When Less is More

Judges 7

Spiritual Warfare requires dependence on God and the use of spiritual weapons

The Midianites had been raiding Israel at harvest time for 7 years. God's chosen champion, Gideon, gathered an army of 32,000 but God only needed a few good men.

The first cut involved those who lacked courage, All who were afraid were allowed to go home. Only 10,000 stayed. After a second cut, only 300 remained.

God did not choose the best warriors for his dream team. They weren't going to fight. God needed few courageous men who would follow His instructions.

God would use spiritual weapons in this battle. “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)

The 300 soldiers were divided into 3 groups and surrounded the Midianite Camp. Each had a trumpet in one hand and a clay pitcher in the other. Inside each pitcher was a torch. An army usually had one trumpet and torch per 100 men.

While the enemy slept, Israel shouted, “The sword of the Lord and Gideon.” They blasted their trumpets, broke the pottery, and surrounded the camp with flaming torches. The enemy thought they were surrounded by 30,000 fighting men, panicked and fled.

Gideon did not suffer any losses. God has our back. Jesus said, “ In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Resisting Mammon

 

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Matthew 6:24)

Jesus' greatest competitor for our devotion is Mammon. More than merely money, Mammon is the personification of wealth; “the almighty dollar.” It is one of the principalities and powers about which Paul warns us. (Ephesians 6:12)

Mammon is the force behind greed, economic exploitation and injustice, uncontrolled debt and many other personal and social evils. Mammon is the God of Wall Street and global economics. Mammon is the driving force behind the decision-making process of many people. Mammon teaches that money is a sign of God’s blessing and poverty a sign of His displeasure.

Followers of Christ make economic decisions based on biblical principles. Placing God first in your life will have an impact on both your giving and how you spend the rest of your money. It will impact your work life, too.

Economists, politicians and individuals will say that the church should stay out of economics. It's complicated and has a life of its own. Jesus answer to the economists, politicians and businessmen who were exploiting the people was to knock over the money-changers' tables in the Temple court. In fact, the Bible speaks more about economics than any other topic. Jesus spoke about money more frequently than any other subject except the Kingdom of God.

If God is not in control of your finances then Mammon is. Jesus said you cannot serve both. This goes all the way back to the first commandment: “You shall have no other gods before me.”

Being wealthy is not evil. Abraham, Job and Solomon were wealthy. So were Nicodemus, Barnabas and Lydia. Jesus told stories that championed the clever use of money. At the same time he gave warnings such as, “…it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Matthew 19:24)

Jesus identified money as a root problem in both the rich young ruler and the rich man in the Lazarus story even though it seems that both earned their wealth honestly. The successful farmer who was going to build bigger barns gained his wealth through honest industry but Jesus called him a fool. (Luke 12:16-21)

Mammon is not content unless it takes over all other priorities. Even the very rich still want more. “For the love of money is a source of all kinds of evil. Some have been so eager to have it that they have wandered away from the faith and have broken their hearts with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:10).

You can resist Mammon's influence by following biblical principles including tithing, refusing to exploit others for financial gain, and considering the impact of your purchases on your finances. Practical measures include taking a financial management class based on biblical values and gaining a clear understanding on how money makes you feel.

Money under God's control leads to generosity and peace.