A Sunday School lesson

Apologies for the lapse over the weekend.  Went with the youth of our church group to a conference over the weekend and they wiped me out!  I prepared this for a Sunday School class a while back.  Thought I'd unload it here to let it work in your life. 

Call this one, "Math".  Remember that this was written in the context of a Sunday School class and for that audience. 
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How many righteous people does it take to put the wicked to flight?
How many righteous people does it take to hold back God’s wrath?

Leviticus 26:3-12
3. ‘If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them,
4. then I will give you rain in its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.
5. Your threshing shall last till the time of vintage, and the vintage shall last till the time of sowing; you shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.
6. I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none will make you afraid; I will rid the land of evil beasts, and the sword will not go through your land.
7. You will chase your enemies, and they shall fall by the sword before you.
8. Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall by the sword before you.
9. ‘For I will look on you favorably and make you fruitful, multiply you and confirm My covenant with you.
10. You shall eat the old harvest, and clear out the old because of the new.
11. I will set My tabernacle among you, and My soul shall not abhor you.
12. I will walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.

Five shall chase 100. How many times does 5 go into 100? 20.

Romans 8
[31] What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

Psalms 27
[1] The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
[2] When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.
[3] Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
[4] One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple.
[5] For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.
[6] And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.

So then what do we have to be afraid of?

If they bring 10 wicked people against you, then what do you say? You’re gonna have to go back and get some more goons.
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I couldn't do this with the class, but I can do it with my readers, here's a clip from The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian to illustrate:



Lord Sopespian has finished off King Miraz.  Thus, the usurper is himself usurped.  Aslan has awakened all of Narnia to join the battle and what at one point looked like a rout for the Telmarines is suddenly going very badly for them.  General Glozelle suggests that they can defeat the Narnians if they draw them to the river.  So it's off to Beruna.  Except.... Queen Lucy holds the other side of the bridge by herself and draws her dagger.  Come at me, bro!  Think of the folly here.  What in the world are the Telmarines thinking?  They see Lucy and pull up in fright at what they see.  One little girl with a dagger.  So they look back at the army behind them, then back at Lucy and . . . this Lion walking up beside her.  The order to charge is given. 

Think about the timing here.  When does Aslan appear?  Aslan appears only after Lucy has already stepped out alone in faith.  Could it be that God is waiting for us to step out before he shows off?  Could it be that God requires us to step out before he can show off?  When did Lord Sopespian first pull up?  When he saw Lucy alone. 
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What does God tell us to do in Leviticus?

walk in My statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them

Our problem is not summoning sufficient courage. Our problem is sufficient commitment to submit to God’s commands. Our problem is not that we’re afraid, our problem is that we’re ashamed. We don’t walk in His word like we should. And the result is that we’re often a shell of what we should be in this world for Him.

Note the math here. 5 righteous people can put 100 to flight. That’s 20:1. So when 100 righteous people get together, their power is multiplied. Instead of meeting the wicked at a 20:1 ratio, they trade at 100:1. (It's not part of the Sunday School lesson here, but that's the same ratio of gun owners to police that is ALREADY IN OUR FAVOR.)

The Bible is filled with stories like this scene from Prince Caspian where a faithful few overwhelmed a multitude of the wicked.

Judges 7
[1] Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.
[2] And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.

We don’t need 16 million Christians to suddenly rise up. We hardly know our own neighbors-let alone other 16 million other people. If God delivers you a victory, he wants to do it in such a way that it is unmistakably God’s work. Such that you know it’s Him and nobody else doing it. Give GOD the credit, the glory, the honor.

[3] Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.
[4] And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.
[5] So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.
[6] And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.
[7] And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.
[8] So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.
[9] 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.
[10] But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host:
[11] And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host.
[12] And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.

How many did Gideon start with?  22,000.  How many did he end up with?  300.  With just 300, Gideon was able to overwhelm an innumerable multitude. Remember the math, 100:10,000. That’s 100 squared. God believes in the addition of the converts and multiplication of the faithful.

All that has to do with God taking out his wrath on the wicked. What about his grace?  How does the math work out for staying God's wrath and providing grace instead? 

Genesis 18:
[23] And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
[24] Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
[25] That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
[26] And the LORD said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
[27] And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:
[28] Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.
[29] And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake.
[30] And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.
[31] And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake.
[32] And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake.
[33] And the LORD went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place.

Abraham first asked about 50 righteous people.  Then talked all the way down to 10.  For the sake of only 10 righteous people, God would have spared Sodom and Gomorrah.

Why did Abraham stop negotiating at 10?  His brother Lot lived there and surely there would be 10 righteous people in his house.  Riiiight?  Nope.

I wonder what America’s magic number is?
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We can’t accomplish God’s will in our own unrighteousness.

The righteousness of our founders, their dependence upon God is the reason why they were able to stand with such boldness.  Oh sure, there were allies, but how many allies would the rebellious colonists have found had they not been so bold and determined? 

I've said it before, America has enough anger to revolt, but not yet enough righteousness to win.  I believe that this personal righteousness is the horse that pulls the cart.  If we revolt without being right, we're doomed.