Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Judges 7:15

And it was [so], when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshiped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.

Jdg 7:15-25

Arise, for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.

Divine Providence overruling the result

I. The hand of the Lord visible in this deliverance.

1. In the general effect produced.

2. In the use of the particular means employed.

II. A picture of the Churchs experience in every age.

1. She is still surrounded by enemies numerous as the sand on the sea shore.

2. The enemies are a heterogeneous confederation. Science, philosophy, criticism, atheism, agnosticism, etc.

3. The attacks are persistently made.

4. Every possible advantage is on the side of the enemy. Truth is in the minority, and has always been exposed to the grossest misrepresentation.

5. The inherent power of Bible truth makes victory certain in the end. (J. P. Millar.)

A trumpet . . . empty pitchers, and lamps.

Our life

I. Consider the mortal and material part of man under the emblem of a pitcher containing within it a lamp or firebrand.

1. The pitcher is made of potters clay, even as man was formed of the dust of the ground.

2. Again, the pitchers manufacture is brittle, and easily shattered into a thousand fragments.

3. Notice, as a final point of comparison, the intransparent character of the earthen vessel. If we desire to see the beauty and brilliancy of a light, and at the same time to preserve it from extinction by the rude breath of the atmosphere, we must perforce find for it a transparent medium of glass or crystal; hardly a ray will struggle out of the mouth of a pitcher. The human body is an inapt vehicle for certain strong and passionate emotions of the natural soul. We speak, for example, of a grief that is too deep for tears, and much more for the spiritual emotions of a holy and devout soul. Those emotions are rather hindered than furthered by the material body. The mortal frame is not a fitting tabernacle for the display of the exhibition of grace.

II. Consider the light within the pitcher; the soul, or immaterial part of man, enclosed for the present within a material framework, the breath of lives breathed into the vessel of clay.

1. First, there is the animal life. And even this lowest species of life is very beautiful and glorious, and worthy of Him from whom it emanates. Like a flame it is most subtle, and, as it were, eludes the grasp and ken of man. How does it interpenetrate the whole realm of nature! And yet you cannot tell where it resides. It is transfused through matter without taking up its abode in any particular locality. Like a flame it glows in the ruddy cheek of health; like a flame it glances and sparkles in the sunlit stream; like a newly-kindled lamp it gradually dawns in the opening bosom of the flower. Learn to bless God for natural as well as for spiritual life.

2. But to turn to the second kind of life–rational–the life of the intellect. This, too, is a very subtle and very beautiful emanation from the Father of life. I spoke of animal life just now as diffused through the whole realm of matter. How does the keen and active intellect of man seek to explore and penetrate through all subjects and substances. How beautiful does the tide of words gush forth from the pen or from the lip! How is the reader or the audience carried along against his will, and captivated by the happiness and beauty of such discourse! And whence this happiness and beauty? It is the lamp of life-rational struggling forth, the spirit within the earthen pitcher; it is the fire-brand of the human mind shaking off on every side its lustrous sparkles.

3. But there was yet a higher life breathed into man at his first creation–spiritual life. And if the two former lives admit of a comparison with a lamp or a fire-brand, how much more apt is such a similitude to set forth the life of the immortal spirit. By the life of the spirit I mean that life which evinces itself in holy affections of joy, love, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. It resembles a flame principally in the circumstance that it aspires towards heaven. Like a flame, moreover, it has a wonderful property of self-propagation. Spiritual life kindled in one little dark corner of the earth will soon, by throwing out sparks as of a fire-brand, light up other beacons near and around it. And, finally, amongst those so brought, there subsists the warmth of spiritual intercourse, which is called, in the technical language of theology, the communion of saints. (Dean Goulburn.)

The battle of the pitchers

1. I learn, in the first place, from this subject, the lawfulness of Christian stratagem. You all know what strategy is in military affairs. Now I think it is high time we had this art sanctified and spiritualised. In the Church, when we are about to make a Christian assault, we send word to the opposing force when we expect to come, how many troops we have, and of course we are defeated. There are thousands of men who might be surprised into the kingdom of God. We have not sufficient tact and ingenuity in Christian work. We have in the kingdom of God to-day enough troops to conquer the whole earth for Christ if we only had skilful manoeuvring.

2. I learn from this subject also that a small part of the army of God will have to do all the hard fighting.

3. Again, I learn from this subject that Gods way is different from mans, but is always the best way. If we had had the planning of that battle, we would have taken those thirty-two thousand men that originally belonged to the army, and we would have drifted them, and marched them up and down by the day, week, and month. But that is not the way. God depletes the army, and takes away all their weapons, and gives them a lamp, and a pitcher, and a trumpet, and tells them to go down and drive out the Midianites. I suppose some wiseacres were there who said, That is not military tactics. The idea of three hundred men, unarmed, conquering such a great host of Midianites! It was the best way. What sword, spear, or cannon ever accomplished such a victory as lamp, pitcher, and trumpet? Gods way is different from mans way, but it is always best. Take, for instance, the composition of the Bible. If we had had the writing of the Bible, we would have said, Let one man write it. If you have twenty or thirty men to write a poem, or make a statute, or write a history, or make an argument, there will be flaws and contradictions. But God says, Let not one man do it, but forty men shall do it. And they did, differing enough to show there had been no collusion between them, but not contradicting each other on any important point. Instead of this Bible, which now I can lift in my hand–instead of the Bible that the child can carry to school–instead of the little Bible the sailor can put in his pocket when he goes to sea–if it had been left to men to write, it would have been a thousand volumes, judging from the amount of ecclesiastical controversy which has arisen. Gods way is different from mans, but it is best, infinitely best. So it is in regard to the Christian life. If we had had the planning of a Christian life we would have said: Let him have eighty years of sunshine, a fine house to live in; let his surroundings all be agreeable; let him have sound health; no trouble shadow his soul. I enjoy the prosperity of others so much I would let every man have as much money as he wants, and roses for his childrens cheeks, and the fountains of gladness glancing in their large round eyes. But that is not Gods way. It seems as if a man must be cut, and hit, and pounded, just in proportion as he is useful. (T. De Witt Talmage.)

A good general

It was said by Napoleon that God was on the side of the strongest battalions. Notwithstanding our present advances, materialism is still deified. Gideons first battle teaches another lesson. We may go back to rude ages in order to learn the might of moral forces.

I. A good general is led, not by caprice, not by the promptings of ambition, not by the desire of spoil, not by the voice of an unthinking host, but by patriotism, by the love of humanity broadly considered, and by the leading of the Eternal.

II. A good general leads. Gideon himself gave the example of brave deeds: took his part in the fray, ready to do, dare, die. Consider the Captain of our salvation. He goes before in every conflict.

III. A good general inspires. The men catch the burning enthusiasm of their leader.

IV. A good general wisely disposes. Three companies. Christ places each where best for him.

V. A good general skilfully uses unlikely weapons. The rams horn of gospel preaching more affectual than the silver trumpet of philosophy. Fishermen have beaten the savants. A tinkers the greatest name in modern literature. A cobbler a great missionary. A weaver mightiest of explorers.

VI. A good general raises a good battle-cry: The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon. Better than Napoleons–Gentlemen, remember that forty centuries are looking down upon you.

VII. A good general makes good soldiers.

VIII. A good general secures a good issue. (W. Burrows, B. A.)

Lamps

Valuable as the light of the sun and moon is to us, yet there are times when we cannot enjoy either, and therefore require artificial lights. And of these we have a fair variety. We might notice a few of the lamps that are in daily use amongst us.

I. The street lamp. This light is for the benefit of the public generally. But we have living street lamps as well. They give us moral and spiritual light. Every true Christian is a lamp, lit by God with the light of Christ, and is to be like the street lamp, giving light to the multitudes who pass by. And we ought to be unselfish, and whether in storm or sunshine we should show our light. And although one lamp does not seem to be of great importance, yet a number of them give us a light almost as good as the sun.

II. The house lamp. The first place where Christians ought to shine is at home. There we must stand up for Christ and show whose side we are on. Sometimes we find people ready to make a great profession in the street or at the meeting, but very different at home. They may thus deceive men, but they cannot deceive God.

III. The private lamp or lantern. This is a faithful companion to us when in the country on dark evenings. We are all travellers on lifes journey, the way is strange, and the end hid from our view, and unless we can find lamp we must be eternally lost. We discover in Scripture the assurance that, Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

IV. The stable lamp. This lamp would scarcely be suitable for the mansion, but it is well adapted for the stable. And among Christian lights we have some suited for one sphere and some for another.

V. The lighthouse lamp. This is a stationary light, and as such is of great service. Let us as Christians seek to be as steady lights, contented with our lot and shining there. The lighthouse is a saving light. Multitudes have been saved by them. We as Christians ought to be saving lights. If we have been saved ourselves we must seek to save others. (John Mitchell.)

Blowing the trumpets

Each man had one, and each blew it as he joined in the assault. They did not leave this business to their leader alone. Just so should every Christian soldier make it his duty to proclaim the glad tidings of the kingdom of grace and redemption. Not that every private in the ranks is to aspire to be a Gideon–a captain of the army. A battalion cannot be all officers, whether the corps be Caesars or Christs. While all cannot guide and control the movement of the host, all can assert, with consenting voice and stroke, the merits of the cause for which it has taken the field. Every Christian is not called to the pulpit. But this is by no means the only method of publishing salvation. Let him that heareth say, Come. They therefore mistake who think they have no word to utter for God. Every man blew his trumpet. They blew together–commander and followers. So do not always the men of Christs army. While zeal for their Master may move the energies of part, others have lost sight of the point of successful assault, have loitered or laboured elsewhere very much to no purpose. Or their note is a dispiriting one, sounding a retreat rather than an onward, resolute movement. Their tones of brooding discontent spread discouragement through the whole encampment. Gideon and the three hundred blew their trumpets together. It not unfrequently happens that the minister blows one note, but many of his band a very different one. How many sermons preached in the fear of God, on the Sabbath, are utterly negatived by professed believers of the gospel in the family, the workshop, the counting-house. Look at this common and mischievous habit among Church members. Men and women of Israel, remember that if the Church is to speak effectually for God in the ear of a disobedient world, it must speak in unison, in harmony. (N. Y. Evangelist.)

A meagre equipment

It is always pathetic to read of that experience of Agassiz when as a young man he was summoned to Paris to be associated with a great naturalist. He was too poor to provide himself with the appropriate instruments for the conduct of his work; so poor he could not procure a decent coat in which he might present certain letters of introduction. He was no mean man in the esteem and knowledge of the world even then, but he was poor. He had a meagre equipment, but the very meagreness of his equipment had in it a sufficiency for the thing he had in hand, and in spite of the want of equipment he rose to be our greatest naturalist.

The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon.–

The finite-infinite–the work of God and the work of man

There is a strange power in a battle-cry. In certain circumstances a single word, or a simple motion, may rouse men to a frenzy of heroism. One electric sentence, such as that addressed by Nelson to his men, England expects that every man this day will do his duty, may be the making of a victory. It brings before the imagination in a moment such a picture of country, of home, of duty, of fame, as suffices to awaken some of the grander elements of the mind. A battle-cry is fitted to inspire confidence in friends and fear in foes. It is not strange, therefore, that the followers of Gideon, so few in number, should seek, as they were about to meet the countless hosts of Midian and Amalek, to fortify their hearts with a stirring watchword–They cried, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon! What strikes us at first as somewhat strange is that they should add the name of Gideon to the name of the Lord. It is not without good reason that this addition is made. Just as great and abstract ideas have not their full influence over the mind until they are associated with some illustration–embodied in some concrete form; so the thought of God, in the height and infinitude of His being, has not that practical influence on the mind as mere abstraction, which it has when associated with some human agency–when brought down to the earth and brought near to us in the form of a man. Hence, indeed, the incarnation of God in man. And so the battle-cry of Christianity is, not merely the sword of the Lord, but the sword of the Lord and His Christ. Besides, it was literally the arm of Gideon, as well as the arm of the Lord, that gained the victory; and therefore we have suggested to us by these words the union of the Divine and the human in the work of the world, or the co-existence and co-operation of the Infinite and the finite.

I. The fact of this union. As the planet flies swiftly in its orbit, impelled by the opposing centripetal and centrifugal powers; as the path of the ship is the result of the combined action of wind and helm; as the body of man moves freely over the solid ground, finely balanced between earth, air, and sun; so the path of the soul is the result of the combined action of heaven and earth. The breath of the Divine Spirit fills the sails, and the little helm of the human will is allowed to modify the course.

1. The union of the Divine and the human in the operations of nature. God created paradise and led man into it; but He did not leave His creature to a life of idleness. He put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. The fruits of the earth were to be matured by the touch of man as well as by the power of God. As the seasons revolve in their beauty and variety, the creature has always to unite his energies with those of the Creator to bring the harvest forth. And what is all art and science but man following God, imitating God, working with God? Man looks upon the works of God; and from the union of his beholding mind with these fair forms there come forth the creations of art–the inspired poem, the pale statue, and the coloured canvas. These productions are the combined result of that inspiration which the Almighty has given, and the artists own earnest labour. The result is cut out by the sword of the Lord, and of Gideon.

2. The union of the Divine and the human in the administration of secular affairs. What is the true idea of government? Is it not that of a theocracy, or a world in which God is king–a world in which every king is clothed with power as Gideon was, and in which every magistrates sword is the sword of the Lord as well?

3. More directly is it seen in the individual Christian life that the power of God is working with the power of man. Conversion is pre-eminently a work of God. It is a new creation, and God is the Creator. The wounds of conviction are made by the sword of the Lord. We are born again of God. At the same time, it is no less clear in Scripture that conversion is a work in which man himself must play a part. There is an act of the Divine will, but there is also an act of the human will. We are justified by faith, and faith is an act of the mind. Every righteous action performed is a fruit both of the Divine Spirit and the human spirit. Every true and believing prayer is at once an inspiration of man and an inspiration of God. In the warfare of the soul the Divine arm and the human arm must both be lifted against the foe; and it is still the sword of the Lord, and of Gideon, that gains the victory. To the same effect are those wonderful words, Work out your own salvation . . . for it is God who worketh in you, etc.

4. The union of the human and the Divine in the work of spreading the gospel.

II. The invisible relation of the two powers. We cannot draw a line between the two, and say, There the Divine ends, and here the human begins: up to this point God has been the worker; after that man is the worker. As the battle goes on, we cannot say, On yonder part of the field are the heavenly forces, and on this part the earthly forces. We cannot say, Now God has laid down the sword, and now man has taken it up. The two energies are blended in such invisible relation and mysterious co-operation that we cannot thus distinguish them. There is but one sword between the Lord and Gideon; and both grasp the hilt at the same time.

III. The wisdom and advantage of this arrangement.

1. It reveals to us the dignity and solemnity of life. We are fellow-labourers with God. We are grasping and wielding the same sword. This truth invests life with the highest sacredness and solemnity. If it does not derogate from Gods dignity to work, it cannot derogate from mans. The dignity that comports with or consists in idleness is altogether foreign to true elevation of life.

2. While this co-operation is fitted to lift us up, it is also fitted to cast us down. True humility is wrought in us by the increasing realisation of Gods existence and presence. His majesty looks down upon us and His holiness looks in upon us evermore. Earthly honours inflate and pamper the vanity of the human heart, but heavenly honours humble still more the heavenly.

3. The combination of entire dependence upon God with the greatest individual activity. What a blessed thing it is to have the arm of the Almighty to lean upon in our daily life! Dependence upon others is not always desirable; but dependence upon God is our very life and strength. The former has a tendency to produce servility and inactivity, the latter leads to the greatest activity. Those who believe most entirely that everything depends upon God at the same time work as energetically as if everything depended on themselves. Those who have done most good in the world are those who have ascribed all goodness to God.

4. Since God is a worker, the success of His work is certain; but since we also are workers, we should be filled with fear lest we be found unfaithful and fall short at last. The fact that an army has a great general–one who is a host in himself, one sure to lead to victory, does not make the men who fight under him indifferent as to how they fight. It makes them fight all the better. It inspires them with an almost superhuman power. Under the leadership of God, then, what great deeds might we not accomplish, if we had faith to follow Him more closely! With what joy might we even fall in the fight, when we know that the day is already ours! But the practical point for every believer is, that a certain portion of the work is entrusted to him. What an awful responsibility! What a value does this give to time! (F. Ferguson, D. D.)

Gideons watchword

Few things are more remarkable than the inspiring power, whether for good or evil, which a short, pithy, pregnant saying possesses for the mind. Proverbs, watchwords, party cries, have always played an important part in human affairs, and leaders of men have ever recognised their value as powerful instruments for swaying and controlling masses of people. No Spartan of old fought tamely who had received from wife or mother that parting mandate, Return either with your shield or upon it! No Crusader in the ranks of Richard the Lionhearted, as they charged against the hosts of Saladin, could have heard unthrilled that glorious watchword, Remember the Holy City! God defend the right! was the suppliant cry of youthful enthusiasm that rang out from the lips of the Black Prince at Cressy. St. George for England! was the cheer with which the whole fleet saluted the flagship of Howard of Effingham, in an hour when the heart of England stood still. Victory or Westminster Abbey! shouted Nelson as he boarded the great San Josef in Sir John Jerviss engagement with the Spanish fleet off Cape St. Vincent; and in less than eight years afterwards he had signalled along the line at Trafalgar that never-to-be-forgotten message, England expects that every man will do his duty! All these watchwords had their meaning, their deep and inspiring meaning, at the time they were uttered, but none ever meant more, ever suggested a mightier truth, than that oldest battle-cry we know of, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon! Trust in God and implicit faith in and dependence upon His wisdom, power, and love, was the central truth, the central duty, inculcated throughout the Divine education of the chosen race. Trust in God lies at the foundation of all true character; for it is that which can alone (to use Martineaus fine words) render absolute the rules of righteousness, and save them from the gnawing corrosion of exceptions, and raise them from flexible convictions of men into a law secured on the eternal holiness. Intellectual integrity, adds the same writer, moral tenacity, spiritual elevation, all alike involve, in their higher degrees, an unconditional trust in the everlasting sway of Divine justice, wisdom, and love. God saw fit to educate one particular people in this all-important truth, that they might become witnesses to the world, for all time, of that saving spirit of loving and faithful submission to the will of God which found its most perfect exponent in Christ our Saviour. To this end all Gods dealings with Israel were invariably directed. Those three hundred men in Gideons little band did not complain that they had neither sword, nor spear, nor shield. They made the best of what they had, and committed themselves to the guidance of a wise and protecting God. He knew that they must conquer that mighty host (if they were to conquer it at all) not by their own unaided strength, but by His wise generalship. It was for them a bloodless victory. The battle was won, not by their own skill in fighting, but by their obedience to Jehovah and their implicit trust in Him. By faith they conquered, as seeing Him who is invisible, and their victory will remain for all time a parable to successive generations of men. For a parable it is of the battle of life. The divinest success in life is achieved, not through the possession of great power, but by the faithful use of such powers as we have. If God be not for us how shall we prevail? Round your life and round mine there lie foes–hidden, spiritual foes–which we are powerless to conquer in our own unaided strength and wisdom. The evil lusts and passions of our own hearts, and the trials and difficulties and temptations of the world, these are the foes that lie like grasshoppers for multitude encamped around our daily life, and if we would conquer them we must fight with the weapons that God has given us, and not be faint-hearted; for we shall overcome, not of ourselves, but by the help and the guidance of Him who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Nay more, if we would conquer we must surely do so with those same three weapons which Gideon put into the hands of his three hundred warriors–the lamp, and the pitcher, and the trumpet.

1. God commits to each of us a lamp or torch, which is to be trimmed and kept bright through life. Every man has his own torch; his own peculiar powers of mind and body; his own individual character; his own special post in life, and opportunities of influencing others for good or for evil. The work we do and the example we show–this, in short, is the torch we hold as trust from God, who says to each of us, as He said to the Jews of old, Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

2. But then, in the second place, we learn that our lamps, like those of Gideons band, must not be displayed until the proper moment arrives for them to be seen. For awhile they must be concealed, as it were, within empty pitchers. Our characters are not formed, we are not fitted for the work of life, in a moment. Hence those years of school discipline through which we have all passed. This season of preparatory culture and seclusion is as necessary for us men as it was for the Son of Man, who, for thirty years, during which He prepared Himself for His short ministry, lived a life of retirement and subjection at Nazareth. In His career on earth there was no precocious self-assertion, no premature display. But the time comes when we are each summoned to leave the life of preparation and enter upon our life of work in the world, and then, if we be true servants of God, and neither cowards nor slaves to self, we shall be ready to cast aside the empty pitcher, and hold up before mens eyes a well-trimmed lamp.

3. And then, lastly, there are the trumpets. Just as the torch means mans work and knowledge and character, and the pitcher represents the method by which he receives and matures his light until the hour comes for revealing it, so the trumpet typifies the sound of the human voice, the power with which, by precept and exhortation, by uttered principle and uncompromising assertion of truth, we carry the gospel of Christ into the world. There are so many time-servers amongst men, who will not dare to confess what they believe to be true and know to be right, if it happens to conflict with the popular notions of society. They reserve their principles for congenial company, where they will be safe from contradiction, and they go about the world agreeing, like sycophants, with anything and everybody. But let such men remember that the world owes its highest good to those who have had the courage of their convictions. They are the messengers of truth and of God. Their sound is gone out into all lands, and their words unto the ends of the earth. We have thus arrived at the full meaning of that battle-cry, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon. It is the motto of our Christian profession. It expresses in a symbol the bloodless victory of the Christian life, through Christ our Lord: the victory which is won with no earthly weapon, but with the sword of the Spirit. (H. E. J. Bevan, M. A.)

The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon

A company of English soldiers were in disgrace. Through some bad conduct they had for a while lost their colours, and were in trouble about it. It so happened that these men had to take part in some battle where a piece of hard fighting had to be done. One morning the men were in line. Some distance away was a hill held by the enemy which it was extremely important that the English should secure. The commander addressed his men and urged them on to the conflict which was soon to take place. He finished his brief address to them by saying, Men, your colours are on the top of yonder hill. It was enough. Their souls were fired, and long before the day was out they had dislodged the enemy, secured the hill, wiped out the disgrace in which they had been, and won back their lost regimental colours by their bravery that day. The Church of God is engaged in war against the hosts of the world, and every member of Gods Church has to take his share in the conflict, and must seek to remove the enemies of God. If we notice how Gideon and his men carried on their work for God, we may perhaps learn a few things which we may also practise with some profit.

I. We will first notice their unity. There were no divisions, no quarrels, no mutinies among them. They stood as they were ordered to stand. Does not this speak to us and with a loud voice? Have the hundreds of Gods hosts to-day that spirit of unity which should mark all the soldiers of the Cross? Have we always obeyed orders from headquarters? If the soldiers in the ranks of the armies of the living God could only forget all party difference, and cease to contend about minute distinctions, and present a united front, the kingdom of darkness would soon receive such blows as would make it totter and reel. We have many illustrations in the history of Christianity, of what can be done by a united Church of God.

II. Let us now notice their courage. Had they been Englishmen they could not have displayed more fibre and courage than was shown, In its conflict with the world the Church needs men of courage. There never was a time it more needed them than now. There are many great and pressing social and religious problems which need attention and require men of courage and faith to deal with them; and in all her work she needs men of brave hearts and true, who are not easily daunted. She wants brave officers to serve in her ranks–men of skill, piety, and courage. She wants the best sons and daughters in her ranks. She is charged with the responsibility of the salvation of the world. She has to make greater inroads into the ranks of the enemy. God is with us, and God can make us brave and bold.

III. But we must now notice the faith of these men. It was a victory of faith. Oh, what a theme for contemplation the victories of faith furnish! The Church needs men of faith to-day. This is an age of scepticism, of doubt, and criticism. It has become almost fashionable to talk about doubting as if it were a mark of strength and special attainment to do so. The Church wants men who live in the sunshine of strong heroic faith and power. She wants men who can, in mighty faith, march round the strongholds of sin, just as the Israelites marched around ancient Jericho. She needs men who can go with Bible in hand and win victories for God.

IV. In conclusion, we will briefly notice the success they experienced. It was complete. They stood in order round the camp as they were commanded. At the given signal they raised their shouts, broke their pitchers, and flashed their torches. They stood and watched the consternation of the enemy. It was a victory which was God-given and full. The history of the Church of Christ abounds with God-given victories. The victories of the past are to be far surpassed in the future. (C. Leach, D. D.)

The natural and supernatural

I. Some of the events in which we behold the co-operation of the natural and supernatural.

1. In providence.

2. In conversion.

3. In the sustenance of a religious life.

4. In the propagation of the gospel.

II. That the co-operation of the natural and supernatural is necessary to ensure success.

1. This is the only way success is to he expected.

2. This is the only way in which success is possible.

3. The co-operation of the natural and supernatural makes success certain.

III. Practical lessons.

1. We should endeavour to form a true estimate of ourselves. We can do a little, but cannot do all.

2. Learn to acknowledge the Lord in every success. (D. Lewis.)

Gideons gallant three hundred

I. The brave company with which he attacked the foe.

II. the battle-cry of Gideon and his gallant three hundred.

1. The first secret of their strength was that they all realised that the battle they had to fight was not their own, but Gods. A man may fight very hard for himself, yet there is a point at which heroism inspired by self-interest fails; but let it be inspired by the love of another, and let that love be centred in an object worthy of the greatest daring, and there you will find a courage which is simply transcendent and irresistible. Look at the men who have wrought the greatest deeds on earth, and you will find that the first thing they emphasised was just this, We are not come out in our own cause and our own strength, but Gods. There would not be sufficient inspiration in any other cause to enable them to meet such overwhelming odds as those which they met with unfaltering step, and at length overcame.

2. As the battle was the Lords, so the weapons were His: The sword of the Lord. You notice how Paul emphasises the same truth–Put on the whole armour of God; and again, Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? If we are to be Gods soldiers we must be armed with His weapons. A young man enlists in the army; there is a sword given to him; it is not a sword he has had made for himself, but one that has been submitted to certain tests, though, alas! they have been more imaginary than real occasionally. It is the Queens sword, and as such it is her will that it shall be so made as to be worthy of the mettle of every soldier who will wield it and of the empire that supplies it. The soldier is not allowed to risk his life by getting his village blacksmith to make one for him. There must be the stamp of the Government upon it. The battle is the Queens and the sword is the Queens; and when the soldier gets that sword he feels that the whole British Empire has staked its credit largely upon the quality of that sword, as well as the courage of the man who has accepted it. The fact that the Queen supplies the sword, and that it represents the power and the righteousness of the country whom he serves, adds vigour to his arm and determination to his assault. So is it with us. We, as the soldiers of Christ, have the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and, thank God, this has never snapped yet in our hands.

3. In a glorious sense Gideon was joint possessor with the Lord of the sword he wielded: The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon. There was no blasphemy in this cry; it was a humble recognition of the fact that God had taken Gideon into His service, and into joint possession of the sword with which Gideon fought. Once again, referring to the ordinary soldier, you ask him, Whose sword is that? He replies, It is mine. Yet he never made it, and never purchased it. You say to him, Nay, but it is the Queens sword. He replies, The Queen gave it me. You add, Then it is yours. Yes, the Queens–and mine; and it is in that conjunction, and, which joins the Queen to the poor soldier, that we find the secret of his prowess on the battlefield. Just so here, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon, was the cry which imparted more than human strength to Gideon and his soldiers. Gods warriors have to fight with the world and its evil. The sword is the Lords, but it is also ours. It is given us so that we may make the best use of it, and that every man who has enlisted in Christs army can say in the same breath, It is Gods battle and mine. (D. Davies.)

Gideons victory

I. The companies engaged. Happy is he who is numbered among the three hundred. Be it so that he is in the minority. Many have forsaken him, more are against him. But he is invincible for all that, as long as he does battle with but one weapon, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon.

II. The trumpets blast. Never did means appear more contemptible than those employed by Gideon. Thus the Lord teaches us that means are weak or strong just according to His appointment. Weak means are strong, powerful, and all-prevailing, when He ordains the end to be fulfilled by them. When God blesses, the worm Jacob can lift up his head, and thresh the mountains. But the mightiest instruments are naught without His blessing. Now, we have here, in the trumpets blast, the pitchers broken, and the lamps held forth, striking and appropriate emblems of the preaching of the gospel. They are fit emblems of the weakness of the instrument and of the power of its effects. The preaching of the everlasting gospel is as the blowing of Gideons trumpets. How apparently inadequate the means to the end! How weak, how foolish! Men must be fanatics to suppose that mens evil passions will be subdued, that the love of sin will be uprooted, that their affections will ever be turned heavenward, by preaching nothing but Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Human nature, says the world, needs something different. If you wish to convert the heathen, civilise them first, and then preach the gospel to them. But let us turn from man to God. He who made the trumpet, knew full well its power. He would not put the trumpet into our hands and bid us blow if the breath of His power were not ready to go forth with the blast. The dead in trespasses and sins hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear do live, and live for ever. Whilst uncertain sounds, a gospel which is not the gospel, settle men in their sins, and cause sport to devils, the clear blast of this trumpet shakes the infernal kingdom to its centre, spreads jubilee among the slaves of earth, and awakens joy in the presence of angels. We pause to ask, have these gladsome notes sounded in your ears in the dead night of your soul? Have you been awakened by the loud blasts of the gospel trumpet?

III. The pitchers broken. Earthen pitchers seemed to be of all things the most absurd to fight with. The three companies might do some execution were they fully equipped. Trumpets might alarm and terrify, but what could pitchers do? How astonished must have been these three hundred men when Gideon said, Arm yourselves with pitchers! The result proved the efficiency of these contemptible instruments. They did what no sword, no battle-axe, no spear could do. They held the lights, they contained the lamps. They were nothing in themselves, but they were everything to the enterprise. Now, we have in these pitchers a striking emblem of the ministers of the gospel. They are earthen vessels, carrying the lamp of life. We ask, then–and does not the value of your never-dying interests compel us to ask you?–have you seen this light? have you been guided by that lamp? Has it shone into your mind, and given you the saving knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ? Has it been the power of God unto your salvation? (G. A. Rogers, M. A.)

.

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

Gideon understood

the telling of the dream, though spoken in the Midianitish language; either because it was near akin to the Hebrew, being only a different dialect of it; or because the Israelites had now been accustomed to the Midianites company and discourse for seven years.

He worshipped; he praised God for this miraculous work and special encouragement, whereby he was confirmed in his enterprise.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

15. when Gideon heard the telling ofthe dream, and the interpretation . . . he worshippedTheincident originated in the secret overruling providence of God, andGideon, from his expression of pious gratitude, regarded it as such.On his mind, as well as that of his followers, it produced theintended effectthat of imparting new animation and impulse totheir patriotism.

Jud7:16-24. HIS STRATAGEMAGAINST MIDIAN.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof,…. Or, “the breaking of it” g; the dream itself being like something closed up and sealed, and the interpretation of it was like the breaking of a seal, and discovering what is hid under it; or like a nut, the kernel of which cannot be come at till the shell is broken:

that he worshipped; bowed his head with an awful reverence of God and a sense of his divine Majesty, and worshipped him by sending an ejaculatory prayer and praise to him; and so the Targum,

“and he praised”

praised God for this gracious encouragement he had given, the assurance of victory he now had; for he saw clearly the hand of God in all this, both in causing one of the soldiers to dream as he did, and giving the other the interpretation of it, and himself the hearing of both:

and returned into the host of Israel; such an one as it was, consisting only of three hundred unarmed men: and said, arise; from their sleep and beds, it being the night season; and from their tents, and descend the hill with him:

for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian; he made now no doubt of it, it was as sure to him as if it had been actually done; hence Gideon is renowned for his faith, though he sometimes was not without his fits of diffidence; see Heb 11:32.

g “fractionem ejus”, Vatablus, Drusius; “fracturam ejus”, Piscator.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

When therefore he had heard the dream related and interpreted, he worshipped, praising the Lord with joy, and returned to the camp to attack the enemy without delay. He then divided the 300 men into three companies, i.e., three attacking columns, and gave them all trumpets and empty pitchers, with torches in the pitchers in their hands. The pitchers were taken that they might hide the burning torches in them during their advance to surround the enemy’s camp, and then increase the noise at the time of the attack, by dashing the pitchers to pieces (Jdg 7:20), and thus through the noise, as well as the sudden lighting up of the burning torches, deceive the enemy as to the strength of the army. At the same time he commanded them, “ See from me, and do likewise,” – a short expression for, As ye see me do, so do ye also ( , without the previous , or as in Jdg 5:15; see Ewald, 260, a.), – “ I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me; ye also blow the trumpets round about the entire camp, ” which the 300 men divided into three companies were to surround, “ and say, To the Lord and Gideon.” According to Jdg 7:20, this war-cry ran fully thus: “ Sword to (for) the Lord and Gideon.” This addition in Jdg 7:20, however, does not warrant us in inserting “ chereb ” (sword) in the text here, as some of the early translators and MSS have done.

(Note: Similar stratagems to the one adopted by Gideon here are recorded by Polyaenus (Strateg. ii. c. 37) of Dicetas, at the taking of Heraea, and by Plutarch ( Fabius Max. c. 6) of Hannibal, when he was surrounded and completely shut in by Fabius Maximus. An example from modern history is given by Niebuhr (Beschr. von Arabien, p. 304). About the middle of the eighteenth century two Arabian chiefs were fighting for the Imamate of Oman. One of them, Bel-Arab, besieged the other, Achmed ben Said, with four or five thousand men, in a small castle on the mountain. But the latter slipped out of the castle, collected together several hundred men, gave every soldier a sign upon his head, that they might be able to distinguish friends from foes, and sent small companies to all the passes. Every one had a trumpet to blow at a given signal, and thus create a noise at the same time on every side. The whole of the opposing army was thrown in this way into disorder, since they found all the passes occupied, and imagined the hostile army to be as great as the noise.)

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

Midianites Routed, vs. 15-25

Hearing the Midianites’s dream Gideon was finally fully convinced that the Lord would give the great host into his hand. His first act was worshipful thanks for the Lord’s assurance. He could now return to his three hundred men and command them to get up and proceed with him to the certain victory God was about to give them. the great faith of the three hundred is not to be overlooked, for they were surely not unmindful of the great physical superiority of their enemies. Gideon’s boldness and confidence reassured them also, (Mat 5:16).

The men were armed with a trumpet, empty pitcher, and a lamp, or torch, to be concealed inside the pitcher, and divided into three companies. Gideon commanded them to follow his lead and to do all the things they observed him doing, when they should come to the outside of the camp of the Midianites. When Gideon blew his trumpet they were to blow theirs and to shout, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon.” It was near midnight when they reached the enemy camp, for the middle watch of the night had just been set. Gideon distributed his men on all sides of the camp. They would have been in the hills surrounding the Midianite camp in the valley, concealed in the darkness.

When all were set Gideon put the plan in motion. Trumpets were blown, pitchers were shattered, and light flashed suddenly and unexpectedly in the hills, seen and heard in the Midianite camp. The shouting of three hundred lusty men, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon,” invoked terror in the hearts of Midian. The Lord’s might they had heard of, the dread of Gideon they were experiencing. Pandemonium and bedlam broke out in their midst, but the three hundred “stood every man in his place,” (1Co 16:13). The host of Midian ran, fled, and struck out with their swords at everything before them, thus slaying one another. It was a complete rout, though Israel wielded no sword.

The flight turned toward the Jordan in their attempt to escape to its east side. Generally they fled toward the southeast. Going down to the valley they came by Beth-shittah, attempted to cross at Zererath (Zarethan), hoping to reach Abel-meholah and Tabbath on the east bank in Gilead in the eastern allotment of the tribe of Manasseh.

When news of the rout reached the men left in their tents they roused themselves to pursue, and even those who had returned home for fear were aroused and hastened to the battle. The bravery and faithfulness of the few carried the day and was instrumental in stirring the lethargic and the fearful. The Ephraimites had not been previously alerted, but now Gideon sent out messengers to sound the alarm to them. They could reach the fords across Jordan and cut off the fleeing Midianites before they escaped to their own country. This they did in a great way, capturing two of the chief princes, Oreb and Zeeb. They took the heads of these two and brought them to Gideon.

Judges, chapter 7 contains some of the favorite preaching passages in all the Book. Find here these lessons: 1) Only those wholeheartedly devoted to the cause of Christ can accomplish the greatest victories for Him; 2) it is not numbers that count for most, but dedication; 3) the Lord will put His fear in the heart of the enemy so that they cannot stand against Him; 4) every man standing in his place in the Lord’s service will always win; 5) a victory initiated by the faithful will bolster the faith of others, who will fall into place also.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

MAIN HOMILETICS.Jdg. 7:15-25

I. The Hand of the Lord visible in this deliverance.

It is quite manifest that the overruling Providence of God was at work in all this to bring out the result. This is seen

I. In the general effect produced. Victory was gained in a few minutes, and without striking a blowIsrael did not need to lift sword or spear. There was no battleonly a rout, disastrous and complete. Not a single man was lost of Gideons mennot a wound or scar was given. They did not need to fight, but to stand still and see the salvation of God. In place of swords we see trumpets, pitchers, and torches; and yet through the whole camp of Midian, such was the state of terror, that none of the men of might did find their hands. There is no such thing possible as fighting against the mighty God of Jacob. There must have been some remarkable influence at work to have produced such a result as this.

II. In the use of the particular means employed. It was by one special cause that the issue was brought aboutthe rousing of the fears of the enemy to such an extent, as to paralyse all regular or orderly action. This was done in the simplest but most effective manner.

(1.) Gideon was directed to form, a plan fitted to produce the result. In this and all other steps he seems to have been Divinely guided. At this moment, all his movements seem to have been taken in hand by his God, for he was the instrument in Gods hand employed to carry out His designs; and though he was left a free agent, as at other times, there was yet an overruling of the workings of his mind, while forming his plans and purposes. There is, indeed, nothing supernatural in the plan itself, however much skill and natural shrewdness it may indicate. There was no violation of natural law.

The time chosen was the dead of night, when all was dark around, and when the whole camp was sunk in slumber. The place occupied was the heights around the camp, especially at three different points. To produce a hideous noise all round the camp at a moments notice while profound silence reigned, and to keep up that noise with the blare of 300 trumpets, was not only fitted to startle the sleepers, but to strike them with terror. The effect of this too would be vastly increased by the tossing of 300 burning torches in the air, right in view of those who were newly-awaked from their slumbers. To make use of such a moment for a fierce attack on the enemy by a handful of resolute men, was certain to throw them into hopeless confusion.

(2.) Divine support was given in carrying out this plan. The best laid schemes often prove abortive from not being well executed. Nerve is required; precision must be observed; circumstances must be anticipated. Here everything went right. There was unity in Gideons camp. There was the most perfect discipline. All were zealous for the cause, as the cause of God. All acted on religious principle, and there was more than natural courage. Much of the same spirit that rested on Gideon also rested on his followers. It was the Lords battle they were fighting, and He sends none a warfare on their own charges. He gives grace according to the day (Deu. 33:26). There was no timidity in the face of a great danger. Not one was feeble in all the ranks of that little brave army. The tone of true courage was everywhere marked, and the Leader could count on every man doing his duty when the moment for action arrived.

(3.) The enemys feeling of security remained undisturbed. There are so many possibilities of information leaking out before the time, that one great danger of the plan miscarrying lay in the fear, that some hint might be given to the hostile army, that a desperate attempt was to be made to surprise them during the night. But the God of Providence so overruled matters, that no intelligence was carried to the ears of the Midianites of any such design. They would indeed be slow to listen to any such tale, so profound was their contempt for the prowess of the people, whom they had seven times trampled down in the most reckless manner. They did not believe in their capability of showing a formidable front to their oppressors. In this they were more than confirmed, when they saw first, how many thousands flocked to Gideons standard, and yet, in a few days, the great bulk of them began to return to their homes with as much haste as they had left them.

So do the enemies of the Church often imagine that all is over with the Church of God, when they see her cut down to the very roots, and no means of restoration are at hand. Thus did Ahab and Jezebel feel, when the prophets of the Lord were persecuted out of the land (1Ki. 18:4; 1Ki. 19:10). Doubtless, too, the chief priests and Pharisees felt sure that they had heard the last of Jesus of Nazareth, and that His cause was for ever extinguished, when they made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone and setting a watch. The Church of Rome felt secure from all that Protestantism could do, when the famous proclamation was made from the Lateran Church, that now at last heresy was everywhere subdued, and that there were none that did even mutter or peep against the power that reigned supreme in the Imperial city.

(4.) A foundation was laid for filling the enemys mind with fears. The mighty deeds which had been done by Israels God at different periods, since the remarkable deliverance from Egyptian bondage, had made a profound impression on all the heathen nations, and however much they hated that God, a salutary fear of His hand was cherished by them all. On the present occasion it got rumoured, that that God was again about to appear on behalf of His people, and the Midianites appear to have heard of it. This is clearly implied in the case of the dream and the interpretation given of it, which Gideon heard in the outermost part of the camp of Midian. But as yet they slept securely, because no danger was visible. They felt, however, that danger was in the air, so that they were prepared to be struck with panic, when that dreadful name Jehovah was proclaimed over their heads in the darkness of night. Just as Jehovah looked through the cloud and troubled Pharaohs host, and took off their chariot wheels, so now He was beginning to produce a ground swell in the Midianitish heart, by the terrible suspicion that He had marked them out as the victims of His strong anger. Hence the power of the mottoThe sword of Jehovah and of Gideon! All this was evidently of God.

(5.) The sudden alarm produced distracting thoughts. No instrument sounds so loudly as the trumpet; and here were 300 such instruments blowing from three different sides, making a noise sufficient to startle the heaviest sleeper, and fill him with terror. At the same moment, 300 empty pitchers were broken with clattering noise among the rocks, a noise, coming as it did so unexpectedly, sufficient to shake the firmest nerves. The two noises coming together, making such a volume of sound, and rending the midnight air in the most unaccountable manner, could hardly fail to produce a terrible panic among the vast multitude, who had given themselves over to the quiet and security of sleep. It added greatly to this effect, that there were 300 ominous lights flashing in the dark back ground, in three crescents, on different sides of the camp. All this was fitted to produce not only alarm, but consternation among persons suddenly awakened out of the dead sleep of night.

Yet, but for the overruling Providence of God, it might have proved a complete failure. The enemys camp did not all consist of women and children. A very large number, probably the majority, were fighting men. We hear of the chamushim (Jdg. 7:11) men not only armed, but arrayed in divisions, or quinquiped menmarshalled as an army in five divisions, the centre, two wings, the front and rear guard. This is suggestive of order and even discipline. Why should an organised army, that occupied the part of the camp nearest to Gideon, become all at once so penetrated with terror? Did they not know that the many followers, who at first had flocked to Gideon, had become literally scattered among the valleys and caves as before? And they knew of no other army in the field all round. Was it not fairly possible, or even probable, that after the first startling noise, knowing the above fact, their leaders would have sent messengers to ascertain the strength of the army on the heights, for they were themselves an almost innumerable host, and well able to meet in the field any ordinary army. When they had such a contempt for the people who fled before them like sheep, and hid themselves in dens, and caves, and rocky strongholds, why should they all at once become frantic with terror, and run in mad haste to escape the swords of that same people? It does seem as if there were a Divine ordering of the means used to bring out so disastrous an issue.

He who has all hearts in His hand made use of the means which Gideon employed to suggest dreadful thoughts to the minds of the enemy.
(a.) They imagined that a great army was just upon them. How it had been raised they knew not, but their eyes and ears told them it was there. Such an army looked like a dreadful apparition, a thing from the spirit world, a legion of spectres and weird demons, mysteriously raised, mysteriously armed, and possessed of mysterious powers. The effect on superstitious imaginations must have been electric. They fled as men would flee from a company of unearthly forms issuing from the pit of darkness.

(b.) They were afraid of the God of Gideon. That terrible sentence which sounded in their earsThe sword of Jehovah and of Gideon filled them with dismay, as they reflected that so great a God was about to repeat His mighty acts of the past, in raising all the elements of nature, and of the spirit world as well, to overwhelm his enemies. As the Egyptians said, Let us flee from the face of Israel, for Jehovah fighteth for them against us, so did the leaders of that doomed army say to each other; and so they thought of nothing but flight. They believed they were to be a mark for the arrows of the God of Israel.

(c.) The suspicion of treachery rose among them. They were a mixed company, several armies joined in one, the only link of union being their common hatred and contempt for the people of Israel (Psa. 83:5-12)Amalekites, Moabites, Midianites, and Arabs. As no one knew how it was possible that a large army could rise up against them in a moment, the thought must have flashed across the minds of manythere is treachery in the camp. Some one or two of the races must have laid a plot to massacre all the rest, to secure the whole booty for themselves. Distrust thus arose among them, and we are told, the Lord set every mans sword against his fellow. A frightful slaughter of each other began. This demoralisation became complete, when they feared also that the supposed large army on the heights was already among them. In the pitch dark, and amid the utter confusion, every man took his neighbour for an enemy, and so smote him down. All the while the panic urged them instinctively to flight. Large numbers would be trodden down, beause they impeded the progress of those who were flying for their lives. Thus thousands on thousands would perish of the mutual slaughter, before the swords of the Israelites were among them.

Who does not see that the hand of the Lord was in all this, stirring up terror in every heart, and leading to a ruinous flight?

(6.) Pursuers sprung up on all sides with the morning light. When God deals with His own people for their sins, it is in chastisement, and He corrects in measure. But when He deals with His enemies for their sins, it is for their destruction. Thus it was now. Means are taken for the utter overthrow of the whole host, that had dared for seven years in succession to come up as spoilers of Gods heritage. Besides the 300, the 9700 who had been disbanded, and large numbers of the Israelites, north, west, and south, gather in swift and simultaneous concert to smite the common enemy. And the remarkable fact appears, that, whether it was that their flight was terribly obstructed by their families, their dromedaries, their luggage, and possessions of various sorts, or whether special facilities were furnished to the pursuers for coming up with them, it happened that eight parts out of nine of this multitudinous host perished before they could cross the Jordan! It is expressly stated that 120,000 men out of 135,000, fell on that fatal morning, of those that drew sword (ch. Jdg. 8:10). How many men of a different class there may have been, those who were purveyors, servants, cattle-drivers, etc., as also how many women and children, we are not informed, but the number must have been much larger. Possibly the entire army of human locusts that settled down on the rich pastures of Israel was not much short of half a million of persons! And now they all perished! The sword of the Lord was drunk with their blood (Jer. 46:12). Wicked men should fear to offend the great Jehovah (Zec. 2:13; Psa. 2:12; Psa. 10:13; Psa. 76:5-10; Job. 21:30; Job. 22:21; Psa. 33:8; Isa. 3:10-11).

II. A Picture of the Churchs Experience in every Age.

At all periods the church has been a mark for the rage of earth and hell. It is natural that Satan should do his utmost against an institution, whose purpose is to overturn his throne and destroy his kingdom. And it is natural that worldly men should have bitter hatred to that which condemns all their evil desires and cherished lusts, and insists on the practice of self-denial as a leading virtue. The forms of attack may change, the weapons used in the warfare may be greatly different, and the conditions may become greatly modified in different ages, but the warfare itself always goes on, the rancour of the world is still kept up, and the same malicious treatment is given, or is tried to be given, to the church now as was given to it in the days of the Midianitish invasion. He and we live, but at different periods of the same great contest. He fought to keep up the cause of God on the earth then, as we are called on still to propagate and maintain that cause under the form of the gospel of Christ, but with very different weapons.

For what is the picture of the churchs experience in these times?

1. She is still surrounded by enemies numerous as the sand on the sea-shore. If, indeed, there is no actual army with sword and spear, as in Gideons days, there is yet, even in so-called Christian lands, a vast multitude of persons who are inveterately opposed to the essence and spirit of christianity, and whose opposition to it appears in a variety of ways. If carnal weapons are no longer used, and if instruments of torture are laid asideif Geshem, the Arabian, no longer lives, nor Sanballat, the Horonite, there is yet bitter offence taken at the Cross of Christ, which shows itself either in the open forms of infidelity; in attacks made on the Book of God; in endeavours to secularise the day of God, and to abolish the worship of God, and in sneering at those who profess the truth of God; or which shows itself in the more covert, but still more dangerous, form of perverting and falsifying the truth of God, of inventing a substitute for the gospel of Christ, of mixing it up with the traditions or philosophy of men, and, as far as possible, passing it by altogether. Indeed, every human heart, until regenerated by the Holy Spirit, is characterised by a spirit of enmity against God, and, except in so far as bridled by powerful moral restraints, is disposed to show a bitter Midianitish opposition to the church of God. Except those who have given themselves up to the belief and the sway of Christian truth, all men are more or less natural enemies to the church of God, and its high spiritual purpose.

2. The enemies are a heterogeneous confederation. First comes Science, with her lofty air and many tongues. In a very dogmatic manner she attacks the dogmas of the sacred book, forgetting that science itself consists almost wholly of dogmas. Proud of her acquisitions in useful knowledge, she asserts more peremptorily than ever, that the laws of nature as now discovered, tell a different tale from that which we have in the historical statements of the Scriptures. And in their extreme haste, a host of savans already proclaim, that Christianity has been reasoned off the stage. But the old rock keeps its place amid the lashings of the waves. Next comes Philosophy, boasting that it is in the track of some great discoveries, by which the doctrines of Christianity may be dissipated, and the supernatural element taken out of them, so that they will soon come under the proper control of human reason, and therefore become suited to human liking. Next rises up Criticism, which tells us there are ever so many discrepancies between what is now known outside the Scriptures to be true, philological, archological, antiquarian, and otherwise, and the affirmations of the old volume itself.

Closer at hand we have all the schools of our modern Areopagus clamouring in our ears more insolently, and we might add, more discordantly still, than the groups of learned men on that hill of wisdom in Athensthe schools of Atheism, of Agnosticism, of Positivism, of Deism, Theism, Pantheism, of Rationalism, Naturalism, and Spiritualism, of Broad-Churchism, and Formalismall of which ardently aim at getting quit, not of the beauties of the Bible, nor its good morality, nor its just, pure and lofty sentiments so much, as first its element of the supernatural; for that is felt to be terribly humbling to mans pride of understanding, and puts him down to the footstool, when he would fain climb to the throne. They wish to get quit too of its inspiration and oracular authority; for that binds man to believe what he is taught by testimony, and makes his reason a subject, not a sovereign. It also suggests the idea of a Lord of the conscience. They wish to get quit too of the doctrine of human responsibility; for that makes conscience a troubled sea in the soul, at the thought that man will be judged for all his thoughts, words, and actions. Especially they wish to get quit of such a doctrine as human depravity; for that is reproachful to mans character as a moral being, and sinks him to shame and contempt in the estimation of the morally pure and holy. They wish above all to blot out from the page of history, and if they could, from the page of human thought, the doctrine of the death of the Son of God being the suffering of a substitute endured to atone for the sins of men; for that is to intensify inconceivably the evil of sin, reveals the alarming condition of mans prospect for the future, and proves his utter powerlessness to help himself in the terrible emergency.

All these enemies of the Christian Church want, in one word, to get quit of the peculiar doctrines of Christianity, as being most distasteful to mans unspiritual nature, and most humbling to his imperial and stubborn will. They would refit the Bible, or reconstruct it so as to make it speak in quite another tone. Intead of being governed by it, they would govern it, and transform it into a Book that would suit the convenience, and establish the glory of man.

3. The attacks are persistently made. The language used against the Book which contains the doctrines of Christianity was never more bold, we might say, audacious, than it has been during the present century. Formerly, it may have been more coarse, and ribald, when such men as Voltaire, Paine, Rochester, and Hume, poured their vile abuse on the good Book. Yet in this age, far more liberty of opinion is claimed than in any past epoch. Never was public opinion stronger, and never did liberty run so far in the direction of laxity. It has indeed become a ragea passion. The pendulum has swung from the point of over-strictness, to that of over looseness. The result is, that never has there been such boldness in casting aside old forms of belief, and even the beliefs themselves. After so many failures, the attacks on the old Rock are still kept up, and with renewed confidence, it is defiantly asserted, that not only must Christianity moult, and change its garb, but, in these advancing times, must change in its very substance. Old ships, it is said, do not weather tempestuous seas so well as those of fresher build. So, many have taken to imagining, that the old vessel of Christianity will not hold out much longer amid the tremendous seas that are now lashing over her, but that she must soon go to pieces and become a total wreck. Others, who do not take this extreme view, yet think the time has come when the ship must be laid up in the dock, and undergo much refitting and reconstruction to prepare her for future service.

These attacks have been most numerous, most formidable, and most envenomed. They have come in on every side, and been made with united force. Notwithstanding all the falsification of past predictions respecting the defeat of Christianity, the opposition to it is as persistent to-day as ever it was in any previous age. But one thing is always strangely forgotten, that He who constructed this vessel is the same with the builder of heaven and earth, who holds the waters of human strife in the hollow of his hand, and without whose permission not a single ripple can rise or fall. The raging sea of human opinions may run mountains high, yet the little skiff which carries the Church of God cannot be swallowed up by the threatening element, while the Lord of the Church walks on the crest of the waves, able in a moment to still them at their wildest fury.

4. Every possible advantage is on the side of the enemy. Here the Church fights her battle with 300 against 135,000 men, or one man against 450. In the case of Jonathan, it was two men against many thousands. In the case of Samson, it was one man against several thousands. In the case of Joshua and his followers, it was one nation against many nations, for the Canaanites were really a cluster of separate kingdoms. There is a special purpose to be served by this arrangement. The Church of God, representing the cause of religious truth in this world, is far too mighty for error to stand before her when opposed on equal terms. Error, in such a case, could no more maintain its ground, than darkness could cope with the rays of the noonday sun. There could indeed be no battle at all, and all the moral purposes served by the prolonged opposition of the one to the other would come to an end.

Error needs all possible resources to help her. The subtleties of logic, the splendours of eloquence, powers of reasoning, and charms of literary accomplishment; while plain, unadorned straightforward statement stand on the other side. Erudition, philosophy and science plead her cause, poetry weaves for her a many-coloured robe of beauty, while fame puts a crown of gold on her head, gives a sceptre into her hand, blows the trumpet before her, and calls on the multitude to bend the knee at her name. But truth must stand alone, in humble garb, and mean attire, and with unsophisticated speech must plead her own cause. The worlds dread laugh and proud supercilious scorn she meets with showing her native majesty of mien and purity of tone. The cause of truth too is often most injudiciously handled by her defenders, they often fall out among themselves, and do irreparable mischief by their dissensions. But the advocates of error have generally been men of great mental grasp and profound scholarship. Truth in one word is placed at its weakest to contend with error at its strongest, that so a far more illustrious triumph may be gained in the end, than if the advantages enjoyed on either side had borne some proportion of equality to each other.

But there is not only inequality of advantage. Truth has always been exposed to the grossest misrepresentation, while her character and claims are miserably misunderstood. We see Christian truth perverted, parodied, mystified, and falsely accused. The whole treatment of the cross has been measured out anew to the truth of the crossshe has been betrayed and stabbed in secret, and mocked and vilified in open day. A whole army of detractors, scoffers, and calumniators have kept continually dogging her steps, until she might well say in the language of Him whose name is The Truth,Reproach hath broken my heart!

5. The inherent power of Bible truth makes victory certain in the end. The little finger of truth is thicker than the loins of error. With that little finger she has gained world-renowned victories. With the jaw of an ass she has slain a thousand men. With the blowing of rams horns she has made the fortified cities of the enemy fall down flat. With sling and stone, in the hands of a stripling, she has felled to the earth the proud Goliath in the camp of her opponents. With a shepherds crook used by a fugitive herdsman, from the backside of the desert, she has routed the proud Pharaoh who opposed her, and found a watery grave in the great ocean for his huge bannered host. When Christian truth went out into the world to fight her way to victory, she was without learning, without caste, without wealth, and without a particle of influence in society. I see Paul and Barnabas, on their first missionary tour, going across the mountains of Pisidia, without armies and without arms, having no fame or prestige, with nothing but a good conscience within, the word of God in their hands, and their exalted Master looking down on them from the throne in the heavens. It was weakness employed to conquer strength, folly to confound wisdom.

I look again, and see the advocate of christianity surrounded by the learning and culture of the world, and treated with derision and scorn. What will this babbler say? pitched the key-note of the obloquy which Mars Hill thought fit to pour on the doctrine of the cross! The wise of this world thought it too much honour to give it a hearing at all! Again I see him a prisoner, answering for himself before men who were strangers to pity, and but capriciously acquainted with justice, yet through the simple force of truth, he causes his judge to tremble on the seat of power, and constrains royalty itself to exclaim, Almost thou persuadest me to be a christian! Once more, I see him within the gloomy walls of the martyrs dungeon, with life and all that men count dear behind, and with the dreary horrors of a barbarous death before himalone, unbefriended, unsuccoured, he is yet the happiest man in Rome! Among the millions within her wide walls, not another heart is so buoyant with hope, so lifted up with joy. Nor need we wonder. His prospects at that moment were brighter than those of any other man on earth. That dark and cheerless cell was his last resting-place on earth. Soon his feet should stand within the gates of the heavenly Jerusalem. one of the loftiest seats around the throne should soon be his. one of the sweetest songs in the land of bliss should soon be raised by him. As he thought of this, his afflictions became light, and lighter still, until he felt them not at all. He would not, at that moment, have exchanged his position with that of him who sat on the throne of the world. Nero was wretched! Paul the prisoner was filled with joy unspeakable! Terrors reigned in the soul of the tyrant! A peace passing all understanding possessed the mind of his captive! He that stood on the summit of earthly greatness was afraid of all around himafraid even of himself! His unprotected prisoner, awaiting a violent death, stood undaunted amid the rage of earth and of hell!

6. Hope for Christian Missions everywhere. This does not admit of doubt for a single moment, when the attitude of Christian Truth to Error is understood. The reason why universal success has not been attained long since, is not because the resources of that Truth are not equal to the occasion. But there has been a holding back of the real power which it possesses. Not the one-hundredth part of its resources has been called forth; and so, many fall into the mistake, that it may yet die out and be overcome. This mistake is all the more easily made, that opposing systems are usually so demonstrative of their apparent successes, and so pretentious and confident as to what they will be able to accomplish in the future. Hence it is inferred, that the two forces are not unequally matched, or that the one at least bears some proportion to the other; so that some doubt must be held to rest over the final result. In reality, Error, whatever form it may assume, has in itself no power at all to contend with Christian Truth, any more than dark clouds have power to prevent the rising of the sun, or than men have power to contend with the silent irresistible strength of a law of nature.

(1.) Christian Truth lays its hand on the supreme powers of a mans naturehis conscience, that mysterious faculty whose volcanic force when awakened creates greater disturbance in the soul than all other causes combined; his will, that kingly faculty which decrees with the force of a Medes and Persians law what the man is to do; his desires and affections, which like a helm turn the soul in whatever direction they are pleased to take. All the secret springs of a mans moral nature are touched by this Truth, and it is too mighty to be shaken off.

(2.) This truth is no product of earth. No soil, East or West, of this barren world could produce such a plant. The Everlasting Father Himself did plant it. Long before the cycles of Time began to revolve, this Mighty Truth was with God, and that which had its birth in Eternity cannot perish among the rocks and the wildernesses of Time.

(3.) This truth is a system of facts. It contains the history of persons that lived, and of events that occurredthings seen and heard. The theories of philosophers are nebulous; their schemes are fancies or day-dreams, and however beautiful, necessarily pass away. Their propositions are often mere abstractions which cannot be realised in every-day life. No entire system of truth, at once plain, full of substance, and adapted to mans practical needs all round, has ever been presented to the world but Christianity. Hence its power to live. It has life in itself, and it has power to give life to others. Thus it can stand the tear and wear of time for many generations.

(4.) This truth is an instrument in the hand of the Supreme Ruler. This all-important fact must never be forgotten. The power of Christianity does not consist merely in its being what it is, but in its being wielded by Him who has all power in heaven and earth to accomplish the high purposes of His will. It is mighty through God to the pulling down, etc. (see Joh. 17:2; Mar. 16:20). He has but to pour out His Spirit, and the wilderness should become as the fruitful field. Every day would be as the day of Pentecost, until the whole world should spiritually bloom in every part like a second Eden.

COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS.Jdg. 7:15-25

I. The great men of the Bible are its good men.

Judged by his deeds, and the spirit in which he performed them, none will refuse to Gideon the epithet of great. Yet on analysing the elements of his character, we do not so much emphasize his great daring, his heroic spirit, his shrewdness and skill, nor even his disinterested devotion to his country. It is rather his zeal for the cause of his God, his sorrow that the Church of God should be trodden down by the unhallowed foot of the alien, and that the name of his God should be every day blasphemed, on the one hand, that form the noblest features of his character, while on the other hand, he holds himself ready at the Divine call to perform a humanly impossible task, at every risk to his own interests, to retrieve the dishonour done to the Divine name, and all on the basis of the trust he has in the God who made Himself over to Israel to be their God. It was by his faith that he became great (Heb. 11:2; Heb. 11:32, etc.), and that marks him out equally as a man of piety. But for his faith, he never had subdued so effectually the mighty army of the desert and annihilated their numerous hordes. It was not natural courage or skill in disposing his little army, or indomitable patriotism that gained him such signal success, though these were all in exercise, but his faith in his Godtrusting in His character and relying on His promises, that earned him his high distinction.

But for the connection, into which true faith brings a man with his God, his deeds, and his very existence, are at the best an ephemeral phantom, an airy nothing, which soon evaporates, not to be heard of more in the ages to come. But the touch of Divinity creates around a man an immortal memory, and His name cannot drop into oblivion. Hence this book of Judges cannot be classed with other records, which relate the deeds of martial prowess performed by the heroes of olden times, for in these, we merely see the natural qualities which belong to the heroes themselves, and are entirely of an inferior category to that faith and love that zeal and self-denial, which link the soul to its God.

II. The great value of a single good man to the age in which he lives.

A single good man placed in the foreground gives a character to the whole generation to which he belongs. When the moon goes down, were all the stars of first magnitude abstracted from the sky of night, what a miserable appearance would that sky present when shorn of its brightest beauties! And how tame would this book read without the four or five names of its men of faith! These redeem it from being a dull heavy record, and throw a splendour over the page which makes it shine with lustre to latest ages. There is something of God about such men, for it is not their own glory that shines, as they freely confess by the fact that they live and do all by faith. It is truest philosophy this faith, as well as the purest piety. It is the unit confessing itself nothing before the Universal, the finite laying hold of the infinite, the drop losing itself in the ocean! It is the little child confessing its feebleness and its foolishness, in the presence of the Possessor of boundless power and unsearchable wisdom. It is the humble heart opening itself out before the fountain to receive promised blessings, with the view of returning these blessings again in songs of gratitude and praise. Thus it is always God that is really glorified, the creature confessing it has nothing but what it receives, and reflecting as a mirror all the glory that falls upon it from the infinite source.

The good man having God with him is ever invincible. The very heavens bend before the prayers of Elijah. He is felt to be a greater power in the land than Ahab and Jezebel. In that heyday of idolatry, a louder protest was uttered against the worship of false gods, through the instrumentality of that single man, than had been known for ages in the history of Israel. But for him, though standing alone, even Carmel would have been submerged by the rising tide of idolatry. Who does not see that but for Barak and Gideon in their respective periods, the whole history of Israel would have come to a miserable termination ere it had half run its expected course. Truly are they called the saviours of their people, as Gods instruments raised up by Him for this purpose (Neh. 9:27).

Over the whole of Old Testament times, if you subtract some twenty names the value of history sinks down by fifty per cent, Not that these were the only actors. But common men could not have taken their place, and these inspired common men with confidence in their power to lead, and their Divine commission to lead others, so that they formed rallying points for large numbers acting in unity. However much a man may excel his fellows in intellect, and fortitude, and general resources, he must always find it wise to have many co-workers with him in doing a great work, unless when specially directed and assisted by his God. The great Napoleon gave it as one of the principles of his tactics, I have always tried to march so as to have a million of men in sympathy with me. Often however the great men of the Bible were employed by God to do His work with but few followers, for He himself went with them, and His presence counted for a thousand armies.

III. Gods severity in the day of reckoning.

This in any barsh sense is more apparent than real. It was a frightful destruction of human life that took place when the whole of that huge host were slaughtered, leaving none, or only a few stragglers, to return to their country to tell the tale. It was very nearly the annihilation of a race from off the earth. Many hold up their hands and utter exclamations of horror at such terrible cruelties being perpetrated in the name of God. Yet they cannot account for it by setting it down to the barbarity of the times. For it was really done by Gods own direction. The truth is that, in judging of Gods doings, men forget the extremely offensive character of the sin which draws down the punishment, the length of time during which the sin has been going on, and the warnings and expostulations used by God with the wicked to forsake their ways. Were these men, who profess to be so humane and pitiful, while they look on so awful a destruction, to receive themselves one-tenth part of the offence which these heathen nations gave to the true God, they would, without doubt, smite down, and not spare, every man who should dare to act so wicked a part, and would wonder if any should cry out for mercy to their victims.

But the great Jehovah punishes not like man. He is indeed strict to mark iniquity and every disobedience and transgression receives a due recompense of reward. But it is not from uncontrollable feelings of what men call passion and revenge that He acts in any case. To such feelings the Divine bosom is an absolute stranger. God knows nothing as a Moral Governor but the calm and just administration of law. It is justice alone with which He is concerned when punishing the wicked, not the gratification of any vindictive feelings towards the transgressors. Anything vindictive is an impossibility to the nature of God. If such language is sometimes used in Scripture it is only as a figure of speech, when His acts have the appearance to mens eyes of being vindictive. But nothing more is given to the vilest criminal than the due desert of his sin. Men, however, strangely underrate that desert, and there is all the mystery.

These Midianites had heard of the mighty God of Israel in the past. The deeds which He did on behalf of His people were before the eyes of all the nations, and they ought to have known it was a wicked and dangerous thing to tamper with such a people and their God. If they knew but little, they ought to have made themselves better acquainted with the great Jehovah, for God never rejected heathen inquirers. Yet, knowing the character of this God to be different and immeasurably superior to all gods, they dared to spoil His heritage and to blaspheme His name. Hence their punishments.

IV. Gods complete control over all the states and moods of mens minds.

It was He that led these enemies of His people to imagine themselves to be surrounded in a moment with so many unexpected evilsa large army close at hand, the wrath of Jehovah gone out against them in some terrible manner, and treachery sprung up in the midst of their own camp. So true is it, that by the mere force of terrible thoughts, God can bring destructive judgments upon men.

How in a moment, suddenly,

To ruin brought are they!

With fearful terrors utterly,

They are consumd away.

A similar calamity of terrible imaginations was the means of routing a large army of enemies in one of Israels evil days (2Ki. 7:6). Gods access to the world of a mans thoughts is abundantly set forth in the 139th Psalm; for He who made the human mind must know it in the fullest manner, just as the maker of any machine must know intimately all its parts, and all its capabilities of movement.

Millions of thoughts pass through a mans mind almost every day. Yet not one escapes the eye of God! Sometimes the mind feels oppressed with the number of its own thoughts, but cannot reduce the number. Yet there is an antidote. In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul. These thoughts come often unbidden, rushing like a river through the soul.

Thoughts on thoughts, a countless throng,

Rush, chasing countless thoughts along.

These may be all pleasant and refreshing, filling the heart with joy, and spreading the bow of hope over the horizon of the future, as in the case of the two sweet singers in Psa. 73:23-26, and Psa. 139:17-18, also Psa. 104:34. Or these thoughts may be all gloomy and dreadful, full of foreboding fears and disastrous issues, so that a man may be reduced to the extremity of trouble and be led to cry out, O save me from my thoughts! for thought kills me. In the midst of peace and plenty God can sometimes make a wicked man feel the beginnings of future woes by causing terrible thoughts take hold on him as waters, and surround him on every side; as in the case of Nero, of Voltaire, of Paine, of the French Monarch, who ordered the St. Bartholomew massacre, and many others.

God has a mighty army to attack a man from within, as well as many forces to set in array against him from without. He can also give comfort against all grief on every side by the character of the thoughts which He makes to pass through the mind on any and every occasion.

V. Gods dealings always end with tender compassion for His own people.

They may have sinned long against much light, and in the face of much solemn warning and expostulation. Yet He cannot cast away His own. They are His blood-bought propertyredeemed at a great price. They are sprinkled with the precious blood of atonement, and though He was angry with them, His anger is turned away, and He uses the language of peace and reconciliation; He forgives their iniquities, and their sins He remembers no more. This people, who had sinned so much, and were ever rebelling against Him, He could not forget were the same people whom He had brought out of Egypt with a high hand, and whom He had graciously been pleased to take into covenant with Himself, and to call Himself by the name of their God. Hence it was for the glory of His unchangeableness, that they should always be loved (Jer. 31:3.) He would show by their history, though it was of a character entirely offensive to His holy nature, that while he might chastise them severely for their manifold backslidings, the mountains were less firm in their places than His pledged love to those whom he had by a fixed agreement taken into tender relations with Himself (Isa. 54:10.) Indeed, one great purpose he had in view, when electing this people to be for ever His own, was to show how far His love could go, and how tenderly it could manifest itself under the most testing circumstances. Through His dealings with this people, He takes every opportunity of revealing His glorious perfections, the riches of His mercy, the hidings of His power, the depths of His wisdom, the tenderness of His compassion, and the inviolability of His truth and faithfulness (Eze. 36:32; Isa. 43:21.)

Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell

The Lamps and the Pitchers Jdg. 7:15-23

15 And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshiped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the Lord hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.
16 And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every mans hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers.
17 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.
18 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.
19 So Gideon, and the three 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.
20 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.
21 And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled.
22 And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the Lord set every mans sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Beth-shittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abel-meholah, unto Tabbath.
23 And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Mannasseh, and pursued after the Midianites.

9.

Why did Gideon divide his force? Jdg. 7:16

It was military strategy. It would be very unusual for three hundred men to have three hundred trumpets and three hundred torches. Such large numbers of this kind of equipment would indicate a much larger force. The great cry, the divided force, completely surrounding the enemy, and the many lights confused the Midianites. They believed that they were surrounded. In their confusion, they fled before a much smaller number of soldiers. They were so surprised and bewildered that they attacked each other thinking they were smiting the Israelites. God granted Israel a complete victory.

10.

Where were the trumpets and pitchers obtained? Jdg. 7:16

These were normal for an army of 10,000. These were the normal supplies for the commissary or kitchen crew of the army. No doubt, these were humble, earthen pitchers used for holding liquids of various natures. The trumpets would have been in the hands of those who signaled the marching of the army. The noise, the lights, and the divided attack routed the Midianites.

11.

What was the meaning of Gideons battle cry? Jdg. 7:18

The word for sword does not appear in this verse, but it is in Jdg. 7:14 and it appears again in Jdg. 7:20. The main idea of the cry was that the victory would be to the glory of God. In addition, Gideon would gain the respect of the men of Israel and strike terror into the hearts of the enemy. Gideon was Gods inspired leader and deliverer of the people of Israel. Only by Gods power was Gideon able to win a war against the much larger force of the Midianites. God was working a mighty deliverance by a man who was following Gods guidance. It was most appropriate for the soldiers to adopt this battle cry.

12.

How were the articles used? Jdg. 7:20

The lights were kept in the pitchers until they were exposed by breaking the pitchers. The trumpets were blown to indicate how many companies of soldiers were in the camp, In addition, the noise would be tremendous, striking terror into the hearts of the opposing soldiers, and at the same time, encouraging the army of Gideon.

13.

What additional factor affected the result of the battle? Jdg. 7:22

In the midst of the confusion, the Midianites, Amalekites, and the children of the East attacked one another. As the verse says, And the Lord set every mans sword against his fellow. The Israelites had lights, but the enemies were fighting in darkness. The enemy was expecting many more soldiers than those bearing the lights and the trumpets and thought surely some of their own fellows were Israelites. As a result the victory was completely Israels.

14.

What tribes rallied to Gideons aid? Jdg. 7:23

The men of Israel out of the tribes of Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh joined in the pursuit of the Midianites. Gideon also called men from the tribe of Ephraim to take the fords of the Jordan so that the Midianites would not be able to get across into the Transjordan area, from which they had come. Issachar was directly involved in the war since the battle was fought in her territory, and it may be presumed that they were also rallying to assist since there is no word to the contrary. Their tribes were in the northern part of Israel, and there is no mention of the tribes beyond the Jordan or the southern tribes coming to fight in the battle.

Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

(15) The interpretation thereof.Literally, its breaking. The word is a metaphor from breaking a nutenucleation.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

DEFEAT OF THE MIDIANITES, Jdg 7:15-25.

15. He worshipped Lifted up his heart in devout thanksgiving for the signal favour.

Hath delivered So confident is he of victory that he speaks of the enemy as already defeated.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

The Defeat of the Midianites and Their Allies ( Jdg 7:15-25 ).

Jdg 7:15

‘ And it was so that, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and its interpretation, he worshipped. And he returned to the camp of Israel, and said, “Arise, for Yahweh has delivered into your hand the host of Midian.” ’

On hearing the words of the sentinels Gideon’s heart was filled with worship and praise. He recognised that God was showing him that Midian were panicking. They too were afraid of Yahweh. Thus it was clear that victory would now be His. His men could get up and go, for Yahweh would deliver them into their hand.

It is noteworthy that all through the narrative there is no hint of criticism from God. He knew that this was an immature young man in the process of growing up, and that what He was demanding would have tested the faith even of Deborah. He knew too that the signs would be important in keeping the children of Israel convinced that Yahweh was with Gideon in the face of what was being asked of them. They too needed great faith. Gideon was not only confirming his own faith but the faith of his followers. After all, the only status that he had in their eyes was that which came through God’s signs.

Thus He patiently went along with Gideon in what he asked as long as he continued to move forwards to the final end. It should be noted that each sign, apart from the first, followed Gideon’s steps of obedience. He committed himself first and then sought signs along the route as confirmation, not before he was willing to act. They were confidence boosters for all who followed him, not demands before he would act.

How many of us would have destroyed the altar of Baal knowing that the death penalty awaited, would have taken the risk of calling on the tribes to follow us when the position seemed hopeless (Jdg 6:35), would have stood by without protest when God twice reduced our strength to a minimum, and would have gone down by night to the camp of Midian? How many of us would even have got the people to follow us? How cleverly we would have shown that we could not do these things. It would not be sensible. Most of us would have prayed and left it to God do it if He wanted to. But Gideon was a man of growing faith, and was willing to stick his neck out for it, and that is what the writer is portraying. He was one of the men of faith in Heb 11:32.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Jdg 7:15 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.

Ver. 15. The dream, and the interpretation thereof. ] Heb., The breaking thereof. A metaphor from the breaking of a nut, to come at the kernel: or from a fowl’s beating the shell with her beak to get out the fish.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

interpretation thereof: Heb. breaking thereof, Gen 40:8, Gen 41:11

worshipped: Gen 24:26, Gen 24:27, Gen 24:48, Exo 4:30, Exo 4:31, 2Ch 20:18, 2Ch 20:19

Arise: Jdg 4:14, 2Co 10:4-6

Reciprocal: Jos 6:4 – trumpets of rams’ Jdg 3:28 – the Lord 1Sa 14:12 – Come up after me 2Sa 5:24 – thou shalt bestir 1Ch 14:15 – then thou

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Jdg 7:15-16. When Gideon heard, he worshipped He praised God for this special encouragement. He divided the men into three companies To make a show of a vast army. Lamps within the pitchers The lights were put into the pitchers, partly to preserve them from the wind and weather, and partly that their approach to the Midianites not being discovered, they might surprise them with sudden flashes of light. But when every man had taken his post just on the outside of the camp, then they broke the pitchers, that they might have the advantage of the lamps, and at the same time cast a great terror upon the Midianites; who, from the number of the lights in different places, doubtless concluded that they were surrounded by a numerous army; and to this terror the number of trumpets, (each man sounding one,) and the shouts from different parts, greatly contributed.

Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

7:15 And it was [so], when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he {g} worshipped, and returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the host of Midian.

(g) Or, gave God thanks, as it is in the Chaldea text.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

The mobilizing of Gideon’s band in faith 7:15-18

Upon hearing this interpretation Gideon received courage to believe that God would indeed grant him victory (Jdg 7:15).

"No character in the book receives more divine assurance than Gideon and no one displays more doubt. Gideon is, significantly, the only judge to whom God speaks directly, though this privilege does not allay his faintheartedness." [Note: Exum, p. 416.]

Gideon’s strategy was so effective that the Lord must have revealed it to him, though the text does not state this. Almost equally amazing is the fact that Gideon’s 300 followers obeyed his bizarre instructions. This too had to have been from the Lord. The three companies of Israelites may not have completely encircled the enemy. Nevertheless the presence of three widely separated groups of soldiers gave the Midianites the impression that a very large number of Israelites was out there in the dark. The trumpets were rams horns that the Israelite soldiers tied around their necks. The empty pitchers concealed and protected the torches until the soldiers broke them. The light from the torches combined with the noise of the breaking pitchers, the blowing of trumpets that made each soldier sound like a company commander, and the shouting of the soldiers. All this led the sleepy Midianites to conclude that a vast host of Israelite warriors surrounded them.

"Gideon had moved from fear to faith, and that is precisely the point of the section Jdg 6:33 to Jdg 7:18. . . .

"The textual patterning of the Gideon narrative is carefully composed to highlight not the deliverance from Midian but the change that transpired in Gideon’s heart, and it is precisely there that the greatest theological lesson in these chapters is found. The fear in Gideon’s heart held him back from being able to trust the promise God had given about his delivering Israel from the Midianites. To overcome this deficiency in Gideon’s life, God uniquely worked to expose the problem of fear in his life and to bring him to a point of worship and faith. Then and only then was Gideon ready to lead Israel in battle. . . . Furthermore all the struggles in the book result from a lack of faith. This struggle is most fully spelled out in the Gideon narrative, which accords with this event (his religious struggle) being put in the very center of the book.

". . . the narrator leaves the reader with a penetrating message: God must bring His servant to a moment when all human confidence is stripped away, he sits silently in humble adoration of his God as the One who is totally sufficient against all odds to accomplish His divine will. Then and only then is he ready to move forward to taste God’s victory, though that victory is no more secure or certain than before." [Note: Tanner, p. 160.]

"Even so, while it seems that Gideon has ’moved from fear to faith,’ the situation may actually be more complicated. The two versions of Gideon’s battle cry, ’For the LORD and for Gideon!’ (Jdg 7:18) and ’A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!’ (Jdg 7:20), suggest that Gideon may also be moving from fear to self-assertion. While from one perspective Gideon may simply be exercising strong military leadership, he also seems willing to take at least some of ’the credit’ (Jdg 7:2) for the victory. This is not a good sign." [Note: McCann, p. 67.]

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)