Called or Culled?

 August 13, 2021

Judges 7 tells the story of Gideon’s call to lead an army against the Midianites who were devastating the countryside with their repeated raids into the heartland of Israel. He initially mustered more than thirty thousand to confront them before God culled most of them out. It is a story of fitness for service to God.

Two things make us unfit to serve. The first is fear. This story is true to life; more than 2/3 of the people were disqualified by their fear (7:3). Even today most people allow their fear to take them out of the game at the very beginning. Businesses, churches, schools are shuttered in fear of COVID, fear promoted by the government and media who have vested interest in keeping us afraid and dividing us one against the other. Aside from COVID, people are afraid to risk their security for the hope of a better future, whether it is in a new relationship, a better job, or the calling of God. The fear in most of Gideon’s army, had it not been for the three hundred, would have meant the loss of their freedom, as it always does. (You need to read the story to understand this.)

The second obstacle to being effective for God is unpreparedness or carelessness. Those who knelt down to drink instead of bringing the water to their faces in their hands were by their actions unable to keep watch on their surroundings. Carelessness and  inattention to what is happening around us makes us vulnerable to surprise attack by the enemy of our souls.

Of those who were unafraid, most were disqualified by their inattention, ie. they were untrained, incapable of even defending themselves, let alone fighting a battle. Sadly, most of us are in these first two categories, disqualified by fear, or by our lack of even basic training. Even as a pastor, very little of my training dealt with what is required to actually engage in the spiritual battles our culture is waging against us. Much of my life I’ve lived  fearfully, hiding my light instead of shining brightly. I haven’t studied and developed the spiritual muscle memory” that enables me to meet opposition deftly and effectively.

God culled from Gideon’s army the fearful and the careless and untrained. He continues to do so today, which is why although our nation is dotted with churches, we are for the most part ineffective in fighting the cultural battle before us. We may have volunteered when the call went forth, but in reality, we have been far from ready for the task before us.

“O Lord God, Father of mercy, forgive me. By your Spirit and in the Name of Jesus Christ, mold me. Make me one of your three hundred, alert and brave, ready to break my jar, let my light shine, and shout your praise to the discomfiture of the enemy. This is my prayer; may it be the prayer of those who read this post today.”