Daily Manna | Wednesday, August 7, 2019 | Topic: Conscience 404
Scripture: Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours. Genesis 45:20
Note: Judges 6:16, “And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.” The confirmation from the Lord that He would be with Gideon was sufficient proof that Gideon had obtained favour from the Lord. Upon the strength of this favour and renewed confidence in the Lord, Gideon asked for one more thing that he deemed most important if he was to lead Israel into battle against the Midianites and come out victoriously.
In the mind of Gideon, the single most important thing wasn’t the resources or the earlier complaints he bandied about concerning how poor his family was in Manasseh, and being the least in his father’s house. All these important things regarding logistics didn’t feature as top of mind requirements in the scheme of things for Gideon. All that Gideon was seeking from the Lord was confirmation that He was the one speaking to him. Gideon could only be certain if it was from the Lord through a sign that no man could have possibly replicated.
As recently as 2003 when it became apparent that the US, under President George Bush Snr would have to go to war against Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, the Joint Chief of Staff, General Collin Powell and the Army Commander in charge of the coalition forces had to come up with a plan. It was still preparation period as the actual battle hadn’t begun. When the Army Commander, General Norman Schwarzkopf was later interviewed after the war on the first thing he put in place before the war, his response was the logistics required for the duration of the war.
Gideon’s earlier response to the angel concerning how poor his family was, actually cast him in the mould of a good General. The poverty within his family would hamper him during mobilisation and create serious logistical constraints for his soldiers. A much bigger tribe like Judah wouldn’t have had similar complaints. Yet, Gideon’s faith in Yahweh had convinced him that if the Lord was indeed by his side and He was the one sending him, then his legitimate complaints of logistics would pale into insignificance before the power of the Lord.
Food for thought: Man may have lofty plans and ideas for implementation, but it’s the purpose of the Lord that shall stand.
Declaration: Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD’s side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. Exodus 32:26
©Author: Rev Fred Aboe
