When the Israelites finally entered the Promised Land after forty arduous years in the desert, the nation was so worn and ready for the Promised Rest that was to accompany the Land, that they neglected to completely dispose the inhabitants of the land that God had asked. As a result of the Israelites failure to wholly eradicate the inhabitants of the Promised Land as God had commanded, they were locked for centuries in bitter, unending wars with the various surrounding nations until the time of King David.
During these periods of tumultuous unrest, God raised up judges. We should not think of these in a legal sense, instead, a more accurate term would be deliver. They performed the functions of chiefs, of judges, and as military champions. This last role, as that of military leader, is the most important that the judges played: raised up by God to deliver Israel from paganism, often purging the nation of paganism that had arisen from the Israelites themselves.
One such judge, famous perhaps more so for Bibles bearing his name that fill hotel drawers, is Gideon. His story is chronicled in Judges 6:11-8:35. Often remembered for the way he tested his call from God with the woolen fleece (Jdg. 6:36-40), or his idolatrous end with his ephod (Jdg. 8:22-27), although on the whole his judgeship was one of peace and success. For the purposes of this discussion, we will examine how God chose the soldiers for the army that was to raze the Midianites.
The Midianites had been tormenting the Israelites for decades, and finally the Israelites under Gideon had amassed a 32,00-strong army able to handling the Midianites. However, the Lord came to Gideon amidst the preparations for the battle and told Gideon that the force was too big and needed to be decreased, that "Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home (Jdg. 7:3)." In a moment the force decreased by 22,000 men, leaving 10,000 for the battle.
Yet, once again, the Lord spoke to Gideon, urging him to decrease the force in a very odd but telling way. The Lord said, "The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there...And the Lord to Gideon, ' Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink (Jdg. 7:5).'" Afterwards, the force of 10,000 was decreased to 300 able and powerful men that went on to handily win the battle.
The point here is usefulness. If we want to be used by God, we need to be ready to throw aside politeness and manners in order to get our knees dirty and lap up the water. Think of those who cast aside elegance and sophistication because their thirsty in preparation for battle. Additionally, God wants us to forget about our cultural etiquette and be willing to get down and dirty, ready for our tasks to be determined by the Lord. Let us then get on our knees to lap up the water with reckless abandonment to be used by God for great things!
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