Judges Chapter 7
Showing all 25 verses for Judges Chapter 7.
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"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. "
"Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people with him got up early and camped beside the spring of Harod, with the Midianite camp to the north of them, near the hill of Moreh, in the valley."
Gideon rose early to meet the fight rather than delaying in dread - readiness born of trust looks like this. I do not ask you to feel fearless before you move; I ask you to move, and let courage catch up. Whatever battle waits for you today, you can rise and face its beginning without needing every answer first.
"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. "
"The LORD said to Gideon, "You have too many people with you for me to hand Midian over to them - Israel might boast that they saved themselves by their own strength.""
I told Gideon his army was too large, not too small - a strange kind of problem, but one born of love: I did not want Israel to credit themselves for what only I could do. When you succeed, I want you to remember whose strength carried you, not so I can take credit selfishly, but so pride does not rob you of the relationship that made the victory possible. Let every triumph in your life point back to grace, not to your own hand.
"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. "
""So go and announce to the people: whoever is frightened and afraid may turn back and leave Mount Gilead." Twenty-two thousand of them left, and ten thousand remained."
I let the fearful go home rather than forcing bravery from unwilling hearts, and twenty-two thousand men left. I never shame people for their fear or demand they fake courage they do not have; I would rather work with the few who stay wholehearted than the many who are only present in body. Do not force yourself to appear braver than you are for my sake - honesty with your own fear is where I begin with you.
"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. "
"The LORD said to Gideon, "There are still too many. Take them down to the water, and I will sort them for you there. Whoever I say should go with you will go, and whoever I say should not go will not go.""
I kept trimming Gideon's army down until only three hundred remained, because I wanted the victory to be unmistakably mine, not a triumph of numbers. When your resources feel too small for the task ahead of you, remember that I specialise in making the insufficient sufficient. Trust the process even when it looks like I am taking things away rather than adding them.
"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. "
"So Gideon brought the people down to the water, and the LORD told him, "Separate out everyone who laps the water with their tongue like a dog from everyone who kneels down to drink.""
The test at the water - who lapped like a dog, who knelt to drink - was unusual and, on the surface, arbitrary, yet I used it to sift Israel's army down to those I wanted. I sometimes work through methods that seem strange to you; trust that my choosing has purpose even when it is not fully explained. Not every one of my instructions will make immediate sense, and that is alright.
"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. "
"The number who lapped the water from their hands was three hundred; all the rest knelt down to drink."
Only three hundred men were chosen from thirty-two thousand - a tiny remnant entrusted with an enormous task. Do not measure your usefulness to me by how many people stand with you; a small, faithful group fully surrendered to me accomplishes more than a great crowd only half committed. If you feel like the few, know that the few are exactly who I have always used.
"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. "
"The LORD said to Gideon, "I will save you and hand Midian over to you with these three hundred men who lapped the water. Send everyone else home.""
I promised to save Israel by three hundred men - an army so small it could only succeed by my power, not their strength. When you feel too few, too weak, or too under-resourced for what lies ahead, remember that I deliberately choose the insufficient so that only I can be credited with the outcome. Let your inadequacy become the very space where you watch me work.
"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. "
"So the men took provisions and trumpets in hand, and Gideon sent the rest of Israel home, keeping only the three hundred. The Midianite camp lay below him in the valley."
The rest of Israel went home while three hundred stayed, watching the vast enemy camp spread below them in the valley - a daunting sight for so few. I do not remove the evidence of the odds against you; I ask you to stand in full view of them and still trust me. Facing the size of your fear honestly, rather than pretending it away, is part of genuine faith.
"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. "
"That same night, the LORD said to him, "Get up, go down to the camp, because I have handed it over to you.""
I told Gideon that same night, 'Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand' - speaking of the victory as already accomplished before the battle even began. I often speak to you about what I am doing in the language of certainty, because my promises are as good as done the moment I make them. Let my finished tense become your present confidence.
"But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host: "
""But if you're afraid to go down, take your servant Phurah with you down to the camp first,""
I offered Gideon an alternative if he was still afraid - go down and listen first with his servant Phurah. I do not demand instant fearlessness from you; I provide gentle ways to build your courage step by step. If you need to ease into trust rather than leap into it, I will meet you at whatever pace you need.
"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 you will hear what they're saying, and after that you'll be encouraged to go down against the camp." So Gideon went down with his servant Phurah to the edge of the armed men in the camp."
I promised Gideon that hearing the enemy's own words would strengthen his hands - sometimes I let you overhear encouragement in unexpected places to build your faith before a hard step. Watch for the small confirmations I place along your path; they are not coincidence but provision for the courage you need. I know exactly what will steady your particular fear.
"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. "
"The Midianites, the Amalekites, and all the eastern peoples were spread out across the valley like a swarm of locusts, and their camels were as impossible to count as the sand on the seashore."
The enemy host, described again as innumerable as locusts and sand, was truly as vast as it sounds - I never minimised the real danger Gideon faced. I do not ask you to deny how frightening your circumstances genuinely are; I ask you to trust me in the midst of an honestly acknowledged threat. Facing reality with me is far better than facing it alone in denial.
"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. "
"When Gideon arrived, he overheard a man telling a dream to a friend. "I had a dream," the man said, "where a loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp, hit a tent, and knocked it flat so it collapsed completely.""
I let Gideon overhear a stranger's dream about a barley cake tumbling the Midianite camp - an ordinary man's ordinary dream carrying an extraordinary message just for Gideon's ears. I still speak through unexpected people and unexpected moments if you are paying attention. Do not assume encouragement can only come through grand or obviously spiritual means.
"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. "
"His friend replied, "That can only mean one thing - the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has handed Midian and the whole camp over to him.""
The dreaming soldier's friend immediately interpreted the barley cake as 'the sword of Gideon' - even Israel's enemies recognised what I was about to do before Gideon fully believed it himself. Sometimes confirmation of my work comes from surprising, even opposing, sources. Let this remind you that my purposes are visible to more than just those who follow me.
"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. "
"When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship, then went back to the Israelite camp and said, "Get up - the LORD has handed the Midianite camp over to you.""
When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he worshipped before he ever engaged the enemy - gratitude came before the victory was won. I want your worship to flow from trust in what I have promised, not only from what you can already see accomplished. Praise me on the way to the answer, not only after it arrives.
"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. "
"He divided the three hundred men into three groups and gave every man a trumpet, along with an empty jar with a torch hidden inside it."
Gideon armed his three hundred men not with swords but with trumpets, pitchers, and lamps - unlikely weapons for a battle. I frequently accomplish my greatest victories through means the world would never call weapons at all. Do not despise the simple, seemingly powerless tools I have placed in your hands; through me they can shatter far more than they appear capable of.
"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. "
"He told them, "Watch me and copy exactly what I do. When I get to the edge of the camp, do whatever I do.""
Gideon told his men, 'Look on me, and do likewise' - true leadership means going first, not merely giving orders from safety. I ask you to lead by example in your own circle, whether at home, at work, or among friends, showing the way rather than only pointing towards it. Others will follow your actions long before they follow your words.
"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. "
""When I blow the trumpet, along with the men with me, you blow your trumpets too, all around the camp, and shout, 'A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!'""
The battle cry was 'The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon' - Gideon's own name joined to mine, yet mine named first. Whatever you accomplish for me, I am glad to share the credit with you even while the glory ultimately remains mine. You are not erased in serving me; you are honoured alongside me.
"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. "
"So Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the start of the middle watch, just after the guards had been changed. They blew their trumpets and smashed the jars in their hands."
Three hundred men breaking pitchers and blowing trumpets in the dead of night sounds almost absurd as a battle plan, yet it worked exactly as I intended. I sometimes ask you to act in ways that seem foolish to onlookers, trusting that obedience matters more than appearing sensible. Do not let the fear of looking foolish stop you from doing what I have asked.
"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. "
"All three companies blew their trumpets and smashed their jars, holding the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands to blow, and they shouted, "A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!""
Light in the left hand, trumpet in the right, and a united cry - three hundred men acting in perfect unity created the illusion of a vast army. There is real power when even a small number of people move together in wholehearted obedience to me. Unity of purpose, however few you are, can accomplish what division among many never could.
"And they stood every man in his place round about the camp; and all the host ran, and cried, and fled. "
"Each man stood exactly where he was around the camp, and the entire enemy army ran, shouted, and fled in panic."
The three hundred simply stood in their places while the whole enemy host ran and cried out in confusion - the victory came from my intervention, not their swordplay. I can win battles in your life that you do not even have to physically fight; sometimes your part is simply to stand firm where I have placed you. Do not assume every victory requires you to strike the blow yourself.
"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 Bethshiftah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath. "
"As the three hundred kept blowing their trumpets, the LORD caused the whole enemy camp to turn their swords against each other, and the army fled towards Bethshittah in the direction of Zererath, and on to the border of Abelmeholah near Tabbath."
I set every man's sword against his fellow, turning the enemy's own confusion into their undoing - I can dismantle what threatens you from the inside without your hand ever being raised. Trust that opposition against you can collapse under its own weight when I am at work in it. Your peace does not always require your fight.
"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. "
"The men of Israel then gathered from Naphtali, Asher, and all of Manasseh, and pursued the fleeing Midianites."
Once the initial victory began, the wider tribes of Israel joined the pursuit - my work often starts small and then draws others in to complete what I began. Do not despise the small beginnings of what I am doing in your life; they are often the spark that will gather a much larger response. Trust the process even in its earliest, quietest stage.
"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. "
"Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, "Come down against the Midianites and seize the water crossings ahead of them, as far as Bethbarah and the Jordan." So all the men of Ephraim gathered and took control of the waters up to Bethbarah and the Jordan."
Gideon called the men of Ephraim to help finish the task - even after a miraculous victory, there was still practical work left to complete together. I do not expect you to carry every stage of a calling alone; some parts of the work I give you are meant to be shared with others I bring alongside you. Invite others in without embarrassment when the work is bigger than you.
"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 captured two Midianite commanders, Oreb and Zeeb, and killed Oreb at the rock later named after him, and Zeeb at the winepress later named after him. They continued pursuing Midian and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side of the Jordan."
The chapter ends in violence - two captured princes killed and their heads brought to Gideon - a stark and uncomfortable close to a story of deliverance. I do not ask you to celebrate the bloodshed of this ancient warfare, only to see it honestly: a broken world still awaiting the day when swords are turned into ploughshares. I came so that vengeance would give way to grace, and I ask you to long for that better world with me rather than for victory bought in blood.