1 Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.
2 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.
3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.
4 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.
5 So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.
6 And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.
7 And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.
8 So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.
9 And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand.
10 But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host:
11 And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host.
12 And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.
13 And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.
14 And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.
15 And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.
16 And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers.
17 And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do.
18 When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.
19 So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands.
20 And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.
21 And they stood every man in his place round about the camp; and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.
22 And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man's sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.
23 And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites.
24 And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount Ephraim, saying, come down against the Midianites, and take before them the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan.
25 And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan.
The Book of Judges is the seventh book of the Old Testament and is a part of the historical books in the Bible. It is believed to have been written by the prophet Samuel and covers the time period after the death of Joshua until the establishment of the monarchy in Israel. The book is named after the judges who were chosen by God to lead the Israelites during this time, and Chapter 7 focuses on the story of Gideon, one of the prominent judges in the book.
The main themes of Chapter 7 revolve around faith, obedience, and God's power and providence. It also highlights the consequences of disobedience and the importance of humility. Through Gideon's story, the chapter teaches us valuable lessons about trust in God and the significance of following His will.
The chapter begins with the story of Gideon, a man from the tribe of Manasseh, who was called by God to deliver the Israelites from the oppression of the Midianites. The Midianites, along with the Amalekites and other eastern nations, had been raiding and plundering the Israelites' crops and livestock, causing great suffering and poverty among them.
God appeared to Gideon and told him to gather an army to fight against the Midianites. Gideon, however, was hesitant and doubted his abilities to lead such an army. He asked for a sign from God to prove that He was truly with him. In response, God performed a miraculous sign by consuming a sacrifice with fire from a rock, and Gideon was convinced that God was with him.
Despite this, Gideon still had doubts and asked for another sign from God. He asked for a sign that would prove that he was truly the one chosen by God to lead the Israelites. So, God instructed him to go down to the Midianite camp and listen to what they were saying. Gideon obeyed and overheard a dream of a barley loaf rolling into the camp and destroying it. This dream was interpreted as a sign that God would give the Israelites victory over the Midianites.
Encouraged by this sign, Gideon gathered an army of 32,000 men to face the Midianites. However, God had other plans. He told Gideon that the Israelite army was too large and that they would take the credit for the victory instead of giving glory to God. So, God instructed Gideon to give the men a test to see who was fit to fight in the battle.
God told Gideon to bring the army to the water and observe how each man drank. Those who drank by kneeling down and lapping the water with their tongues like a dog would be the ones chosen to fight, and the rest would be sent home. This test was to show who among the men were obedient and who were not. Out of the 32,000 men, only 300 passed the test and were chosen to fight against the Midianites.
This test of faith and obedience was a crucial lesson for Gideon and the Israelites. It showed that it was not the size of the army that mattered, but rather their faith and obedience to God. The 300 men were a small and weak army compared to the thousands of Midianites, but God's power would be with them, and that was all they needed to defeat the enemy.
This test also revealed the importance of humility. The men who lapped the water like a dog were considered humble and lowly, while those who drank standing up were seen as proud and self-reliant. God chose the humble and obedient ones to carry out His plan because He resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6).
Armed with only trumpets, torches, and clay jars, the 300 men went to the Midianite camp in the middle of the night. At Gideon's command, they blew their trumpets, broke their jars, and shouted, "A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!" (Judges 7:20). The Midianites were caught off guard and began to attack each other in confusion and chaos. The Israelites were victorious, and the enemy army was defeated and fled.
God's power and providence were evident in this battle. He used unconventional and weak means to bring about a great victory, showing that nothing is impossible for Him. This victory also proved that God was with Gideon and that he was truly chosen to lead the Israelites.
Chapter 7 of the Book of Judges teaches us several important lessons about faith, obedience, humility, and God's power and providence. It shows us that God is in control and that He can use the weak and the lowly to accomplish great things. It also reminds us that our faith and obedience to God are more important than our strength and abilities.
Through Gideon's story, we learn that God's plans may not always align with our own, but we must trust in His wisdom and follow His will. We must also be humble and obedient, for God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. And just like the 300 men who were chosen to fight against the Midianites, we must be willing to step out in faith and trust in God's power to overcome any obstacle or enemy in our lives.
Chapter 7 of the Book of Judges serves as a reminder that God is always with us, even in our weakest moments. He is our strength, our provider, and our guide, and He will never leave us nor forsake us. As we face challenges and battles in our lives, may we remember the lessons from this chapter and trust in God's power and providence to see us through.
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