Judges 7:2-3 - “The Lord said to Gideon, ‘You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands.  In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, announce now to the people, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’ ‘ So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.”

This story is about God using Gideon to deliver the Israelites from the Midianites, who were oppressing them, stealing their food.  Gideon had to choose his men to accompany him into battle.  The enemy vastly outnumbered him.  At first, Gideon thought he would need as many people as possible to win.  He gathered 32,000 men at the outset, enough for war – or so Gideon thought.  Yet the Lord said there were too many people.  

Not all would take part in this battle.  Gideon told the large assembly of men that the battle would be fierce, and it was only for the brave.  In the same way, the Lord’s Work today is only for the brave.  There are early morning prayers, fasts, personal evangelism, and certain things we must renounce in our lives.  Just as Gideon warned his men, so also we must be honest that our battle to carry out God’s Project will be fierce.  Those who are spiritually weak will not prevail.  When Gideon gave his first warning, 22,000 of them went away, over two-thirds of the original army.  Gideon must have felt disappointed – how could he win with only 10,000 men remaining?  It would get worse still.  “But the Lord said to Gideon, ‘There are still too many men.”

There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink.”  Three hundred men lapped with their hands to their mouths.  All the rest got down on their knees to drink.  The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands.” (Judges 7:4-7).  In other words, 9,700 of Gideon’s remaining men got down with their faces to the water to drink.  Only 300 men squatted, remaining prepared to stand, scooping water with their hands and lapping it from their hands.  God said these 300 should comprise Gideon’s entire fighting force against the Midianites.  God has always counted on a small number of people, in this case 300.  God next instructs him to divide the group in three – three groups of 100 each.  This points us toward the Trinity – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit the must always operate together in out midst.

“If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying.  Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” (Judges 7:9-11).  Gideon took his armor bearer and went down near the Midianite camp.  When they arrived, they overheard two soldiers who were talking about a dream one had.  “I had a dream,” he was saying.  “A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp.  It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.” (Judges 7:13-14)

When Gideon heard this he understood the Lord had delivered them.  The battle would soon begin, but the weapons would be no ordinary weapons.  Their weapons are unusual: empty clay jugs, lit torches and trumpets.  Gideon had his men put the torch inside the pitcher and take the trumpet in the other hand.  When they got close, they would break the pitchers so the light of the lit torches would appear.  They would then sound the trumpets.  When they did this, the Midianite camp broke into panic and confusion, and the Midianites turned on one another in the chaos, causing great losses (Judges 7:22).  The Lord’s angels must have swarmed though that camp fighting against God’s enemies, even though nobody could see them.

All that the Lord wanted from Gideon was obedience.  This is the broken pitcher – when men humble themselves and deny the flesh (see 2 Corinthians 4:7).  Once we are truly broken, God’s the light appears and shines through us.  The trumpet then sounds, instructing the Lord’s army of angels around us.  This army fights and will overcome on our behalf, even where we ourselves would fail.  This is the great victory of the Lord’s Work.  We must simply break the pitcher so the light will appear; then the trumpet sounds so the angels will operate.

At what moment did God decide to defeat the Midianites?  It was before the angel first appeared to Gideon and called him a man of valor.  God decided to give the victory the moment Gideon had taken the wheat from the threshing floor and brought it to the winepress.  The victory is ours when we finally understand that God will not achieve his objectives according to human reason; instead, it flourishes according to revelation.

No matter where we are in the world geographically, this is spiritual reality.  We cannot think in terms of nationalism now; we must think in terms of people who are going to Heaven.  Such people will overcome the Midianites.  If God’s people discover the great secret, they can overcome the Enemy.  The secret is the Word hidden in the winepress (the Blood of Jesus). This is what John saw in Revelation.  He saw a garment dipped in blood, whose name is the Word of God (Revelation 19:13).  Wheat on threshing floor is the Word according to reason.  Wheat in the winepress is according to revelation.