December 13

2 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me

3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ear of the people, saying, Whosoever it fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gideon. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand

4 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet for many; bring them down up to 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

5 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 shall thou set by himself, likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.

6 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.

7 And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the

three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into their hand; and let all the other people go every man unto his place

8 So the people look victuals in their hand, and their trumpets; and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his feet, and retained those three hundred men; and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.

19 So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch, and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands

20 And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to his a watch; and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.

21 And they stood every man in his place round about the camp; and all the host ran, and cried, and fled

22 And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man's sword against his fellow, even through so all the host; and

(649)

the host fled to Beth-shuhah in Zereth, and to the border of Abel-meholah, unto Tabbath. 23 And the men of Israel gathered them.

selves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites.

This is the moral of Gideon's story: that God wants to rule over us only that He may save us; or, to put it in another way, God wants us to know that it is He who has saved us, and that he will go on serving and saving us to the end. The lesson taught by the three hundred is the necessity of selfcontrol.

"The battle was to be won against overwhelming numbers. The Lord needed men in whom spirit should be dominant, who could control the flesh in habitual and iron control. Faint with their long march, the great body of men flung themselves on the ground, forgetful alike of toil and pain, and glorious enterprise, in the cool draught which for the moment was exquisite delight. Three hundred men stood up above the prostrate throng. They stooped for a moment and lapped the few needful drops from the hollow of their hands; and then stood prompt to pursue their way. The eye of God marked them—'Set these men apart; these three hundred are strong enough for the stress of the battle, and great enough to wear the honors of the victory.'—J. Baldwin Brown.

Our counsel is, hold yourselves well in hand. Sip the water or the wine of life, like the three hundred. Do not fling yourselves on your knees to it, and drink as if your only business in life was to get your fill of pleasure or of gain. Keep your knee for God alone. Kneel to God, and it will cure you of all other kneeling.

Closet Promise.—Ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight; for the Lord will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rearward. —Isa. lii. 12.

In whatever you are called upon to do, endeavor to maintain a calm, collected, and prayerful state of mind. Self-recollection is of great importance. "It is good for a man to quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord." He who is in what may be called a spiritual hurry, or rather who runs without having evidence of being spiritually sent, makes haste to no purpose.—T. C. Upham.