Read for this week's study: Judg. 7:1-8:21
Memory text:"And the Lord said to Gideon, 'The people who are with you are too many for Me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel claim glory for itself against Me, saying, "My own hand has saved me" ' " ( Judges 7:2, NKJV).
Key thought: For the benefit of His people, God wants them to cooperate with Him in achieving His purposes. But they should keep in mind that it is God who gives success; they are only instruments in His hands.
BEATING THE ODDS. God loves to show who He is by overcoming obstacles that are, humanly speaking, insurmountable. Three hundred Israelites battling 135,000 Midianites and their allies? Unthinkable! (See Judg. 7:12; 8:10.) Five loaves and two fish to feed 5,000 men, besides women and children? Absurd! (See Matt. 14:15-21.) A handful of people to shake up an empire with "good news" about an executed Carpenter? Preposterous! (See the book of Acts.) A Jewish girl to give birth to God's Son without losing her virginity? Impossible! (See Luke 1:37, 38—Gabriel said, "'For nothing will be impossible with God.' Then Mary said, 'Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word' "[NRSV].)
When you feel alone and powerless, overwhelmed by unfavorable odds (1 Kings 19:9, 10), remember the words of Gabriel to Mary and her response. God often demonstrates His love for His children by doing that which, to them, seems impossible. If our eyes could be opened, we would see invincible heavenly forces guarding and guiding our lives.
LESS IS BETTER (Judg. 7:1-8)
For an initial strike force against the Midianites and their allies, all God needed was a few good men. Thirty-two thousand Israelites answered Gideon's trumpet call (Judg. 6:34, 35; 7:3). By a two-stage process of elimination, God sent 31,700 of them home!
Why did God choose only 300 men? Judg. 7:7, 8.
Which of the following best answers the question? 1. God did not want to use too many Israelites, lest they attribute their success to their own power (Judg. 7:2). 2. God could not use the 22,000 who admitted their fear by returning home at the first opportunity (verse 3; compare Deut. 20:5-8). Except for 300 men, even the 10,000 who remained after the proclamation lacked sufficient courage, so God could not use an army of 10,000, as He had in Barak's day (Judg. 4:10). 3. God wanted only the 300 who were eager to fight. When they went to a stream, expecting to cross it and keep marching to the enemy camp, they drank by scooping up water in their hands as they went (Judg. 7:4-6). 4. Another answer: 5. All the above.
What did the actions of the 300 chosen warriors, even before they went into battle, indicate regarding their relationship with God? Judg. 7:3-7.
The enemy hordes appeared innumerable (Judg. 7:12; 8:10). Israelites who were eager to attack such a force must have wholeheartedly believed in the Lord and the message of victory that He had given to Gideon (Judg. 6:16). From a human point of view, their venture was foolhardy, but "God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength" (1 Cor. 1:25, NRSV). As Jonathan put it, "Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving by many or by few" (1 Sam. 14:6, NRSV). For those who are willing to follow the Lord into spiritual battle, courage is not optional. He commands it because He provides it (Deut. 20:1-4; Joshua 1:6, 7, 9).
How does the presence of Christ with us affect our courage as we carry God's love into territory claimed by Satan? (See Matt. 28:18-20.)
Gideon was still afraid. The Angel of the Lord had appeared to him and performed a miraculous sign (Judg. 6:21), and God had granted him a double sign with fleece (verses 36-40). Now the time for battle had almost arrived, and he had only 300 men. He had scarcely dared to ask God for the second sign with the fleece (verse 39), so requesting another sign was out of the question. Recognizing his insecurity, God took the initiative and offered him the sign he needed (Judg. 7:9-11).
What is the relationship between the Midianite's dream and its interpretation? Judg. 7:13, 14.
tumbled into the Midianite camp and did something ordinarily impossible: it knocked a tent over. Just so, Gideon and his team would carry out a miracle of God by destroying the Midianite forces.
The dream was also ironic. The Midianites had stolen Israelite food. In the dream, a piece of food out of control by the Midianites knocked their tent over, bringing their wickedness down upon their own heads. (Compare Judg. 9:57.) They had also taken the lives of Israelites, including Gideon's brothers (Judg. 8:18, 19). Now Gideon, who had escaped the control of the Midianites, would punish them, not only for taking Israelite food but also for killing his brothers.
When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he did not delay thanking God, but worshiped Him on the spot. Filled with courage, he returned to the Israelite camp with a triumphant battle cry (Judg. 7:15).
What knowledge did Gideon have of the validity of dreams given by God? Gen. 37:5-10; 40:1-8; 41:1, 16.
Spoken by enemies, who would not make up stories about Israelite victory, the dream and its interpretation must be genuine. Dreams from God were known by the Israelites to predict the future accurately. So when Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, which agreed with the words of the Angel of the Lord (Judg. 6:16), his doubts fled.
In what ways does God give us evidence to strengthen our faith, even when we do not ask for it? How can we be sure that
SOUND-AND-LIGHT SHOW (Judg. 7:16-25).
How did 300 Israelites defeat a force of 135,000 Midianites and their allies (Judg. 8:10)? Judg. 7:19-25.
The sleeping Midianites were awakened by the din of crashing pottery, the blasting of trumpets, and the sudden appearance of torch light all around them. It appeared as though they were surrounded by a large, attacking army. They panicked, each thinking only of his own safety. Assuming that the attackers had entered the camp, and not being able to identify one another in the darkness, the Midianites defended themselves by killing one another: "The Lord set every man's sword against his fellow and against all the army" (Judg. 7:22, NRSV). As the Midianites fled, Gideon called the rest of the Israelites to help pursue the enemy. It appears that when Gideon sent home the 31,700 men, he told them to be ready for action.
Compare the sound-and-light show that God will provide when He delivers His end-time people from overwhelming forces of opposition. (See 1 Thess. 4:16, 17; Matt. 24:27.)
Since it was God who defeated the Midianites, why did Gideon need to use strategy (Judg. 7:16-24)?
This story is a classic case of divine-human cooperation. God won the battle by optimizing the efficiency of human effort and blessing the results of that effort. Without the Lord's direction, Gideon would have attacked the 135,000 enemy soldiers with all 32,000 Israelites who initially volunteered. God could have brought victory out of such unfavorable odds, but He had a better way: make the army of 135,000 attack itself! To do this, He needed a small group of daring men who could serve as a catalyst for panic by sneaking up on the enemy without being detected and surprising them with a sound-and-light show. He multiplied the results of the human effort, making sure that confusion reigned in the camp of the enemy.
This was not the first time that God had used a small number of dedicated people to win a great victory. (See Gen. 14:14-16.)
In our spiritual warfare, in what ways does God ask us to cooperate with Him?
NONSUPPORTIVE FRIENDS (Judg. 8:1-9).
To destroy the fleeing Midianites, Gideon needed the cooperation of as many Israelites as possible, but some of his countrymen caused him trouble.
Why did the Ephraimites react as they did? Judg. 8:1.
The Ephraimites helped by cutting off the Midianites at river crossings (Judg. 7:24) but then berated Gideon for not having called them before the battle when he called other northern tribes (Judg. 6:35).
Ephraim was the most powerful northern Israelite tribe. It appears that they were envious of Gideon and insulted by his not consulting them before attacking the Midianites.
"In common with the others, they were brave enough to join in the fray only after the enemy was in flight. Similarly, there are many today who criticize the one who courageously launches a laudable project. They hold back any support until it is apparent that the venture will succeed. Then they attempt to take credit to themselves or to edge in on the leadership of the enterprise."—SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 2, p. 351.
How did Gideon successfully deal with the Ephraimites? Judg. 8:2, 3.
Gideon had borne the responsibility and risk of the initial attack upon the enemy. As the divinely appointed leader of the Israelites, he could have rebuked the Ephraimites. But then, he probably would have had to fight them as well as the foreigners (compare Judg. 12: 1-6), and there was no time for that. The wise, courteous, and humble diplomacy of Gideon, praising the success of Ephraim, was just right for the situation. The book of Proverbs was not yet written, but Gideon knew that "a soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger" (Prov. 15:1, NRSV).
Gideon and his 300 men, faint with hunger, were still pursuing the Midianites, but the men of Succoth (pronounced Soo-cote) and Penuel were like the people of Meroz earlier: they selfishly refused to help at all (Judg. 8:4-6, 8; compare 5:23). Gideon regarded them, unlike the Ephraimites, as traitors and threatened to punish them (Judg. 8:7, 9).
What are your motives for supporting good causes? Because
they are good? Or do you support them only when they will
clearly succeed, so that you can take some credit?
RETRIBUTION FOR DISLOYALTY (Judg. 8:10-21). About 15,000 Midianites were left. Gideon and his men surprised them, threw them into panic, and defeated them, capturing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian (Judg. 8:10-12). The short war was over. The terribly swift sword of the Lord and of Gideon had prevailed against overwhelming odds. But Gideon did not immediately go back to his farming. The "judge" had some judging to do first.
Why did Gideon take Zebah and Zalmunna to Succoth? Judg. 8:15.
The men of Succoth and Penuel had ridiculed Gideon for thinking that he could defeat the thousands of Midianites who were left. They had refused to help him, because he had not already won the battle and captured the Midianite kings (Judg. 8:6), and probably because they expected him to lose and did not want to suffer retaliation from the Midianites for helping him. Gideon had replied that when (not if!) the Lord gave the kings to him, he would return and punish them (verses 7, 9).
When he did capture the kings, Gideon showed them to the people of Succoth and Penuel to prove that God had, indeed, made him the judge-deliverer of Israel. But the judgment he gave Succoth and Penuel was not deliverance; it was divine retribution for disloyalty and unfaithfulness (verses 13-17).
What is the significance of the fact that the Midianite kings had killed Gideon's full brothers? Judg. 8:18-21.
We expect Gideon, the leader of the Israelite
This story may partly explain why the Lord chose Gideon. Not only was he a man of faith; he had a strong personal interest in bringing the Midianites to justice. He was reticent at first to fight the Midianites, because he knew firsthand their strength and the risk of battle, but when God encouraged and motivated him, he was highly motivated!
Why was it right for Gideon to bring justice upon his enemies,
but it is not right for us? Rom. 12:17-21.
FURTHER STUDY:V Read the following passages, which establish that God forbids us to retaliate against our enemies: Lev. 19:18; Prov. 20:22; 24:29; Matt. 5:39; 1 Peter 3:9. Read Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, "The Earlier Judges," pp. 549-555.
"Act promptly. God would have you minute men, as were the men who composed Gideon's army. Many times ministers are too precise, too calculating. While they are getting ready to do a great work, the opportunity for doing a good work passes unimproved. The minister moves as though the whole burden rested on himself, a poor finite man, when Jesus is carrying him and his burden too. Brethren, trust self less, and Jesus more. He is willing to save the souls for whom we labor. Because he lives to intercede for us, we shall see of his great power. He 'is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think.' Jesus wants us to ask for help; he wants us to cast our helpless souls on him; and he will give us according to our faith."—Ellen G. White, Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, July 1, 1884.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Do you miss opportunities to serve the Lord? If so, why? Is it because you fail to see them until it is too late, or are you too inflexible or timid? What can you do to improve your ability or desire to take advantage of opportunities for service?
3. How can this lesson be used to illustrate the ultimate triumph of God's faithful remnant who will be opposed by apparently superior forces? (See Rev. 6:10, 15-17.)
SUMMARY: Gideon and his men were God's instruments to deliver Israel. Success depended upon God. Without Him, human efforts would have failed. But human efforts were important because God chose to use them. God can use people today who are willing to risk all in carrying out His will.
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