In the last four posts, we have been talking about Gideon from the book of Judges. In the first post, we talked about the cycles the people of Israel were in with being faithful and then unfaithful to God. We also talked about how God uses seemingly foolish or small people to do great things. We were also introduced to the angel of the Lord, an appearance of Jesus in the Old Testament, who calls Gideon a “valiant warrior.”
The second post deals with the angel of the Lord’s command to Gideon to deliver Israel from Midian. Gideon describes not only his lowly state but also that of the people of Israel. Yet the Lord tells Gideon that He will be with him.
In the third, we see Gideon acting on this commandment, but not with as much courage as we’d expect. But the important part is that Gideon was obedient to God. As a result, Gideon’s own father, Joash, renames his son in honor of Gideon’s decision to take a stand for God against the false gods of the Canaanites.
Right after these events, the Midianites start to assemble. Gideon is literally clothed in the Spirit of God and starts to assemble the tribes of Israel together to go to battle. Gideon and his army then camp just south of the Midianite army.
The Lord said to Gideon, “The people who are with you are too many for Me to give Midian into their hands, for Israel would become boastful, saying, ‘My own power has delivered me.’ Now therefore come, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is afraid and trembling, let him return and depart from Mount Gilead.’” So, 22,000 people returned, but 10,000 remained. -Judges 7:2-3.
Did you pick up on that? Gideon had assembled 32,000 people to fight the Midian army. But later in chapter 8, we’ll find out that the Midianite army was 135,000! This is why 22,000 people left who were afraid. You don’t pick up on this in verses 2-3. Gideon was probably thinking that only a few hundred might leave because 32,000 could possibly go up against the 135,000. This is precisely why God tells Gideon that there are “too many for Me to give Midian into their hands.” This is important. This is a test of Gideon’s faith. What good is his faith if he was able to defeat Midian without God’s help. This is big lesson for all of us to remember. But God isn’t done with Gideon’s army.
The the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many; bring them down to the water and I will test them for you there. Therefore it shall be that he of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go with you; but everyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” -Judges 7:4.
At 10,000, Gideon still had too many.
So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “You shall separate everyone who laps the water with his tongue as a dog laps, as well as everyone who kneels to drink.” Now the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was 300 men; but all the rest of the people kneeled to drink water. The Lord said to Gideon, “I will deliver you with the 300 men who lapped and will give the Midianites into your hands; so let all the other people go, each man to his home.” -Judges 7:5-7.
Strange test, at least at first glance. But think about this in terms of separating skilled warriors from fools. A watchful and skilled warrior is going to keep his wits about him in his surroundings. The ones who knelt to drink would have their heads and eyes down towards the water and not in a position to quickly respond to attack. The 300 brought the water up to their mouths while keeping their head up and in a state of readiness. See the graphic below to get a visual picture of what this probably looked like.
Now the same night it came about the the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hands. But if you are afraid to go, go with Purah your servant down to the camp, and you will hear what they say; and afterward your hands will be strengthened that you may go down against the camp.” So he went with Purah his servant down to the outposts of the army that was in the camp. -Judges 7:9-11.
So Gideon’s army has now been reduced to 1% of its original size. He’s probably wondering how he’s going to take 300 against 135,000. One thing to keep in mind, God knows who you are and what you are. He made you. He formed you in your mother’s womb, and you are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). But in comparison to Almighty God? We are dust (Genesis 3:19) and we are clay (Isiah 64:8). What do you expect of dust and clay? Not much on its own. We are the creation, but God is the Creator. In other words, although God strips Gideon of all his soldiers, in his infinite mercy, he encourages Gideon but telling him to go down into the Midianite camp and spy on them with his servant, Purah.
Like everything in the Bible, if you dig a little deeper into the meaning of words, something really interesting pops up on the meaning of Purah. His name means “bough.” A bough is a branch; a main branch, or even a shoulder. Isn’t that a great word picture? God is giving Gideon a branch or shoulder of support for this mission!
Now the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the sons of the east were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as numerous as the sand on the seashore. When Gideon came, behold, a man was relating a dream to his friend. And he said, “Behold, I had a dream; a loaf of barley bread was tumbling into the camp of Midian, and it came to the tent and struck it so that it fell, and turned it upside down so that the tent lay flat.” His friend answered and said “This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given Midian and all the camp into his hand.” -Judges 7:12-14.
Do you see what’s happening here? Gideon sneaks down into the camp and, just at the right moment and at the right tent, he hears one solider telling another about a dream he has. Weird dream, too, about a loaf of barley. Barley was a food of the poor. We see this in the book of Ruth (2:17) and even in the Gospels when Jesus feeds the people with five barley loaves and two fish (John 6:9). The fact that one of the soldiers said that it was representative of Gideon, describes the humble origins again of Gideon and his army. Moreover, this whole situation was nothing short of God’s divine orchestration for Gideon.
It came about when Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, that he bowed in worship. He returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the Lord has given the camp of Midian into your hands.” -Judges 7:15.
The rest of of the story details Gideon’s strategy of having all of the soldiers blow trumpets and smash empty pitchers and yell “For the Lord and for Gideon!” The quirky strategy worked and all the Midianite army fled.
The story of Gideon has so many implications for us today. We, as Christians, are up against so many false gods in our nation and the world. Unfortunately, it seems so many of us remain afraid and unable to step out in faith and in the strength of the Lord for the truth of God. May we be reminded and emboldened by the example of Gideon and the great things that God can accomplish through us.
May He Increase!
