Impossible Victories

by Robert Melloni, President, Mimco Equipment, LLC  www.mimco.com

Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the well of Harod, so that the camp of the Midianites was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley. And the LORD said to Gideon, "The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, 'My own hand has saved me.'  "Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, 'Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.'" And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained. 

But the LORD said to Gideon, "The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, 'This one shall go with you,' the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, 'This one shall not go with you,' the same shall not go." 

So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, "Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink."  And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water. 

Then the LORD said to Gideon, "By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place."                                                                                                Judges 7:1-7 NKJV

As a member of C12 for the past two years, I have enjoyed working with a talented group of men and women who are building businesses to respond to the needs of their customers in a manner that glorifies God.  Occasionally I will arrive early to our monthly meetings and watch as each person arrives.  There is nothing that marks them as special. Don’t misunderstand me.  They are smart, kind, witty and generous.  They are accomplished in their fields and dedicated to their faith, families and firms. They are quite uncommon and very special, but from the outside these characteristics are not easily discerned.  They appear much like everyone else. If you ran into any one of them at the movies, the mall, the airport, or a ball game I doubt that they would warrant a second glance.  

In many respects the members of C12, here in Pennsylvania and all around the country, remind me of another group, who from the outside, seemed to be just a random collection of people no different from their peers.  The Bible tells us, long ago in the time of the Judges, that Israel was plagued by a marauding hoard because of their idolatry.  One hundred thirty-five thousand Midianites overwhelmed the people of God. They swooped down into Israel during the harvest and stole the crops and herds of the people, leaving them in poverty.  The people, who hadn’t the strength to repel these invaders, cried out in desperation. God, in His mercy, responded and called a man named Gideon to deliver Israel from their oppressor.

Most commentaries on this story focus on the hero. Please allow me to shift your gaze off Gideon and onto that tiny band that followed him into battle. Scripture indicates that Gideon had an army of about thirty-two thousand men.  God said that they were too many, so He had Gideon send home those who were fearful. Twenty-two thousand left and only ten thousand remained.  That was still too many for God.  God pared the army down more, by selecting only those men who lapped at the water as they drank. Only three hundred remained. The odds that began at four to one in favor of the Midianites were now four hundred fifty to one. Gideon was understandably nervous. To encourage him, God allows Gideon to overhear a conversation in the Midianite camp predicting his victory.  Spurred on by this revelation Gideon readies his men for battle.

Imagine this meeting. Gideon, in the center of his men, begins, “Listen up guys. Here’s what we’re going to do. We split into three groups and attack at night.” The guys nod thinking this is a good start. A commando style raid, under the cover of darkness from multiple directions will disorient the enemy; so far so good. Gideon continues, “Each man take a clay pot, a torch and a trumpet.” The men interrupt saying, “You win battles with swords and spears not with torches and trumpets?” Gideon ignores their discouraging words and puzzled looks and continues to lay out the plan, “We will circle their camp and on my signal break the clay pot that conceals your lit torch, blow your trumpet and shout.” The men exclaim, “Are you crazy?  Give away our position with a lighted torch. Blow a trumpet to get the Midianites attention and shout so they can’t possibly miss us. Gideon you can’t be serious?” Gideon looks into their frightened eyes and says, “Guys don’t be afraid. This is going to work. You see this is not my plan it’s God’s.”  At the mention of the Lord’s name the men quiet down. They look at Gideon. Their eyes search his face. They find no doubt or deceit there. They think, “How can we overcome four hundred fifty to one odds with this foolish plan?” We should all run away.  But, nobody takes a step or makes a sound.  In the quiet each man thinks, “Can this really be God’s plan?” 

Now, the scriptures don’t give us much information about these men. We don’t know their names. There is no description of their heritage or their physical stature.  Are they weak or strong, farmers or shepherds? Have they ever even been in a battle before? We learn nothing of them prior to this night that distinguishes them from anyone else in Israel.  But, there they were, standing quietly around Gideon, not sure what to do. Gideon reassures them that God is with them and deep down they know it’s true. They believed and this faithful few went out to the battle.

At our monthly C12 meetings part of the day is spent reviewing ways to improve our businesses. We study cash flow and marketing techniques.  We do SWOT analysis and track key performance indicators. We set goals and track our progress. But, each month we are also encouraged to do something more, something different from our competitors in the marketplace. We imagine our businesses as more than commercial enterprises; as platforms from which to win the world for Christ.  We are called to shatter the clay vessels which conceal the light of the gospel from our customers, suppliers and employees. We are told to blow a trumpet and draw the world’s attention to this light and to shout about the salvation from sin through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

When confronted with this challenge I thought, is there a place for my faith in my business? What would my customer’s think if I openly displayed my Christianity? Would they leave me for my competition? What about my employees? Would they think I had lost my mind?  Every C12 business owner wrestles with these questions. But we, like Gideon’s men, knew that this concept was not merely C12’s plan for our businesses, but God’s.

You know the rest of the story of Gideon and his men. They break their clay pots and the light goes forth, they blow the trumpet and shout, “the sword of the Lord and the sword of Gideon” and at that moment the Lord causes the Midianites to turn on each other. The great army in confusion and panic is routed by Gideon’s three hundred and God receives all the glory because nobody, including Gideon and his men, could take credit for their impossible victory.

What will God do with a small number of businessmen and women committed to following His principles in the marketplace?  What can we expect from this modern day faithful few? I believe that the outcome will be the same and God will receive all the glory for these new impossible victories.