The test for fitness 2 – Judges 7: 1-8 (Pastor Kumuyi – Excerpts)

Judges 7: 7

And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.

Available statistics reveal that we spend a lot of money on fitness and well-being – $828 billion globally in 2018. Being mindful of our physical wellness is important. The Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA (a hospital focused on integrated health care, education, and research) suggests that being active improves our mental health and energy levels, helps us sleep better and guard against disease.

But the same bible says bodily exercises profited little. 1 timothy 4: 8

“Gideon’s 300 soldiers” is a very remarkable story. It reveals God’s preference for quality rather than quantity in choosing people for his service. Gideon had a divine mandate to fight against the Midianites. He had given a clarion call to arms and 32,000 warriors had enlisted. The army seemed large enough, but God is not necessarily on the side of the heaviest battalions, certainly not when 22,000 of the lot were literally trembling for fear. The fearful were only too glad to decommission at the earliest opportunity; God does not use such people anyway.

For Gideon, facing up to an army was already a project of faith. But God was not done yet. He saw an equally disqualifying trait that Gideon could not see in the men that remained, and He was going to whittle down the army even further. The test was a very little act – drinking water after a long march. All but few of the 10,000 men forgot that they were soldiers. Dropping their weapons, they bowed face down into the water and lapped greedily to quench their thirst. 9700 were disqualified; only a mere 300 who quenched their thirst while remaining vigilant against possible enemy attack were deemed fit to fight in the battle.

In the battle for righteousness, God is looking for men and women who hold strong convictions against the glamorized moral pollution in society. if they will dare to stand, they are God’s choice.

Thought for the day.

Great qualifications are nothing where faith in God and courage to stand for the right is lacking.