Judges 7

Judges 7



Here we see that Gideon and his men were right near where the Midianites were, and they were getting ready to attack them.



'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. 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. 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.'

Judges 7:1-3



The Lord told Gideon that he had too many men, and that he needed to cut back a lot. The Lord told Gideon to send away any of the men who were afraid and fearful. Next, the Lord told him to take the men down to the water and He would tell Gideon which men to send away. God told Gideon that of the men that lapped the water up with their hands were the men that He had chosen. The rest of the people Gideon sent home; they got down on their knees to drink the water. The majority of people, the ones who got down on their knees, weren't alert and watchful for the enemy, who could appear at any moment. So they were not ready for the upcoming battle. The Lord told them to set up camp right beside the Midianites. They weren't too close, but they weren't that far away, either. The Lord then told Gideon to go down and spy on the Midianites and to listen in on their plans. He did so, and heard two men talking. The first was saying to the other that he had a dream, and in the dream,

'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. 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.'
Judges 7:13-14



'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. 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. 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. 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.'


'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. 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. And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.'

Judges 7:15-21


The children of Israel slew every Midianite that wasn't killed by his neighbor, and also slew the two princes of the Midianites. The Lord gave them a very great victory that day, and had done a great work through Gideon, because he wasn't afraid to do something hard.



Do I trust the Lord? Then and only then can He do great and marvelous things through us.