Gideon's Army GOD'S Illustration Of HIS Qualities

The story of Gideon is an illustration of how God seeks his qualities within us and is not concerned with us just as numbers or statistics.

Gideon was about to face the enemy and he had an army of 32,000 soldiers. But the Lord said to Gideon, "You have too many-let all who are afraid go back."

So Gideon gave the word to the troops, and 22,000 of those men turned back.

Then the Lord said to Gideon again, "There are still too many. I can see those among you who are not prepared for what we are going to do. You will never be able to make Israelite soldiers of them."
 
I presume that there are few preachers among us on the top side of this terrestrial ball who would have turned down those 22,000, but God was putting the emphasis on quality, on those who would cooperate in the performance of the will of God. 

Then Gideon took the 10,000 men to the river and tested them as God had directed and when this sifting was all done, Gideon had an army of 300 men.

God seeks out those who are willing that their lives should be fashioned according to His own grace and love.

He sifts out those who cannot see God's purpose and design for our blessing.

~A. W. Tozer~