Judges 7:1-18
1 Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. 2 The Lord said to Gideon, “You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ 3 Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’” So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained.
4 But the Lord said to Gideon, “There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.”
5 So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, “Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink.” 6 Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink.
7 The Lord said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home.” 8 So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others.
Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. 9 During that night the Lord said to Gideon, “Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. 10 If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah 11 and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp. 12 The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.
13 Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. “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.”
14 His friend responded, “This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.”
15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, “Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands.” 16 Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside.
17 “Watch me,” he told them. “Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. 18 When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’”
It’s Tuesday. Yesterday, God asked us to tear down our idols. Today, He tells us to go to battle.
Let’s pause for a moment and really soak that in. God is the Creator of time. In 2 Peter 3:8, we’re reminded that with the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. But between Judges 6 and Judges 7, not much time has passed. Everything is happening all at once.
Do you know that feeling? The one where if it isn’t one thing, it’s the next? Before you’ve even had time to process one battle, another one is already waiting for you. There have been times, especially this year—a year that has stretched me in more heart-wrenching ways than I thought possible—when I’ve wanted to tap God on the shoulder and say, “God, I know You’re the Creator of time … but some of us need a moment to catch our breath.”
Unlike Gideon, I wasn’t just afraid of the battle before me; I was afraid of the battle within me.
The first half of this year was not by my own strength, and I mean that emotionally, physically, spiritually and financially. I simply did not have it to give. I was afraid. I felt weak. There were days when I hungered for my bed more than I hungered for food because the battle around had left me exhausted and completely unprepared. Unlike Gideon, I wasn’t just afraid of the battle before me; I was afraid of the battle within me.
Up to this point, Gideon had been obedient. He hadn’t delayed. He had called together everyone he could, and they were camped on the eve of battle. Then here comes God again, completely throwing human logic out the window.
“Gideon … you have too many soldiers.”
Too many? God, the enemy already outnumbers us. They’re trained warriors. We’re already the underdogs. What do You mean we have too many?
And then it hits: “You have too many resources. Too much support. Too much comfort. Too much … you.”
Now remember, we’re not separating Gideon or the Israelites from ourselves because mankind hasn’t really evolved. Can you imagine the look on Gideon’s face when God told him that not everyone could come with him? God knew that if Israel won with an overwhelming army, they would convince themselves that they were the reason for the victory instead of Him.
They would say it was because of their numbers, their strategy, their effort, their experience, their connections, or their strength instead of recognizing it was God all along.
Gideon wasn’t David. In fact, David wouldn’t be born for quite some time. Gideon had no military reputation to lean on. He wasn’t a seasoned warrior. He wasn’t a king. He was simply the man God called, the one who described himself as the least, the one who had nothing left to depend on except God.
Maybe that’s exactly the point.
God is reminding us through Gideon’s story that some battles will feel incredibly lonely. Not because He has abandoned us, but because He is slowly removing everything we have been tempted to trust more than Him. Sometimes He reduces the crowd. Sometimes He removes the comfort. Sometimes He strips away the backup plans, not to punish us, but to position us.
God isn’t interested in sharing His glory with our pride. If we leave the battle believing our intelligence, our planning, our connections, or our effort won the victory, then where is the testimony? Where is the gratitude? And how will anyone else learn to trust Him?
God isn’t interested in sharing His glory with our pride.
Sometimes God isn’t just preparing us for the battle. He’s preparing us in the ordinary moments before the battle even begins. He’s teaching us to remain watchful, to stay alert, and to be positioned for whatever comes next.
Yes, you may not understand why God chose you for this particular battle. You may not understand why He chose you to be the parent, the spouse, the child, the coworker, the entrepreneur, the neighbor, the creator, or the person carrying the responsibility you have today. But He does.
He knew you would be scared. He knew you would need Him. He knew there would be days when you wouldn’t be holding on by the strength of your own effort, but by His grace and mercy alone. He knew He would have to separate you from your comfort and your habits. He knew there would be moments when obedience would make you look foolish in front of others. And still … He called you.
Maybe God doesn’t always remove the battle because the battle itself becomes part of the testimony. Sometimes He wins in such an unexpected way that no one can mistake who carried us through. Not so we can tell everyone how strong we were, but so we can tell the next generation how faithful He was.
