Read: Judges 7:2 - 25
Already outnumbered, Israel is ready to fight; or so they thought. God uses new math to tell Gideon that he has too many men. After he removes 22,000 men who were afraid to fight, the ranks shrink to 10,000. God again tells Gideon that he has too many men and that he should give the men a water break. After separating the hand drinkers from the mouth drinkers, God gets his army of 300 men and he instructs Gideon to send the others home.
From a human perspective, the odds are definitely against Israel. But God doesn’t leave Gideon hanging at this moment - he encourages him to go down to the enemy camp and eavesdrop on a conversation between two soldiers. In verses 13-14, they reveal a dream and the translation that God is about to hand Gideon a major victory. In our weakest moments, God will be a source of strength and hope if we just listen. God knows that decisions made on the flesh alone will fail, but just as Philippians 4:13 states, ”We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.”
Gideon felt reassured and led a battle with 300 men armed with horns, clay jars, and torches against a huge army. After the 300 men broke their clay jars and shouted together, “A sword for the LORD and Gideon!”, the camp rushed into a panic. Imagine standing there with a torch in your hand as you watch a confused enemy camp fight against themselves right before your eyes, and those who survive flee the scene only to be chased down and killed by Gideon’s army. You may not be battling an army of over 100,000 men, but the spiritual battles that play into our lives are real. No battle is too big for our God, and Jesus overcame sin and death for you and me.
Gideon had come a long way from his days of threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress. We can have victory in our lives if we allow God to change our hearts and trust in him and his son Jesus.