Now the Midianties and the Amalekites and all the sons of the east were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as numerous as the sand of the seashore. When Gideon came, behold, a man was relating a dream to his friend. And he said, "Behold, I had a dream; a loaf of barley bread was tumbling into the camp of Midian, and it came to the tent and struck it so that it fell, and turned it upside down so that the tent lay flat." His friend replied, "This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given Midian and all the camp into his hand." When Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. He returned to the camp of Israel and said, "Arise, for the LORD has given the camp of Midian into your hands."
The Midianites and the Amalekites and all the sons of the east were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts: We are told that Gideon and Purah went to the outermost area of the Midianite camp. This was where a guard or watchman would have been set up. The Midianites and Amalekites surely knew that thousands of Israelite troops had come to aid Gideon and knew that something was about to happen.
Behold, I had a dream: What Gideon overheard was one guard talking to another, telling him about a dream he had. In this era, dreams were considered very important and taken seriously. The Midianite soldier says he dreamed a barley cake fell into their midst of their encampment and hit his tent such that it fell down. The other Midianite soldier interprets the dream as meaning the Gideon-led Israelites were about to attack in the name of the God of Israel and that Israel would prevail.
A loaf of barley bread was tumbling into the camp: Why would the soldier interpret the dream in such a fatalistic manner? And why does he see Israel as being symbolized as a barley cake? First, they were well aware of the many thousands of Israelite tribesmen who had answered the call of Gideon (around 32,000 men in all). If Gideon's army had the full 32,000 men, it would mean there was about 4 Midian solider to every Israelite. Even with these great odds, this does not seem comforting to this Midianite soldier.
Barley was used during this time frame to make the bread of the poor people. Barley was much less desired than wheat for making bread. Yet, barley was used simply due to the realities of the growing seasons. Barley naturally ripens in late winter to early spring; wheat is a summer crop. Barley at times is used to symbolize Israel in the Bible. In this particular case, notice what season the nomads came. We are told back in Judges 6:11 that the Angel of the LORD first commissioned Gideon when Gideon was threshing wheat in a wine press. The Midianites came to confiscate the wheat harvest and not the barley harvest.
Barley loaf: Many English translations say that it was a barley "cake" which tumbled into the Midianite camp. This is a poor translation left over from the King James era. The Hebrew word is tselil which means a round or circular loaf. It is also a kind of slang that means to roll. It is the shape of Bedouin bread that is cooked. It is not a square loaf, but it is a flat bread cooked on a griddle much like pita bread. It is a play on words which works with the Hebrew word haphak which is properly translated as "tumbled". So we have a rolling or round batch of barley tumbling into a tent.
When Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed low in worship: When Gideon hears this dream, he is greatly strengthened. He falls on his knees in both relief and worship. I liken this to when we get a biopsy report back from the doctor, and it turns out that the growth is not cancerous. Now, Gideon is ready to stake his life on the Word of God. So, he tells his men to arise for the moment which has come. The LORD will deliver Israel from the hand of their oppressor.
B. The army is small enough to be used by God to win the battle
1. (Judges 7:16-18) Gideon announces a strange battle plan
He divided the 300 men into three companies, and he put trumpets and empty pitchers into the hands of all of them, with torches inside the pitchers. He said, "Look at me and do likewise. And behold, when I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. When I and all who are with me blow the trumpet, then you also blow the trumpets all around the camp and say, 'For the LORD and for Gideon.'"
He divided the 300 men: It was nighttime, and a surprise attack was planned. We see throughout the Bible Israel uses deception and the dark hours to gain an advantage over the enemy in wartime. Gideon's strategy was to divide up his troops into three groups of 100 men each. Now we know why Gideon had those Israelites who had been dismissed leave their shofars behind--every one of his 300 men would now be armed with one. (It was not common that every man would have a shofar. Usually only the leaders carried this instrument.) Each man was also given a torch and clay pot. The torch was placed inside the clay pot to protect the torch illuminating its surroundings. They move into positions around the Midianite encampment.
Look at me and do likewise: Gideon tells his men that they are to follow his lead. When he sounds the shofar, they are to suddenly and in unison begin to blow their shofars. After blowing the shofars for a few moments, they are to shout the words, "For the LORD and for Gideon." Why are they to shout these specific words? It is to fulfill the dream the soldier had: "This is nothing less than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given Midian and all the camp into his hand."
The implication is that the LORD God supernaturally implanted this dream in the Midianite soldier. This is a dream that the soldier would have shared among his comrades. They would have shared it among their own group of friends...and so on. Tales travel rapidly among troops and that was part of God's plan.
2. (Judges 7:19-23) God strikes the army of Midian with a surprise attack
So Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just posted the watch; and they blew the trumpets and smashed the pitchers that were in their hands. When the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers, they held the torches in their left hands and the trumpets in their right hands for blowing, and cried, "A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!" Each stood in his place around the camp; and all the army ran, crying out as they fled. When they blew the 300 trumpets, the LORD set the sword of one against another even throughout the whole army; and the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zereah, as far as the edge of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath. The men of Israel were summoned from Napthali and Asher and all Manasseh, and they pursued Midian.
Gideon and the hundred men who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch: Beginning in verse 19, the attack is launched during the middle watch. The night was divided into three watches. The first watch was 6-10 p.m. The second watch was 10-2 a.m. And the third watch was 2-6 a.m.
(Note, this time frame was used for soldiers standing on duty to patrol the night. This was the common watch periods for Israel and the Middle East. The Romans used a different watch system. The first watch was 6-9 p.m. The second watch was 9 p.m.-12 a.m. The third watch was 12-3 a.m. And the fourth watch was 3-6 a.m. So, when reading the New Testament scriptures, remember the Romans had four watches during the night.)
Gideon and his men attacked at the beginning of the second watch, or around 10 p.m. Sunset in Israel is often around 6 p.m. Without electricity, many folks went to bed shortly around sunset. So, the whole camp (soldiers, their wives and children) would have been asleep for a while. Only the sentries would have been awake and patrolling the camp.
They blew the trumpets and smashed the pitchers that were in their hands: At the same moment Gideon and his men blew the shofars, they broke the clay pots which covered their torches. The torches would have been in their left hands, leaving their fight hands free to hold their shofars and continue to blow them.
Can you imagine the racket and confusion this must have caused? Can you picture being in a deep sleep from a hard day when suddenly this shattering din of 300 shofars interrupts the quiet desert night? You are startled awake, and when you look out your tent, you see hundreds and hundreds of torches that looks as though the enemy has completely surrounded the camp? You believe, at last, the 32,000 Israelite soldier have arrived for battle.
Each stood in his place around the camp: Up to this point, Gideon's 300 men had not even drawn their sword. (In fact, both hands were busy--one hand was holding the torch while the other hand held the shofar.) They simply scared their enemy into a panic. Verse 21 says that every Israelite stood in his place. The Israelites watched as men grabbed their wives and children and started running for their lives. The camels would have stampeded. Some of the soldiers began lashing out in the dark at any silhouette which moved. This lead to countless Midianites being slaughtered by their own kinsmen because they believed hordes of Israelite fighters had descended upon them.
And the army fled: The Midianite camp took flight and instinctively began to race back towards where they had come from, across the Jordan River and to the east and south. All the places mentioned in verse 22 were in the general area of Jabesh-Gilead.
Beth-shittah means house of the acacia.
Abel-meholah means brook (or stream) of the dance. It was the birthplace and residence of the prophet Elisha. It was located near the Jordan River south of Beth-shean.
Now let's stop for a minute and forget that we are reading Scripture. Let's focus on the tale. These nomads were real people responding to a dangerous situation. They reacted just like people from any society in any ear would react. The same went for the Israelites. You do not keep the existence and whereabouts of 32,000 Israelites or a quarter of a million invaders a secret. The Hebrew and Canaanite inhabitants of the hill country to the north and south of the Jezreel Valley (where this is taking place) would have been carefully watching the situation. They knew that in one way or another they would be affected by the outcome.
Unlike modern times in which we sleep soundly because we trust our police and military to protect us, no such condition or thought existed in that day. Tribal and clan leaders watched over their territories 24/7 with a jealous and weary eye at all time. That watchfulness was not only for the foreign enemies, but it was also for their own brethren from other clan and tribes who often sought to take advantage of a situation for their own benefit.
The men of Israel were summoned from Napthali and Asher and all Manasseh, and they pursued Midian: The initial summons by Gideon to Holy War was to Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun and Naphtali. Even though they were dismissed, they were now called back. In verse 23, the flight of the enemy led to a general call of Israel to arms. And as one can imagine, everybody loves to join in and take some credit for the victory. Israelites from several of the tribes started coming out of the woodwork.
3. (Judges 7:24-25) Working towards total defeat of Midian
Gideon sent messengers throughout all the hill country of Ephraim, saying, "Come down against Midian and take the waters before them, as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan." So all the men of Ephraim were summoned and they took the waters as far as Beth-barah and the Jordan. They captured the two leaders of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb, and they killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and they killed Zeeb at the wine press of Zeeb, while they pursued Midian; and they brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon from across the Jordan.
Ephraim: Now, another tribe was specifically solicited to join the action--the tribe of Ephraim. Partly, this was due to the paths of the fleeing Midianites. They would have taken a journey through Eprhaim's territroy as they attempted to get back home safely. But, Ephraim was also called to action due to its great status as being warriors. The men of Ephraim were prepared and ready to pounce at a moment's notice because they had been observing. They took up position along the many tributaries and forks of the Jordan River. They stood at the fording points in order to intercept the marauders from the east and trap them.
Oreb and Zeeb: The two key Midianite leaders were captured. (Oreb means raven; Zeeb means wolf.) Only their lifeless heads were turned over to Gideon. Notice the names attributed to the two places where they were executed--the rock of Oreb and the wine press of Zeeb. It is very likely that these two places had no recognized names before these events. But, later, they were referred to by the action which took place there. Many place names in the Bibles happened this way, often replacing an earlier name which may not have had significant meaning.
No comments:
Post a Comment