God is the ultimate when it comes to flexing his muscles. He is the best at it. I have been listening to the bible on the way to work the last few days and like yesterday in Gideon I decided to stay in the book of Judges. I made it to just after Samson and his account. He was a beast! And he was probably one of the strongest men in the Bible and yet he was only powerful because of God. He only could flex his muscles big when God was with him and when God left he was easily subdued. Even though I got that far in Judges, for some reason I was brought right back to Gideon in my thoughts. For some reason he fascinates the heck out of me. What and how God interacts with him fascinates me as well. I really cant get him off my mind. How God could be so patient with him and use such a weak brew of men. It seems like God used Gideon just to flex his muscles. The part of the story that I am talking about is in Judges 7:
1 Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. 2 The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ 3 Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.
4 But the LORD said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”
5 So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the LORD told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.” 6 Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.
7 The LORD said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.”
Now this is crazy because we already know from chapter 6 that Gideon has the weakest tribe in Manasseh. 15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” God doesn\’t care…well in fact he does care. He wants that kid with the lazy eye or the one that is deaf. He wants the weak pup of the liter. It is throughout the entire bible that this example of God using the weakest of the breed to advance his kingdom. God loves to flex his muscles in these situations because frankly the only conclusion to a lot of the outcome is that He must have had His hand in it.
It is extremely evident in my life that God was with me. Three years ago talking to C, Moving to VA, Chasing a girl to the middle of no where, Randomly talking to a guy about my personal failures. Who does that? Who takes risks that are so far out side of comfort zones? I will tell you who, someone who has God with them. Thats who. The weakling. The runt. And the only expatiation is that God was behind it. I feel as though it is a little better explained at the end 1 Corinthians 1 –
8 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written:
the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”<sup class="footnote" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em;" value="[c]\”>[c]
26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.\”
God does it on purpose. There is not doubt in my mind. There is a reason that he choose me and there is a reason that he choose Gideon. There is also a reason why he is choosing you! Its the same reason why he has already chosen us, and I know what that reason is. It is because we suck. We are worthless by ourselves. We are the runt of the liter, the weak little duckling, and the kid with the lazy eye. He uses us so that here is no doubt in your mind or my mind that he is so real. That he is so there with you. I wonder what it must have felt like for Samson. His entire life being so strong and conquering anything that came in his path. Then all of a sudden he had his hair cut and God had left him. What it must have felt like to lose God like that and at that moment realize that it was him all along. He must have been so pissed at himself.
The other side of that is that I believe he wants to use every single one of his followers. We just have to come to the realization that we are weak with out Him. And at the same time believe that with him we can be stronger than we could ever imagine. Its funny because I bashed on Gideon yesterday about doubting God, but think that happened for a reason because it showed how patient God is and how hard he will chase after his children. God wants to use us. He wants to use me. In crazy ways. I just have to become weak so he can make me strong.
Thats it God. Help me not to make you wait as Gideon did and help me not to lose you like Samson did. Make me weak so that you can make me strong. Help me to boast in you when your strength comes through. The victories are yours not mind. I am nothing with out you.
Nos & Rehtaf, Dnabsuh 