The Lord gives Gideon the victory

7:1 Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and his men got up the next morning and camped near the spring of Harod. The Midianites were camped north of them near the hill of Moreh in the valley. 7:2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men for me to hand Midian over to you. Israel might brag, ‘Our own strength has delivered us.’ 7:3 Now, announce to the men, ‘Whoever is shaking with fear may turn around and leave Mount Gilead.’” Twenty-two thousand men went home; ten thousand remained. 7:4 The Lord spoke to Gideon again, “There are still too many men. Bring them down to the water and I will thin the ranks some more. When I say, ‘This one should go with you,’ pick him to go; when I say, ‘This one should not go with you,’ do not take him.” 7:5 So he brought the men down to the water. Then the Lord said to Gideon, “Separate those who lap the water as a dog laps from those who kneel to drink.” 7:6 Three hundred men lapped; the rest of the men kneeled to drink water. 7:7 The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men who lapped I will deliver the whole army and I will hand Midian over to you. The rest of the men should go home.” 7:8 The men who were chosen took supplies and their trumpets. Gideon sent all the men of Israel back to their homes; he kept only three hundred men. Now the Midianites were camped down below in the valley. 7:9 That night the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up! Attack the camp, for I am handing it over to you. 7:10 But if you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with Purah your servant 7:11 and listen to what they are saying. Then you will be brave and attack the camp.” So he went down with Purah his servant to where the sentries were guarding the camp. 7:12 Now the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people from the east covered the valley like a swarm of locusts. Their camels could not be counted; they were as innumerable as the sand on the seashore. 7:13 When Gideon arrived, he heard a man telling another man about a dream he had. The man said, “Look! I had a dream. I saw a stale cake of barley bread rolling into the Midianite camp. It hit a tent so hard it knocked it over and turned it upside down. The tent just collapsed.” 7:14 The other man said, “Without a doubt this symbolizes the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God is handing Midian and all the army over to him.” 7:15 When Gideon heard the report of the dream and its interpretation, he praised God. Then he went back to the Israelite camp and said, “Get up, for the Lord is handing the Midianite army over to you!” 7:16 He divided the three hundred men into three units. He gave them all trumpets and empty jars with torches inside them. 7:17 He said to them, “Watch me and do as I do. Watch closely! I am going to the edge of the camp. Do as I do! 7:18 When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, you also blow your trumpets all around the camp. Then say, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon!’” 7:19 Gideon took a hundred men to the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guards. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars they were carrying. 7:20 All three units blew their trumpets and broke their jars. They held the torches in their left hand and the trumpets in their right. Then they yelled, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 7:21 They stood in order all around the camp. The whole army ran away; they shouted as they scrambled away. 7:22 When the three hundred men blew their trumpets, the Lord caused the Midianites to attack one another with their swords throughout the camp. The army fled to Beth Shittah on the way to Zererah. They went to the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. 7:23 Israelites from Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh answered the call and chased the Midianites. 7:24 Now Gideon sent messengers throughout the Ephraimite hill country who announced, “Go down and head off the Midianites. Take control of the fords of the streams all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River.” When all the Ephraimites had assembled, they took control of the fords all the way to Beth Barah and the Jordan River. 7:25 They captured the two Midianite generals, Oreb and Zeeb. They executed Oreb on the rock of Oreb and Zeeb in the winepress of Zeeb. They chased the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was now on the other side of the Jordan River.

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The Lord reduces Gideon’s army so Israel cannot boast in human strength. Gideon obeys God, and the Lord throws Midian into panic and defeat by his own power.

Gideon and his men faced a huge Midianite army. The Lord said Gideon had too many men, because Israel might claim that their own strength won the battle. So the Lord first sent home the fearful men, then reduced the army again at the water until only three hundred remained.

The Lord told Gideon to attack and even gave him mercy when he was afraid. Gideon went down with his servant and heard an enemy dream and its interpretation. The dream showed that God was handing Midian over to him. Gideon praised God and returned with confidence.

Gideon divided the three hundred men into three groups. They used trumpets, empty jars, and torches. When they blew the trumpets and broke the jars, the Lord caused confusion in the Midianite camp. The enemy turned on one another and fled. Israel then joined in the pursuit, and Gideon’s men captured the Midianite commanders. The chapter shows that the victory belonged to the Lord, not to numbers, weapons, or human strength.

• The Lord reduced Gideon’s army so Israel would not boast in human strength.
• Fearful men were sent home; the remaining three hundred were chosen by the Lord’s command.
• God strengthened Gideon with a confirming word and an enemy dream.
• The trumpets, jars, and torches were ordinary means the Lord used to bring confusion.
• The Lord caused the Midianites to fight one another and flee.
• Israel joined the pursuit, but the victory came from the Lord.

• Warning: Do not trust numbers, skill, or visible strength as the real source of victory.
• Warning: Human pride is a serious danger when God gives success.
• Promise: The Lord can save by small and weak means.
• Command: Gideon was told to attack when the Lord commanded him.
• Command: The men were told to do as Gideon did and to blow the trumpets.
• Encouragement: God can strengthen fearful servants without approving fear as a virtue.

This passage shows a steady part of God’s plan in Judges: when Israel is weak, the Lord acts to save his people and guard his own name. He chooses a small army so the glory belongs to him. This also fits the wider Bible pattern of God using weakness to show his power, pointing ahead to the need for a God-dependent ruler.

Do not measure God’s power by human size or human methods. Be humble when God gives success, and obey him even when his way seems small or weak. Trust that the Lord can confirm his word and deliver his people in ways that leave no room for boasting.

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