Who is the King?

Judges 7, 8 - Episode 134

After Gideon rescues the people from the Midianites, they want him to be their king. He says all the right things, giving God credit for their victory and saying that He should be the only king they serve, but then he goes on to act like a king. So, did his title really matter?

Is God your King or do you profess Him to be king, yet rule yourself? You can say God is the King, but do you serve Him or your own selfish desires? You may say you have no right to rule yourself, but do you still act like you are in charge, doing what you please instead of submitting to His ways? Do you gather riches and glory for yourself instead of gathering riches in heaven and directing your praise to Him? Are you faithful servants to your King, focused on pleasing Him?

Reducing the Military - Judges 7:1-8

Israel and Midian were both prepared for battle and their armies were encamped not far from each other. But God did not want the people to think they had any power to free themselves, so He began reducing the size of the military. First, He told Gideon to send everyone home who was afraid. Before the Israelites fought any battles for the land, God told Moses that certain men were exempt from battle (Deuteronomy 20:1-9). One of those groups were those who were afraid. Fear can be contagious, and soldiers need courage to be victorious. When Gideon offered for the fearful to leave, he lost over two thirds of his army. They had been terrorized by these people for almost a decade and most were still afraid of them despite God’s assurances that they would defeat them.

But even after most of the men went home, God said there were still too many. He wanted there to be no doubt that He was the One who brought their victory. So, the Lord told Gideon to take the men down to the stream for a drink of water. They were to be divided into two groups. The group who knelt to drink covered the vast majority of men, whereas only 300 scooped the water into their hands and lapped it like a dog. God told Gideon to send home all 9,700 of those who knelt. He would defeat the Midianites with the remaining 300 soldiers. Some think that the ones who stood and drank from their hands were more alert and aware of the enemy and, therefore, made better soldiers. In a normal battle that would make a lot of sense. But because this one would be won by God, and not good soldiers, it may have just been a good way to divide the men. Either way, God had the army he wanted, and He only needed one more night to get Gideon totally prepared.

Preparation for Battle – Judges 7:9-15

Every other soldier had the opportunity to leave if they were afraid. But that was not an option for the leader. Gideon had been called for this purpose and was required to stay until the end. But to encourage him, God told Gideon to take his servant down to where the Midianites were camping and listen in on their conversation. Upon seeing the Midianite army, Gideon was probably more afraid than he had been before, because there were more enemy soldiers than he could count. But then he heard one of the men telling another that he had dreamed about a cake of barley bread that had tumbled into the tent, turning it over, too. The man listening to his dream said the bread symbolized the sword of Gideon who would strike their camp and send it tumbling down. He believed God had given them into Gideon’s hand, and they would soon lose the battle. Once Gideon heard that the enemy believed in God’s power against them, then he was no longer afraid. So, he went back to camp and told the soldiers to prepare for battle because the Lord had given the Midianites into their hand.

God’s Weapons - Judges 7:16-25

Gideon divided the men into three groups of 100 and gave them trumpets and empty jars with torches in them. Then, they set out for battle and reached the outskirts of the camp about 10pm, just after the nightwatchmen switched shifts. Then, Gideon blew his trumpet and smashed his jar and rest of the men also smashed their jars, holding the torches in one hand and blowing the trumpets with the other. Then, they all cried out “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon.” But they held no swords. Their weapon was noise. The commotion startled their enemies, and they began to fight. But because Gideon had held his men to the perimeters of camp and it was dark, the Midianites were fighting themselves. God had made them kill each other!

Then, those who were not killed, ran away. So, the Israelites sent messengers to Naphtali, Asher, and all of Manasseh and they all pursued the enemies who fled. Gideon also sent messengers to the hill country of Ephraim, telling them to block the waterways so the Midianites could not escape. During the blockade, Ephraim captured and killed two Midianite princes. Then, they brought their heads to Gideon as proof. The rock where they killed Oreb was named after him, and the winepress where Zeeb was killed was named after him.