Judges 7
Trust that the Judge of all the earth will do what is right.
Then Jerubbaal, that is, Gideon, and all the people with him rose early and encamped at the Spring of Harod, while the camp of Midian was north of him at the hill of Moreh in the valley plain. Jehovah now said to Gideon: “There are too many people with you for me to give Midian into their hand. Otherwise, Israel might brag about itself against me and say, ‘My own hand saved me.’ Now, please, announce in the presence of the people: ‘Whoever is afraid and trembling, let him return home.’” So Gideon put them to the test. With that, 22,000 of the people returned home, and 10,000 remained.
Still Jehovah said to Gideon: “There are yet too many people. Have them go down to the water so that I may test them for you there. When I say to you, ‘This one will go with you,’ he will go with you, but when I say to you, ‘This one will not go along with you,’ he will not go along.” So he took the people down to the water.
Then Jehovah said to Gideon: “Separate everyone who laps up the water with his tongue just as a dog laps, from those who bend down on their knees to drink.” The number of those lapping up the water, putting their hand to their mouth, was 300 men. The rest of the people bent down on their knees to drink.
Jehovah now said to Gideon: “I will save you with the 300 men who lapped the water, and I will give Midian into your hand. But let all the other people go back home.” So after they took the provisions and the horns from the people, he sent all the other men of Israel back home, and he kept only the 300 men. The camp of Midian was below him in the valley plain.
During that night, Jehovah said to him: “Get up, attack the camp, for I have given it into your hand. But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with Purah your attendant. Listen to what they say, and afterward you will have the courage to attack the camp.” At that he and Purah his attendant went down to the edge of the encamped army.
Now Midian and Amalek and all the Easterners covered the valley plain like a swarm of locusts, and their camels were without number, as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. Gideon now came, and there was a man relating a dream to his companion, and he said: “This is the dream I had. There was a round loaf of barley bread rolling into the camp of Midian. It came to a tent and struck it so hard that it collapsed. Yes, it turned the tent upside down, and the tent fell flat.” At this his companion said: “This can only be the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel. God has given Midian and all the camp into his hand.”
As soon as Gideon heard him relate the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down to worship. After that he returned to the camp of Israel and said: “Get up, for Jehovah has given the camp of Midian into your hand.” Then he divided the 300 men into three bands and gave all of them horns and large empty jars with torches inside the jars. Then he said to them: “Watch me and do exactly what I do. When I come to the edge of the camp, you should do just as I do. When I blow the horn, I and all who are with me, you also must blow the horns all around the camp and shout, ‘For Jehovah and for Gideon!’”
Gideon and the 100 men who were with him came to the edge of the camp at the start of the middle night watch, just after the sentries were posted. They blew the horns and smashed the large water jars that were in their hands. So the three bands blew the horns and shattered the large jars. They held the torches in their left hands and blew the horns in their right hands and they called out: “The sword of Jehovah and of Gideon!” All the while each man stood in his place all around the camp, and the whole army ran away, shouting as they fled. The 300 continued to blow the horns, and Jehovah turned the sword of each one against the other throughout the camp; and the army fled as far as Beth-shittah, on to Zererah, as far as the outskirts of Abel-meholah by Tabbath.
And the men of Israel were called together from Naphtali, Asher, and all of Manasseh, and they chased after Midian. Gideon sent messengers into all the mountainous region of Ephraim, saying: “Go down to attack Midian, and capture the access to the waters as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan.” So all the men of Ephraim were gathered together, and they captured the waters as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan. They also captured the two princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb; they killed Oreb on the rock of Oreb, and they killed Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. They kept on pursuing Midian, and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon in the region of the Jordan.
This is such an interesting account, especially when, [sighs] like, a lot of change is happening. And it seems like we're asked to do more with less, but this is a good reminder that that is entirely possible when it's for the right reason and you have the right backing.
Sometimes having too much can be an inhibition. Simplifying, reducing, it gives you a—fluidity, a lightness, a swiftness that you don't have when you're carrying a lot or going with a large party.
And this is interesting too because they had 300 horns and 300 water jars. And it's such a strange thing to go over. They- just come up with 300 horns and 300 water jars. But early in the reading, it points out that originally they were 30,000 reduced to 300. So, what is that? Like a tenth of a percent having a water jar and a horn of all those people, because they did give them their provisions. Interesting.
Hmm. So, we don't always know the whole picture, and I think that's my takeaway from this reading: that we just have to trust the process whether we like the process or not. Gideon clearly didn't like it until he got to go up to the edge of the camp and listen to his enemy talk about how scared they were.
I've been confronted recently with some disappointing circumstances, and, it's very frustrating because a lot of the parties responsible for the circumstances don't even realize it. They haven't acknowledged it yet.
So, I'm trying to see this through this lens of, of maybe the hardship that's created for me is going to help them to understand where they failed.
I mean, I certainly understand where I failed. There's no question about that. That's been made very clear to me.
But not everyone understands that.
And if I just go straight at them and tell them, “You know, you were a failure here,”
I know that'll meet with resistance. Because when I talk to these people there's always resistance to the idea of change or things being done differently than the way they think they should be done.
But sometimes you gotta send the soldiers home. You gotta go against the enemy without weapons. Nothing but a water jar and a torch and a good attitude.
That's what I need.
A good attitude, and probably a water jar.
I'm gonna be Gideon.
WolfCast Home Page – Listen, follow, subscribe
Thank you for coming here and walking through the garden of my mind. No day is as brilliant in its moment as it is gilded in memory. Embrace your experience and relish gorgeous recollection.
Into every life a little light will shine. Thank you for being my luminance in whatever capacity you may. Shine on, you brilliant souls!
— Go back home and read MORE by Wolf Inwool
— Visit the archive
I welcome feedback at my inbox
