Judges, Chapter 7,
Verse 3
So announce in the hearing of the soldiers,
“If anyone is afraid or fearful, let him leave! Let him depart from Mount Gilead!” Twenty-two
thousand of the soldiers left, but ten thousand remained.
Fear! Those who are
fearful are ruled by their emotions. Gideon knew this emotion well for he was a
man afraid. What changed him? It was God! God had changed his fear into hope
and love for the reign of God. God had changed his unbelief into resolute iron
will.
Saint John Paul II was a
sword of Gideon; he reminded us that we too must be unafraid that we must be
bold and remember that Gideon did not defeat the Midianites with the sword but with
fear.
Gideon needed to lead a night attack against the
Midianites and Amalekites. His plan was to have every soldier carry a trumpet
and a torch, the latter inside a clay pot, and blow the trumpet and reveal the
torch upon command. The racket and the sudden appearance of hundreds of torches
would doubtlessly panic the enemy troops, who would have no idea as to how many
enemies had come out of nowhere. A night attack, however, involves considerable
risk. Even today, only the most skilled soldiers are willing to undertake such
a mission. A lot of things can go wrong, and it is very easy to mistake friend
for foe in the darkness. There is a good chance of shooting or, in ancient
times, stabbing one’s own people unless the operation goes perfectly. Any
premature action or loud noise can allow the enemy to draw up his soldiers into
formations that can repel an attack. If, for example, one of Gideon’s men
dropped his pot by accident during the approach to the enemy camp, the exposed
torch would have told the enemy sentries that something was amiss. The job was
clearly not one for amateurs, or people who lacked commitment.
The first step was therefore to send away the more than
two-thirds of Gideon’s army that was hesitant to fight the enemy. This made
eminent sense because fear might easily result in the kind of false move—and it
would take only one—that would ruin the operation. Ten thousand soldiers were
still, however, ten thousand opportunities for something to go wrong. It wasn’t
enough that they were committed and willing to fight; they also had to have the
discipline and training necessary to participate in a night attack. As Judges
7.4 through 7.7 continues: “And the Lord said unto Gideon, The people are yet
too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there:
and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the
same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go
with thee, the same shall not go.
“So he brought down the people unto the water: and the
Lord said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as
a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth
down upon his knees to drink.[1]
Now those who did not drink like dogs what
do you suppose they had in their other hand. Their weapons! They were ready for the
battle at any moment. God needs stout hearted men and women. Are you ready?
Heed the words of Saint John Paul
the Great:
"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (12:21).
Evil
is never defeated by evil; once that road is taken, rather than defeating evil, one will instead be defeated by evil.
Peace is the outcome of a long and demanding battle which is only won
when evil is defeated by good. Flee
what is evil and hold fast to what is good (cf. Rom 12:9). Peace
is a good to be promoted with good: it is a good for individuals, for
families, for nations and for all humanity; yet it is one which needs to be
maintained and fostered by decisions and actions inspired by good. "Repay
no one evil for evil" (Rom 12:17). The one way out of the
vicious circle of requiting evil for evil is "Do not be overcome by
evil, but overcome evil with good" (Rom 12:21). At its deepest
level, evil is a tragic rejection of the demands of love(1).
Moral good, on the other hand, is born of love, shows itself as love and is
directed towards love. All this is particularly evident to Christians, who know
that their membership in the one mystical Body of Christ sets them in a
particular relationship not only with the Lord but also with their brothers and
sisters. The inner logic of Christian love, which in the Gospel is the living
source of moral goodness, leads even to the love of one's enemies: "If
your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to
drink" (Rom 12:20).[2]
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