The Chosen Key Word in this Chapter is “Trumpet” it comes from the Hebrew Word “shophar” which means “ram’s horn trumpet.”
God deliberately shrinks Gideon’s army down to almost nothing before the battle even begins. Welcome to Bible Life Basics Chapter Reviews, I am Chris and this is Judges 7.
Gideon gathers thirty-two thousand men to face the vast Midianite army, but God tells him this force is too large, “lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.” Following God’s instruction, Gideon dismisses anyone who is fearful and afraid, and twenty-two thousand men leave, reducing his army to just ten thousand. God still declares this too many, and instructs a further test at the water, watching how the men drink.
Those who cup water in their hands and lap it like a dog, staying alert while drinking, are separated from those who kneel down to drink freely, and only three hundred men pass this final test. With just these three hundred, God promises to save Israel and send the rest of the men home. That night, God tells an anxious Gideon to sneak down to the enemy camp, where he overhears a Midianite soldier describing a dream about a barley cake tumbling into camp and overturning a tent, interpreted by his companion as certain defeat at Gideon’s hand, and Gideon, greatly encouraged, worships God.
Gideon divides his three hundred men into three companies, equipping each with a trumpet, “shophar” in Hebrew, an empty pitcher, and a torch hidden inside it. Surrounding the Midianite camp at night, they blow their trumpets simultaneously, break their pitchers to reveal the torches, and shout, “The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.” The startled Midianite army, thrown into confusion in the darkness, turns on itself and flees, and Israel pursues and defeats them decisively.
God deliberately reduced Gideon’s army from thirty-two thousand down to just three hundred, specifically so Israel couldn’t credit the victory to their own strength. Sometimes God strips away our resources not to set us up for failure, but to make absolutely certain that when victory comes, there’s no mistaking whose power actually accomplished it.
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