Have you ever been taught by someone who forces you to think things through and maybe when you think you have a plan, they take away something you were counting on using or said, “No, you have to do it without that?” I mean really teacher google isn’t going away, why can’t I use it? But no, they don’t let you use the normal method.
If you have it can seem frustrating but if they are a great teacher, then when you get your eureka moment then everything is clear. Before then it is not fun, in fact, you might think that the teacher/professor is a bit of a sadist. He/She sits around trying to find ways to torment their students. Yes, there might be a few like that but thankfully only a few. Most honestly want their students to grow and learn to think for themselves. They also might be pushing them to think outside the box.
Years later we might laugh about how our instructor pushed us but at the moment let’s maybe not. This is what I see in this chapter. God is pushing Gideon to the correct answer. I didn’t see this before, but it doesn’t diminish the miracle at all as I see it, it reveals a God who loves us enough to push us to think for ourselves. Let’s set the stage…
- A coalition of enemy nations has gathered to plunder Israel again.
- Gideon gathers an army of 32,000 men to go against them (Side note: Israel is woefully outnumbered).
- God tells Gideon to let the fearful go home.
- Now there are only 10,000 men left (It’s going to be a slaughter for the Midianites).
- God gives another test and Gideon is left with 300 men.
- God tells Gideon if he’s afraid to sneak down to the enemy camp. (Personally, at this point I would be looking up to God and saying, “Afraid? I’m terrified and now you want me, the guy who every Midianite wants to kill, to sneak down into their camp. ARE YOU? (Pause, deep breath) You’re God, so okay, I’ll go.).
The stage is set for Gideon. Is Gideon going to figure it out or well we know he will because it probably wouldn’t have a story if he didn’t. Gideon is down by the enemy camp and hears the enemy speaking of dreams that God is going to use Gideon to whip them out. In other words, the enemy is afraid. The enemy is expecting to lose. Yes, they have superior numbers and weapons, but they know they are going to lose. Gideon is shocked. This is news to him. Gideon thought he was the one who was going to lose. In fact, if he fights like everyone expects he will lose.
Eureka! Gideon has his epiphany. Gideon remembers God’s words that He would fight for them. Gideon doesn’t have to fight. Gideon sees the army is looking for a reason to run and comes up with a plan to give them that reason. I would note here that the Bible doesn’t say that God told Gideon what to do. However, God did place his student in the right place to discover the answer for himself and it was brilliant.
An army expecting to see an enemy attack woke up to see foreigners around them. They were, after all, a coalition of foreign nations. When they were startled awake, they saw what they expected, foreign enemies. Once the chaos began it just grew. Those who might have had time to realize they were fighting their “allies” were confused by God. The armies, on seeing their “allies” attack their friends and comrades joined in the fighting. Those who survived this first wave of attacks were confused and afraid therefore ran away from the danger. Side note: It’s easier to kill soldiers who are running rather than fighting you giving Gideon the day.
The truth is the miracle of this story is three-fold. First, an enemy who had no reason to believe they would lose actually did. Second, God put Gideon in a place where he had to think differently. Third, God prevented the Midianites from seeing their allies as allies.
This might not be Ha, Ha funny, but it brings a smile to my face when I consider how God taught Gideon how to win an unwinnable battle.