AS A DOG LAPPETH

Judges chapter 7 introduces us to a moment of crisis in the nation of Israel. Gideon was about to lead Israel into battle against the formidable Midianites. Gideon had mustered an army of thirty two thousand but, surprisingly, God said to Gideon, ‘The people that are with thee are too many’, Judg. 7. 2. The Lord asked Gid­eon to send away those who were ‘fearful and afraid’, v. 3, and twenty two thousand men left. The Lord then said to Gideon, ‘The people are yet too many’, v. 4, and He asked Gideon to test them by bringing them down to the water. Those who lapped from their hands were to be put on one side, and those who kneeled down to drink on the other. This done, it was found that only three hundred had lapped and God said that through them He would defeat the Midianites. From a human point of view the strategy adopted by Gideon under God did not make sense, but Gideon had the confidence to trust God even when things seemed ever so wrong. There are several lessons we can learn from this chapter which apply to us today.

First, are we willing to trust God when things seem to be illogical from a human point of view? Any military strategist would have said that the numbers were too few. Similarly, when the Lord fed the five thousand with the five loaves and two small fishes, the disciples thought there was not enough. We must realize that our earthly calculations do not belong in the spiritual realm and learn to trust God when things do not seem to add up.

Secondly, we must set proper priorities that will ensure vic­tory over the enemy of souls. The men who kneeled to drink, indulged themselves and, in doing so, let down their guard and became vulnerable. Such men did not realize the importance of being vigilant at all times. Those who lapped were conscious of their vulnerability, and maintained their watchfulness even when slaking their thirst. Those who would serve God must be prepared to suffer inconvenience and self-denial in order to maintain full vigilance at all times.

The ‘lap’ test is one that we need to apply in our day. Are we among those prepared to be involved in the fight for truth?