May 22, 2025
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Reading along with us in Judges, Proverbs, and Psalms? Here’s today’s reading:
Judges 7 (NIV)
Gideon Defeats the Midianites
1 Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. 2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’……Continue Reading
Judges 7
Judges 7
Judges 7
God tells Gideon that the men that are with him are too many. When they defeat the enemy, they will think that they did it themselves without God. For they are 32,000 men and even though the Midianites are far more in number the Lord doesn`t want them thinking that they are the ones who defeated the enemy. So, He has 22,000 go home for they are afraid. This leaves 10,000 men remaining. Still too many so God chooses only those who lap water with their hands. They are alert but only are 300 men. But these are the men that God uses to defeat the enemy. Gideon divides them into three camps to surround the enemy. They only use trumpets, pitchers, torches, and a cry out. The cry out is The sword of the Lord and Gideon. The Lord does the rest and confuses the enemy, and they attack each other and flee. Then some other tribes are called in to help. They only have the victory because of God. God is ever patient with Gideon for before He has Gideon attack with the 300 men, He has Gideon and his servant spy on the camp and hear the enemy say how fearful they are of Gideon and his God. Because even now Gideon is fearful but is reassured and strengthened by what he heard. {God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.} Psalm 46:1.
Oh how I remember learning this story in Sunday school, and there was probably a flannel graph that was used to teach and the lessons still ring true. The reasons the men are dismissed makes sense and the 300 are the bravest and the most astute, but who, but God, shrinks their army on purpose confronting a superior force? But God wants to make sure that He gets the glory, and in this victory, the only explanation is that God gave the victory. But Gideon and his men are brave and wise to carry out the plan, and the noise they make and the torches they held did indicate a larger force was there. But God did the greater work and caused the Midianites to be thrown in confusion and turn on themselves. There really isn’t anything He can’t do, but isn’t it neat at times that He gives us a part to play…
Judges 7
I love how well God knows us, I love that He knows Gideon has a tendancy to doubt so He tells him that if he is afraid just go listen to hear what the Midianites are saying. Gideon is always second guessing himself and once again receives God reassurance that strengthens his faith to follow the instructions God gives even when they don’t seem to makes sense, like scaling back your forces when you are about to go against a great army and use a very strange battle plan! Just imagine in such an unlikely way you see your enemy fight against itself and God gives you the victory without having to do anything but simply stand firm in your faith, follow His direction, and believe He has got this! All too often our battles could be solved this way, we just need to believe, follow, and get out of God’s way!
What a great lesson Gedeon is to not trust in self, not that he suffered from that, but it is two sides of the same coin. When we trust in ourselves and our “might” or ability, we are not trusting God. Likewise, when we continually look at our lack of strength and ability and not move forward in what God has asked us to do, we are not trusting God.
The Lord sets up a scenario to prove to his followers and his enemies that with hand of God ALL things are possible. Let us remember that when we think that we can’t do something that would benefit others or even ourselves. Let us not let fear of failure stop us from doing something good. G. K. Chesterton, a Christian philosopher, said that most of what must be done to make the world go ’round is done by the average Joe who does not do it perfectly — or sometimes even well. If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well. So just do it, the Lord will be your strength, and it will all work out for good no matter what.
Judges 7