Bible Stories 15
The people of Israel were finally able to enter the country that had been given to them, but the Lord was not pleased with them because of their worship of Baal. Therefore, the Lord allowed them to be punished for their crimes. Once the Midianites were defeated, the people who lived in the region close to the desert that is located to the east of Israel attacked the tribes. Ephraim and the portion of Manasseh that is located on the west side of Jordan were the two tribes that suffered the most. The Israelites were left without food for themselves as well as for their sheep and livestock when the Midianites carried away all of the grain harvests that they had grown on their land during an annual invasion that lasted seven years and occurred just around the time of harvest. Additionally, the Midianites brought uncountable numbers of their own flocks of sheep and camels, which consumed all of the grass in the field.
The inhabitants of Israel were forced to take refuge in the caves and clefts of the surrounding mountains after being driven from their villages and farms by their enemies. And if any Israelite was successful in cultivating grain, he hid it in caves that were covered with soil or in empty wine presses so that the Midianites would not discover it.
In the course of one day, a man by the name of Gideon was working in a hidden place to thresh wheat when he came across an angel who was seated under an oak tree. The angel spoke to him and said, “Gideon, you are a courageous man, and the Lord is with you in this effort.” “You must be brave and lead your people to victory against the dominance that the Midianites have.” Gideon spoke to the angel, saying,
“Oh, Lord, please tell me how I can protect Israel.” “My family is one of the less fortunate in Manasseh, and I am the youngest member of my father’s household.”
And the Lord spoke to him, saying, “Certainly I will be with you, and I will assist you in driving away the Midianites.”
Gideon had the feeling that the Lord was communicating with him through an angel who was dressed in heavenly robes. He brought an offering with him and offered it to the angel by placing it on a rock in front of him. The angel then used his staff to come into contact with the offering. Suddenly, a fire erupted from the ground and consumed the sacrifice; after that, the angel disappeared from his sight. When Gideon saw this, he felt fear come over him; but the Lord spoke to him and told him, “Peace be unto you, Gideon; do not fear, for I am with you.”
In the place where the Lord had appeared to Gideon, which was close to the town of Ophrah and in the territory of the Manassehite tribe, Gideon constructed an altar under the oak tree and gave it a name that means “The Lord is peace.” His altar continued to remain there in its original location for a long time afterwards.
The Lord then warned Gideon that before he could liberate his people from the oppression of the Midianites, he had to first free his people from the service of Baal and Asherah, which were the two idols that were most worshipped among them. An altar dedicated to Baal and a picture of Asherah were located close to the house of Gideon’s father.
Gideon, accompanied by ten other men, demolished the altar that stood in front of the idols on that night. They threw down the image of Baal and cut the image of Asherah, which was made of wood, into pieces. And in its place, he constructed an altar to the God of Israel; and on it, he set the shattered pieces of the idols in order to use them as a source of wood, and with these, he presented a young ox as a sacrifice by fire.
The following morning, when the residents of the village went out to worship their idols, they saw that the idols had been broken into pieces and the altar had been removed. In its place was an altar to the Lord, and on it the pieces of the Asherah were burning like wood beneath a sacrifice to the Lord. The people turned to stare at the shattered and burning idols, and they questioned, “Who is responsible for this?”
Someone said that Gideon, the son of Joash, was the one who committed this crime the night before.
Then they went to Gideon’s father, Joash, and reported what had happened:
“We are going to murder your son because he has damaged the image of Baal, who is our god,” they said. “We will kill him because he has destroyed the image.”
And Gideon’s father, Joash, replied the following: “If Baal is a god, then he is capable of looking out for himself and punishing the one who destroyed the picture of him.” Why should you provide your help to Baal? “Let Baal help himself.”
And when the people realised that Baal was unable to punish the man who had destroyed his altar and his image, they shifted their attention away from Baal and back to their own God.
Gideon sent messengers across the whole of Manasseh to the west of Jordan and the neighbouring tribes to the north. The men of the tribes gathered around him with a limited number of swords and spears, since the Israelites were not yet equipped for battle. They assembled in the neighbourhood of a large spring on Mount Gilboa that was known as “the fountain of Harod.” Mount Gilboa is one of the three mountains that can be found to the east of the plain of Esdraelon, also known as the plain of Jezreel. This is the location of an important battle that took place in the past. On the plain, stretching up the slope of another of these mountains called “the Hill of Moreh,” was the camp of a huge Midianite army. Because as soon as the Midianites learned that Gideon had planned to liberate his people, they moved up against him with a large army.
Gideon was a faithful and honest man. He prayed to God and asked, “Are you directing me, God?” because he wanted to be absolutely certain that God was guiding him.
“Lord God, please demonstrate to me in some way that you will use me to free Israel from its enemies. On this threshing floor, I have left a fleece of wool. “If, when I wake up tomorrow morning, the fleece is drenched in dew despite the surrounding grass being completely dry, then I will know that you are with me and that you will help me win the battle against the Midianites.”
Gideon came to the fleece very early the next morning in order to examine it. He discovered that it was dripping with dew, despite the fact that the grass all around it was dry. On the other hand, Gideon was not yet content. He spoke to the Lord, saying,
“O Lord, please do not become angry with me; yet, show me just one more sign.” “If the fleece is completely dry when I get up tomorrow morning and there is dew falling all around it, then I will have no more doubts.”
Gideon awoke the next morning to see that the grass and the shrubs were damp with dew, but the fleece of wool was completely dry. And at this point, Gideon was quite certain that God had called him and that God would grant him victory against Israel’s adversaries.
The Lord said these words to Gideon: “Your army is far larger than necessary.” If Israel were to triumph, they would claim that they did it because of their own hard work and determination. “Everyone who is too cowardly to fight should be sent home.”
Because a large number of the people, upon seeing the army of their adversaries, were terrified, the Lord was aware that these individuals would only serve to slow down the progress of the remainder of the army throughout the conflict. Therefore, Gideon spread the news around the camp, saying:
“Anyone who is terrified of the enemy is free to go home.” And a total of twenty-two thousand soldiers went away, leaving Gideon’s army with just ten thousand soldiers. However, despite having a lesser number of soldiers, the army was more powerful since all of the cowards had deserted, leaving just the bravest men behind.
However, the Lord spoke to Gideon, saying, “Still, there are far too many people.” You simply need a small number of the most courageous and skilled men to fight in this war. “Bring the guys down the mountain, beyond the lake, and I will show you how to find the men you need.”
In the morning, Gideon obeyed God’s order and led his ten thousand soldiers out of the camp. He then instructed them to march down the hill as if they were about to engage in combat with the enemy. And because they were close to the water, he was able to see how they drank. Based on this observation, he separated them into two groups, one for each drinking style.
When they reached the stream, the majority of the men put their shields and spears to the ground, knelt down, and used both hands to make a cup out of which they drank. Gideon gave the order for these soldiers to form a single company and stand together.
A handful of the guys did not pause to take a deep drink of water at any point throughout the journey. They just grabbed a handful of water as they passed it and continued on their way, sipping it from one hand while holding spears and shields in their right hands so that they would be prepared to engage an opponent in the event that one should suddenly arrive. God spoke to Gideon:
“These guys drank from a handful of water each, separated from one another.”These are the people who I have selected to liberate Israel from their chains.”
Gideon did a head count on these guys and discovered that there were only three hundred of them standing upright, while the rest of them were kneeling or stooping to drink. The difference between them was that the 300 were serious guys who were focused on a single goal. They did not deviate from their objective in any way, not even to get a drink, as the other individuals did. Even back then, they were vigilant guys who were always ready to face their adversaries.
As a result, Gideon obeyed the word of God and ordered the rest of his army, which numbered close to ten thousand men, back to the camp on Mount Gilboa. He kept just his little band of three hundred soldiers for himself.
The strategy devised by Gideon did not need a large army; rather, it called for a select group of brave and cautious men who were to carry out their commander’s instructions to the letter. He handed each guy a lantern, a pitcher, and a trumpet, and then he instructed the men on how they were to make use of the items they had been given. The lamp was lit, but it was hidden from view by placing it inside the pitcher once it had been lit. He separated his soldiers into three companies, and in the middle of the night, he led them down the mountain in a very stealthy manner. Once they reached the bottom of the mountain, he led them all the way around to the camp of the Midianites.
Then, suddenly, in the darkness, a loud yell resounded forth: “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon,” and with it came the crash of broken pitchers, followed by a burst of light in all directions. Three hundred of the guys uttered the yell and smashed their pitchers, causing lights to shine in every direction. The warriors blew their trumpets with a loud roar, and the Midianites were awoken from their slumber to find enemies all around them, with lights blazing and swords flashing, while the piercing sound of the trumpets could be heard everywhere.
They were overcome with immediate fear, and the only thing on their minds was running away rather than fighting. But it seemed that no matter which way they turned, their adversaries were always waiting for them with swords ready. As they fled from the Israelites, they ended up killing each other by trampling each other to death. They fled in the direction of the east, into one of the valleys that was located between the mountains, since their homeland was located to the east of the Jordan River.
Gideon had anticipated that the Midianites would try to flee back to their own territory in the event that they were defeated in the fight, and he had previously made preparations to prevent them from doing so. Ten thousand of the soldiers were staying in the camp that he had set up on the slopes of the valley that led down to the Jordan. They killed a great number of the Midianites there while they were attempting to escape down the steep route toward the river. And Gideon had also dispatched troops from the tribe of Ephraim, who had not participated in the fight up until that point, to the only area along the river where it was possible for anyone to swim through the water. Midianites who had fled from Gideon’s army and taken refuge on either side of the valley were now confronted by Ephraimite soldiers at the river, where they met their deaths in large numbers. Two of the rulers of the Midianites, called Oreb and Zeeb, were among those who were killed in the battle.
A portion of the Midianite army was successful in crossing the river and continued their flight into the desert; however, Gideon and his courageous three hundred men pursued them closely, got involved in another battle with them, utterly destroyed them, and captured their two kings, Zebah and Zalmunna, whom he killed. Following this decisive victory, the Israelites were finally and completely released from their obligation to the Midianites. They would never again take the risk of leaving their home in the desert in order to wage war against the tribes of Israel.
Following this, Gideon continued to serve as Israel’s judge for the rest of his life. The people hoped that he would elevate himself to the position of king.
They compelled him to establish his kingship over them, saying, “Rule over us as king, and let your son be king after you, and let his son be king after him.”
But Gideon said:
“No, you do not need a king since the Lord God already rules over Israel in his kingly capacity.” Nobody else except God will rule over these many tribes.”
Gideon, the fifth Judge, was the most outstanding leader in terms of bravery, knowledge, and trust in God out of all fifteen men who served in the role of Judges over Israel.