Claiming Glory For Ourselves

Most of us have heard about the story of Gideon and how God told him to cut down his army to 300 men before attacking the Midianites. It was very unusual for this strategy to be employed in battle. Usually, we would think the largest army has the advantage in a battle. That is not the case with the Lord. He can save by many or by a few.

However, it is the reason for the cut back that is so significant. God knew the hearts of the Israelites. He knew that if they had a large army, they would claim glory for themselves. They would say that they won the battle by their own power and not by God's blessing.(Judges 7:2) This is a terrible sin, as the Bible points out. Each time we claim glory for ourselves, we are "against God." It is as though we are competing with God, and we claim to have done better than He did. This type of pride is blasphemous to say the least.

Without God we can do nothing, so to claim any glory for ourselves is to rob Him of the glory He deserves. We must not claim glory, but give it all to Him in every situation of life. Then, He can and will give us great victories like the one He gave Gideon and the 300 man army.

Tomorrow, I intend to read Judges 9-11.