In the book of Judges we learned how, “the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, My own hand has saved me. 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. And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for you there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto you, This shall go with you, the same shall go with you; and of whomsoever I say unto you, This shall not go with you, the same shall not go. So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that laps of the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, him shall you set by himself; likewise every one that bows down upon his knees to drink”, and in chapter seven and verse six of Judges, we learn how, “the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men” where we read,
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.
The verse reads, “And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men:” The writer began with the words, “and the number of them that lapped” which means “and the tale and count pertaining to the people who licked the water like a dog”, “putting their hand to their mouth” or “raising their physical hand toward the orifice in their face used for eating, drinking and speaking”, “were three hundred men” which means “existed as three hundred male human beings”. The writer shared how the count of the men who licked water like dogs by raising their physical hands to their “mouths” was “three hundred” of them.
The verse continues, “but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.” The writer added the words, “but all the rest of the people” which means “however, nonetheless, notwithstanding and moreover each, the whole and every one of the remainder pertaining to the human beings” “bowed down upon their knees to drink water” or “bent and prostrated themselves on the knees of their legs to imbibe of the flowing water”. The writer shared how the remainder of the people who accompanied “Gideon” bent their physical “knees” to imbibe flowing water.
When we mediate upon the words in this verse, we learn how there were only “three hundred” men who licked up the water by raising their physical hands to their “mouths”. All the left over people bent their “knees” to drink. God chose these “three hundred” men to come alongside “Gideon” to deliver Israel from the power of the Midianites”. God also chose His Son Jesus to die on the cross for the sins of all mankind and to be raised from the dead after three days, and when we yield to Him as our personal “Savior and Lord”, He will forgive our sins, grant us everlasting life and put His Holy Spirit within us to guide us into all truth and empower us to live according to that truth so we will be among the ones chosen to serve in His Kingdom. (See John 3:16; 16:13; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:37)
Next time we learn how, “the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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