March 13 - Nº 72 Judges 7; 8:22-23
God had miraculously demonstrated both His presence and His power to Gideon. Now it was time for Gideon to trust Him and get on with the assignment God had for him. It would be Gideon's job to lead the Israelite army into battle and wipe out the wicked Midianites.
So, early in the morning, Gideon gathered 32,000 men from Israel and prepared to go to war. But God stopped him. “You have too many men,” He told Gideon. “The Israelites will say, ‘We won this victory with our own strength.’ So tell them, ‘If you are scared, go home now!’” Gideon did as God said, and 22,000 men packed up and went home! That left him with only 10,000 men to defeat a huge army!
But 10,000 men were still too many from God's point of view. He instructed Gideon to go down to the water and watch the men carefully. “Notice those who use their hands to bring the water up to their mouth and lap like a dog,” God told him. “Separate them from the ones who kneel down to drink.” Then God said, “With the men who used their hands, I will save Israel. Let all the others go home.” Perhaps this test showed which men were more alert and prepared to defend their fellow soldiers. The ones who knelt down were obviously more interested in taking care of their own needs. Regardless of the reason, after this test, only 300 men remained to fight the war!
They camped that night on the backside of a hill. The Midianite army filled the vast valley below. During the night, God said to Gideon, “I want you to sneak down into the Midianite camp. If you are afraid, take your servant with you. I want you to listen to what the Midianite soldiers are saying."
So, Gideon and his servant snuck down the hill into the Midian camp. The enemy soldiers were as thick as locusts, and they had so many camels there was no way to count them all.
When they got close to the tents, Gideon overheard a man telling a friend about a dream he just had. He said, “I saw a loaf of barley bread rolling into our camp, and it totally destroyed our tent.” His friend said, “I know what this means. Something small and insignificant is going to destroy our camp. That loaf of bread is Gideon with his sword. God is giving the entire Midianite army over to him. He will destroy us!”
Gideon was encouraged. He bowed down and worshiped God. He returned to camp and woke up his troops, “Get up!" he commanded. "The Lord has given the Midianites into your hands.”
He divided the 300 men into three companies and gave each man a trumpet and a jar with a torch in it. He said, “Watch me and do what I do.”They took up positions around the hill that circled the valley. Then Gideon and his company blew their trumpets and broke their jars. Immediately the other two groups did the same thing. They began shouting, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!”
The Midianites were startled. They panicked and tried to run. With swords drawn in the darkness, they started attacking each other, thinking they were killing the Israelites. The frightened camels added to the chaos. All this time the Israelites remained scattered across the hill holding trumpets and torches.
As the Midianites tried to escape, Gideon sent messages to the rest of the men of Israel who had not accompanied him on the mission. They rushed to the Jordan River to stop the escaping army. Gideon pursued the fleeing troops from behind. Soon all the kings of the Midianites were dead. Midian was no longer a threat to Israel.
The Israelites wanted to make Gideon their king, but he refused. He said, “The Lord will rule over you. He is your king.” Then the land had peace for 40 years.
Do you take the time to notice the little things God is doing in your life to encourage you and prepare you for bigger adventures with Him?
God allowed Gideon to overhear a conversation that gave him great confidence.
We must take the time to watch and listen. God will use us to do amazing things--when we allow Him to!
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