| “He [Gideon] returned to the camp of Israel and called out, ’Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.’ Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside.” |
| —Judges 7:15-16 |
Ordinary clay pots! So much for modern warfare and a slick master attack plan! According to Judges 7:12, the Israelite army of three hundred must have looked puny and weak to the Midianites, Amalekites, and all the other Eastern peoples who had settled in the valley below “as thick as locusts.”
Yet, the Unseen Captain of the Israelite army had commanded that Gideon place jars with torches inside as the only weaponry they would carry against their enemies. At a signal from the trumpets, every man was to shout and smash his clay pot.
Apparently, this tactic issued by God effectively won the Israelites the battle that day. In Judges 7:22-25, we read that the sudden sound and light threw the Midianite army into fear and chaos in such a way that they turned on each other and fled.
Paul the apostle, in 2 Corinthians 4:7 compares those of us who carry the torch of Christ’s light as jars of clay:
But we have this treasure [the glory of God] in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.
It seems that God would rather use a broken pot to show forth His glory than a sophisticated spot light.
Maybe you feel that your life has become broken through your own sinful mistakes, others’ deeds against you, or unfortunate circumstances. Do you fear that you have become so broken that God can never use you for His special purposes again?
Take heed to the story of Gideon and His powerful Champion in the fight. This same Champion, the Lord Jesus, who indwells you through His Holy Spirit, has a powerful usefulness for you.
In a mysterious, supernatural alchemy of God’s love and wisdom, He elects to purposefully use those who have become broken to carry His light. He uses the cracks and holes in the broken clay of our lives for His marvelous light to shine through.
Let us be encouraged today that God has a plan to use you in new ways to carry His light to others. Praise Him for His powerful creativity in our behalf!
