Judges 7:1-14

Gideon's Men Reduced to Three Hundred Judges 7:1-14

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.
2 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.
3 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.
4 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.
5 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.
6 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.

7 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.

8 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.
9 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.
10 But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host:
11 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.
12 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 seaside for multitude.
13 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.
14 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.

1.

Where were the Well of Harod and the Hill of Moreh? Judges 7:1

The Well of Harod is at the foot of Mount Gilboa. The Hill of Moreh is in the valley of Jezreel. Today a fine spring of water flows from the base of a hill and through an area which has been made into a recreational park for the benefit of the present-day inhabitants of the land. The valley is fertile and is tilled extensively. In the modern times, and in the times of Gideon, it was a place well suited for the pitching of a battle. Water was available for the troops, and the terrain was such as could be traversed easily by the troops.

2.

Why did God want to reduce the number of soldiers? Judges 7:2

If the battle seemed to be won in a natural way, the people would say they had won the victory by their own power. After the number was reduced and they faced overwhelming odds, they knew God had given them the victory. In such a case they would praise God instead of taking credit for themselves. We are not told how many soldiers gathered under the banner of the Midianites, but they were joined by the Amalekites and the children of the East. There should be no doubt, however, that Israel faced overwhelming odds when she put only three hundred men in the field.

3.

Was it a usual custom to allow soldiers to leave the army? Judges 7:3

Any faint-hearted man was sent home. The Law said, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return to his house, lest his brother's heart faint as well as his heart (Deuteronomy 20:8). This is the provision which was given to Israel by Moses concerning times when the people would go out to battle. The morale of the army would thus be high, and in reality the army was left as a group of volunteers. If cowards were allowed to stay in the army, they would encourage others to be fainthearted.

4.

To what water did they go? Judges 7:4

Gideon went to the waters flowing out from the Well of Harod. Even today the water flows into a large pool where people can bathe. It then drains out into a stream which flows through the valley of Jezreel, providing water for extensive plant lifetrees, cereal and grain crops, and grasses. In fact, it is one of the most verdant, well-watered, and fertile areas of northern Israel.

5.

Why did Gideon take those who lapped? Judges 7:7

They were ready for battle and on guard. Those who were less alert must have put their faces down into the water so that they were unable to keep their eyes on the enemy. Some may have enjoyed the refreshing stream so much that they stayed too long, washing and splashing, and in general, giving in to the desires of the flesh for the enjoyment of the stream. These were certainly unfit for the battle which lay ahead of Israel. Only those who took just a bit of water in their hands, raised it to their mouths, and lapped it as a dog laps water were ready for the battle. These were the men whom God designated as the ones to fight the Midianites. They were only three hundred in number.

6.

What victuals did the people take? Judges 7:8

The 300 kept the military equipment of the 9,700. The trumpets of the full army were taken so that Gideon could give the impression of a much larger force. They also took the necessary provisions from those who were turned back from the battle. They would thus have all the necessary supplies without having to forage for food. In this manner, they were free to give their undivided attention to the battle.

7.

Was Gideon afraid? Judges 7:10

God knew Gideon was facing overwhelming odds. He was thus willing for Gideon to be as well prepared as possible for the great task of ridding Israel of the devastating oppressors. Gideon had asked for repeated signs which gave him the necessary assurance to begin his work. In this instance, he was told that he might take his servant with him and go down to hear the interpretation of a dream which God was sending to an enemy soldier. Gideon impresses us as a man who would obey God's will implicitly, but he was a man who wanted to be as fully prepared and as completely confident as possible.

8.

Why was Gideon encouraged by a soldier's dream? Judges 7:13-15

The dream was of a very unusual nature. A barley cake was seen rolling down a hill. It rolled through the enemy camp and flattened a soldier's tent. The soldier knew what it meant. Evidently both the dream and the interpretation were given by God. It signified clearly to the soldier that God was going to defeat the armies of the Midianites, Amalekites, and the children of the East at the hands of Gideon, a man who was threshing grain to make cakes when God called him to be a judge.