Bible Study Notes: Character Studies: Judges 7 Gideon and God’s 300

Overview and Background: The nation of Israel is again being tormented by the Midianites and Amalakites and again they call out to God for help. God sends an angel to an unlikely candidate named Gideon and announces that God will use Gideon to deliver the nation. Gideon, hiding and threshing wheat in a wine cellar is called by God to deliver an entire nation from a cruel enemy. The timeline is roughly 1190 B.C. when God calls the fifth Judge to deliver the nation from an oppressor. God uses Gideon and 300 men to kill over 120,000 men and to route an army of probably over 200,000.

 

In 480 B.C. the famous Greek King Leonidas joined an army of 7,000 Greek soldiers to try to stop the Persian army at the Pass of Thermopylae. The Persian ruler named Xeres with an army of over 200,000 men tells King Leonidas to drop down their arms and surrender. The response by Leonidas has now become the motto of a brigade of the Greek army, “Come and get them” Leonidas, seeing that the army is severely out-numbered decides to make a final stand with 300 men at the Pass of Thermopylae and after a couple of days, under overwhelming odds are slaughtered by the Persian army. King Leonidas’s story again becomes a legend that 300 Spartans tried to withstand the entire Persian army.

 

Our story with Gideon and God’s 300 has quite a different ending. While King Leonidas and his 300 men trusted their superior training and fearless attitude, they still were slaughtered by the Persian army. Gideon and his 300 men experienced a completely different result. Judges 7:22 “When the three hundred blew the trumpets, the LORD set every man’s sword against his companion throughout the whole camp; and the army fled to Beth Acacia, toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel Meholah, by Tabbath.” These 300 drank water standing up out of their hands and put their trust in a far superior force to help them overcome overwhelming odds, God. The result was that not one of the 300 was even hurt because they placed their trust in God as compared to the 300 Spartans who placed their trust in their superior training. Perhaps the popular movie 300 should have a sequel, called God’s 300 !

Key Verses: Judges 7:7 “Then the LORD said to Gideon, “By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place.”

Judges 7:1-8 Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the people who were with him rose early and encamped beside the well of Harod, so that the camp of the Midianites was on the north side of them by the hill of Moreh in the valley.2 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.’ 3 Now therefore, proclaim in the hearing of the people, saying, ‘Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him turn and depart at once from Mount Gilead.’” And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained. 4 But the LORD said to Gideon, “The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will test them for you there. Then it will be, that of whom I say to you, ‘This one shall go with you,’ the same shall go with you; and of whomever I say to you, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ the same shall not go.” 5 So he brought the people down to the water. And the LORD said to Gideon, “Everyone who laps from the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set apart by himself; likewise everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.” 6 And the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men; but all the rest of the people got down on their knees to drink water. 7 Then the LORD said to Gideon, “By the three hundred men who lapped I will save you, and deliver the Midianites into your hand. Let all the other people go, every man to his place.” 8 So the people took provisions and their trumpets in their hands. And he sent away all the rest of Israel, every man to his tent, and retained those three hundred men. Now the camp of Midian was below him in the valley.

Judges 7:9-14 It happened on the same night that the LORD said to him, “Arise, go down against the camp, for I have delivered it into your hand. 10 But if you are afraid to go down, go down to the camp with Purah your servant, 11 and you shall hear what they say; and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outpost of the armed men who were in the camp. 12 Now the Midianites and Amalekites, all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude. 13 And when Gideon had come, there was a man telling a dream to his companion. He said, “I have had a dream: To my surprise, a loaf of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian; it came to a tent and struck it so that it fell and overturned, and the tent collapsed.” 14 Then his companion answered and said, “This is nothing else but the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel! Into his hand God has delivered Midian and the whole camp.”

Judges 7:15-25 And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel, and said, “Arise, for the LORD has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.” 16 Then he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet into every man’s hand, with empty pitchers, and torches inside the pitchers. 17 And he said to them, “Look at me and do likewise; watch, and when I come to the edge of the camp you shall do as I do: 18 When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets on every side of the whole camp, and say, ‘The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!’” 19 So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outpost of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just as they had posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers that were in their hands. 20 Then the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers—they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing—and they cried, “The sword of the LORD and of Gideon!” 21 And every man stood in his place all around the camp; and the whole army ran and cried out and fled. 22 When the three hundred blew the trumpets, the LORD set every man’s sword against his companion throughout the whole camp; and the army fled to Beth Acacia, toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel Meholah, by Tabbath. 23 And the men of Israel gathered together from Naphtali, Asher, and all Manasseh, and pursued the Midianites. 24 Then Gideon sent messengers throughout all the mountains of Ephraim, saying, “Come down against the Midianites, and seize from them the watering places as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan.” Then all the men of Ephraim gathered together and seized the watering places as far as Beth Barah and the Jordan. 25 And they captured two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they killed at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued Midian and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side of the Jordan.

 
Personal Application: What would cause the story of a man named Gideon to be such an important story for every Christian today ? From a man hiding in a wheatfield, afraid of an oppressive enemy to becoming an example and legend for every Christian today. In Hebrews 11, God’s Hall of Faith, God mentions various men and women of faith as examples for us today. Hebrews 11:30-34 “By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. 31 By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace. 32 And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: 33 who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.”

 

Gideon’s story can become our story as we realize that the key to victory in any circumstance of life is not the dissolution of the problem we face but relying on God’s Spirit to help us through any challenge we are experiencing. Our victory over adversity can be the same as Gideon by following these three steps: Focus on God’s Word, resist sin and rely on God’s Spirit. 1) Focus on God’s Word: Ephesians 6:17-18 “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God; 18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” 2) Resist sin: James 4:7-8 “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” 3) Rely on God’s Spirit: Romans 8:12-13 “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.”

 

The world’s solution is to rely on superior training and conditioning and repeating some lame mantra like, “everything is going to be all right” God’s solution is also work but it is meditating on the One who can help you overcome the greatest fears and enemies in your life. Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” Victory to overcome, through God, through His Spirit and through His Son, Jesus Christ. Let Paul’s verse become your motto today !