Following God’s Plan

 Thirty two thousand people had showed up to help fight the Midianites.  Even with that many they were vastly outnumbered, but God cut the army down to just three hundred so that there could be no question that the victory came from God.  Everyone else was sent home, as we see in Judges 7:7-8.  “And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.  So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.”

 

There was a good chance the Midianites would blow of such a small force as his as not worth noticing, and Gideon had reason to be concerned.  To reassure him God caused Gideon to overhear the concerns of the Midianite troops, in Judges 7:9-14.  “And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand.  But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host: And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host.

 

And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.  And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, 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.”

 

For three hundred years, the surrounding nations had heard about how God miraculously protected Israel, and they were afraid he would do so again.  They didn’t dare blow off Gideon’s small force.  Knowing they feared God would act on their behalf was just what Gideon needed to hear to give him confidence, according to Judges 7:15.  “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.”

 

God inspired Gideon to play on the Midianites fear, as described in Judges 7:16-21.  “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.”

 

Rudely awakened and seeing they were surrounded by the Israelites, while the trumpets indicated a vast number of troops, the Midianites panicked. Unable to identify each other in the dark and believing they were being attacked, they began killing anyone who might pose a threat in an effort to escape, as Judges 7:22 describes.   “And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man's sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath.” 

 

In a desperate effort to get to safe territory, the Midianites fled toward the Ammonite and Moabite territories.  Seeing their flight, the Israelites in the area came to attack their flanks, while Gideon contacted those further south to help out, ranging themselves along the Jordan to prevent their escape, as Judges 7:23-24 describes.  “And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites.  And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites, and take before them the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan.”

 

While many of Midianites escaped, the Ephraimites were able to capture and kill two of their leaders, bringing their heads to Gideon, as Judges 7:25 describes.  “And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan.”  They were angry that Gideon had not called them to come help fight, blaming him that so many of the Midianites got away, as Judges 8:1 tells us.  “And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? And they did chide with him sharply.”

 

The men of Ephraim clearly didn’t understand that Gideon had been following God’s direction, and thought the victory would have been greater if they had been involved.  Sadly, many today do not understand about following God’s leadership, and get upset when people do things without their advice or approval.  As Gideon pointed out, their not being involved gave them the opportunity to capture the two leaders and kill more Midianites than Gideon and his army killed, in Judges 8:2-3.  “And he said unto them, What have I done now in comparison of you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?  God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison of you? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had said that.” 

 

Even with the Ephraimites, and all thirty two thousand who came to fight, Israel would still have been vastly outnumbered, because Judges 8:10 tells us they killed hundred twenty thousand Midianites before they finished.  By following God’s plan they got a victory that would have been impossible using human wisdom, but on the surface, God’s plan seemed impossible.