DGideon - Dreams, pitchers and trumpets
A step forward who is willing to go fight with Commander Gideon!
The soldiers look at each other and only one in three advances. Of the rest, some look up, others down, others put on a "face of circumstance" and stay where they are. Gideon counts the volunteers. There are 10,000 warriors who are ready to go into battle.
The Lord speaks to Gideon again and says:
- There are too many! "The one I tell you: This one will go with you, that one will go with you; but whoever I tell you: This one will not go with you, that one will not go." "Bring them down to the water and there I will test them" (Judg 7: 4).
It's a hot day; the distance is quite long. When they reach the creek most of them are tired and thirsty.
Once again the Lord gives Gideon precise instructions: "Whoever licks the water with his tongue, as a dog licks, you will set aside" (Judg 7: 5). Gideon and his assistants quickly sort and put into a special group those few who "lick" from his hand, separating them from the majority who bent their knees.
When the selection (or disqualification) ends, 300 fighters remain.
Gideon addresses them: "Brothers, God has chosen you to accompany me to fight against the Midianites. You know very well that they are great warriors and that mounted on their camels they are very dangerous. The Lord has indicated to me that if we attack with 30,000 warriors we will be many and we will boast that we triumph by our own strength. The Lord also revealed to me that 10,000 were still too many. The Almighty has ordered me not to use any weapons in the fight. There will be no spears, no swords or arrows ".
Many of the 300 turn pale. Going to fight without weapons against an army so many times larger, this is insane!
A few hours later Gideon speaks to the 300 again.
One of them, a veteran of several campaigns, asks to speak and, after apologizing, says: - Commander, we are grateful for the high honor conferred on us. We enlisted when there were several thousand of us. But, truth be told, many of my colleagues are concerned, to say the least. We were ready to fight when the army was 10,000 soldiers. But with only 300 men we don't dare.
Gideon hears them carefully. The warrior continues: - Commander, with all the respect you deserve, some of us would like to apply for ... let's say a temporary license.