300 Spartans vs 300 Israelites?
You’ve heard of the 300 Spartans, right?
The legendary story of the Battle of Thermopylae when 300 Spartans stood against the entire Persian army! Though, actually there were over 7,000 Greeks with the Spartans against over a hundred thousand Persians… but those are still impossible odds.
Which is why they all died.
Still, the battle remains one of the most famous conflicts in history, with two films about the Spartans: one in 1962 and the other in 2007 (do not watch that movie).
Even more amazing than the 300 Spartans were the 300 Israelites!
Do you know that story? (It’s in the Book of Judges, chapters 6-8)
Centuries before Thermopylae, the 300 Israelites, led by Gideon, went up against an army of Midianites so large you couldn’t count their camels!
Gideon tetained 300 men. And the camp of Midian was below him in the valley. That same night the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I’ve given it into your hand…” And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the East lay along the valley like locusts in abundance, and their camels were without number, as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance. (Judges 7:8-9, 12)
Gideon’s 300 defeated 120,000 Midianites and did not lose a single man. They later killed another 15,000 and struck down both of Midian’s kings.
Zebah and Zalmunna [the two kings of Midian] were in Karkor with their army, about 15,000 men, all who were left of all the army of the people of the East, for there had fallen 120,000 men who drew the sword. And Gideon went up by the way of the tent dwellers east of Nobah and Jobgehah and attacked the army, for the army felt scure. And Zebah and Zalmunna fled, and he pursued them and he captured the two kings of Midian, and Gideon threw all the army into a panic. (Judges 8:10-12)
Yet world history is enamored with 300 Spartans who did not succeed, without even a glance at Gideon and his men.
What gives?
Consider the Word of God: Gideon started with 32,000 men. But God said, “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.’”
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.’ Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead’”
Gideon brought the people down to the water. The Lord said to Gideon, “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise every one who kneels down to drink.” And the number of those who lapped and put their hands to their mouths was 300. And the Lord said, “With the 300 who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand.” (Judges 7:2-3, 5-7)
God reduced the number to 300 so everyone would know it is God who saves His people and strikes down His enemies.
Psalm 10 says that the wicked renounce the Lord and do not seek Him. All their thoughts are: There is no God.
For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the Lord. In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek Him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.” (Psalm 10:3-4)
So why would the world favor a story about 300 defeated pagans instead of 300 who succeeded by the hand of God? Because they hate God.
…when we understand the text.
(This video is by WWUTT. Discovered by Christian Podcast Central and our community — copyright is owned by the publisher, not Christian Podcast Central.)