Gideon And His 300 Soldiers: Part 6 (Judges 7:1-8)

Our text this morning is in Judges 7:1-8 which says, “Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod. And the camp of Midian was north of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley. The Lord said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’ Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’” Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained.

And the Lord said to Gideon, “The people are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ shall go with you, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.” So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, ‘Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.’ And the number of those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water. And the Lord said to Gideon, ‘With the 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.’ So the people took provisions in their hands, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the 300 men. And the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.”

Last week our text began with these words, “Now all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East came together and crossed the Jordan and encamped at the Valley of Jezreel.” Regarding these words we can make several observations. First, over the last seven years the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the people of the East have become stronger, while Israel had gotten weaker. Israel’s enemies had become more prosperous, while Israel had become more impoverished. They are becoming more emboldened, but Israel is becoming more timid, fearful, and more hopeless.

Secondly, over the last seven years Israel has not responded to this invasion in any way. They have not dug any trenches, fortified their land, or made any attempt to keep this from happening every year. As a result, the enemy comes into Israel unimpeded, they take everything, and leave Israel with nothing.

Third, every year Israel’s response is predictable- they scatter and they flee. There is not the slightest indication that Israel has any boldness, courage, or strength to stand up against these enemies.

However, Israel has done something recently to help their situation. They have cried out to the LORD for help. Their prayer probably sounded like the psalmists prayer in Psalm 89:1, “Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.” After seven years of this Israel has become the textbook definition of ‘poor and needy’. It is one thing to be poor but not needy. It is a different situation to be ‘poor and needy’ at the same time. Israel is so ‘poor and needy’ that Israel realizes that there is no other option left for them but to call out to the LORD for His help. (6:6)

Over the years Israel has displayed no courage, no boldness, and they’ve made no attempt to free themselves from the oppression of this enemy. We can assume, therefore, that left to themselves they would continue to do what they have always done as the enemy coming into Israel- scatter and flee to their hiding places.

Judges 6:6 describes the condition of Israel when they called out to the LORD, “And Israel was brought very low because of Midian. And the people of Israel cried out for help to the LORD.” Over these years there has been no one left in Israel who has not been adversely effected by Midian. Perhaps, for a time there were some who could weather this storm but with every passing year conditions became worse and there was no one who left in Israel who wasn’t calling out for help.

Everyone in Israel has been ‘brought very low’ because of Israel’s enemy. These words speak of the fact that Israel had been brought into great distress, began to languish exceedingly, the mighty were made weak, their shoulders drooped, their hands weakened, their knees began to buckle, their heads hung down. These things were the outward symptoms of what was happening to them spiritually.

Recently I spoke with a man in our congregation who became very sick over a very short period of time. As a result, he did not have the strength to even pick up his phone to call for help. For him, as it is for Israel, this had become a desperate situation regarding life or death. At this time, Israel is weak, famished, feeble, and oppressed by a powerful enemy. Israel cannot do much of anything to help themselves but the one thing they can do is to begin to pray to the LORD for help.

It is important to realize that the word used for ‘cry’, ‘call’, and ‘pray’ speaks of the fact that the people are beginning to do two things simultaneously. First, they are beginning to come together, congregate together, and to assemble together. Secondly, as they do this they come together and cry out to the LORD for His help. (6:6)

There are a couple facts in this text that help to emphasize that this is what is going on here. First, the verb that is used for the word ‘call’ is plural. Secondly, when these people begin to gather together and call out to the LORD He immediately raises up a prophet to speak to them. Like the apostle Paul in the New Testament, this prophet probably goes to where these people have congregated to pray and seek the LORD through repentance and faith.

You have probably noticed by now that I have spent a lot of time speaking about the weakness, the helplessness, the feebleness, the lowliness, the fear, and the distress that Israel is experiencing as a result of the oppression by the Midianites. These characteristics are symptoms of a spiritual problem in Israel. Would you agree with me that you and I are quicker to see and feel those physical dangers around us then we are to see the spiritual dangers that are also around us?

When Israel prays we see that God begins to do things for Israel. The LORD raises up a prophet to speak His word to them and He raises up a judge who will lead Israel to victory against the Midianites. As a result of this, when the enemy crosses the Jordan and encamps at the Valley of Jezreel the LORD clothes Gideon with His Spirit and Gideon is then compelled to act in accordance to the calling he has been given. Gideon blows the trumpet and he gathers an army who will follow him into battle. All of these things are the result of God working among His people. None of this would happen apart from the LORD.

Then on the eve of the great battle for Israel’s liberation from the hands of the Midianites Gideon is made aware of a major problem. Until the LORD addresses this problem neither Gideon or anyone in Israel is aware of it. What is this problem? Well, by mere observation and human wisdom we might conclude that...

• The problem is that there are not enough men to fight against their enemy who is 135,000 people. In this moment Israel is outnumbered 4 to 1.

• The problem is that Israel does not have the weapons that they will need to go to war and win. We might conclude this because Israel arrives for battle and they only have jars, torches, trumpets, and the sound of their own voices to fight against this enemy.

• The problem is that Israel has not been well trained in combat? One might conclude that this may be the case because it has been years since Israel has had any experience in fighting against an enemy like this.

None of these things are the problem that God sees. In Judges 7:2 the LORD tells Gideon that there is a problem with the hearts of the people, saying, “The people with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over Me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’”

We have seen how the people are incapable of freeing themselves from the Midianites. Now, because the LORD has responded to their prayer 32,000 people have answered the call to come to fight in this battle against the Midianites who have 135,000 men. (7:3) The Israelites are outnumbered 4 to 1. Not only are the Midianites a larger fighting force than Israel, but they have the advantage over Israel in every other way. Despite all of these things, The LORD knows that if He gives His people the victory Israel would not acknowledge Him and what He has done; instead they would say, “My own hands have saved me.” (2)

The LORD warned of this sort of thing happening in Deuteronomy 8 when He says to Israel, “Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’” (17) Then the LORD continues to warn Israel in Deuteronomy 9:4, saying, “Do not say in your heart, after the LORD your God has thrust them out before you, ‘It is because of my righteousness that the LORD has brought me in to the promised land.’” He continues, “Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart that you are going in to possess their land, but because of the wickedness of these nations the LORD your God is drinving them out from before you, and that He may confirm the word that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”

One moment we can confess, like Gideon did (6:15), “Behold, I am the weakest...I am the least.” (6:15), but then shortly after the LORD helps us we loudly boast, “My own hands have saved me.”. The LORD knows that against all wisdom, understanding, and proper discernment Israel will re-write the history books to make themselves the hero of the story if He were to give them the victory. When this happens their song of victory would sound nothing like the song of Deborah and Barak which is recorded in Judges 5. After the LORD gave them victory they sang, “Hear, O kings; give ear, O princes; to the LORD I will sing; I will make melody to the LORD, the God of Israel...The LORD went out...the LORD marched...the mountains quaked before the LORD.” (5:2-5)

So now we know that there is a problem, but is there a solution to this? Does this mean that God will not deliver Israel? Thankfully, the LORD will deliver His people but He will do it in such a way that no one can boast but in the LORD alone. We see what the solution might look like in verse 3, “Now therefore proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home and hurry away from Mount Gilead.’”

I would think that Gideon may have struggled with this solution. A general always wants a large army; and yet, Gideon who had initially struggled with his faith early on, now obeys the LORD immediately. At the end of verse 3 we read what resulted from this, “Then 22,000 of the people returned, and 10,000 remained.” All of a sudden, with the numbers remaining, every Israelite with have to face somewhere between 13 or 14 Midianites in battle.

Gideon may have thought that this process was over but even after these 22,000 people walk away and leave only 10,000 soldiers the LORD speaks again, saying, “The people are still to many.” (7:4) Therefore, the LORD says to Gideon, “Take them down to the water, and I will test them for you there, and anyone of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ shall not go.”

Once again Gideon is quick to obey the LORD’s command. We read these words, “So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, ‘Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, everyone who one who kneels down to drink.’ And the number o those who lapped, putting their hands to their mouths, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people knelt down to drink water. And the LORD said to Gideon, ‘With 300 men who lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hand, and let all the others go every man to his home.’ So the people took provisions in their hands, and their trumpets. And he sent all the rest of Israel every man to his tent, but retained the 300 men. And the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.” (5-8)

After the LORD does this there are now 450 Midianites for every 1 Israelite soldier. Even those soldiers who have the strongest faith would have surely trembled at this current situation. I know that this is probably the case because even Gideon found himself afraid to go into the battle after these things have happened. (7:9-11)

Therefore, Gideon and his 300 soldiers could now say with the apostle Paul, “For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death.” (2 Cor. 1:8-9) But they also knew that the purpose behind these things, “But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.” (9) They knew that at the end of this battle, instead of boasting over the LORD and sinfully declaring, ‘My own hands have saved me!’, the Israelites will say again with the apostle Paul, “The LORD delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.” (10)

When we conclude our study about Gideon we will see that Israel will try to make him their king. (8:22) Israel is always so faithless and always resists to submit to the LORD as their King. When this happens Gideon replies, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the LORD will rule over you.” (23) Gideon, like the preacher in Judges 6:7-10, is preaching the gospel to Israel, “Do not look to a mere man as King; look to the LORD alone and glorify Him.”

God will raise up many people throughout history to deliver His people from their trouble, but there is only one Savior and LORD who is to rule over us- Jesus Christ. (Philippians 2:1-11) The LORD alone can mercifully and graciously save undeserving sinners. (Romans 3:9-20 ; 5:1-11) “Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded...For we hold that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” (Romans 37-28) Therefore, we will not say in our heart, “Who will asdcend into heaven?” (that is, to bring Christ down) or “Who will descend into the abyss? (that is to bring Christ up from the dead).” But what does faith say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:5-17)

Our response to these things is not to boast in ourselves but to boast in the LORD, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways!...For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:34&36)