In the Book of Judges, there is the story of a man named Gideon. At the word of the LORD, Gideon led an Israeli army against the combined forces of all the Medianites, Amalekites, and other eastern people. The opposing army comprised 135,000 fighting men (see Judges 8:10). Gideon started off with an army of 32,000 men. The LORD told Gideon that He did not want the army of Israel to have that great a number, because Israel would then take the credit for defeating the opposing army. At the Lord's request, Gideon sent 22,000 of his men home. At this point, Israel was outnumbered 13.5 to 1. The LORD once again told Gideon, that the Israeli army was too large. Gideon was told to reduce the number again. This time, the Israeli army was reduced to 300 men. The 300 men of the Israeli army then went to war against the 135,000 man opposing army. The Book of Judges records that the opposing army was defeated. How did 300 men defeat an army of 135,000? The 300 men didn't defeat them, the LORD did.
But what does this mean to most people? To many, the Bible is full of stories. With no eyewitnesses willing to give testimony, doubters feel secure in doing what they do best. However, I have seen something similar to Judges 6 through 8 happen twice in my own lifetime.
In 1967, Israel fought the Six-Day War. In June 1967, Israel fought against the combined Arab nations of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. Egypt, Jordan, and Syria were aided by Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Algeria. The fighting began on June 5th. The fighting was halted on June 10th. In the six days of fighting, Israel took control of the Gaza Strip, pushed into the Sinai, took control of Old Jerusalem, and advanced into Syria. Israel was able to gain control of the entire Sinai Peninsula, all the Jordanian territory west of the Jordan River, as well as the strategic Golan Heights of Syria. Basically, Israel tripled it' size from 8,000 square miles to 26,000 square miles while defeating it's enemies on all three sides. Israel fought the Six-Day War on three fronts, against three countries, and won despite being outnumbered three to one.
A fluke? In 1973, Israel fought the Yom Kippur War. Frustrated by Israel's refusal to give back some territories it won during the Six-Day War, Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on October 6, 1973. The Egyptians and Syrians were numerically superior in both manpower and material. Egypt and Syria had Russian support and Soviet-made weapons. Egypt and Syria felt that they would have won the Six-Day War if they had struck first, so this time they waited for a day when Israel would be caught off guard. They assumed that on Yom Kippur (October 6), Israel would be at its lowest state of preparedness. The Arabs had a 20-to-1 edge over Israel in infantry forces and a 5-to-1 advantage in tanks. After 17 days of fighting, Israel won again. Or did they?
Israel is smaller than New Jersey. The country is as narrow as 10 miles wide in some places. The surrounding countries dwarf Israel in both population and resources. Those same neighboring countries would like nothing better than the annihilation of Israel. Yet Israel is the country that won both the Six-Day War and the Yom Kippur War? I don't think so. I believe GOD won those two wars. In which case, the opposing countries never stood a chance.
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And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the
hand of Midian seven years. And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel: and because of the
Midianites the children of Israel made them the dens which are in the mountains, and caves, and
strong holds. And so it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites,
and the children of the east, even they came up against them; And they encamped against them, and
destroyed the increase of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for Israel,
neither sheep, nor ox, nor ass. For they came up with their cattle and their tents, and they came
as grasshoppers for multitude; for both they and their camels were without number: and they entered
into the land to destroy it. And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and
the children of Israel cried unto the LORD. And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried
unto the LORD because of the Midianites, That the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel,
which said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought
you forth out of the house of bondage; And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and
out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their
land; And I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land
ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice. And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an
oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abi-ezrite: and his son Gideon threshed
wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto
him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon said unto him,
Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles
which our f athers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD
hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. And the LORD looked upon him,
and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have
not I sent thee? And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family
is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. And the LORD said unto him,
Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. And he said unto him,
If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign that thou talkest with me. Depart not
hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my present, and set it before thee. And
he said, I will tarry until thou come again. And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and
unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour: the flesh he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot,
and brought it out unto him under the oak, and presented it. And the angel of God said unto him,
Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And
he did so. Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and
touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed
the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight. And when
Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the LORD, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I
have seen an angel of the LORD face to face. And the LORD said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear
not: thou shalt not die. Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it
Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites And it came to pass the same
night, that the LORD said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of
seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that
is by it And build an altar unto the LORD thy God upon the top of this rock, in the or dered place,
and take the second bullock, and offer a burnt sacrifice with the wood of the grove which thou
shalt cut down. Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him:
and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could
not do it by day, that he did it by night. And when the men of the city arose early in the morning,
behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second
bullock was offered upon the altar that was built. And they said one to another, Who hath done this
thing? And when they enquired and asked, they said, Gideon the son of Joash hath done this thing
Then the men of the city said unto Joash, Bring out thy son, that he may die: because he hath cast
down the altar of Baal, and because he hath cut down the grove that was by it. And Joash said unto
all that stood against him, Will ye plead for Baal? will ye save him? he that will plead for him,
let him be put to death whilst it is yet morning: if he be a god, let him plead for himself,
because one hath cast down his altar Therefore on that day he called him Jerubbaal, saying, Let
Baal plead against him, because he hath thrown down his altar Then all the Midianites and the
Amalekites and the children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the
valley of Jezreel But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abi-ezer
was gathered after him. And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who also was gathered after
him: and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and they came up to
meet them. And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said,
Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be
dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou
hast said. And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and
wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine
anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once
with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew.
And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the
ground.
Judges 6 KJV |
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Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were with him, rose up early, and pitched
beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the
hill of Moreh, in the valley. And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too
many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me,
saying, Mine own hand hath saved me Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people,
saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And
there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand And the LORD
said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them
for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same
shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall
not go. So he brought down the people unto t he water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one
that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself;
likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. And the number of them that lapped,
putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed
down upon their knees to drink water. : And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men
that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other
people go every man unto his place. So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets:
and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men:
and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley. And it came to pass the same night, that the
LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand.
But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host: And thou shalt hear
what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went
he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host. And the
Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like
grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for
multitude. And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and
said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian,
and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along And
his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man
of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host. And it was so , when
Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and
returned into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your hand the
host of Midian. And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in
every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers. And he said unto them,
Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that,
as I do, so shall ye do. When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the
trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. So
Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning
of the middle watch; and they had but newly set the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake
the pitchers that were in their hands. And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the
pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow
withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. And they stood every man in his place
round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled. And the three hundred blew the
trumpets, and the LORD set every man's sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host:
and the host fled to Beth-shittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abel-meholah, unto Tabbath.
And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of
all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites. And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount
Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites, and take before them the waters unto Beth-barah
and Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the waters unto
Beth-barah and Jordan And they took two princes of the Midianites , Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew
Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and
brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan.
Judges 7 KJV |
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And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when
thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? And they did chide with him sharply. And he said unto
them, What have I done now in comparison of you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim
better than the vintage of Abi-ezer? God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb
and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in comparison of you? Then their anger was abated toward him,
when he had said And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that
were with him, faint, yet pursuing them. And he said unto the men of Succoth, Give, I pray you,
loaves of bread unto the people that follow me; for they be faint, and I am pursuing after Zebah
and Zalmunna, kings of Midian And the princes of Succoth said, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna
now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thine army? And Gideon said, Therefore when the
LORD hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunn a into mine hand, then I will tear your flesh with the thorns
of the wilderness and with briers. And he went up thence to Penuel, and spake unto them likewise:
and the men of Penuel answered him as the men of Succoth had answered him. And he spake also unto
the men of Penuel, saying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower. Now Zebah and
Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left
of all the hosts of the children of the east: for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men
that drew sword And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the east of Nobah and
Jogbehah, and smote the host: for the host was secure. And when Zebah and Zalmunna fled, he pursued
after them, and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and discomfited all the host. And
Gideon the son of Joash returned from battle before the sun was up, And caught a young man of the
men of Succoth, and enquired of him: and he described unto him the princes of Succoth, and the
elders thereof, even threescore and seventeen men. And he came unto the men of Succoth, and said,
Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, with whom ye did upbraid me, saying, Are the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna
now in thine hand, that we should give bread unto thy men that are weary? And he took the elders of
the city, and thorns of the wilderness and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth.
And he beat down the tower of Penuel, and slew the men of the city. Then said he unto Zebah and
Zalmunna, What manner of men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so
were they; each one resembled the children of a king. And he said, They were my brethren, even the
sons of my mother: as the LORD liveth, if ye had saved them alive, I would not slay you. And he
said unto Jether his firstborn, Up, and slay them. But the youth drew not his sword: for he feared,
because he was yet a youth. Then Zebah and Zalmunna said, Rise thou, and fall upon us: for as the
man is, so is his strength. And Gideon arose, and slew Zebah and Zalmunna, and took away the
ornaments that were on their camels' necks. Then the men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou
over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son's son also: for thou hast delivered us from the
hand of Midian. And Gideon said unto them, I will not r ule over you, neither shall my son rule
over you: the LORD shall rule over you. And Gideon said unto them, I would desire a request of you,
that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey. (For they had golden earrings, because
they were Ishmaelites.) And they answered, We will willingly give them. And they spread a garment,
and did cast therein every man the earrings of his prey. And the weight of the golden earrings that
he requested was a thousand and seven hundred shekels of gold; beside ornaments, and collars, and
purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian, and beside the chains that were about their
camels' necks. And Gideon made an ephod thereof, and put it in his city, even in Ophrah: and
all Israel went thither a whoring after it: which thing became a snare unto Gideon, and to his
house. Thus was Midian subdued before the children of Israel, so that they lifted up their heads
no more. And the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon. And Jerubbaal the son
of Joash went and dwelt in his own house. And Gideon had threescore and ten sons of his body
begotten: for he had many wives. And his concubine that was in Shechem, she also bare him a son,
whose name he called Abimelech. And Gideon the son of Joash died in a good old age, and was buried
in the sepulchre of Joash his father, in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites. And it came to pass, as soon as
Gideon was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and
made Baal-berith their god. And the children of Israel remembered not the LORD their God, who had
delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every side: Neither shewed they kindness to
the house of Jerubbaal, namely, Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had shewed unto
Israel.
Judges 8 KJV |
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