Faith Is Not About Getting Our Way

 God had chosen Samson to deliver Israel.  He had designated him to be a Nazarite from birth, and Samson’s parents did their best to see that he was raised according to the Nazarite vow.   As a result, God blessed him, working in his life as we see in Judges 13:24-25.  “And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him.  And the spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.”   God has given us the ability to choose our own paths, and unfortunately, some choose the wrong way, no matter how carefully they have been raised. 

 

When Samson grew up, he decided to marry a Philistine girl against his parent wishes, as we see in Judges 14:1-3.  “And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.  And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.  Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.”

 

While Samson’s approach to his parents was somewhat disrespectful, there was another problem as well.  In Exodus 34:12-16, God had warned the Jews not to marry into the tribes around them because there would be a tendency to adopt their religious beliefs and practices as well.  “Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest, lest it be for a snare in the midst of thee: But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves: For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go a whoring after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and one call thee, and thou eat of his sacrifice; And thou take of their daughters unto thy sons, and their daughters go a whoring after their gods, and make thy sons go a whoring after their gods.”  As a Nazarite, Samson was obligated to follow that command, as well as the command to respect his parents. 

 

His parents were upset that he was ignoring God’s command, and their comments indicate this was not the first time he had chased after non Jewish girls.  Fortunately God knew what Samson was like, and that he enjoyed associating with the Philistine overlords.  He was going to use Samson’s attitude to cause him to do what God intended, as Judges 14:4 tells us.  “But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.”

 

On the way to make the wedding arrangement, God caused and unusual event that should have made Samson stop and think, in Judges 14:5-6.  “Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him.  And the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.”  Because of the power of God, Samson disposed of the lion easily.  Because he won so easily, he never gave it another thought, just continuing on his way in Judges 14:7.  “And he went down, and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well.”

 

The lion’s carcass dried out and some of the flesh rotted away, leaving openings into the ribcage area, and a swarm of bees moved in filling the carcass with honey.  On his way to the wedding, Samson remembered the attack and stopped to see what had happened to the body, in Judges 14:8-9.  “And after a time he returned to take her, and he turned aside to see the carcase of the lion: and, behold, there was a swarm of bees and honey in the carcase of the lion.  And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcase of the lion.”  The Jews were not to eat anything that had come into contact with spoiled meat and possible carried infectious diseases, and as a Nazarite, Somson was not to touch a dead body, so he didn’t tell his parents where the honey came from, and they ate it without question, never knowing they were breaking God’s command.   

 

Samson’s wedding was to be at her family’s home, and since it was in Philistine land, most of the guests were philistines, although Samson was footing the bill.  To defray the cost and make a little profit, Samson made a bet with the Philistines, in Judges 14:10-14.  “So his father went down unto the woman: and Samson made there a feast; for so used the young men to do.  And it came to pass, when they saw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him.  And Samson said unto them, I will now put forth a riddle unto you: if ye can certainly declare it me within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty sheets and thirty change of garments: But if ye cannot declare it me, then shall ye give me thirty sheets and thirty change of garments.

 

And they said unto him, Put forth thy riddle, that we may hear it.

 

And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. And they could not in three days expound the riddle.”

 

Since they weren’t really his friends any way Samson didn’t feel bad taking advantage of the fact there was no possible way for them to guess what he was talking about.  Not wanting to lose to a Jew, the Philistines  did everything they could to learn the answer, finally even threatening tokill his wifes family if shee didn’t find out the answer, in Judges 14:15.  “And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they said unto Samson's wife, Entice thy husband, that he may declare unto us the riddle, lest we burn thee and thy father's house with fire: have ye called us to take that we have? is it not so?”

 

Terrified by their threats. Samson’s wife inveigled Samson into telling her the riddle, which she then told the Philistines, in Judges 14:16-18a.  “And Samson's wife wept before him, and said, Thou dost but hate me, and lovest me not: thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my people, and hast not told it me. And he said unto her, Behold, I have not told it my father nor my mother, and shall I tell it thee?  And she wept before him the seven days, while their feast lasted: and it came to pass on the seventh day, that he told her, because she lay sore upon him: and she told the riddle to the children of her people.  And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion?

 

Samson accused them of cheating, and grew quite angry.  Just as when attacked by the lion, the spirit of God empowered him, and he killed and robbed thirty Philistines to pay off his debt, according to Judges 4:18b-19a.  “And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.  And the spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle.

 

Notice that Samson’s actions were just murder and robbery.  He was not fighting to set the people free or please God.  He was just paying off a gambling debt.  Like many Christians today, he had gotten used to God blessing him and never thought about what God wanted.  He was not acting out of faith, but out of selfish pride, and it had little more effect on the Philistines than thirty people being murdered has on Chicago.  He just assumed God would give him the power he needed to get his way.        

Samson Chosen By God

 After Gideon’s death, the Jews repeatedly turned away from God, and time after time he sent judges to get them back to following the Lord.  Finally, about a hundred and sixty years after Gideon defeated the Midianites, the Israelites had been conquered by the Philistines.  God chose a man named Samson to free them again.  Judges 13:1-5 describes how he was called.  “And the children of Israel did evil again in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.  And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren, and bare not.  And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son.   Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”

 

Numbers 6:2-12 gives the requirements for being a Nazarite.  “Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD: He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried.  All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk.

 

All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.  All the days that he separateth himself unto the LORD he shall come at no dead body.  He shall not make himself unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his sister, when they die: because the consecration of his God is upon his head.  All the days of his separation he is holy unto the LORD.

 

And if any man die very suddenly by him, and he hath defiled the head of his consecration; then he shall shave his head in the day of his cleansing, on the seventh day shall he shave it.  And on the eighth day he shall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons, to the priest, to the door of the tabernacle of the congregation: And the priest shall offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and make an atonement for him, for that he sinned by the dead, and shall hallow his head that same day.  And he shall consecrate unto the LORD the days of his separation, and shall bring a lamb of the first year for a trespass offering: but the days that were before shall be lost, because his separation was defiled.”

 

All of the Jews were expected to keep the moral and ethical standards otf the Levitical law, but the Nazarite was to go beyond that.  Not only was he to avoid any unclean foods under the law, he was not to eat or drink anything that came from a grape vine, so that there was no questions of drunkenness.  When Jews touched a dead body, they were to quarantine themselves for twenty four hours to avoid spreading potential diseases.  The Nazarite was not allowed to come in contact with any dead body, even for members of his own family.     

 

As a sign of his commitment to God, the person was to shave their heads when they started, then let their hair grow until their commitment was over, when they would shave their head again.  If they broke that commitment, even by accident, they were to start the entire process again, spending eight days in quarantine, and offering special sacrifices for violating the vow.   Because Samson was to be a Nazarite from birth, even his mother was to observe those rules. 

 

Manoah and his wife took the responsibility seriously, praying for further instruction.  God sent the angel to repeat the instructions, in Judges 13:13-14.  “And the angel of the LORD said unto Manoah, Of all that I said unto the woman let her beware.  She may not eat of any thing that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing: all that I commanded her let her observe.”

 

Please note that God has set similar requirements for those who are involved in ministry, in the New Testament, as described in I Timothy 3:1-121.   “This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.  A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)   Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.  Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

 

Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.  And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless.  Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things.  Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.”   

 

It is easy for us to get the feeling that God only works with those involved in the ministry or that they have some special faith.  Of all the great people of faith in the Bible, only Paul and Samson are mentioned as taking the Nazarite vow, and even Paul’s was a temporary vow, as we see in Acts 18:18 and Acts 21:23.    As we will see, Samson did not live up to the requirements of his vow, yet bod blessed him, using him to free Israel from Philistine domination.    Clearly, we can act in faith without taking such a commitment on ourselves and expect God to bless our actions.

We Can’t Control The Future

By faith, Gideon had delivered Israel from the Midianite forces, and led Israel for forty years.  When he died, they immediately turned away from God, according to Judges 8:33-35.  “And it came to pass, as soon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baalberith their god.  And the children of Israel remembered not the LORD their God, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side: Neither showed they kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, namely, Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had showed unto Israel.”

 

One thing we have to remember is that God allows each person to make up their own mind what they want to do.  While our example and teachings may contribute to their choice, we cannot take responsibility for the choices they make.  It was not Gideon’s fault the people turned away from God, even though his making the ephod may have played a small part. 

 

Gideon had refused to become king because God was supposed to be their king, and the people were responsible for their own actions, as described in Judges 17:6 and Judges 21:25.  “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”  One of Gideon’s sons decided he wanted to be king, and assumed his half-brothers felt the same way.  He conspired with his uncles and cousins from his mother’s side to kill his half-brothers and seize the throne according to Judges 9:1-6.  “And Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal went to Shechem unto his mother's brethren, and communed with them, and with all the family of the house of his mother's father, saying, Speak, I pray you, in the ears of all the men of Shechem, Whether is better for you, either that all the sons of Jerubbaal, which are threescore and ten persons, reign over you, or that one reign over you? remember also that I am your bone and your flesh.

 

And his mother's brethren spake of him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all these words: and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they said, He is our brother.  And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baalberith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed him.  And he went unto his father's house at Ophrah, and slew his brethren the sons of Jerubbaal, being threescore and ten persons, upon one stone: notwithstanding yet Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.  And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the house of Millo, and went, and made Abimelech king, by the plain of the pillar that was in Shechem.”

 

Gideon had served God, but Absalom rejected the things his father stood for, selfishly murdering his own brothers to obtain power.  Three years later, God began to judge the people who had supported Abimelech, in Judges 9:22-25.  “When Abimelech had reigned three years over Israel, Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: That the cruelty done to the threescore and ten sons of Jerubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which slew them; and upon the men of Shechem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren.  And the men of Shechem set liers in wait for him in the top of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them: and it was told Abimelech.”

Shechem rebelled against Abimelech, and he attacked them, killing the very people who had made him king.  The survivors fled into the fort in Shechem, believing they could defend it.  Abimelech piled wood around the fort and set it on fire, killing about a thousand of the inhabitants, according to Judges 9:45-49.  “And Abimelech fought against the city all that day; and he took the city, and slew the people that was therein, and beat down the city, and sowed it with salt.  And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard that, they entered into an hold of the house of the god Berith.

 

And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together.  And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that were with him; and Abimelech took an ax in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and laid it on his shoulder, and said unto the people that were with him, What ye have seen me do, make haste, and do as I have done.  And all the people likewise cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put them to the hold, and set the hold on fire upon them; so that all the men of the tower of Shechem died also, about a thousand men and women.”

 

Having successfully quashed the rebellion among his relatives in Shechem, Abimelech attempted the same thing against the village of Thebez, in Judges 9:50-53.  “Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it.  But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut it to them, and gat them up to the top of the tower.  And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought against it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire.   And a certain woman cast a piece of a millstone upon Abimelech's head, and all to brake his skull.”

 

Suffering from a severe concussion, and fearing he would die, Abimelech was afraid people would think he was weak because a woman killed him, and had one of his soldiers kill him to preserve his pride, in Judges 9:54-55.  “Then he called hastily unto the young man his armourbearer, and said unto him, Draw thy sword, and slay me, that men say not of me, A woman slew him. And his young man thrust him through, and he died.  And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man unto his place.”

 

Gideon had trusted God to protect Israel, and even though he died and his children were killed, God was still working as we see in Judges 9:56-57.  “Thus God rendered the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did unto his father, in slaying his seventy brethren: And all the evil of the men of Shechem did God render upon their heads: and upon them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal.”  We can trust God to do what is right, even after our death.  We don’t have to worry about the future or about what others will do.  

Trusting God Even When We Make A Mistake

 God had given a tremendous victory over the Midianites, but the people credited Gideon with the victory and asked him to be king, in Judges 8:22.  “Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also: for thou hast delivered us from the hand of Midian.” 

 

Recognizing that while God had chosen him to lead in the defeat of the Midianites, he had not called him to be king, Gideon refused this honor, in Judges 8:23.  “And Gideon said unto them, I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you.”  God had never intended them to have a king originally, as he was to be their ruler.  God id recognize that the day would come when they would not be satisfied with him as king, and in Deuteronomy 17, had given some specific guidelines as to what he king should be like, but at this point Gideon was content to trust God to protect them without a formal government. 

 

Appreciating their desire to honor him, Gideon asked them to donate the gold earrings they had taken from the Midianites, who wore earrings as a mark to identify them as Ishmaelites.  The people gave far more than the earrings, as we see in Judges 8:24-26.  “And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because they were Ishmaelites.)  And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment, and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey.  And the weight of the golden earrings that he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their camels' necks.”

 

Gideon used the donations to set up a memorial to God celebrating the victory God had given, as Judges 8:27 describes.  “And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his house.”  As part of the memorial, Gideon made a copy of the high priests ephod.  Unfortunately, the people began to come to Gideon’s memorial rather than going to Shiloh to the Tabernacle to worship as God had commanded.   The memorial became a distraction and caused Gideon’s own family to turn away from God. 

 

Unfortunately, our efforts to protect and preserve our beliefs by setting up organizations or memorials to a certain man or event often become a distraction from serving God, just as Gideon’s ephod did.  Suddenly that person or group’s teachings and beliefs become more important than what God said.  This is a major part of the reason there are so many different so-called Christian groups today.   Gideon had the best of intentions, but he made a decision that wasn’t good.   We need to be careful that we do not unintentionally set up things that lead people to focus on something other than God. 

 

In spite of his bad decision, God blessed Gideon mightily, as we see in Judges 8:28-32.  “Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon.  And Jerubbaal the son of Joash went and dwelt in his own house.  And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body begotten: for he had many wives.  And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son, whose name he called Abimelech.  And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.”

 

While we need to be careful, when we make such a mistake, we can trust God to work things out for us.   We don’t have to spend our time worrying about making a mistake or messing up his plans.    

Faith Does Not Depend on Everyone Being Onboard

 Gideon was fighting to restore Israel’s independence.  With only a three hundred man army, the Midianites had been put to flight, and driven across the Jordan.  While the tribes on the west side had joined into the battle attacking the Midianites and killing many, the Jews on the eastern ide were hesitant to get involved, as we see in Judges 8:4-6.  “And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing them.  And he said unto the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you, loaves of bread unto the people that follow me; for they be faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian.  And the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thine army?” 

 

All he had asked for was some food for his troops, but they were afraid to get involved until victory was assured.  If he could capture the rest of the leaders then they would stand with him.  Clearly, they did not trust God to give the victory, even though the Midianite army had been routed.  Gideon warned them their refusal to trust God and take a stance would  result in serious suffering, in Judges 8:7.  “And Gideon said, Therefore when the LORD hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns of the wilderness and with briers.”

 

The same thing happened at Penuel, as Judges 8:8-9 tells us.  “And he went up thence to Penuel, and spake unto them likewise: and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered him.  And he spake also unto the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower.”  Since they refused to make any contribution to their own defense, Gideon said he would destroy their fortress.  When we commit to follow God in faith there are almost always some who lack the faith to support the action until they see how everything turns out.   

 

The Midianite forces had fled into an area along the border of Ammon and Israel to regroup.  Between the panicked killing of each other in the dark and the attacks by the Jews as they fled, they had lost a hundred twenty thousand men, leaving only about fifteen thousand, according to Judges 8:10.  “Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the east: for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword.”

 

Still woefully outnumbered, Gideon swung around by two of the cities Israel had taken even before the came into the land of Canaan, and caught the Midianites by surprise, capturing the two main leaders and routing the rest, according to Judges 8:11-12.  “And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and Jogbehah, and smote the host: for the host was secure.  And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued after them, and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the host.”

 

Thinking they were safe, the Midianites were unprepared for Gideon’s attack, and the battle only lasted a short time.  By sunrise the next morning Gideon and his men had returned to Succoth, where he punished the leaders of for their refusal to help defeat the Midianites as Judges 8:13-17 describes.  “And Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle before the sun was up, And caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and inquired of him: and he described unto him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, even threescore and seventeen men.  And he came unto the men of Succoth, and said, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna with whom ye did upbraid me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thy men that are weary?  And he took the elders of the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.  And he beat down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city.”  He had the leaders of Succoth whipped or caned with branches from thorn bushes, and tore down the fort at Penuel, killing the men who had refused to help. 

 

Interrogating the Midianite kings, Gideon learned that they had had his brothers killed, and ordered them executed,  in Judges 8:18-20.  “Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they; each one resembled the children of a king.  And he said, They were my brethren, even the sons of my mother: as the LORD liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you.  And he said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared, because he was yet a youth. “

 

When Gideon’s son hesitated to kill them, the Midianite kings made fun of Gideon, implying he wasn’t man enough to do it himself.  Hearing that, Gideon executed them himself, retaining the symbols of their authority that they had on their camel’s necks, as Judges 8:21 describes.  “Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the ornaments that were on their camels' necks.”

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. 

Too Many To See God’s Power

 God had chosen Gideon to lead in delivering Israel from their enemies, but for years, he and his family had worshipped Baal.  He needed to commit to obey God before he could be given the job of leading an army against the huge Midianite army.  God ordered him to destroy the altar to Baal to force him to choose who he would obey.  By destroying the altar to Baal, Gideon made a commitment to trust God and not to worship Baal anymore.  Now God could send him to fight the Midianites because he could focus on serving God.   

 

Once he had made that commitment, the Holy Spirit came upon him, and the local people flocked to him, as we see in Judges 6:33-35.  “Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel.  But the spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him.  And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who also was gathered after him: and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.”  The Midianite invaders had occupied the land from the border with Egypt north to the border with Syria.  Their main camp was at Jezreel, southwest of the Sea of Galilee.  Gideon contacted the nearby tribes to come and help fight the Midianites.   

 

Gideon had never led an army before, and he was nervous about what might happen.  He requested a sign that this was really what God wanted him to do, in Judges 6:36-40.  “And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said.  And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water.

 

And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.  And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.” 

 

When the fleece was wet and the ground was dry, Gideon realized it was possible that the fleece might have naturally prevented the evaporation of the dew, so the second night he asked for the opposite effect, so that it would be clear this was not a natural effect.  When the fleece was dry the second morning, there was no question this was a miraculous sign.  Gideon was assured it was what God wanted. 

 

Facing famine and possible starvation, many people had flocked to Gideon.   For years they had worshipped other gods, and God wanted them to know it was his power that delivered them, not themselves, or some false god. He ordered that anyone who afraid to go home, in Judges 7:1- 3.  “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.”  Convinced the Midianites were to strong, only thirty two thousand Jews showed up to help fight them.  When they realized how badly outnumbered they were, twenty two thousand of them welcomed the opportunity to go back home, leaving just ten thousand to fight.   

 

Even though they were seriously outnumbered, people might still be able to think ten thousand could defeat the Midianite army.  To further reduce the size of the army, God commanded Gideon to have them all get drink of water and separate them according to how they got a drink from the brook.  He then sent the larger group home, leaving only three hundred to accompany Gideon, as Judges 7:4-7 tells us.  “And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.  So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.  And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.  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.”

 

Some have speculated that God chose the ones that lapped out of their hands because they were more watchful, but the scripture definitely implies that it was solely because there weren’t as many of them.  The fewer there were, the more obvious it would be that the victory came from God.  We humans tend to think we can do more with more people on our side, forgetting that any Christian has full access to all God’s power, and having more people will not make him more powerful.  We need to trust him even when there is no one else on our side.  As Jonathan said in I Samuel 14:6, “…for there is no restraint to the LORD to save by many or by few.”  More is not always better, nor does it indicate God’s blessings.  Sometimes it prevents seeing God’s power.