The Israelites are in a lot of trouble again. The reason is that they have not obeyed God. The people of Midʹi·an have gained power over the Israelites and are hurting them. So the Israelites cry to God for help, and God listens to their cries.
And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor.” Judges 6:12
The Israelites were being oppressed by the Midianites, and Gideon was chosen by God to deliver Israel from the Midianites.
The Angel of the Lord called Gideon mighty man of valor.
And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and deliver Israel from the hand of Mid′ian; do not I send you?” And he said to him, “Pray, Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manas′seh, and I am the least in my family.” And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall smite the Mid′ianites as one man.” Judges 6:14-16
The Angel then tells him to go in this strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian.
Look at what Gideon has to say, ‘how can I deliver Israel? He further states that he comes from a weak clan and that he is the least in his family.
But God knows us even before we can understand things about ourselves. That is why the Angel of the Lord greets Gideon with “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor.”
God assures Gideon through His Angel that God is with Gideon and that Gideon would win with the Midianites as a one-man army.
2 The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Mid′ianites into their hand, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, ‘My own hand has delivered me.’ 3 Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home.’” And Gideon tested them;twenty-two thousand returned, and ten thousand remained. Judges 7:2-3
God tells Gideon to get an army, so Gideon gathers together 32,000 fighting men. God tells the Israelite Judge (Jerubba′al) Gideon to reduce his army of 32,000.
God says to Gideon: ‘Tell all the men who are afraid to go back home.’ When Gideon does this, 22,000 of his fighting men go home. That leaves him only 10,000 men to fight.
And there is an army of 100,000 men against Israel. And yet God tells Gideon: ‘You have too many men.’ Why did God say that?
It is because if Israel won the war, they might think that they won by themselves. They might think that they didn’t need God’s help to win.
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 he of whom I say to you, ‘This man shall go with you,’ shall go with you; and any of whom I say to you, ‘This man shall not go with you,’ shall not go.” 5 So he brought the people down to the water; and the Lord said to Gideon, “Every one that laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself; likewise every one that kneels down to drink.” 6 And the number of those that lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water. 7 And the Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will deliver you, and give the Mid′ianites into your hand; and let all the others go every man to his home.” Judges 7:4-7
Gideon initially gathered 32,000 men, but God told him to send back any who were afraid, which reduced the numbers to 10,000.
God still insisted this was too many and had Gideon select 300 men based on how they drank water—those who scooped it with their hands, watching their surroundings, over those who knelt to drink.
The criteria for selecting 300 is lapping the water with the tongue as a dog laps. It would also mean to choose only the men who keep watching while they drink. The rest, God said, should be sent home.
The 300 men who lapped water like a dog, demonstrated awareness and readiness for battle.
8 So he took the jars of the people from their hands, and their trumpets; and he sent all the rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the three hundred men; and the camp of Mid′ian was below him in the valley. Judges 7:8-9
Gideon and his 300 men surrounded the enemy camp at night.
9 That same night the Lord said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp; for I have given it into your hand.
God clearly promises Gideon victory. But God desires Gideon to trust Him completely, so what does God do?
Listen to verse 10
10 But if you fear to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant; 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 that were in the camp. 12 And the Mid′ianites and the Amal′ekites and all the people of the East lay along the valley like locusts for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand which is upon the seashore for multitude. 13 When Gideon came, behold, a man was telling a dream to his comrade; and he said, “Behold, I dreamed a dream; and lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Mid′ian, and came to the tent, and struck it so that it fell, and turned it upside down, so that the tent lay flat.” 14 And his comrade answered, “This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Jo′ash, a man of Israel; into his hand God has given Mid′ian and all the host.” Judges 7:10-14
God desired something more than trust from Gideon. God wanted Gideon to be fully convinced that God would win this battle through Gideon.
Gideon had to learn to trust God for what God says.
Gideon had to obey God in everything.
15 When 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 Mid′ian into your hand.”
Judges 7:15
Gideon had to march with 300 soldiers against a formidable 100,000 soldiers. What does it take?
Only when you are fully convinced will you speak the above words with conviction.
It is otherwise impossible for an army of 300 men to fight 100,000 plus people.
That is what God desired from Gideon. His whole 100% conviction that God would work the IMPOSSIBLE!
And more unlikely and impossible to believe when….
16 And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and put trumpets into the hands of all of them and empty jars, with torches inside the jars. 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. 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.’” Judges 7:9-18
The time comes for the fight. Gidʹe·on puts his 300 men in three groups. He gives to each man a trumpet, and an empty jar with a torch inside it.
When it is about midnight, they all gather around the camp of enemy soldiers.
Gideon’ Policy, “Do as I do”.
On Gideon's signal, his men simultaneously broke their empty jars to reveal torches. They blew trumpets, and shouted, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’
When the enemy soldiers wake up, they are confused and afraid. This unexpected noise and light display at night terrified the Midianites, causing confusion leading them to kill each other in panic. The rest fled, leading to a victory for the 300 Israelite men.
The 300 men defeated the Midianites by using a surprise tactic of surrounding the enemy camp.
CONCLUSION: This fact on Gideon is a testament to God's power, showing that victory is not about human strength or numbers, but about Divine Intervention.
These 300 men, guided by God, defeated a massive army of over 100,000 Midianites.
Moreover, the reason why God reduced 32,000 to 300 is to make the Israel army realize that God made them win, not by the power of the army but by obedience to God.
This is Divine Intervention, showing that God can achieve great things when we surrender to God with Faith-knowing that God can and will and Trust in His Ability and Timing. GOD IS PERFECTION!
God knew the 300 men and their listening skills. Their heart was set to God in obedience.
God strengthened Gideon because it was his obedience that set the way to the 300 men and the victory through Gideon.
The Glory belongs to GOD.
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