Thousands are too many — take only 300
What is impossible for man is possible for God
By Lou Occhi
The readings from Judges and the Gospel are about following the call of the Lord despite seemingly impossible odds. With a bit of Divine intervention, Gideon drove out thousands of Midians with three hundred soldiers, and the apostles and a relatively small band of followers managed to spread Christianity throughout the world.
Tuesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
Judges 6:11-24a
Matthew 19:23-30
Today’s first reading comes from the book of Judges in the Old Testament. We think of people like Clarence Thomas and Sonia Sotomayor as judges. The book of Judges has nothing to do with anything like our judges. The title is a literal translation of a Hebrew word that refers to leaders.
The author of the book of Judges relates the story of the Israelites from the death of Joshua up to the kingship of Saul, roughly 1398-1050 BC. During the time of the Judges, the Israelites repeated a cycle of sin, oppression, deliverance, and relapse.
The book is divided into three principal divisions:
The situation in Canaan after the conquest by the Israelites. Despite Israel’s conquest of the Canaanites, there were still pockets occupied by the indigenous people.
Stories of the thirteen judges, the largest part of the book, covers six major judges and six minor judges. The major judges were Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson. The minor judges were Shamgar, Tola, Jair, Ibzan, Elon (not Musk), and Abdon. Abimelech was the thirteenth judge whose role was deemed deplorable. Samuel, not mentioned in this book, was the fourteenth judge. As you would imagine, the major judges had much more written about them.
The last few chapters tell the stories of the tribes of Dan and Benjamin.
In today’s first reading, God calls Gideon, the son of Joash. During the time of Gideon, the Israelites reverted to worshipping Baal and Asherah, a wooden Canaanite fertility goddess. Because of their infidelity, God delivered them into the hands of the Midians for seven years (Jgs 6:1). The Midianites were camel nomads who would raid settled people like the Israelites. For seven years, the Midians drove the Israelites into poverty. When the Israelites would plant crops, the Midians would lay waste to the fields. The Israelites had no sheep, oxen, or donkeys. In desperation, the Israelites cried out to the Lord.
The Lord heard their cries and sent them a prophet who reminded them that the Lord delivered them out of slavery in Egypt, and gave them their Land. Despite this, they forsook all the Lord had done for them.
While Gideon was beating out grain in a wine press, an angel of the Lord appeared to him. The angel told him, “Go with the strength you have and save the Israelites from the power of the Midianites. It is I who sends you.” Gideon asked for a sign from the Lord to confirm the task he was asked to accomplish. Gideon told the angel to stay there while he prepared an offering to the Lord.
The angel, in a tremendous display of patience, waited until Gideon returned with the meat of a kid, unleavened cakes, and broth. The angel instructed Gideon to put the cakes and meat on a rock. The angel touched the meat and cakes with the tip of his staff. Immediately, flames burst forth from the rock and consumed the meat and cakes. The angel then disappeared. Then the Lord tells Gideon, “Be calm, do not fear. You shall not die.”
Gideon built an altar to the Lord called Yahweh-shalom, which translates to the word of the Lord. He then smashed the altar to Baal and made splinters out of the wooden image of Asherah. Unhindered by oppressors, Gideon assembled an army of thousands to drive out the Midianites.
However, the Lord said Gideon’s army was too large and to send some of them home. After sending thousands home, the army was still too large, so he sent home more. This continued until there were only three hundred men left. Without going into a lot of detail, with only the three hundred men, Gideon drove the Midians out.
In the Gospel, the apostles and followers of Jesus were chosen by the Lord to accomplish an impossible task: to spread the word of God throughout the world. We hear that Jesus told His apostles it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God. The apostles were stunned. If this is the case, how could anyone be saved? Jesus replied that what is impossible for man is possible for God.
Both the reading from Judges and the Gospel are about following the call of the Lord despite seemingly impossible odds. With a bit of Divine intervention, Gideon drove out thousands of Midians with three hundred soldiers, and the apostles and a relatively small band of followers managed to spread Christianity throughout the world.
It’s interesting how similar we are to our predecessors from thousands of years ago. Recall the Israelites' cycle of sin, oppression, deliverance, and relapse. Doesn’t that seem familiar to us? Have we not seen some of that in the past century? In particular, I think of the rise and fall of communism in various countries. One country stands out to me — Russia.
Before the rise of communism, the Russian Orthodox Church was robust and influential. A very small group of communist men led by Lenin started the revolution. After the overthrow of the government, religion became a target. Gradually, the country went into ruin. Eventually, Putin became president. From what I read in the news, he is a thug and murderer. However, he has done wonders in restoring the economy of Russia and, especially, the Orthodox Church.
Not only are countries like the historical Israelites, so are we as individuals. We are just like Gideon and the followers of Jesus, called to perform a mission. It may not be quite as dramatic as Gideon or the early followers of Jesus, but it is still essential in God’s eyes. Whatever our station in life may be, it is for a reason.
Our short life is precisely as God intended it to be. When we keep God at the center of our lives, love our neighbors, and do our best in every endeavor, we are on the right track. It’s up to us what we do with the life we are given. Important in both readings is a steadfast devotion to God and understanding the consequences of turning away from Him.
Dear Lou,
Thank you for the researched information, explanation, context and better understanding of Judges and Gideon.
Enjoyed seeing you and Jill yesterday. It is awful I wasn't able to join you for lunch! The effort of the ministry fair was a bust...people just didn't come over. So, the 20% just keep doing. Looking forward to the tiramisu (finally learning how to spell it)!
Joanne