Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed. – 1 Samuel 2:3
We have separate men’s and women’s athletic competitions in part because it is generally agreed that men have natural, physical advantages over women. In fact, it has been said that 40% of men in America believe that they could beat Serena Williams in a tennis match. Next logical question: by whom was this said? A friend of mine during supper at church. I think that he said that he had heard it on the radio. Traditionally, Americans are perceived by foreigners to be a bit arrogant, and this statistic seems to fit this pattern. Still, I found it a bit absurd that such a large percentage of men are so full of themselves that they would believe that they could beat one of the greatest tennis players ever. She won 23 grand slams! (Do 40% of men in America even play tennis? Or own a racquet less than 10 years old?) My friend said it, but I still googled it. Trust but verify.
The best that I could verify is that a 2019 poll in the UK found about 1 in 8 men surveyed (12%) believed that they could win a point against Serena. Another 14% were uncertain if they could win a point. So, at best (worst?) 26% of British men (about 1 in 4) think that they might be able to score at least once against a woman who was world number one for 319 weeks straight. Maybe American men are even more [ridiculously] self-confident. I haven’t seen the poll. Sure, maybe Otha Campbell could manage to score a point or two on a really good day, but there is no way that there are 45 men in Indianola (1%) who could get on the scoreboard against Serena.
People love to report interesting factoids. But, it is very important to remember that 87.9% of statistics are made up. Like that statistic, for instance. (I got that statistic from one of my economics professors years ago.) And people love to report statistics that support their perspective. President Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “Give me a one-armed economist, then when I ask him a question, he will answer, ‘Well, on the one hand…’” Most significantly, people proudly use statistics to promote and protect their pride. Think about Gideon in Judges chapter 7.
The nation of Israel was in a mess. The people had done what was right in their own eyes – but what was evil in the sight of the Lord. God had given them into the hand of the Midianites for 7 years. Things were a mess. Gideon had gone into town and destroyed the altar of Baal because a Dollar Tree is a sin – whoops, I meant Idolatry is a sin. The Midianites were furious and amassed more than 120,000 troops in the Valley of Jezreel. Gideon had an army of 32,000 men. Even though Gideon had mighty warriors – the sort of big-talkers who likely thought that they could beat any woman at a game of tennis – the statistics made it look like an unfair fight. What would you have said? “Gideon, they’ve outnumbered us 4 to 1”? What did God say? “The people with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’” So God sent 22,000 Israelites home, leaving only 10,000.
Whoa! They’re going into battle 1 against 12? Nope, God was still concerned about their pride, so He then sent home all but 300 men to fight the 120,000+ Midianites. Even a one-armed economist can do that math: “On the one hand, you’re going to lose, and there is no other hand.” Except that there is! Gideon didn’t need any of his remaining 300 men if God was on his side. I won’t ruin the story; you can read it for yourself. But chapter 8 brings even more pride as the men of Ephraim get angry at Gideon for not letting them fight in the battle. Perhaps more than 40% of them believed that they could have scored a point against the Midianites.
What about you? Do you look around and think that you could do things better than others? Do you think that you could lead this country better, lead this city better, clean up the messes and defeat the adversaries faster and better? Maybe you could, and maybe you will. But, please remember, 300 men CAN beat 120,000 soldiers if the Lord is on their side. And 120,000 soldiers can lose to 300 men, if the Lord ain’t on their side. Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31) Think you could win against Serena Williams? You COULD, but ONLY if God is on your side. By Him alone actions are weighed. It is God alone – not statistics – who decides who wins.
