The other day, I was reading the story of Gideon in Judges 7. I’ve read the story many times, and have always been taken by God’s miraculous deliverance of his people—especially using someone once as timid as Gideon was. But this time around, a different element of the story caught my attention.
Too Many for God’s Purposes
When preparing to take on the Midianites, God says to Gideon in Judges 7:2, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’” God therefore instructs Gideon to let anyone who is afraid return home, reducing the army from 32,000 to 10,000. It’s a bold move, but it actually makes strategic sense: morale is fragile and fear is contagious on the battlefield, so it is better to remove anyone who doesn’t actually want to be on the battlefield.
But God doesn’t stop there. He instructs Gideon to bring the remaining 10,000 down to the water to drink and he sidelines the 9,700 who knelt down to drink. The men who remain for the battle on the frontlines are those who lapped the water, and they number just 300. Unlike the previous reduction from 32,000 to 10,000, this reduction from 10,000 to 300 doesn’t seem to make any strategic sense, and the selection criteria seems arbitrary.
How Did the 9,700 Feel?
And here’s what caught my attention: I wondered how the 9,700 felt at being sidelined. They had probably trained very hard. They might have had aspirations of glory on the battlefield. They had certainly sacrificed time away from their loved ones. And they were the loyal ones, even when 22,000 returned home in fear, these had courageously chosen to remain—though their chances of death and defeat had just gone up significantly.
Perhaps some of the 9,700 who were sidelined, after seeing that only 300 remained for battle on the frontlines, felt a sense of relief. But surely there were not a few who felt more disappointed than relieved. After all, they had trained and sacrificed and aspired to battle. To be sidelined from what turned out to be an unforgettable story of God’s glorious victory must have felt like a gut-punch, especially in an honour-shame culture.
The Bigger Picture
However, when we look at the bigger picture, the 9,700 on the sidelines are as much a part of the story of God’s victory as the 300 on the frontlines. The titles that our English Bibles give for Judges 7 often miss the 9,700 and focus on the 300, with titles like the ESV’s “Gideon’s Three Hundred Men” or the CSB’s “God Selects Gideon’s Army”. But those titles don’t tell the whole story, because the story is not just about Gideon’s 300.
The revelation of God’s glory certainly involved Gideon and his 300 men on the frontlines of the battle. But it also involved the 9,700 on the sidelines—because they were sidelined to show that it was the hand of God and not the hands of the Israelites that won the day.
The selection criteria wasn’t arbitrary at all but by God’s design, for he knew exactly where every person needed to be to bring him the most glory. In other words, it wasn’t just Gideon’s 300 who revealed God’s glory, but also Gideon’s 9,700. One could even say that all 10,000 played an important role in God’s victory, though by playing very different roles.
Choosing Joy on the Sidelines
So, back to my original question, how did the 9,700 feel about being sidelined? Well, for those who were truly focused on God’s glory and not their own, I imagine that any disappointment they felt would have been quickly replaced by the joy of celebrating God’s glorious victory for all.
1 Corinthians 12:14-26 is a much-needed reminder that we are all different parts of the same body. Or, to continue the military motif, a reminder that God places some of us on the frontlines and some of us on the sidelines. Not all of us can be part of Gideon’s 300; many of us will be part of Gideon’s 9,700.
Our culture prizes positions of prominence on the frontlines, and many of us find ourselves aspiring and striving to be part of the 300 on the frontlines. But sometimes God’s glory is most gloriously revealed with us as part of the 9,700 on the sidelines instead.
It is important for Christians to hold on to this, especially those who serve in various kinds of leadership roles. Why? Because most of us will go through seasons as part of the 300, and other seasons as part of the 9,700. We may spend a lot of time preparing for something, only to be sidelined at the last minute due to something outside of our control. We may hope for a particular outcome, only to be disappointed.
Surely what matters most is to be where we bring God the most glory. And only God can know where we need to be to bring him the most glory. So let’s strive to choose joy wherever God places us, whether it is part of Gideon’s 300 or part of Gideon’s 9,700.
And let’s celebrate God’s glorious victories wherever and through whomever they come. John the Baptist puts it best, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).
