Gideon's Army and God's Glory - The Book of Judges

In this Bible Story, Gideon leads Israel’s people into victory over the Midianites with only 300 men. Peace then reigns in the land for over forty years. This story is inspired by Judges 7-8. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.

Today's Bible verse is Judges 7:7 from the King James Version.

Episode 63: The once cowardly Gideon is now commander of a rather large Israelite army. So large in fact, that God refuses to use the whole army, lest they think it was their might that saved the day. Soon God had whittled down the army to a mere 300 men and with that 300 men we see a reminder that it is not by our might but by God’s that rescue and salvation happen.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray, and the Lord said und Gideon, by
the three hundred men that lapped, I will save you
and deliver the Midianites into thine hand, and let all
the other people go, every man unto his place Judge
seven seven. Father, before I even begin my day, I

(00:23):
thank you that word of my bravery and your hand
upon me has reached the ears of all those who
oppose me. Therefore, with boldness in my heart, I will
continue my journey in overcoming the setbacks that have been
sent to derail my destiny. As my feet touched the ground,

(00:45):
I thank you that the devil and all his little
minions are shaking because of the power that is moving
through me. I confess that I will not have my
mind set on a certain way to win the battle,
but instead I will look to you, Lord, who, with
creativity and individuality, produce methods that will confuse my enemy

(01:09):
and give me complete victory without burnout and turmoil. Like
the story of Gideon and Judges seven and eight, to
day is the day that my name will be known
throughout the enemy's camp. To day is the day that
all hell will move out of my way, because the
all powerful God is with me. And his angels go

(01:33):
before me with trumpets and swords, sent to confuse and
stun my enemies. Glory to God who shows up again
and again to fight for his children in Jesus name. Amen,
Thanks for making prayer a priority in your life. To

(01:55):
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a Year dot Com.

Speaker 2 (02:14):
Gideon's Army and God's Glory. Previously, we were introduced to
God's new hero, Gideon. Gideon was a cowardly and weak man,
but the strength of God fell upon him. He was
filled with enough bravery to summon an army against the
Midian knight Hoarde. Now the armies of Israel are gathered

(02:37):
ready to follow Gideon into battle. In this story, we'll
learn of God's unusual tactics for building an army and
how he uses Gideon's intelligence to lead Israel into victory.
Inspired by the Book of Judges.

Speaker 3 (02:57):
Hello, I'm pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
Bible in a Year podcast. In yesterday's episode, we heard
how God called Gideon an unlikely and reluctant leader, and
Gideon was called to rally the troops against the Midianites
and the Amalikites, who were pillaging Israel's crops and stealing
their livestock. Gideon was slow to accept his calling, but

(03:19):
when he did, he was joined by thirty two thousand
men ready for battle. Gideon then asked God for one
more sign that he was indeed going to save Israel,
and like a patient father reassuring his child, God gave
Gideon the signs he asked for, not just once, but twice.
Today we'll see how God chooses and uses a select

(03:42):
company of men out of the thirty two thousand troops
that go to battle with Gideon. It will serve as
a sure sign that the victory belongs to God and
God alone, not by might or power or military prowess.
Let's listen right now to today's reading.

Speaker 2 (03:59):
The sun rose over the Israelite army. Sun rays shone
into the common areas between tents. Men were preparing their
armor and sharpening their swords. Over thirty two thousand Israelite
soldiers camped in the valley opposite of the Midianite hoarde,
and the quiet preparation before war filled the camp. Gideon

(04:22):
sat before God for guidance and direction. Gideon was no general.
In fact, he would have never even considered himself a
brave man or a warrior. He stood before God, hanging
on every word he spoke. The people are too many
for me to use, God said. Gideon perked his ears

(04:44):
up and his face gave a confused look. God continued
and said, if all these men march into battle and win,
they will boast of their own strength and not mine.
Gideon put his hands in his face side, rubbing his temples.
He nodded to God and left his tent. Who was

(05:05):
he to question God?

Speaker 1 (05:07):
Now?

Speaker 2 (05:08):
He gathered all the men into a common area. Thirty
two thousand of them gathered before Gideon. Gideon spoke confidently,
although he was not entirely sure how this was going
to help them. He said, whoever here is fearful and trembling,
get out and hurry back to where you came from.

(05:30):
Gideon watched as a sea of twenty two thousand men
departed from the group. Gideon stood amazed that so many
of them experienced the same fear as he did. Although
Gideon might have been scared, he stayed for God's spirit
was filling him up continually day by day, he became

(05:52):
more and more valiant. Ten thousand men remained, yet God
still said there were too many. Take them down to
the water. God commanded every man that laps the water
with his tongue like a dog will remain with you,
and whoever kneels down to sip from his hand will depart.

(06:13):
So Gideon watched as the men drank. He watched closely,
wondering what God was doing. The men who knelt down
to drink like a dog fully paid attention to the water.
The others who cupped the water in their hand were
constantly looking over their shoulders. Gideon recognized what God was doing.
The men who lapped had no fear of ambush. God

(06:36):
wanted an army of fearless men, so he sent away
all those that knelt down and was left with only
three hundred soldiers. He gave them all trumpets and told
them to rest, for that night they would have their victory.
Night had fallen and the light of day had disappeared

(06:56):
from the earth. Gideon took one of his servants to
go spy on the Midianite camp. The two men creeped
in the darkness, remaining hidden. The Midianites lay along the
valley like a dark sea. They were like locusts in number,
and even their war camels could not be counted. Gideon's
jaw dropped as he observed the vastness of their army.

(07:20):
Their men seemed to outnumber the stars above them. The
Midianites were mostly asleep, yet some of them stood watch
around the fire. Gideon's ears perked up as he heard
one of them speak. Gideon inched closer, trying to hear
what they were saying. He heard one soldier say, I
just had a dream. Some giant piece of barley bread

(07:42):
tumbled down to our camp and crushed the tents. Though
the image of bread crushing a camp site was laughable,
the soldiers were not amused. One of the soldiers replied,
saying that bread is the great sword of Gideon. He
is a mighty man of Israel, come to destroy us.
When Gideon heard this, his heart welled up with confidence.

(08:06):
They were afraid of him, him, Gideon, the smallest man
of the smallest tribe. Gideon departed immediately. He knew, now
without a shadow of a doubt, that God would slay
the Midianites under his blade. Gideon marched through camp, banging

(08:26):
his sword against his shield. Wake up, he yelled, Arise,
for God will give us the midian Knites tonight. Gideon
divided the three hundred men into three companies. He gave
them trumpets and empty jars to put their torches in.
He caught their attention and said, look at me. Do

(08:47):
as I do. When I blow my trumpet, you will
do the same thing on every side of the Midianite camp.
So he dispersed his soldiers. They spread out around the
hills surrounding the midian night camp. The jars above their
torches made the light disperse, giving the illusion a thousands
instead of hundreds. Gideon looked down at the Midianite hoarde.

(09:11):
Then he looked all across the hills and saw his
three hundred men surrounding the camp. The camp was quiet
for a moment. Then Gideon raised his trumpet to his mouth.
It echoed across the canyons, and three hundred trumpets joined
in for the Lord and for Gideon. The men shouted.

(09:32):
The music of war shook the ground, and the Midianite
army awoke in a confused frenzy. The trumpets continued to
bellow across the valley below. The Israelites broke the jars
in their hands, and the piercing sounds of broken glass
frightened the camels. The trumpets continued to wail. It was dark,

(09:52):
but the torch lights from the hills loomed over the
camp like fiery arrows. A sword for the Lord and
for Gideon, every man shouted. The Midianites began to flee
in every direction. One by one, they began to turn
their swords on one another out of confusion. Gideon listened

(10:12):
as the cries of dying soldiers filled the canyon. The
Midianite horde dispersed in a bloody and frightened frenzy, and
the army of Israel pursued them, picking them off in
small groups. Gideon sent messengers out to the rest of Israel, saying,
the Midianites are fleeing in every direction. Raise up your

(10:33):
swords and slaughter them. So the rest of Israel joined in,
finding scared Midianites and slaves. Shouts of victory flew through
the hills and valleys of Israel. Word of Gideon's bravery
and the Lord's favor spread, and the people of Israel

(10:54):
hoped once again. Though the danger was not yet over.
The new leadership of Gideon for the fire in their bellies,
and they were confident the Lord would provide.

Speaker 3 (11:11):
This is an absolute great story. This story begins with
Gideon and his army of thirty two thousand men, which
was a formidable force. But then God tells Gideon that
there are too many, and if they go to war
with that many men, Israel will boast in their own strength.
Can't you imagine Gideon, who's already prone to doubt and

(11:32):
fear in questioning, as he's being confounded by such a
statement that there are too many soldiers too many? Isn't
that a good thing? He must have been thinking. Still,
he was all in for God now, and so on
God's orders, he told his men that if anyone who
was fearful of fighting, they could go home. So, when
that was said and done, his army of thirty two

(11:53):
thousand was suddenly cut down to ten thousand. But God
said that was still too many. He had get and
test the men by having them drink water, and those
who lapped up the water like a dog were to
be separated from those who drank with their hands with
their swords. Ready, only three hundred men drank properly. This
was a magnificent minority, because now only three hundred would

(12:18):
stay and fight. God told Gideon still that he would
defeat Midian. That night, Gideon snuck into the Midianite camp
because God had told him that if he needed some
encouragement before the battle, just to go to the enemy's
camp and listen and watch. And so he did, and
he heard two soldiers talking. One was recounting an odd

(12:41):
dream to the other. A piece of barley bread had
tumbled into camp and toppled a tent. This was a
strange dream, a nightmare, really, And the meaning of this
dream struck fear in the hearts of that soldier and
all of the camp of the Midianites. This was a
sign that God had given Midian over to Gideon, that
Gideon's army would defeat the Midianites. Hearing this fill Gideon

(13:05):
with encouragement. So listen to what he did in Judges
seven point fifteen. As soon as Gideon heard the telling
of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped, and he
returned to the camp of Israel and set a rise,
for the Lord has given the host of Midian into
your hand. Gideon is confident, but his confidence is in God,

(13:25):
and so he worships God. And he told the others
all that God had done. Notice he doesn't say God
will give the host of Midian know to him this
was a done deal. He is worshiping God because he
knows God has given him the victory, the promise of victory,
which is sure. Gideon's response is a great example for

(13:47):
us to follow. That we are to trust God and
then tell others of the greatness of God. And so,
with an army of three hundred men, Gideon surrounded the
camp of Midian. With lit torches and the loud trumpets.
They woke the enemy from their sleep, breaking jars to
create a deafening and terrifying sound. They were confused. The
entire camp was thrown into confusion, and soldiers began killing

(14:11):
each other, destroying decimating the army. The remaining men were
easily defeated by the three hundred Israelites. Imagine this, a
small army with the power of God defeating the enemy.
Once again, God had used an unlikely person and unconventional
means to grant Israel victory over a great foe. And

(14:33):
now Israel can once again live in peace. But would
it last? And with the next generation follow Gideon's example.
We'll find that out tomorrow. So let's pray. Dear God,
we thank you that you delight and desire to take
the little things and even small people and use them
in a great way, because when we surrender to you

(14:53):
and give our lives to you, we know there comes
great blessing and victory that honors you. Thank you for
Gideon and his army, for faith and leadership, and the
commitment to do whatever it takes. In Jesus' name. Amen,
thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
I'm pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Prey

(15:16):
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(15:37):
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