Topical Bible: Protection of God Is: Often Afforded Through Means Inadequate in Themselves

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The concept of God's protection is a recurring theme throughout the Bible, illustrating how divine intervention often utilizes seemingly inadequate means to achieve His purposes. This principle underscores the sovereignty and omnipotence of God, who can use the weak and the humble to confound the mighty.

David and Goliath

One of the most iconic examples of God's protection through inadequate means is the account of David and Goliath. In 1 Samuel 17, David, a young shepherd boy, faces the giant warrior Goliath with nothing but a sling and five smooth stones. Despite the apparent inadequacy of his weapons, David declares, "The battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands" (1 Samuel 17:47). Through faith and divine empowerment, David defeats Goliath, demonstrating that God's protection does not rely on human strength or conventional weaponry.

Gideon's Army

In Judges 7, God reduces Gideon's army from 32,000 men to just 300 to deliver Israel from the Midianites. The Lord tells Gideon, "The people with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel boast against Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me’" (Judges 7:2). By using a small, seemingly inadequate force, God ensures that the victory is attributed to His power, not human might.

The Walls of Jericho

The fall of Jericho in Joshua 6 is another instance where God's protection and deliverance come through unconventional means. The Israelites are instructed to march around the city for seven days, and on the seventh day, to blow trumpets and shout. The walls of Jericho collapse, not through military siege or assault, but through obedience to God's command. This miraculous event highlights that God's methods often defy human logic and strength.

Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath

In 1 Kings 17, during a severe famine, God provides for the prophet Elijah through a widow in Zarephath. Despite her meager resources, God multiplies her supply of flour and oil, sustaining Elijah, the widow, and her son. This account illustrates how God can use the seemingly inadequate resources of a poor widow to provide protection and sustenance.

The Feeding of the Five Thousand

In the New Testament, Jesus feeds five thousand men, plus women and children, with only five loaves and two fish (Matthew 14:13-21). This miracle demonstrates that God's provision and protection can manifest through the most modest means. Jesus' blessing and breaking of the loaves result in an abundance that satisfies the multitude, emphasizing that divine power transcends human limitations.

Paul's Thorn in the Flesh

The Apostle Paul speaks of a "thorn in the flesh" in 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, which he describes as a weakness through which God's power is made perfect. Paul writes, "But He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness'" (2 Corinthians 12:9). This passage reveals that God's protection and strength are often displayed through human frailty, ensuring that the glory belongs to Him alone.

Conclusion

Throughout Scripture, God's protection is frequently afforded through means that appear inadequate by human standards. These accounts serve to remind believers of the divine principle that God's ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9) and that His strength is made perfect in weakness. By using the humble, the weak, and the insufficient, God demonstrates His sovereignty and ensures that His glory is revealed in the deliverance of His people.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Judges 7:7
And the LORD said to Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand: and let all the other people go every man to his place.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Samuel 17:45,50
Then said David to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

2 Chronicles 14:11
And Asa cried to the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with you to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on you, and in your name we go against this multitude. O LORD, you are our God; let no man prevail against you.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Second Continental Journey.
... The love of God was felt among us, and the ... almost to ask an assurance of protection,
but received ... exercised about spiritual worship, and had often wished to ...
/.../chapter ix the second continental.htm

The Persecutions of the Church.
... givers, unless they are contentious; but God is not ... name of heretics were unworthy
the protection of the laws ... of the New Testament, has often spread desolation ...
/.../killen/the ancient church/chapter ii the persecutions of.htm

The Gods of Egypt
... LUNAR BARK, SELF-PROPELLED, UNDER THE PROTECTION OF THE ... which is the first to rise,
often before nightfall ... in the morning it became Tiunutiri, the god who hails ...
/.../chapter ii the gods of egypt.htm

The General Conference of 1840
... to masters and servants, have been as often changed or ... dear brethren, we commend
you to the protection and mercies of the only wise God, our Saviour ...
/.../chapter 15 the general conference.htm

From the Close of the General Conference of 1820 to the Beginning ...
... how often are all human expectations blasted! ... in their hands, and learning to read
the book of God. ... In Surry county, in Virginia, through the agency of camp ...
/.../chapter 6 from the close.htm

Seances Historiques De Geneve --The National Church.
... true and supernaturally communicated speculation concerning God, rather than ... It has
often been made matter of ... amusements, were under the protection of Divinity ...
/.../seances historiques de genevethe national.htm

The Seven Trumpets.
... and provision was made for their protection, in the ... the earth with every plague,
as often as they ... congratulated themselves that the terrors of God's word, and ...
/.../bliss/a brief commentary on the apocalypse/the seven trumpets.htm

The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
... to leave their usual haunts, a few days or often a few ... of the people of Shechem,
who celebrated under his protection the feast ... Baalzebub was the god of Ekron ...
/.../chapter iiithe hebrews and the.htm

The First Theban Empire
... of Derr [Kubban?"Ed.], which was often rebuilt, dates in ... a temple dedicated to the
Theban god Amon and ... which the Nile passes at Semneh, afforded another most ...
/.../chapter iiithe first theban empire.htm

The First Chaldaean Empire and the Hyksos in Egypt
... all independent of each other, but often united under the ... Ishtar, or Nana, as the
eponymous god of the ... by the Babylonians, who claimed the protection of these ...
/.../chapter ithe first chaldaean empire.htm