Judges 7:9-25
A Sword for the LORD and for Gideon
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9That night the LORD said to Gideon, “Get up and go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand.
10But if you are afraid to do so, then go down to the camp with your servant Purah
11and listen to what they are saying. Then your hands will be strengthened to attack the camp.” So he went with Purah his servant to the outposts where armed men were guarding the camp.
12Now the Midianites, Amalekites, and all the other people of the east had settled in the valley like a swarm of locusts, and their camels were as countless as the sand on the seashore.
13And as Gideon arrived, a man was telling his friend about a dream. “Behold, I had a dream,” he said, “and I saw a loaf of barley bread come tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent so hard that the tent overturned and collapsed.”
14His friend replied: “This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has delivered Midian and the whole camp into his hand.”
15When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. He returned to the camp of Israel and said, “Get up, for the LORD has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.”
16And he divided the three hundred men into three companies and gave each man a ram’s horn in one hand and a large jar in the other, containing a torch.
17“Watch me and do as I do,” Gideon said. “When I come to the outskirts of the camp, do exactly as I do.
18When I and all who are with me blow our horns, then you are also to blow your horns from all around the camp and shout, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon!’”
19Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after the changing of the guard. They blew their horns and broke the jars that were in their hands.
20The three companies blew their horns and shattered their jars. Holding the torches in their left hands and the horns in their right hands, they shouted, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!”
21Each Israelite took his position around the camp, and the entire Midianite army fled, crying out as they ran.
22And when the three hundred rams’ horns sounded, the LORD set all the men in the camp against one another with their swords. The army fled to Beth-shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel-meholah near Tabbath.
23Then the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh, and they pursued the Midianites.
24Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim to say, “Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth-barah.” So all the men of Ephraim were called out, and they captured the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth-barah.
25They also captured Oreb and Zeeb, the two princes of Midian; and they killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. So they pursued the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side of the Jordan.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
The LORD tells Gideon to go against Midian's camp, and also provides help for his fear. If he is afraid, he may take his servant Purah down to listen. God supplies the reassurance before Gideon asks for it.
At the outpost, Gideon hears a man describe a dream: a loaf of barley bread tumbles into the camp and overturns a tent. The man's companion interprets it as Gideon's sword and says that God has delivered Midian into his hand. Gideon bows in worship, then returns to prepare the three hundred men.
He divides them into three companies with rams' horns, jars, and torches. Around the camp they break the jars, sound the horns, and shout. The Midianites run, and the LORD turns the men in the camp against one another with their swords.
The pursuit expands as men from other tribes join in. Ephraim seizes the Jordan waters and captures and kills the princes Oreb and Zeeb. The deliverance reaches beyond the first three hundred. At its center remains the LORD, who strengthens Gideon and brings the enemy's collapse.
Questions
1 What help does God offer if Gideon is afraid?
AnswerHe tells Gideon to take Purah down to the enemy camp and listen. What he hears will strengthen him to act.
2 What dream does Gideon hear?
AnswerA man dreams of a barley loaf overturning a tent. His companion interprets it as God giving Midian into Gideon’s hand.
3 What does the LORD do when the horns sound?
AnswerHe turns the men in the enemy camp against one another with their swords. The army flees, and Israel pursues.
4 How might we strengthen someone for a difficult responsibility?
AnswerWe could remind them of a relevant promise from Scripture and offer to stay alongside them. Encouragement should help them face the task honestly.
What This Means for Us
God does not overlook Gideon's fear. He provides company and a word that strengthens him. We can be attentive in a similar way when someone is carrying a difficult responsibility. Ask what would help, offer company if it is wanted, and speak truthfully. Reassurance need not promise that a task will be easy.
Prayer
Lord, make us attentive to the word You give before difficult obedience. Give our household courage to move forward when fear remains. Amen.