Fewer is more
Judges Chapters 7 and 8 Read it here
After the Midianites and their allies cross over the Jordan, threatening Israel, Gideon takes the fight to them rather than waiting for an attack.
After he gathers his fighting force of 32,000, though, God challenges him, saying there are too many in his army. “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’”
Gideon announces that anyone who is fearful may turn back, and 22,000 do. That leaves a fighting force of 10,000.
God says that even that is too many, and so winnows the army even more with a test.
Gideon is to take the men down to the water to drink.
Those who kneel down to drink will be sent home. Those who scoop up water in their hands and lap it like dogs are to remain and fight. This possibly reveals that they have either the instinct or the training to stay standing, ready for battle, even when given an opportunity to have a short break.
After this test, only 300 are left to fight an army that we are later told consists of about 135,000 men (8:10).
As expected, they carry the day.
We might have thought that going up against an army more than four times its size would have been enough to make the Israelites turn back, but instead God wanted the odds to be even worse so that it would be clear that he, not the army, won the victory.
Through the two rounds of reductions, though, God ensured that only the bravest and the best prepared would enter the fight.
We often think that victory lies in numbers, but God does math differently.