Logic puzzles are always easy, once you know the answer. The story of Gideon is a case in point. At the time, few in Israel understood why he was doing what he was doing. However, now, thousands of years later, scholars are comfortable explaining the logic behind his actions. I admit that they offer a reasonable sounding exclamation for what Gideon did.

They will tell us that sending away 22,000 men made sense because they were the men who were most afraid. They say that fear is contagious, and that by sending them away Gideon was protecting his army from fear. They say that if he had not sent them away his army may have run away in fear when they faced the enemy. They ignore the truth that God was with them, and if God could win the victory with 300 he could’ve won the victory with thousands more. Gideon said he sent them away because God told him to. God said He was not going to allow Israel to claim God’s victory for their own.

The scholars tell us that only 300 men out of the 10,000 were alert enough to drink from cupped hands while still being aware of what was happening around them. Beyond a doubt those 300 men were more alert and better prepared for combat than the other 9700. However, that ignores the fact that even in today’s modern army we don’t send home everybody but our special forces. In a normal and logical conflict, Gideon’s 300 men would have been massacred.

Scholars try to explain what happened when Gideon and his 300 men blew the trumpets and raise the torches. They tell us that the enemy was tricked into believing they were surrounded and totally outnumbered. They ignore the fact that under normal circumstances the Midianites would’ve attacked those holding the torches. Instead, Scripture says the Lord caused them to attack each other.

Logic can explain when God works in logical ways. However, logic is insufficient when God works in mysterious ways.