GOD’S WORD
Gideon Defeats the Midianites
Judges 6:1-2, 12-16 & 7:2-8, 15-22
Israel was in a state of crisis. They were in a season of disobedience, and so God punished them by handing them over to the enemy, the Midianites, who treated them very badly. For seven years they lived like fugitives, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.
God sent an angel to talk to Gideon. He was a man of God, faithfully praying to Him despite the dire circumstances that they were in.
The angel told Gideon that he is the mighty warrior that God will use to deliver Israel from the hands of the Midianites. Which was surprising to Gideon, because he considered himself a nobody. He considered himself weak, and his family was the smallest in the tribe of Manasseh.
God can choose and use anybody, no matter how weak or how small.
Then God said He will empower Gideon. So naturally, Gideon said he would need a big army. Which is fortunate because he currently has 32,000 men.
But God disagreed with him, and said He doesn’t want Israel to think that they won because of the men that they have. God said to tell them, “those who are scared, they can leave.”
And 22,000 men left.
Can you imagine how Gideon must have felt? At that time, the normal way to win wars was with lots and lots of soldiers in your army. And 22,000 men just left.
But God had more instructions. He said that 10,000 was still too much. He told Gideon to lead them to the water, and whoever took a drink using their lips and tongues like dogs will not be part of the army; those who used their hands to scoop water into their mouth will join the army.
God will sometimes give unusual instructions
And so Gideon ends up with just 300 men. These were the ones who showed courage, and who showed wisdom in the way they acted.
Before he rallied his men to battle, Gideon took the time to worship. After he received the Word from God, he divided his men into three troops. He handed each one of them a jar, a trumpet, and a torch.
Now, sane and logical men would have wondered, “Where are the swords? Where are the shields and spears and other implements of war?” There’s no way you can fight a war with jars and trumpets!
God will sometimes give unusual blessings
But Gideon had a plan. He told the men, at the appointed time, to smash their jars into the ground, blow their trumpets, and let the torches blaze up in light! The Midianites were caught by surprise, and in the confusion, they began to fight among themselves, killing each other in the process.
The battle was won with jars and trumpets. Only God could have done this! Because Gideon was obedient, because he had faith in God no matter how desperate the situation had become, and no matter how unusual the circumstances were, he achieved the victory that God promised.
