“Faint, Yet Pursuing”

Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing… —Judges 8:4

In 480 BC was the Battle of Thermopylae where 300 Spartan warriors fought against hundreds of thousands invading Persians. These 300 Spartans killed over 100,000 Persians before being defeated and killed themselves. They fought valiantly to the death. They never gave up… never quit fighting until they were dead. One of the laws of the Spartans was: “No Retreat. No Surrender.” This would be a good motto for all of us.

In our text there is another group of 300 warriors who fought valiantly and won the victory against similar odds. God raised up Gideon and his army of only 300 men went up against 135,000 Midianites (8:10). God was with Israel and Gideon’s 300 killed 120,000 of the enemy. A remnant of 15,000 Midianites escaped. Gideon and his 300 pursued them for about 30 miles across the Jordan River to Succoth (7:23, 25: 8:4, 5, 12).

They were weary… faint… fatigued… and exhausted—but they kept pressing on. They were committed, determined, and steadfast.

Strength is not measured in good times, but in the tough times. When the battles and trials of life wear us down is where our faith and determination is really put to the test. How you and I respond towards our responsibilities to serve God in during times of weariness will reveal the caliber of our Christian character. We have God’s promise that He will strengthen us for the task (Phil. 4:19).

When faint, will you keep pursuing… or give up the chase?