“I am the Lord, that is My name;
I will not give My glory to another…” Isaiah 42:8a (NASB)

Like so many times before, the Israelites fell into sin and the worship of foreign gods and idols. God called Gideon to lead his people to defeat the Midianites and the Amalekites who had been destroying their crops and devastating the people of Israel. (Read Judges 6-8) These were no minor opponents. The Amalekites were the first people to have giants among their numbers and they had come to help the Midianites.

Gideon did not fit the image of a commander in chief. He saw himself as the least of his family in the least of the clans of his tribe which was the least in the 12 tribes of Israel. Gideon’s actions continually showed a lack of confidence. Two nights in a row he used the “fleece test” to be sure God was going to deliver him. God affirmed both tests.

Gideon then amassed an army of 32,000 men to go up against their enemies. But God told Gideon he had too many men. God made it clear to Gideon that the Israelites were not going to claim they had defeated these enemies in their own strength. Then God said that everyone who was afraid should be sent home. Twenty-two thousand men went home leaving Gideon with 10,000 men.

God said Gideon still had too many men, and they were given a simple test. As each man drank from the stream, Gideon separated those who lapped directly from the water from those who drank from their cupped hands. God told Gideon to keep the 300 who lapped the water and sent the other 9,700 men home.

God encouraged Gideon’s weak heart by encouraging him to sneak down into the camp to ease drop and learn what the enemy soldiers were saying. Gideon heard one soldier tell another about a dream he had the night before, and it struck terror in the listening soldier’s heart who replied, “…God has given Midian and all the camp into his [Gideon’s] hand.”

An encouraged Gideon worshiped God and returned to his 300 men. Each man was given a clay pot with a torch inside it and a trumpet. They were instructed to follow his example to break the clay pots, blow the trumpets, and to shout “For the Lord and for Gideon.” Three divisions of 100 men each spread out to surround the enemy’s encampment. When the trumpets sounded, the clay pots were smashed displaying the burning torches, the men stood still and shouted “For the Lord and for Gideon!” The soldiers in the camp below panicked, began killing each other and fled the camp. The victory was decisive as other Israelite soldiers were called on to pursue the fleeing soldiers. Both kings were also killed.

I share this Biblical account today because I see a parallel with what is happening in our country and in the world. Evil is so prevalent around us. Christians are repenting and praying by the millions, and God is listening. When He gains the victory, and He will do it, everyone will know that God is the One who pulled it off.

Image credit: https://www.freebibleimages.org/illustrations/gideon-midianites/