Jdg 7:7 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.

By the simplest means character is often tested. Those who in time of peril were intent
upon supplying their own wants were not the men to be trusted in an emergency. The
Lord has no place in His work for the indolent and self-indulgent. The men of His choice
were the few who would not permit their own wants to delay them in the discharge of
duty. The three hundred chosen men not only possessed courage and self-control, but
they were men of faith. They had not defiled themselves with idolatry. God could direct
them, and through them He could work deliverance for Israel. Success does not depend
upon numbers. God can deliver by few as well as by many. He is honored not so much
by the great numbers as by the character of those who serve Him. {PP 549.3}