Judges 6-9

It took me about 13 minutes to read the story of Gideon time as judges over Israel.  There was a movie released in the spring of 2007 bearing the title “300”.  It was a story of bravery in the face of certain defeat, commitment to your comrades and country, and setting an example in your lifestyle.  It was a dramatized version of the best accounts of what happened to the 300 Spartans who held back a Persian invasion of Greece led by king Xerxes.  The story of Gideon precedes the events depicted in the movie by a number of years, but presents many of the same truths.  One big difference is the role that faith plays in the part of this decisive battle.  The men whom God chose to fight this battle certainly displayed bravery in the face of certain defeat.  Their positions for the battle, on the tops of the hills surrounding the camp, were advantageous, but their small numbers limited every military advantage they had.  Gideon’s 300 displayed their commitment to the God of gods by doing what their leader said.  They knew the risks of defying the army of Midian, but they followed Gideon with great faith.  The 300 of God also displayed a lifestyle worth modeling; they obeyed God’s command, and fought with an undeterred passion.  The other great contrast between the two groups of 300 was the outcome.  The 300 Spartan warriors fought bravely, and provided the time need to turn back the invasion of Greece planned by the Persians, but at the end of the battle they had all be killed.  The 300 warriors with Gideon routed an army that by Biblical accounts was 500 times their size and better equipped.  They also expelled that army from the land they had invaded.  The difference in the outcomes is all about God.  With God; nothing is impossible.

Stuart