JUDGES 7

God knows all about us... and still He loves us. There are a couple of beautiful little examples of that in this chapter. Gideon is getting ready to attack the Midianites. He starts out with 32,000 for the job, but God eventually whittles it down to 300. That’s a little less than one percent of Gideon’s original army. Yikes!

But God knows Israel well, and God tells Gideon right up front why He’s reducing the size of the army: "You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, 'My own strength has saved me.'" (vs 2) Oh, God knew those Israelites all too well. Anything less than an outright miracle on the battlefield, and they’d claim they did it on their own! This is a definite weakness on their part, but God knows it and heads it off at the pass.

Even better, though, is what God says to Gideon in verses 9-11: "During that night the Lord said to Gideon, 'Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.'"

I find this delightful. Maybe it’s because I have a tendency to fear things, but I love the idea that God addresses Gideon’s fears even before Gideon tells God that he’s afraid. Hallelujah! God knows when we are fearful; He knows the weaknesses we have, and He doesn’t ignore them or look at us in disdain because of them. Instead, He provides just what we need to address those fears, to strengthen those weaknesses.

What a comforting thought that is (for me)—that God knows us through and through!