JUDGES - CHAPTER 7
VERSES 1-8
v1 Early in the morning, Jerubbaal (Gideon) and his men camped at the spring called Harod. The army from Midian had their camp north from them. It was in the valley near the hill called Moreh. v2 The Lord spoke to Gideon. ‘You have too many men. With so many, I cannot help you to defeat the army from Midian. I do not want Israel’s people to be proud. Then they would say that they had won by their own strength. v3 Ask them if anyone is afraid. Those who are afraid can go back. And they can leave Gilead mountain.’ So 22,000 men left and 10,000 men stayed.
v4 But the Lord said to Gideon, ‘There are still too many men. Take them down to the water. I will separate them for you there. The ones that I tell to go shall go. The ones that I tell not to go, shall not go.’ v5 So Gideon took them down to the water. There the Lord gave this instruction to him. ‘Separate those who drink with their tongues like a dog. Separate them from those who kneel down to drink.’ v6 300 men drank with their tongues. They brought their hands to their mouths. All the rest kneeled down to drink. v7 The Lord said to Gideon, ‘I will use those 300 men. With them, I will give you success over the army from Midian. All the rest can go home.’ v8 So Gideon sent the rest back to their tents. He kept the 300 men. They took the other soldiers’ jars with food and drink, and they took the other soldiers’ trumpets. The army from Midian camped below Gideon. They were in the valley.
COMMENTARY
Israel’s army was at Harod spring. This is at the bottom of the mountain called Gilboa. The army from Midian had camped across the valley called Jezreel. It was less than 5 miles from the Israelites. There were ‘too many people from Midian’. God told Gideon that there were ‘too many people’ in his army. He reduced 32,000 men to 10,000 men. According to Deuteronomy 20:8, "Soldiers who are afraid must go home." Gideon’s army would have good morale if his soldiers were not afraid.
Gideon tested how the other men in the army drank. He chose those who drank water with their tongues. In this way, they got water, but they still stayed on their feet. They would be ready if something happened. The rest went down on their knees, and they could not get up quickly.
VERSES 9-14
v9 During the night, the Lord spoke to Gideon. ‘Get up and attack the camp. I will give you success. v10 If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp. Go there with your servant Purah. v11 Listen to what they are saying. This will give you courage to attack the camp.’ So, he and Purah went to a place where the soldiers were protecting the camp from a surprise attack. v12 There were people from Midian, and Amalek’s people, and people from the east. Those people were so many in number that they were like very many locusts. There were so many camels that one could not count them. Similarly, one cannot count the small pieces of sand by the sea. v13 Gideon arrived just when a man was telling a dream to his friend. The man said this: ‘My dream was like this. A round loaf of bread rolled into the camp. People had made the bread from barley (a kind of grain). It hit the tent and the tent fell flat.’ v14 His friend said, ‘That must be the sword of Gideon, who is the son of Joash the Israelite. God has given him the victory over Midian’s men and the whole army.’
COMMENTARY
Before this, God had showed Gideon something to give him confidence in God’s promise. Now God repeated this method. He sent Gideon to get a message. He gave him that message by the men from Midian. With his servant, Gideon went into their camp. He went at night. He went to a place where the best soldiers were guarding the camp. The writer repeats that the soldiers were very many in number. That shows us how difficult the task was.
Gideon heard a soldier who was describing a dream. In that dream, a loaf of bread knocked over a tent. The bread was like Israel’s poor farmers. The tent was like the army from Midian. The soldier said that God had given Midian’s army and the whole camp to Gideon. The men from Midian were afraid. God would certainly act. This message greatly encouraged Gideon.
VERSES 15-22
v15 When Gideon heard the dream and its meaning, he praised God. Then he went back to the Israelites’ camp. He called, ‘Get up! God has given you success over the army from Midian.’ v16 He divided the 300 men into three groups. He gave each man a trumpet and an empty jar with a torch inside it. v17 ‘Follow me’, he told them. ‘When I reach the edge of the camp, do this. v18 When my men and I blow our trumpets, then you blow yours all round the camp. Shout “For God and for Gideon.”’
v19 Gideon and the 100 men with him reached the edge of the camp. It was a short time before midnight. The men from Midian had just changed the guard. Gideon and his men blew the trumpets and they broke the jars. v20 The three groups of soldiers all blew their trumpets and they broke their jars. They held the torches in their left hands and they held their trumpets in their right hands. They shouted ‘A sword for God and for Gideon.’ v21 Every man stood where he was, round the camp. The men from Midian ran away and they cried out. v22 The trumpets sounded. Then the Lord made the men in the camp fight each other. The army ran to Beth Shittah towards Zererah. This was as far as the border of Abel Meholah. It was near Tabbath.
COMMENTARY
God chooses what is weak. This will bring shame to what is strong. Gideon’s army had no military skills. They could only blow a trumpet and they could only break a jar. Then they shouted. Their attack came about two hours before midnight. Most of the soldiers from Midian were sleeping then. Those who had just come on duty had just awakened. The men from Midian heard the sound of the trumpets. There were shouts. And there were the sounds when the people were breaking the jars. Because of their fear, Midian’s soldiers fought against each other. They ran away to the east. They went down the valley and then they went over the Jordan river. All the towns in the list were on the other side of the river. Zererah was 10 miles south from the place where they went. Abel Meholah was 6 miles east and Tabbath was about 7 miles south-east.
VERSES 23-25
v23 Israelites from Naphtali’s tribe, Asher’s tribe and all Manasseh’s tribe answered the call. They chased Midian’s army. v24 Gideon sent people with messages. They went through the hilly country where Ephraim’s tribe lived. ‘Come against Midian’s people. Capture the places where people cross the Jordan river, as far as Bethbarah.’ So all the men from Ephraim’s tribe captured the places where people crossed the Jordan river. They did that as far as Bethbarah. v25 They also captured Oreb and Zeeb, two leaders of Midian. They killed Oreb at the rock called Oreb. They killed Zeeb at the winepress called Zeeb. They continued to chase Midian’s people. They brought Oreb’s head and Zeeb’s head to Gideon, who was by the Jordan river.
COMMENTARY
Gideon called for more help. Probably many who came had been in the original group that consisted of 32,000 men. The groups of Israel’s soldiers who had weapons got ready. They captured the places where people crossed the river. They killed some leaders of the enemy’s army. This time Gideon felt confident enough to call Ephraim’s tribe for help. He asked them to control the places where people crossed the river. This would prevent the escape of Midian’s army. They killed two princes of Midian.
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