We have been talking all week about Gideon. He was a man who had such courageous faith that he was listed in Hebrews 11 as someone who lived with outrageous faith. We learn in Judges 6 that God gave him a calling: to help rescue the Israelites from the Midianites. This was a big task. Although frightening and a little bit risky, Gideon faithfully obeyed God's call. God made it clear with the call that His power would be on full display as the Israelites were rescued from Midianites.
In Judges 7, Gideon and his army of 32,000 men set out to fight the Midianites who had captured the people of Israel. As they were preparing for battle, God spoke to Gideon and said, "You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength" (verse 2). Then God told Gideon to instruct anyone in the army who was afraid to leave and go home. Twenty-two thousand men went home (verse 3). Now there were 10,000 men left to fight the Midianites. With only 10,000 men left, God still said that too many people were in Gideon's army. He told Gideon to have all the men drink from a nearby spring of water and to send anyone home who did not "cup water in their hands and lap it up with their tongues like dogs" (verse 5). With this, now there were only 300 men left in his army. Only then did God approve of their number.
Can you imagine moving from an army of 32,000 to 300? To anyone else, that would have seemed preposterous, but Gideon had faith. He must have trusted in God's power to overtake the Midianite army. And God did exactly that. The 300 man Israelite army defeated the Midianites, freeing them from their captivity. All the while, it was clear that God had brought about the amazing victory.
When God works in our lives, He often works in such a way that only He can get the credit. He takes our very limited resources and does something great with them, all through His power. Then, at just the right time, He brings about victory. So maybe it is time to let go of control and start trusting Him for your next victory!
How have you seen God make His power known by working in your life? Write down at least three times you have seen this done. Then, praise God for His victory over your life. One of the times we get to praise Him for all He has done in our lives is during the weekend service. Make plans to join us this weekend, and come prepared to praise God for His victories in your life. Make sure to bring a friend with you as well!
So Jerub-baal (that is, Gideon) and his army got up early and went as far as the spring of Harod. The armies of Midian were camped north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength. Therefore, tell the people, ‘Whoever is timid or afraid may leave this mountain and go home.’ ” So 22,000 of them went home, leaving only 10,000 who were willing to fight.
But the Lord told Gideon, “There are still too many! Bring them down to the spring, and I will test them to determine who will go with you and who will not.” When Gideon took his warriors down to the water, the Lord told him, “Divide the men into two groups. In one group put all those who cup water in their hands and lap it up with their tongues like dogs. In the other group put all those who kneel down and drink with their mouths in the stream.” Only 300 of the men drank from their hands. All the others got down on their knees and drank with their mouths in the stream.
The Lord told Gideon, “With these 300 men I will rescue you and give you victory over the Midianites. Send all the others home.” So Gideon collected the provisions and rams’ horns of the other warriors and sent them home. But he kept the 300 men with him.
The Midianite camp was in the valley just below Gideon. That night the Lord said, “Get up! Go down into the Midianite camp, for I have given you victory over them! But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah. Listen to what the Midianites are saying, and you will be greatly encouraged. Then you will be eager to attack.”
So Gideon took Purah and went down to the edge of the enemy camp. The armies of Midian, Amalek, and the people of the east had settled in the valley like a swarm of locusts. Their camels were like grains of sand on the seashore—too many to count! Gideon crept up just as a man was telling his companion about a dream. The man said, “I had this dream, and in my dream a loaf of barley bread came tumbling down into the Midianite camp. It hit a tent, turned it over, and knocked it flat!”
His companion answered, “Your dream can mean only one thing—God has given Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite, victory over Midian and all its allies!”
When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship before the Lord. Then he returned to the Israelite camp and shouted, “Get up! For the Lord has given you victory over the Midianite hordes!” He divided the 300 men into three groups and gave each man a ram’s horn and a clay jar with a torch in it.
Then he said to them, “Keep your eyes on me. When I come to the edge of the camp, do just as I do. As soon as I and those with me blow the rams’ horns, blow your horns, too, all around the entire camp, and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’ ”
It was just after midnight, after the changing of the guard, when Gideon and the 100 men with him reached the edge of the Midianite camp. Suddenly, they blew the rams’ horns and broke their clay jars. Then all three groups blew their horns and broke their jars. They held the blazing torches in their left hands and the horns in their right hands, and they all shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”
Each man stood at his position around the camp and watched as all the Midianites rushed around in a panic, shouting as they ran to escape. When the 300 Israelites blew their rams’ horns, the Lord caused the warriors in the camp to fight against each other with their swords. Those who were not killed fled to places as far away as Beth-shittah near Zererah and to the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath.
Then Gideon sent for the warriors of Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh, who joined in chasing the army of Midian. Gideon also sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down to attack the Midianites. Cut them off at the shallow crossings of the Jordan River at Beth-barah.”
So all the men of Ephraim did as they were told. They captured Oreb and Zeeb, the two Midianite commanders, killing Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. And they continued to chase the Midianites. Afterward the Israelites brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was by the Jordan River.
