The Chosen Few

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 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. 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. And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place. So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley. (Judges 7:3-8)

God chooses those who are not fearful and not afraid. God wanted someone who is willing to deny himself and to follow Him (Matthew 16:24). We see Moses’ fearlesness, by refusing to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, he chose to suffer affliction with the people of God, he forsook Egypt and did not take note of the wrath of the king for he set his faith to God (Hebrews 11:24-27). Elijah showed his fearlessness by readily following God. He followed God’s commandment when he was instructed to go by the brook Cherith; there, according to God’s commandments, he was feed by the ravens and he drank at the brook (1 Kings 17:2-6). He then was instructed to go to Zeraphath and there he was sustained by a widow (1 Kings 8:10). He faced four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal with the intention of proving how powerful his God is (1 Kings 18:20-39). In these instances, Elijah feared nothing, not thinking of his food and not even thinking of his safety for he knows and he believed that God is with him and that he will deliver him. Now in the second pace of the selection we can see that God chooses those who will think of service for God more than their own refreshing. God said, “And the LORD said unto Gideon, by the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place” (Judges 7:7). These three hundred men showed hardness and could endure long fatigue without complaining first of thirst or weariness; they could have refreshed themselves more by drinking but because they chose to serve God they stand on guard and did not think much of themselves. Moses and Elijah thought of serving God more than serving their own selves.

For many are called, but few are chosen (Matthew 22:14). Many are called but only a few deserve to stay; and these few are those who are very much willing to deny themselves, these are those who remain fearless and unafraid in following God, these are those who follow God with their crosses carried on their backs from day to day, these are those who are willing to lose their lives in serving God (Matthew 16:24-25). The chosen 300 are those who defeated the Midianites, and these chosen 300 are those who are not fearful and unafraid and they are those who are excited to serve God. God does not rely on numbers rather He rely much on the worthiness of the chosen few.