When Less is More
“More or less” is something you might say or hear when what is being referenced is generally true. When gathering with a group of your friends, you might say, “We are in the same age group, more or less.” Not everyone is exactly the same age, but broadly speaking, you are of the same generation.
One of the problems the Israelites had as you read through many references in the Old Testament, was that some thought that worshiping God and worshiping other gods was more or less the same. Some tried to worship God while also keeping the practice of neighboring cultures who worshiped other gods. The result was always a disaster. God was serious when he said, “You shall have no other gods before me.” He didn’t say that meant you should have other gods after you worship him or at the same time as worshiping him. Choosing to worship God, trust God’s promises, and love God with your whole heart, mind, and strength is to be an exclusive agreement, not a more or less situation.
As we choose, evaluate, and become leaders, we need to be careful not to think that we can be more or less Christian in our thinking and behaving. There is no example in scripture of obedience that is more or less humble, more or less righteous, more or less prone to justice. God calls us to follow him completely, not more or less.
In the story of Gideon, we also learn that more is not better. In fact, it seems that less is more.
Gideon’s doubts are well documented in Judges chapters six and seven. There were conversations with angels, sacrifices, fleeces, hesitations, and finally, Gideon seemed to be ready to go, but the Lord said to Gideon, “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.’”
When you read ahead to chapter eight, you find out that 15,000 were left of the Midianite forces and 120,000 had been defeated. So, if we back up to when God told Gideon that 22,000 were too many, the battle was at that moment 22,000 against 135,000. God instructed Gideon that he needed less and not more soldiers to win this battle. You know the story. As God continued to pare away Gideon’s army, the ranks thinned to just 300. But less is more when we realize that it is God who brings the victory. God is more than enough to help us through every challenge in life.
God not only thinned the ranks, but he also sent them out with trumpets, torches, and empty jars. Not exactly state of the art weapons, even in the ancient world. But God sent the Israelites to face their enemies with what proved to be less than the enemies had with weaponry but more than enough because what God told Zechariah was also true with Gideon and is true with us today. God’s delivers “not by power or by might, but by my spirit.”
As you consider the story of Gideon, take a minute and ask God to bring to memory times in your life when you had fewer resources, less power, and big problems, yet as you surrendered to the Lord, he proved to be more than enough. And then trusting fully in God’s willingness to do exceedingly more than we can hope or imagine, may we once again trust him to bring us victory over the problems and difficulties that stand in front of us today!
Father, forgive us for the many times and ways we have attempted to rely on self instead of fully trusting in you to meet every need. Today we release our burdens, surrender our worries, and ask that you reveal to us anything we need to let go of so that we can watch you do your perfect will in our lives. We want more of you and less of us. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Judges 7:2-25; Zechariah 4:6 ESV
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