Judges 7: 15 – 25 “When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. He returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Get up, for the LORD has delivered the camp of Midian into your hands.” And he divided the three hundred men into three companies and gave each man a ram’s horn in one hand and a large jar in the other, containing a torch.
“Watch me and do as I do,” Gideon said. “When I come to the outskirts of the camp, do exactly as I do. When I and all who are with me blow our horns, then you are also to blow your horns from all around the camp and shout, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon!’”
Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after the changing of the guard. They blew their horns and broke the jars that were in their hands. The three companies blew their horns and shattered their jars. Holding the torches in their left hands and the horns in their right hands, they shouted, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!”
Each Israelite took his position around the camp, and the entire Midianite army fled, crying out as they ran. And when the three hundred rams’ horns sounded, the LORD set the swords of every man in the camp against each other. The army fled to Beth-shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath. Then the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh, and they pursued the Midianites.
Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim to say, “Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth-barah.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they captured the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth-barah. They also captured Oreb and Zeeb, the two princes of Midian; and they killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. So they pursued the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side of the Jordan.”
Picture this: You are a Midianite soldier, sound asleep in your tent in the middle of the night. It’s 10 PM. The soldiers on duty for the first watch from 6 PM to 10 PM have just handed over. All is quiet. Suddenly you hear the blaring sound of 300 ram’s horn trumpets and your sleep – heavy eyes are blinded by the light of 300 torches. Along with the noise of the ram’s horns, you hear loud shouts like those of an already victorious army. As you struggle to get up and find your weapons, an unreasonable panic seizes you. Stumbling outside, you no longer see those around you as allies but rather as attackers, and you begin thrusting your sword in every direction, trying to defend yourself. The panic gets worse; all you can think of is to escape. You find yourself in a crowd of men, all running helter skelter toward the East. The more you run, the more frightened you feel. At some point, you throw away your sword so that you can run even faster.
The map shows the original battle as a red circle. Gideon calls for help from the tribes of Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh, and they pursue the Midianites. Then Gideon calls for the Ephraimites who are close to the fords to guard the fords of the Jordan, making it impossible for the Midianites to cross safely. The Ephraimites also capture and behead Oreb and Zeeb, the two princes of Midian. What began as the initiative of one man has now involved thousands.
APPLICATION: There are several things we can learn from Gideon’s successful attack on the Midianites:
1. Gideon followed God’s instructions to the letter. Imagine Gideon trying to explain to his 300 picked soldiers ahead of time that they needed to carry torches and ram’s horns. There must have been a number of the Israelite soldiers who were convinced that Gideon was crazy, but they probably shrugged their shoulders and said, “Why not? This isn’t any crazier than expecting 300 men to defeat thousands.” .
2. Once the battle was engaged, Gideon called for help and got it. God had a plan for the initiation of the battle; however, there was nothing to prevent Gideon from involving the surrounding tribes. Experienced development workers have learned the hard way that if you want a project to be sustained, the local people must become actively involved and buy into it. By involving Naphtali, Asher, Manasseh, and Ephraim, Gideon ensured that these tribes also felt a sense of ownership in the victory.
3. Gideon made sure that the battle was won as completely as possible. The Midianites had made life hell for the Israelites for years. Gideon needed to defeat the Midianites so completely that they would no longer be a threat for generations to come.
When we read about the entire Midianite army panicking, it seems difficult to believe. But this is not the only such event described in the Bible. There are other descriptions of huge armies panicking and killing one another. In the case of Gideon and his men, they became Holy Spirit – possessed and turned into a phenomenal force. Who knows what those Midianite solders actually heard and saw?
We used to live in midtown Memphis, Tennessee. Living next door were four men attending a Baptist seminary. One night my husband and I were in a local convenience store when we met a young man who was being stalked by several attackers. The attackers had followed this fellow into the store. This fellow was drunk but sober enough to realize he was in trouble. I remained in the store with this young man while my husband ran to our Baptist friends for help. The seminary student who returned with my husband was tall but wiry. We were amazed to realize that as this student pastor entered that store, suddenly his physique changed, and he began resembling the Incredible Hulk. The would – be attackers took one look and left, never to return. God created an illusion that saved this man’s life.
Want to succeed in life’s battles? Follow God’s instructions, call for help, and make sure the battle is completely won before stopping. Who knows? God might turn you into a super – hero!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for giving us perfect strategies for our battles. Help us to be willing to follow Your directions, even when they seem crazy or unworkable. Thank you that if we will follow instructions, You will give us victories. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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