Many of us are familiar with the management concept of downsizing where we’re told to ‘do more with less’. But when it comes to war, nations don’t usually downsize, they usually mobilise their reserves and cancel all leave and requests for discharge and retirement. And sometimes God trims our resources down to get us to depend entirely more on Him. Sickness, financial reversal, family conflict, and other difficulties cause us to turn our lives over to God. But we need to remember that when the odds seem overwhelming, God overwhelms the odds.
As we continue to look at Gideon, we see here in this chapter that God is going to ask him to do something which to many nations, would be crazy. He’s going to ask him to downsize his army. Remember that Gideon’s army was already hugely outnumbered.
Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal, that is, Gideon and all his men camped at the spring of Harod and the camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh, Judges 7:1. The Midianite army was one-hundred and thirty-five thousand strong, Judges 8:10, while Gideon’s force numbered a mere thirty-two thousand.
I don’t know about you but Gideon must’ve been thinking, we’ve got no chance against an army that size. But, if anything, Gideon at least understood the might of his enemy. And so to guarantee that history would record this battle as a divine victory, God issued an order for a massive reduction in force.
God tells Gideon that he has too many men and He can’t deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against Him saying their own strength saved them, Judges 7:2. Gideon is asked to announce to the army that anyone who trembles with fear may turn back, Deuteronomy 20:8, and leave Mount Gilead and so, twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained, Judges 7:3.
God once again says to Gideon that there are still too many men and he is to take them down to the water, and God will thin them out for him there. If God says, this one shall go with Gideon,’ he shall go but if God say, this one shall not go with Gideon then he shall not go, Judges 7:4. So Gideon did what God asked of him and God them separated those who lapped the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink, Judges 7:5. We are told that three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs and all the rest got down on their knees to drink, Judges 7:6.
Josephus, in his writings, says the following.
‘Getting down on all fours leaves one more vulnerable than if one remains upright while drinking. Another possibility is that God intended to identify the least likely to succeed, those who had so little self-confidence that they kept an eye out for the enemy while they drank.’
Some people like to suggest that God kept only Gideon’s best soldiers, those who were wary and watchful as they drank, distinguished from those who ‘carelessly’ lapped the water like dogs. But the problem with that interpretation is that there is no hint at all that the ones chosen were superior.
And if we remember all the people we’ve looked at so far in the book, we can quickly see that God chooses the very opposite people which man would choose. We could just as easily say these were the most fearful of Gideon’s troops. Remember the whole idea behind God’s choosing of these men was to engage the enemy with a handful of soldiers to showcase God’s power.
Can you imagine what’s going through Gideon’s mind now? He’s probably thinking, ‘God, we had a very slim chance of winning with twenty-two thousand men, but now You want us to fight with three-hundred men, against one-hundred and thirty-five thousand Midianites? Judges 7:7. After returning most of his army to civilian status, Gideon’s only hope was in the Lord of hosts, Judges 7:7.
The downsizing resulted in a vulnerable twenty-two-thousand-man reduction in force. Gideon was left with a meagre three troops, Judges 7:8, and his only option was to trust God or perish and so, he was left virtually without an army. But, when we’re serving in God’s army we become part of the overwhelming minority. And just because we’re in the minority, that doesn’t mean it’s all bad, because with God, it’s never about numbers, it’s about faith, Hebrews 11:32-34.
I mentioned earlier that we can only imagine Gideon’s state of mind. The odds weren’t very good, to begin with, and now they’ve gotten even worse.
Gideon at God’s command, spent that night gathering information on the enemy situation because God is going to give it into his hands, Judges 7:9. And so aware of Gideon’s weak faith, God reassures him by arranging for Gideon to overhear a conversation between two enemy soldiers.
As Gideon conducted a covert investigation of the enemy, he, and his servant Purah gather some encouraging intelligence, Judges 7:10-11 / Exodus 13:18. The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts and their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore, Judges 7:12. In concealment, Gideon listens in, as two Midianite soldiers discuss a strange dream, Judges 7:13. In ancient times, dreams were highly regarded as means of predicting future events.
Cundall and Morris, in their commentary, says the following.
‘Dreams were considered of great importance in ancient times, especially if the dreamer was a man of rank or authority, for the gods were conceived to make known their will or desires by this means. Every dream was believed to be capable of interpretation, though this was, of course, the point where difficulties arose.’
And so in the dream, a hard loaf of barley bread rolls into the Midianite camp and flattens one of the tents, Judges 7:13. The tent could only represent the nomadic Midianites and one of the soldiers cries out with the awful realization that God was working through Gideon, Judges 7:14. They conclude that the loaf represents Israel, Judges 7:14, because the Midianites had plundered Israel and stolen their wheat harvest and so, the impoverished Jews had to resort to barley bread, Judges 6:1-6.
Remember that Gideon was a farmer, Judges 7:11, and like we saw in the previous chapter, he asked for a lot of signs from God because he needed a lot of reassuring from God, Judges 6:36-40. When Gideon heard the dream and it’s interpretation, this isn’t good luck for Gideon, this was not chance, this was his sovereign God giving him another sign of his own. Hence why he bowed down and worshiped God, Judges 7:15.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Hearing this dream and the interpretation would convince Gideon that he was indeed under the guidance of God and so assure him of God’s aid; and secondly, it would show him that a panic had already fallen upon the mind of the enemy.’
Think about it, God protected Gideon during his incursion into enemy territory. God led Gideon to one specific tent, and then God timed Gideon’s arrival to hear about a dream and its interpretation. And look at what happened to Gideon’s faith after he heard those men say those things. He returned to camp and cries out, get up because God has given the Midianite camp into Israel’s hands, Judges 7:15. Gideon’s fears and doubts were overcome and he’s now mentally prepared for combat.
We see that growth in Gideon, he went from being a man trembling in a winepress, Judges 6:11-13, to a confident general ready to lead his outnumbered troops into battle. And make no mistake about it, Gideon wasn’t Winston Churchill, he was a farmer. He was an unconventional leader by secular standards but once again we see God’s strength is revealed by enabling what most would call a weak man to triumph. Gideon was being modest because he knew he lacked the resources to overcome and had to rely on God, Philippians 4:13.
He wasn’t just going into battle alone, he was boldly going into battle with God. He wasn’t confident in his own abilities, he wasn’t confident in the three soldiers he had with him, but he went with the confidence knowing that his God was right there with him.
Look at what kind of ammunition Gideon was about to use in battle. We would expect to read that the three hundred men would have been armed with swords or bows and arrows. But the text says that he assembled his army of three hundred and divides them into three companies, arming them with trumpets, empty clay jars, and torches, Judges 7:16.
I don’t know about you but this sounds more like Gideon was setting up a military instrumental band or sending some personal supplies into battle. Remember what the Lord told Gideon, ‘the LORD is with you, mighty warrior’, Judges 6:12, and he was covered with the Spirit of God, Judges 6:33-35.
This lowly farmer is about to become that mighty warrior and Gideon at this point, has one thing in his favour, the element of surprise. And so he takes the lead and says to the three hundred troops ‘follow my lead and do exactly as he does, Judges 7:17. When Gideon and all who are with him blow their trumpets, then from all around the camp blow their and shout, for the LORD and for Gideon, Judges 7:18 / Judges 6:33.
We need leaders today who can take the lead and ask others to follow. The apostle Paul did this on many occasions, 1 Corinthians 4:16 / Philippians 4:9 / Philippians 3:17 / 2 Thessalonians 3:7-9. Some people might come to the conclusion that Paul was being arrogant but he wasn’t. He was setting the example but never lost sight of who he really was, 1 Corinthians 15:9 / Ephesians 3:8 / 1 Timothy 1:15. Paul wasn’t being arrogant, he wasn’t full of himself, he simply knew that his converts needed an example to follow, as well as things to learn. He knew like we all do today, that his Lord Jesus Christ, is our real example, 1 Corinthians 11:1.
I hear over and over again both in church and in the secular world, ‘oh they’re a natural-born leader’, that’s wrong because nobody is born a natural leader, they’re raised, and in the church, they’re raised by God. Gideon was a farmer, not a leader, but he became a leader because he trusted God to help him become one. None of us are naturally born leaders but like Gideon, if you allow God to work in you and through you, Judges 6:33-35, He will raise you up to be a great leader, Judges 6:33.
And so, at Gideon’s command, they took positions outside the perimeter of the enemy camp, Judges 7:19.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following, concerning ‘the watch’, Judges 7:19.
The old Jewish division of the night was three watches of four hours each. They are alluded to in Exodus 14:24 / 1 Samuel 11:11 / Psalms 63:6 / Psalms 90:4 / Psalms 119:148 / Psalms 130:6 / Lamentations 2:19. After the Jews fell under the power of the Romans, they used the Roman division of four watches of three hours each, Matthew 14:25 / Mark 13:35. The beginning of the watch would be about eleven o’clock at night.’
The text tells us that during the night there was the sound of trumpets and three hundred jars being smashed on the ground, Judges 7:19. There was the blinding light of three hundred torches piercing the darkness, and the thundering sound of three hundred ram’s horns signalling an attack, Judges 7:20. And with one voice the Israelite army shouted a blood-curdling battle cry, ‘a sword for the Lord and for Gideon!’ Judges 7:20 / Judges 7:18. And what happened next? Panic stations for the Midianites.
The Jewish soldiers held their positions, Judges 7:21, staying a safe distance from the deadly chaos before them, Proverbs 28:1. The Midianite army imagined they were being attacked from all sides and so they run and flee for their lives, Judges 7:21. When the three hundred trumpets sounded, God caused the men to turn on each other, Judges 7:22. Because they were totally unprepared, this caused confusion and they quickly began attacking each other in the dark, not knowing who was a friend or foe, Judges 7:22.
The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath, Judges 7:22. Israelites from Naphtali, Asher and all Manasseh were called out, and chase after the Midianites, Judges 7:23. Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth Barah, Judges 7:24, and so all the men of Ephraim were called out and they seized the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth Barah, Judges 7:24.
Barnes, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The men of Ephraim had taken no previous part in the rising against Midian: nor had Gideon, of the smaller tribe of Manasseh, presumed before to summon his more powerful and arrogant brethren of the great tribe of Ephraim, Joshua 17:14-18.’
They captured two of the Midianite leaders, Oreb, whose name means ‘the Raven’, and Zeeb whose name means ‘the Wolf’, Judges 7:25.
Bush, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Among ancient nations, generals and princes often took the names of birds and beasts.’
They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb, Judges 7:25. They chased after the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon as proof of their death, Judges 7:25.