The Present Testing

by Sergio Valori

he story of Gideon and his band of 300 has to do with the Lord using a chosen group of people to accomplish His purpose. If our mentality is that of simply getting saved and going to heaven or that of enjoying God's blessings and provision, then we will not concern ourselves with the truths found in this story. But if we are conscious of being a people who are 'the called according to His purpose' (Ro.8:28), we will pay close attention to God's ways of dealing with us.

Although God is perfectly capable of handling everything by himself, He has chosen to use human instrumentality in fulfilling His ends. These human instruments will be thoroughly prepared and tested before they will be entrusted with God's work.

In this story, God moves to bring Gideon and a company of people into alignment with His plan and purpose. First is the apprehension of Gideon himself and the producing of faith in his heart. Then follows the selection of a people to work with him. When 32,000 responded to his message, God said that the people were too many, for they would be likely to credit themselves for the ensuing results. (God will not allow glory to be given to another.) Thus, Gideon's first message would test them. It was not a message inviting more to join them, but one exhorting the fearful to leave. 22,000 indicated they were fearful (overwhelmed by the task) and left the ranks.. God indicated that the remaining 10,000 were still too many and needed to be tested further. He said, "...bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there..."

The water could be a type of two things by which God is testing His people today. One is His word (Eph.5:26) God's word does not etertain nor merely bless, but it is a sharp, two-edged sword which cleanses and sanctifies. It will not allow the flesh in any way to be part of what He is doing. Those who cannot properly relate to such a word of sanctification and cleansing will disqualify themselves from God's purpose, for the instrument which God will use must be without spot or blemish, fit to be joined to the bridegroom and to rule with Him in His kingdom. (Eph.5:27; Rev. 19:14,15)

The water, a means of refreshing, could also be a type of God's blessings. All of us appreciate the Lord's blessings in our lives, both those necessary for sustaining life and those which refresh and restore. But blessings also become an avenue of testing. When Gideon's 10,000 came to the water, most of them fell on their knees and drank with their faces in the water, while 300 took water with their hands and lapped it up. What happened here resulted in 300 being chosen for God's purpose and 9700 becoming disqualified. What was the difference between these two groups?

Since the scripture does not specifically give the criteria used in the testing, we can only suggest some possibilities. Obviously, the difference was in how they handled the drinking of the water, or how they performed in a time of refreshing. It seems that the 300 kept this time of refreshing within the context of God's overall purpose. It was but a step for them and not an ultimate experience. They reached for the water with their hands and lapped carefully while remaining vigilant and conscious of a greater purpose. In so doing, they manifested a discipline which would be extremely vital in the sensitive operation of defeating the Midianites. The others seemed to gorge themselves in the water, losing a sense of restraint and perhaps even a sense of mission. An improper focus on the blessings of God can inebriate the soul and make us vulnerable to other perils.

Many today are handling the Lord's blessings and times of refreshing as though they had arrived at an ultimate in their experience. To some, the ultimate purpose in a meeting is to be blessed, to feel good, or to indulge in some form of supernatural experience which can bring relief from problems or pressures. To many, the church service today has become like a 'water hole', where they can get rid of stress and tension and simply 'forget it all'. A state of 'drunkenness' is beginning to emerge in many circles today, characterized by undisciplined emotion, screaming, jerking of the body, rolling on the floor, etc. We believe that much of this is not of God, but is a subtle satanic invasion to divert God's church from the path of His purposes. Something is wrong when fleshly and soulish indulgences replace the ministry of the word as the main objective in our gatherings. We can accept that there may be certain genuine and pure visitations to refresh and strengthen God's people, but, they too, can become a snare if not kept within the context of God's purposes.

Many in recent years have given mental assent to the progression of experience for the church as seen in both the tabernacle of Moses and the feasts of Israel. But what is our experiential reality? Are we really moving toward the Holy of Holies in experience, or are we returning to a repetition of the blessings of the outer court and the Holy Place? True progression toward the Holy of Holies will bring a sense of awe and sobriety and not an atmosphere of reveling. Likewise, a true progression toward a spiritual Feast of Tabernacles will bring us into a season of deep repentance, as signified by the blowing of trumpets, and not the light and frivolous dimension that characterizes much of the church today.

Beloved, we, the church are called to maturity, to purification, to express the manifold wisdom of God to the enemy, and to rule and reign with Christ. Let us give proper place to His sanctifying word and let us be careful how we relate to supernatural manifestations. Counterfeit experiences and manifestations must be discerned and judged, while the real must be appropriated into our lives without losing our sense of greater purpose.

It may very well be the time of final testing.