Homilist Judges 7:9-14 And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said to him, Arise, get you down to the host; for I have delivered it into your hand.… 1. A great end reached by most insignificant instrumentality. 2. The influence it had upon the mind of Gideon. I. AN ARGUMENT FOR SPECIAL PROVIDENCE. The little and the great are not only inseparable parts of a whole, but what is called the little sometimes creates and sometimes destroys the great. II. A LESSON FOR OUR EVERYDAY LIFE. 1. Despise not things of humble aspect. To do so is — (1) Unmanly; (2) unrighteous; (3) unwise.Give the acorn time, and it shall become a forest, and cover oceans with the fleets of nations; give the little rill, starting from the solitude of the hills, time, and it shall become a river bearing on its bosom the wealth of kingdoms. 2. Cultivate an appreciation of the little. The observation of little events has done wonders before now. The fall of an apple unfolded the true theory of the material universe. The rushing of a little steam from a kettle led to the introduction of that steam power which has already almost changed the face of the world. A feather shows how the wind blows, and an insignificant event may indicate the direction of an eternal law. Mark little tendencies of character; small wishes and preferences may often throw a flood of light upon your spiritual history. Respect little virtues. Shun little sins. 3. Recognise God's presence in the minute as well as the vast. (Homilist.) Parallel Verses KJV: And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand. |
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