Gideon’s Faithful Few

Judges 7:4-7, 15-21

GOLDEN TEXT: “There is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few.”—I Samuel 14:6

STIMULATING to faith in the memory of all sincere students of the Bible, is the story of Gideon and his faithful three hundred who defeated the hosts of the Midianites and Amalekites who, for sometime, had been pillaging the land of Israel. At the time the Lord raised up Gideon as a savior of His people, the Israelites were in a very unhappy situation. Basically their trouble lay in the fact that they had measurably deserted their God and were largely given over to the worship of Baal. Their unfaithfulness to Jehovah, the true God, left them unprotected against their heathen enemies who were powerful enough to enter and plunder their land.

Gideon, preceding the signal victory over the Midianites, had courageously destroyed the altar and grove of Baal. Although this was done at the behest of Jehovah, the Israelites demanded that Gideon, be killed for this rash procedure. Gideon’s father stepped into the breech and very wisely reminded his fellow Israelites that if Baal was a real God he should be able to plead for and take care of himself. If Baal couldn’t protect his altars against Gideon, why should he be considered worthy of worship? The people saw the logic of this argument and ceased to clamour for Gideon’s life.

But Gideon had another commission from Jehovah. It was to defeat the hosts of the Midianites and Amalekites, and thus free the Israelites from heathen oppression. Gideon was a humble man, but when he was assured that God was back of him, he zealously carried out all the instructions of the Lord, let come what would.

He sent messengers throughout the various tribes of Israel to recruit an army of volunteers for the task in hand. The grave plight of the Israelites is reflected in the fact that thirty thousand responded to Gideon’s call. Gideon was not a recognized soldier nor was he a leader of armies. Probably most of the Israelites had never heard of him until the Lord brought him to the front in this national crisis. The fact that under such circumstances thirty thousand volunteered to follow this unknown leader into battle against their enemies, emphasizes the seriousness of the emergency.

But the Lord told Gideon that thirty thousand were far too many, explaining that a victory achieved by such a large number would not be considered by the Israelites as attributable to divine aid. True, as our Golden text reminds us, the Lord could use the larger number or He could use a very few, for He is not restricted in the means or manner of accomplishing His purposes. To defeat the mighty hosts encamped in the Valley of Jezreel by the use of thirty thousand men would have been a miracle, but with an army of this size the Israelites might still have taken the credit to themselves. Now that their altar to Baal had been destroyed and they were compelled to forego the worship of Baal, God wanted them to be reminded that He was able to do things for them that were really worth while.

So Gideon, at the Lord’s direction, began a weeding-out process. He told all the volunteers that if any of them were at all fearful of the impending battle they could return home—that he would not hold them under obligation. Twenty thousand of them took advantage of this opportunity. But the Lord explained that there were still too many, and He outlined another test which Gideon applied. It was the water-drinking test. Those who remained alert while they drank, lapping up the water from their hands rather than putting their faces down to the water, were the ones to he chosen. Only three hundred passed this test.

But with the Lord planning the strategy, three hundred brave alert men could accomplish wonders. First the Lord reassured Gideon by sending him secretly into the camp of the enemy. There he overheard the recital of a dream which indicated that the hosts of Midian were nervous and fearful of impending tragedy. This gave Gideon confidence. The attack was made in the darkness. The three hundred were divided into three companies which approached the enemy from different angles. Their main weapons were a torch, an earthen pitcher, and a horn, or trumpet. Their torches were to be kept concealed within the earthen pitchers until they received a signal from Gideon, then all the pitchers were to be broken allowing the torches to blaze up in the darkness. Simultaneously they were to shout, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon.” The trumpets also were to be blown, which would add to the confusion.

It has been said that in armies of ancient times, only the captains carried torches. If this be true we can well understand the terror and confusion of Gideon’s enemies. Three hundred torches blazing up all around them would suggest an army large enough to require that many captains. No wonder the enemy hosts became confused and killed each other.

Gideon’s little band constitute an excellent picture of the “little flock” of Christ’s followers during this Gospel age. They represent those who are alert and willing, when the opportunity presents itself, to “break” or sacrifice their earthen vessels and let the light shine out. They also are the ones who zealously blow upon the trumpet of truth, proclaiming to all around them the glad tidings of victory for righteousness through the coming Kingdom of Christ.

QUESTIONS:

Why was Israel plagued by the Midianites and Amalekites?

Under the blessing of God, what did Gideon accomplish?

Is the accomplishment of God’s purposes contingent upon the numerical strength of His agencies, and how can the lessons from Gideon’s triumph be applied for the benefit of the Christian today?

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