Judges (Part 5)
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1 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian was north of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley.
Gideon is referred to by his new name
“Let Baal contend for himself.”
“Rose early.”
Priority
Spring of Herod: likely at the foot of Mount Gilboa
Midianites: Camped slightly north across the Jezreel valley
2 The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’
More people = too easy to boast
“My own hand” rather than the hand of the Lord
3 Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’ ” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained.
After Gideon tested God, not God tests Gideon (twice!)
The first test
“Now therefore” = “So that Israel doesn’t boast in themselves”
“Whoever is fearful and trembling...”
God’s mercy
“Mount Gilead” = Mount Gilboa (most likely)
From 22,000 to 10,000
More than cut in half (54.55%)
4 And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.”
God’s second test
“The people are still too many.”
.… Too many for what?
Too many for them to succeed and be without pride
“I will test them for you there.”
The main character is calling the shots
5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.”
Why does God test in this way?
Perhaps he is testing their alertness
Dropping face down to water = not able to see any movement around you
Lapping must have not included kneeling down
They sipped the water out of their hands
6 And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water. 7 And the Lord said to Gideon, “With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.”
The original 300
The Midianites given “into your hand.”
8 So the people took provisions in their hands, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the 300 men. And the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.
10,000 > 300 (97%)
22,000 > 300 (98.64%)
“The camp of Midian was below him in the valley”
The enemy is near, and Israel isn’t prepared
9 That same night the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have given it into your hand.
God reaffirms on “that same night” that God will still give them into his hand, with only 300 people
10 But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant.
Purah
Gideon’s personal assistant/armor bearer
11 And you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outposts of the armed men who were in the camp.
Who is “they”?
The Midianites
God will strengthen the “hands” of Gideon
God wants to comfort Gideon
Gideon follows in obedience
12 And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the East lay along the valley like locusts in abundance, and their camels were without number, as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance.
300 vs. “locusts in abundance” / “camels without number” / “the sand that is on the seashore in abundance.”
13 When Gideon came, behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade. And he said, “Behold, I dreamed a dream, and behold, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian and came to the tent and struck it so that it fell and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.”
Behold (x 3)
“a man was telling a dream to his comrade.”
God gave him this dream
“a cake of barley bread”
The food of poor farmers
Represents Gideon
The tent fell
Midian overturned
14 And his comrade answered, “This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp.”
They have the correct interpretation
15 As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Arise, for the Lord has given the host of Midian into your hand.”
Gideon given assurance = worship
“… the Lord has given the host of Midian into your hand”
Not just the hand of Gideon; the hand of the people as well
16 And he divided the 300 men into three companies and put trumpets into the hands of all of them and empty jars, with torches inside the jars.
Split into three groups (100 each?)
The weapons for battle are...
The ram’s horn-trumpet
Empty jars with torches inside of them
Similar to Gen 15:17.
Jars prevented anyone from seeing the torches in the night
They also prevent the torches from blowing out in the wind
17 And he said to them, “Look at me, and do likewise. When I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do.
Gideon as a successful leader: “do as I do.”
18 When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then blow the trumpets also on every side of all the camp and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’ ”
Trumpets: Similar to the Jericho story
Gideon realizes that the battle is YHWH’s
19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch. And they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands.
The confirms that the group divisions were probably even (100 each)
They are catching the Middianites by surprise via sound
Sound is deceptively powerful
20 Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars. They held in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow. And they cried out, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”
The other groups follow suit
More loud sounds
Again, God’s victory first
21 Every man stood in his place around the camp, and all the army ran. They cried out and fled.
It seemed like they were outnumbered and surrounded (even though they weren’t)
Was there a supernatural element at play here making them sound louder and more numerous than they actually were? Something to think about.
22 When they blew the 300 trumpets, the Lord set every man’s sword against his comrade and against all the army. And the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.
“… the Lord set every man’s sword against his comrade and against all the army.”
What does this mean?
The Midianites were thrown into confusion
They kill many of their own men
Remember, it was dark out.
The Middianites retreat towards their home desert area
23 And the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali and from Asher and from all Manasseh, and they pursued after Midian.
Other tribes join in
So now it is 300+
Perhaps this is the remainder of the originally army?
24 Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and capture the waters against them, as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they captured the waters as far as Beth-barah, and also the Jordan.
“Capture the waters”
Forming a blockade near the Jordan river
The Ephraimites’ location would allow them to prevent the Middianites from returning home
Again; this might be some of the men removed from the first two tests
25 And they captured the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. Then they pursued Midian, and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon across the Jordan.
“They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb.”
They probably weren’t named these things before these incidents
1 Then the men of Ephraim said to him, “What is this that you have done to us, not to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they accused him fiercely.
You’d expect the cycle to end here… but it doesn’t
Ephraim did end up helping, but they were upset at not being in the original call
Does this mean that these folks weren’t a part of the original number?
2 And he said to them, “What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer?
Gideon is saying that Ephraim is way stronger than his people and normally does far greater thigns.
