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.’ 3 Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.
Gideon, who has amassed a large army (32,000), is on the move. Their plan is to attack the Midians and force them out of Israel. It seems like a good plan, certainly backed by God. But there is something Gideon doesn’t know: God doesn’t want to attack Midian will the full brunt of this assembled army. Why? Because such a victory over Midian, with the large army, would be a cause for Israel to say they did it, not God. So God tells Gideon to have anyone with fear leave. The Midian army sits at about 135,000. This alone could cause many of the once strong-willed Israelites to turn away, and 22,00 do so.
4 But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.” 5 So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.” 6 Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink. 7 The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.” 8 So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others. Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley.
Ten thousand men, it turns out, is still too many men, so God has Gideon to take the men down to the water and have them drink. Those who lap like a dog are separated from he ones who kneel. Much has been made of this distinction. Some believe that theme who lap are more aware of their surroundings. Whatever the reasoning, this is a culling of the troops that God says is still too many. Spiritually, this passage tells us a very important truth: when we have too many resources, it is difficult to rely on God. In this same way, Paul was strong, yet God gave him a thorn, a place of weakness, so that he wasn’t tempted to say that his great successes were his own.
9 During that night the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. 10 If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah 11 and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp. 12 The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore. 13 Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. “I had a dream,” he was saying. “A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.” 14 His friend responded, “This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.” 15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.”
Gideon is allowed to go down to the Midian camp and eavesdrop. It is important to note that the Lord says “If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp…” Still,Gideon has little trust in the Lord. Even though God has promised that he will be with him (6:16), and through the tests Gideon has performed (6:36-40) to prove that God is with him, Gideon still has doubt. He ventures to the Midian camp and overhears a conversation about a dream.
The dream is about a barely bread loaf that knocks down the tent of the Midianites. Barley Bread was the food fed mostly to livestock. Poor people also ate it for sustenance. The meaning of the dream is this: someone poor (a nobody) is going to overthrow the Midians. Also, Gideon learns that the Midians know of him and are afraid.
This is the moment that Gideon truly understands that God is with him. But the question remains: Is Gideon acting out in faith or does he need to be assured before he can act. Our assurance must always be locked to our faith; it isn’t locked to our circumstance. God doesn’t provide us a fear-free path; it’s all about reliance on Him. In Gideon’s case, he is able to rise to the occasion finally. But we will see, as the story continues, if this is truly faith or if he just needed God’s assurance of success.
16 Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside. 17 “Watch me,” he told them. “Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. 18 When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’” 19 Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands. 20 The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” 21 While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled. 22 When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. 23 Israelites from Naphtali, Asher and all Manasseh were called out, and they pursued the Midianites. 24 Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth Barah.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out and they seized the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth Barah. 25 They also captured two of the Midianite leaders, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was by the Jordan.
The plan is inspired. First, the men line up at the edge of the camp. Each man is given a trumpet, a jar and a torch inside. Dividing the men into companies, they disperse around the camp. They wait for the middle watch to appear. This is important. We have groggy men replacing tired men. Others are sleeping. They blow their trumpets. They crash the jars. There is great noise and calamity all of a sudden. The Midians in the valley look up and see the great attacking force above. They shout, “For the Lord and for Gideon!” The Midianites are already afraid of Gideon.
What Gideon did is magnificent. He created what looked like a much bigger army. In ancient battles, the leader of a company would blow his horn, signaling the 100 men in his charge to leap into action. In this case, with every man acting like a company commander, it looked to Midian as if they were completely outnumbered. Before Gideon and his men even attack, the camp is thrown into chaos. It is dark, people are confused, and they go about attacking and killing each other. Messengers are dispersed throughout Israel and more troops are called into help push the Midianites out. They capture some of the leaders and kill them, effectively cutting off the power of Midian from Israel.