Gideon and his men face a huge army. The battle seems hopeless. Then it seems even more hopeless. Yet God grants His people a remarkable victory. This article explains how it happened. It also shows what we can learn for serving God.

War in Israel

War in Israel! A terrifying alliance is ready to fight Israel. It includes Midianites, Amalekites, and various eastern peoples. Their army has at least 135,000 men (Judges 7:1–25; 8:10). The judge Gideon can gather only 32,000 soldiers. They come from various tribes of Israel. This is a highly dangerous situation for God’s people. The Lord Jesus Himself said something important. With a 2:1 disadvantage, one considers peace talks seriously (Luke 14:31–32). Here the ratio is worse than 4:1.

And God actually commands that the battle must not be fought like this. Not because there are too few Israeli soldiers. Rather, there are too many (Judges 7:2)! The army must be reduced. Then it becomes clear that victory is not based on human strength. It is not based on cleverness either. It rests only on God’s grace and power.

The Fainthearted Leave

All the fearful may leave Gideon’s army (Judges 7:3). The Israelites should be courageous in battle (Deuteronomy 20:1–2). But the Law of Moses defined an exception. “Then the officers shall speak further to the people and say, ‘Who is the man that is afraid and fainthearted? Let him depart and return to his house, so that he will not make his brothers’ hearts melt like his heart’” (Deuteronomy 20:8). The wording of the Law shows this is an exception. Here, however, 22,000 soldiers turn away! That is more than two thirds of the whole army. Now 10,000 Israeli soldiers face 135,000 fighters. The ratio is now 13.5:1.

The Halfhearted are Filtered Out

Again Gideon receives the divine thunderclap: “The people are still too many” (Judges 7:4)! Now the halfhearted must be identified and sent away. The men are led to the water to drink. Those who lap with their tongues like a dog do so quickly. They are determined to fight and do not want to lose time. God’s cause ranks above their own needs. But whoever kneels down comfortably is not fully focused. Therefore, he is sent home (Judges 7:5–7). This affects 9,700 men. That is almost the entire force! Only 300 men remain with Gideon. That is less than one percent of the original army. The enemy numbers remain unchanged. So the ratio shifts even more clearly: 450:1.

The Troop’s Equipment

To make matters worse, the 300 men are not properly armed. They set out as if marching to a great festival. They carry jars, torches, and trumpets (Judges 7:8, 16–18). A victory is impossible! At least, as long as one leaves God out. If one brings Him in, it looks different:

• “Nothing is too difficult for You” (Jeremiah 32:17).
• “And looking at them, Jesus said to them, ‘With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible’” (Matthew 19:26).
• “Looking at them, Jesus said, ‘With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God’” (Mark 10:27).
• “For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37).
• “But He said, ‘The things that are impossible with people are possible with God’” (Luke 18:27).
• And: “For the Lord there is no restraint to save by many or by few” (1 Samuel 14:6).

The Impressive Victory

In the middle of the night, Gideon surrounds the Midianite camp. He uses his 300 men for this. At his command, his men blow the trumpets. They also smash the jars. Then the light of the torches shines out. The torches had been hidden inside. They cry out boldly: “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” (Judges 7:20). Yet they hold no swords in their hands. They hold torches and trumpets. The unexpected spectacle frightens and confuses the mixed enemy army. They destroy one another. In this way they weaken themselves decisively (Judges 7:22).

Our Battle Today

We do not fight against people. We do not kill anyone. Instead, we fight the hostility in human hearts against God. We want them to be reconciled to Him. We want them to find true life in Christ. For God to use us in this spiritual battle, we must meet three conditions:

• We do not tremble before enemies. The stronger One is on our side. We are strong in grace (2 Timothy 2:1).
• We put God’s concerns above our needs. We do not get entangled in the affairs of life (2 Timothy 2:4).
• We trust the weapons God gives us. They are the “weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left” (2 Corinthians 6:7).

Trumpets, Torches, and Jars

How victory was won then recalls the apostle Paul’s words: “For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants on account of Jesus. For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen containers, so that the extraordinary greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves” (2 Corinthians 4:5–7). Here we see what is needed for spiritual victory:

• The trumpets: “We do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord.” That is what people should hear from us.
• The torches: “… to give the light [or shining] of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” That is what people should see in us.
• The jars: “We have this treasure in earthen containers [our bodies].” The purpose is clear. “So that the extraordinary greatness of the power will be of God.” It will not be from us. That is what we are.

God’s Glory in the Triumph

God also wants to use weak people today. He wants to make His light shine through them. He wants to spread His message through them. Then it will become clear where the triumph of the gospel comes from. It rests on His power alone. It is His “victory” when people repent. To Him alone always belongs all honor. We never want to forget that.