Humility or Pride

Judges 7:2
The LORD said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’

God understands us. Our tendencies are obvious to God. As you make your way through the Bible, it’s not hard to pick up on one of our worst tendencies. Before Moses died, he warned the people…”when you have eaten and are full and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them…then you say in your heart, “My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth” (Deut 8:12,17). If you read Deuteronomy, the words of Judges 7:2 should not come as a surprise. We love to boast. We tend to take credit for what God has done. We tend to forget what God has done in the past. The Lord knew that Gideon’s army would say “My own strength has saved me” unless he trimmed the forces down to the point that it would be undeniable that God brought the victory. So God “helped” Gideon reduce an army of thirty two thousand soldiers to three hundred. We can learn some valuable lessons from Gideon’s experience. Pride grows when we take credit for God’s work. Humility grows when we trust in God and cultivate our trust in His provision and gratitude for His blessings.