Little is Much with God

Judges 7:1–14 KJV 1900

1 Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley. 2 And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. 3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand. 4 And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. 5 So he brought down the people unto the water: and the Lord said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. 6 And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. 7 And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place. 8 So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley. 9 And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand. 10 But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host: 11 And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host. 12 And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude. 13 And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along. 14 And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.

Main Thought:

God may strip you of strength, support, and strategy, not to defeat you, but to deliver you. When God is in it, little becomes much. Our weakness becomes His workshop, our emptiness becomes His evidence, and our faith becomes His field of victory.

Introduction

Historical and Contextual Background

Judges is written in the period after Joshua and before the kings. The spiritual refrain of the book is that “In those days there was no king in Israel, and every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” The people of God fell into a repeating cycle. Rebellion. Retribution. Repentance. Rescue. God kept raising up deliverers not because Israel was faithful, but because God was faithful to His covenant. Gideon is raised up in chapter 6 to answer Midianite oppression. He obeys God by tearing down the altar of Baal. He gathers tribes for war. The Spirit of the Lord clothes him. Yet the Lord still has to teach him not to trust in numbers, influence, or human strategy. This is covenant discipline wrapped in covenant mercy.

Judges 7 offers a Spiritual lesson for trusting in the Lord rather than ourselves or others. 

When you walk with God long enough, you will discover that He has a way of taking what looks little and using it to do something mighty. He specializes in turning weakness into victory and insufficiency into abundance. The story of Gideon in Judges 7 is one of those moments in Scripture when God takes the small things of this world and uses them to shame the mighty. It reminds us that when God is in it, the odds do not matter. When God is at work, the outcome is already secure.

That is the message of Judges 7. Gideon was already outnumbered. The Midianites, Amalekites, and their allies were spread across the valley like a swarm of locusts. Israel had been hiding in caves, trying to survive an enemy that stole every harvest. When God called Gideon, there was already a crisis. Yet God did something strange. He did not increase the army. He decreased it. He did not give Gideon more. He took more away. He did that so Israel would never confuse their ability with His authority. I am reminded of how God often leads His people into what seems like an impossible situation just to show that He alone is God. Sometimes the Lord will strip us of what we think we need in order to show us that all we really need is Him. That is what He did with Gideon. Gideon started with thirty-two thousand soldiers, but God said, “That’s too many.” Ten thousand sounded more reasonable, but God said again, “That’s still too many.” And by the time the Lord finished working, Gideon was left with only three hundred men, and yet, that was enough for God.

The truth that rises from this passage is simple but powerful: little becomes much when God is in it. Gideon’s story is not about a great general with a powerful army, it is about a great God who can use small people, weak people, and fearful people to accomplish His divine purpose. Gideon teaches us that sometimes God has to empty our hands before He can fill them. He has to weaken our confidence before He can strengthen our faith. He has to reduce us so that He can reveal Himself.

God revealing himself in our lives is what discipleship looks like. Jesus told us, “Without me ye can do nothing.” When we stop trusting in ourselves and start trusting in Him, miracles begin to happen. When we take our little, our little faith, our little strength, our little resources, and place them in the Master’s hand, He multiplies it for His glory. That is why this sermon is titled Little Is Much With God. Because every believer who has ever faced overwhelming odds, every church that has ever tried to do a big work with a small budget, every family that has ever tried to stand firm in a falling world, can testify that when you give your little to God, He will show you just how mighty He is.

I. Too Many Can Cause Self-Reliance - Do Not Rely On Yourself (Judges 7:1–4)

A. Panic (Judges 7:1-2)

Judges 7:1 KJV 1900

1 Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.

Judges 7 introduces the scene. “Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod.” The well of Harod is the spring of trembling. It is as if the Lord positions them at a place whose very name reminds them of their weakness. This is the same group of people who have hidden themselves in caves, and watched while the fruit of their labor has been snatched from them with little to no resistance.

On the north is the host of Midian, a massive force. Gideon has assembled 32,000 men. For Israel, that sounds encouraging. For any military advisor, that looks better than nothing. Yet to God, even 32,000 is too many.

B. Pride (Judges 7:2)

Judges 7:2 KJV 1900

2 And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.

Verse 2 is the theological key. “And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands.” We would have expected God to say, “You do not have enough.” God says the opposite. “You have too much.” Why? “Lest Israel vaunt (boast, or glorify) themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me” (Judges 7:2). The Lord knows His people. He knows our tendency to take credit. He knows that when the attendance grows, the budget rises, the business expands, the ministry is applauded, we are tempted to say, “Look what I did.” God is not willing to share the glory that belongs to Him. Isaiah 42:8 says, “I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another.” Psalm 115:1 declares, “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory.” God is jealous for His glory, not because He is insecure, but because His glory is the only safe place for His people.

C. Pruning(Judges 7:3) 

Judges 7:3

Judges 7:3 KJV 1900

3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.

So the Lord initiates a reduction. Verse 3 says, “Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return.” This was consistent with Deuteronomy 20:8 where the Lord said that the fainthearted could go home. God does not build victory on the backs of the fearful. Twenty-two thousand men walk away. Ten thousand remain. Imagine the shock on Gideon’s face. In one day, the church lost two-thirds of its membership. In one moment, the volunteer team dropped from 32,000 to 10,000. Yet God is not nervous. God is not saying, “What will we do now?” God is saying, “Now you will know that I did it.”

Theologically, this teaches us that self-reliance is an enemy of faith. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:7, “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” God keeps us in jars of clay so that nobody confuses the vessel with the victory. When God is trying to position you for supernatural results, He will take away the crutches that keep you from leaning on Him.

Explanation

God identified the pride problem. “Lest Israel vaunt themselves.” Pride tries to rob God.

God applied the fear principle. “Who is fearful, let him return.” Fear drains faith.

God initiated a holy reduction. Reduction is not punishment. Reduction is preparation.

Application This is for someone who thinks you cannot do the assignment because your team is small, your resources are few, or your strength is low. Sometimes small is strategic. Sometimes God allows people to walk away so you can walk with Him. Sometimes the Lord trims the branches so that the fruit can grow. Let us refuse self reliance. Let us repent of spiritual pride. Let us rejoice when God reminds us we are not the Savior.

Illustration A farmer once said, “I never really trusted the rope until I put all my weight on it.” As long as you are holding on to yourself, you are not holding on to God. Sometimes God kicks away the ladder so you will cling to Him.

KJV Cross References: Deuteronomy 20:8; Psalm 115:1; Isaiah 42:8; 2 Corinthians 4:7

II. Too Many Can Cause Strategic Reliance: Do Not Rely Upon Others (Judges 7:4–8)

A. Divine Selection (Judges 7:4)

Judges 7:4 KJV 1900

4 And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.

Gideon could have thought, “Well, at least I still have 10,000.” God says in verse 4, “The people are yet too many.” God sends them to the water for a second test. This was not a popularity test. This was a prudence test. God is about to show Gideon who is fit for the kind of battle God will fight. The Lord again shows His sovereignty by selecting those who would serve in the battle. God does the choosing, and the fighting. This shows that God is not working based upon man's standards but rather upon His divine perogatives. All that serve in the army of the Lord are here because it is God who does the choosing. We have found grace and favor in the eyes of the Lord, and it is He who has called us into this sacred work. 

Abraham was God's choice, not man's choice

Jacob was God's choice, not even his father's choice. 

Moses was God's choice, not man's choice

David was God's choice, not man's choice. 

Paul was God's choice, not the other Apostles' choice (Galatians 1:1). 

B. Diligent Selection (Judges 7:5-6)

Judges 7:5–6 KJV 1900

5 So he brought down the people unto the water: and the Lord said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. 6 And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.

Verse 5 says, “Everyone that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself. Likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.” Most of the men got down on their knees, put their faces to the water, and drank without vigilance. Three hundred men scooped the water with their hands. Verse 7 gives the surprise. “And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you.” God chose the few. He put the many aside. Why? Because sometimes we start trusting the size of the group, the brilliance of the plan, the donors on the list, the professionals in the room, instead of the God who sits high and looks low. After the number is whittled down, the men then take up their arms. Notice they did not use the typical weapons like swords, spears, and shields. They picked up trumpets. These were used to signal war and victory. God wanted them to be prepared for a battle that would be won by his power, and not theirs. That's why the believer's weapons are Spiritual to the tearing down of strongholds (2 Corinthians 10:4). 

This is not a call to throw away strategy. The Bible says in Proverbs 21:31, “The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the Lord.” We prepare, but God delivers. We plan, but God prevails. We build a team, but God gives the triumph. Strategic reliance happens when we secretly believe that if we could just get the right people in the room, the right partners on the contract, the right family to join the church, the right singer on the stage, then everything will work. God sometimes refuses to let us be helped by whom we want, so we will be helped only by Him.

The Lord separated the vigilant from the unvigilant because He wanted Gideon to stop counting on what he saw and to start counting on what God said. Verse 8 is so rich. “So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets.” They have food and trumpets. Not swords. Not chariots. Not missiles. Food and trumpets. God is setting the stage for a victory that cannot be explained by human means.

Explanation

God reshaped the team. Not every person can go to every level.

God reduced the number to remove the temptation to boast.

God retained control by choosing the instrument. God said, “By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you.”

Application Some of us need to stop grieving the ones who could not go with us. God saw something you did not see. God knew who would watch and who would sleep. God knew who would pray and who would play. God is not unfair when He removes people. He is putting you in a position where when the harvest comes, you will not turn and credit a helper instead of the Holy One. So trust God when He reshapes your team. Trust God when He retires a method. Trust God when He does not let you depend on the usual help.

Illustration It is like a coach who says before the game, “I am not taking everybody on this trip.” The ones who do not go think they were overlooked. The ones who do go think they were chosen. The truth is that the coach knows what kind of game it is going to be. God knows what kind of fight this is. He will pick your 300.

KJV Cross References: Proverbs 21:31, Psalm 33:16–18, 1 Samuel 14:6, Zechariah 4:6

III. Too Many Can Hinder Sovereign Reliance - Rely Upon God - (Judges 7:9–14)

A. Reassurance from God (Judges 7:9-10)

Now that Gideon is down to 300, God moves to strengthen his faith. Here is grace. God will reduce you, but He will also reassure you. Verse 9 says, “And it came to pass the same night, that the Lord said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host. For I have delivered it into thine hand.” Notice the verb. “I have delivered.” Past tense certainty. God speaks of tomorrow’s victory as today’s reality. That is sovereign reliance. We depend on a God who is not trying to win. He has already won.

Yet God also knows Gideon’s frame. Verse 10. “But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host.” God makes room for a trembling servant. God does not excuse fear, but He understands it. Psalm 103:14 says, “For he knoweth our frame.” God says, “If you are still nervous, take your servant and go listen.” 

B. Revelation from God (Judges 7:12-14)

Judges 7:12–14 KJV 1900

12 And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude. 13 And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along. 14 And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.

Gideon goes down and hears two Midianites talking. One man tells a dream. “Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian.” This is almost humorous. A barley loaf, a poor man’s bread, rolls into the camp and knocks down a tent. His companion interprets it in verse 14. “This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash.” God let Gideon hear the enemy testify to his own defeat.

Why did God do this? Because sovereign reliance is not blind optimism. It is faith that is fed by revelation. Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” When Gideon heard what God was doing in the enemy’s camp, verse 15 says, “He worshipped.” That is the turning point. God reduces. God reassures. Gideon responds with worship. Then he returns and says to his 300, “Arise, for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.”

Explanation

God spoke promise. “I have delivered it.”

God supplied confirmation. “If thou fear, go down and hear.”

God stirred worship. “He worshipped.”

God sent him to war. “Arise.”

Application This is how God grows us. He will strip us, then speak to us. He will decrease the numbers, then increase the word. He will take the money, then give you a promise. He will let a door close, then open Scripture. He will show you the weakness of the flesh, then show you the power of the Spirit. Our job is to turn revelation into adoration, and adoration into obedience.

The Victory Strategy (Judges 7:16–23)

Gideon divides the 300 into three companies. He puts a trumpet in every man’s hand, and empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers. This is a strange arsenal. No spears. No swords. No archers. Just trumpets, torches, and clay pots. Why? Because God wants the victory to preach that the power was not in the weapon, but in the word. At Gideon’s signal they blow the trumpets, break the pitchers, lift the lights, and shout, “The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon.” The Lord sets every man’s sword against his fellow. The enemy begins to destroy itself. Israel chases them out.

This is the picture. Clay must be broken so light can shine. Paul will later say, “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed” and “always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest.” When God breaks the vessel, it is not to waste you, it is to shine through you. When God gives you a trumpet, it is not to entertain, it is to declare war. When God gives you a torch, it is not to show off, it is to push back darkness.

KJV Cross References: Romans 10:17; Psalm 103:14; Exodus 14:13–14; 2 Chronicles 20:15; Hebrews 11:32–34

Closing Story

Let me tell you about a little country church that needed a new building. They had only a handful of members and very little money. Larger churches in the city said, “You all are sweet, but this cannot be done.” A deacon stood up and said, “Pastor, we may not have much, but we have God, and God has everything.” They prayed. They gave. They fasted. God moved on the heart of a businessman none of them knew. The businessman donated the land. A contractor offered labor at cost. Volunteers showed up. When they walked into that sanctuary for the first service, the pastor said, “Church, we did not do this. God did this.” Little is much with God.

Church, this is what I came to tell you. You do not need a crowd when you have Christ. You do not need the multitude when you have the Master. You do not need many when you have the Mighty God. You do not need man’s approval when you have God’s anointing. You do not need a sword in your hand when you have the word in your mouth. You do not need to see the way when you know the One who is the way.

Tell somebody, “Little is much with God.” When God is in it, your weakness is enough. When God is in it, your 300 is enough. When God is in it, your trumpet is enough. When God is in it, your broken vessel is enough. When God is in it, your late start is enough. When God is in it, your small church is enough. When God is in it, your tithing remnant is enough. When God is in it, your single mother faith is enough. When God is in it, your prayer group is enough.

Gospel Bridge to Calvary

But I cannot close talking about little becoming much without pointing to the One who is greater than Gideon. Israel needed a judge for a moment. We needed a Savior for eternity. God did something in salvation that looks just like Judges 7. He reduced, in order to redeem. He sent not an army, but a baby. Not a palace, but a manger. Not a general, but a carpenter. Not a sword, but a cross.

Isaiah said, “For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground.” That looked too little. Men said, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” That looked too little. Yet on a hill called Calvary, the Father said, “By this One man, by this seeming weakness, by this cross, I will save a number that no man can number.” It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.

Jesus took our place. He bore our sin. He shed His blood. He was buried. On the third day He rose with all power. That is the greatest proof that little is much with God. One cross. One Savior. One sacrifice. One empty tomb. And now millions have been forgiven. Millions have been adopted. Millions have been delivered.

So if you are here today and you feel small, come to Jesus. If you are weak, come to Jesus. If you are outnumbered, come to Jesus. If you are ready to stop relying on yourself and start relying on God, come to Jesus. He will take your little and turn it into much.