Day 92-11

VI From the crossing into Canaan to the reign of Saul - 1422-1065 B.C. ~ cont.

C. Establishment of Judges ~ cont.

5. 6th Judge Gideon (served 40 years) ~ cont.

Israel is the World Power C 1200 - 750 B.C. ~ cont.

b. Gideon's fleece - Judges 6:36-40

c. Gideon's victorious army - Judges 7:1-25

d. Later events - Judges 8:1-30

e. Birth of Eli

f. Birth of Abimelech - Judges 8:31

g. Death of Gideon and 5th apostasy - Judges 8:32-35

{pages 404-408}

Gideon continued ~ also known as Jerubbaal ~

Jerubbaal - H3378 - From H7378 and H1168; Baal will contend; Jerubbaal, a symbolical name of Gideon.

• H7378 - A primitive root; properly to toss, that is, grapple; mostly figuratively to wrangle, that is, hold a controversy; (by implication) to defend.
• H1168 - The same as H1167; Baal, a Phoenician deity.

Jerubbaal used 14 times in 13 verses. Given the name by his father, Joash.  Had a son Abimelch who slew all of the other sons except Jotham.

Gideon is probably best remembered as the man who put a fleece before the Lord to seek an answer and/or guidance befor going into battle.  Interestingly God answers the 2 fleeces, and then gives Gideon one back to confirm HIS plan.

The 2 fleeces of Gideon:

And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said. And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.  And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground.   (Judges 6:36-40)

Gideon gathers people from Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali - a total of 32,000 people.  If I have calculated properly it appears that the Midianites had an army of 135,000.

Judges 8:10 - Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the east: for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword.

So Gideon is looking at an army that God has shaved down (Judges 7:2-3) take away 22,000 of those that were fearful or afraid.

fearful - H3373 - From H3372; fearing; morally reverent.

• H3372 - A primitive root; to fear; morally to revere; causatively to frighten.

afraid  - H2730 - From H2729; fearful; also reverential.

• H2729 - A primitive root; to shudder with terror; hence to fear; also to hasten (with anxiety).

Then God weans the army down a tad more (Judges 7:4-6) take away 9,700 men who did not drink with their hand, but lappeth like a dog.  Leaving Gideon with a grand total of 300 men.  Against an army 400-450 times larger (depending upon either 120,000 or 135,000 as the total figure).

300 versus 135,000 - I would be slightly intimidated.  God knows our hearts and minds and is always timely in making sure we have confidence in Him to carry us through what He has called us to do.  We mustn't look at the dilemma, but the deliverer.

God's reassurance to Gideon:

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. But if thou fear (H3372) to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host: 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. (Judges 7:9-11)

God's fleece and/or testing to Gideon?  I had never thought of it that way before, more of God knowing that Gideon would be fearful (he just narrowed the army by 31,700 men) and God's reassurance of HIS ability to deliver.  God's reassurance verbalized:

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. 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.  (Judges 7:13-14)

Which gives confidence and strength to Gideon:

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.  (Judge 7:15)

worshipped - H7812 - A primitive root; to depress, that is, prostrate (especially reflexively in homage to royalty or God).

I like Gideon's battle plan, he 'arms' each man with a trumpet and a torch, covered by a pitcher.  Really, 300 men with trumpets, pitchers, torches against 100K+ army?

My first inclination?  That each standard bearer would have a trumpet (to call the unit to action/give direction) and a light to guide the unit.  Browsed the commentaries...not much in the way of why.

Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick...tocked the clock...I have tried a variety of words in the search engine, all to no avail.  I can not find anything that gives a description of standard bearers, or why or what those 300 men holding torches covered by baskets and blowing on trumpets *could* have meant to the Midianites.

I found some interesting stuff... :-) but did not get my question answered.  :-(  So...here are a few of the sites that I found:  The Message of Judges - Part One, there is a Part II that gives more information about Gideon specifically.  Another one about Gideon - Character Studies.

Ultimately, ...the LORD set every man's sword against his fellow, even throughout the host. (Judges 7:22)

If the Lord be for us, who can be against us?  (portioned paraphrase of Romans 8:31)