paine, an American writer during the early days of the Revolution, these 300 men were not "summer soldiers." Nothing would keep them from victory so long as they trusted God.

So which are you? Do you have Unconditional Courage, or is your faith shallow?