The career of Gideon is more than a battle; it is a campaign of war, which divides itself, into three parts.
1. The first is the battle of Jezreel. The Midianite encampment was on the northern side of the valley, between Gilboa and Little Hermon. Gideon and his 32,000 Israelites encamped on the slope of Mount Gilboa, by the spring of Jezreel, called, from the incident of this time, “the Spring of Trembling.” Thirty-two thousand men seems scarcely sufficient to put into the field to risk the chances of battle with a successful, arrogant, and overwhelming enemy. Yet what is the first message that reaches him from God, as he lies encamped before the Midianites? “The people that are with thee are too many.” God saw how much untrustworthy material existed in this army. He thought that with such an army the Israelites might pride themselves on their own strength and claim as their own the victory which He had promised.
2. Two devices were used to weed it of its elements of weakness, to reject from it all whom God counted unfit to fight His battles.
(1) The first was the usual and wise proclamation, issued as soon as they came in sight of the enemy, that whosoever was faint-hearted should leave the ranks and quit the field, that their fear might not create a panic as soon as the battle began. No fewer than two-thirds of the whole army took advantage of this proclamation. Twenty-two thousand melted away, over hill and valley, to their homes and their business; and only ten thousand remained who had “a heart for any fate.”
“There remained ten thousand!” The leader's heart may well have misgiven him as he looked upon these ten thousand men, and then turned his eyes northward to the hill of Moreh, and to the intervening valley, swarming with the vast hosts of the enemy. But his faith is to be still further tried. There must be a further weeding out from these sorely-diminished ranks, for “the people are yet too many.” The ten thousand who remained were all brave men. But more than courage was required in a battle such as Gideon had to fight.
(2) The victory was to be a victory of faith. The battle was to be won against overwhelming numbers. The Lord needed men who would be firm as a bow of steel in His hand. He needed men in whom spirit should be dominant, who could hold the flesh in habitual and iron control. So He supplied the second device for further reducing the numbers, and the test of their fitness was very curious. Gideon brought the people down to the stream of water, and the Lord said to him, “Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand.”
Due South across the head of the Vale is the rugged end of Gilboa-Jezreel standing off it-and on this Gideon, like Saul, drew up his men. The only wells are three, all lying in the Vale: one by Jezreel itself, one out upon the plain, and one close under the steep banks of Gilboa. The deep bed and soft banks of this stream constitute a formidable ditch in front of the position on Gilboa, and render it possible for the defenders of the latter to hold the spring at their feet in face of an enemy on the plain: and the spring is indispensable to them, for neither to the left, right, nor rear is there any other living water. Anybody who has looked across the scene can appreciate the suitability of the test which Gideon imposed on his men. The stream, which makes it possible for the occupiers of the hill to hold also the well against an enemy on the plain, forbids them to be careless in their use of the water; for they drink in face of that enemy, and the reeds and shrubs which mark its course afford ample cover for hostile ambushes. Those Israelites, therefore, who bowed themselves down on their knees, drinking headlong, did not appreciate their position or the foe; whereas those who merely crouched, lapping up the water with one hand, while they held their weapons in the other and kept their face to the enemy, were aware of their danger, and had hearts ready against all surprise. The test in fact was a test of attitude, which, after all, both in physical and moral warfare, has proved of greater value than strength or skill-attitude towards the foe and appreciation of his presence.1 [Note: G. A. Smith, The Historical Geography of the Holy Land, 397.]
I never understood these two verses till I went to Aneityum. In this country we never lap water like a dog; and when we put our hand to our mouth, we make a cup of the palm of our hand, and drink as if it were out of a small cup, in no way resembling the lapping of a dog; but these men lapped not with their tongue like a dog, but putting their hand to their mouth. However, shortly after I went to Aneityum I saw what appeared to me to give a satisfactory solution of the difficulty. I was standing one day by the side of a stream where it was crossed by a path; a native came hurrying along, but he stopped to drink; he did not, however, bow down upon his knees as most people do among us, who wish to drink heartily, nor did he lift the water to his mouth with his hand formed cup-like as we do; but he stooped till his head was within eighteen inches or so of the water; then he began to throw up the water into his mouth with his hand as fast as a dog could lap; and he looked, as near as might be, like a dog lapping. I said at once to myself, That is the way Gideon's soldiers lapped. I had an opportunity scores of times afterwards of seeing the natives drink in the same way; and I observed that, as a general rule, it was the strong, the vigorous, and the energetic who drank water in this way; never the feeble, the lazy, or the easy-going; and the inference that I drew respecting God's intentions towards Gideon and his army was this: the Lord wished to select the very best men in that army, and with them to accomplish the deliverance of Israel.2 [Note: J. Inglis, Bible Illustrations from the New Hebrides, 36.]
3. So Gideon was left with the three hundred men who waited for the night. But he needed heartening before he would be ready to do his best. Knowing his distrustful disposition, Jehovah bade him, if he feared to embark upon so great a venture without further encouragement, take an attendant and go down and listen to the conversation of the host. Says Bishop Hall, “He that hath might enough to deliver Israel, yet hath not might enough to keepe himselfe from doubting. The strongest faith will ever have some touch of infidelitie.” Gideon and his servant, under cover of darkness, crept near enough the Midianite camp to hear the dream of a cake of barley-bread smiting a tent. In waking hours, the tent would have remained intact, and the cake would have been shivered; but the dream transformed the result. There are probable omissions in the narrative, which would have accounted for this nervous tension on the part of so great an invading host; for evidently the name of Gideon had already awakened their fear. “This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon,” said the affrighted interpreter. And the dream took its place beside the fleece of wool in the education of the deliverer.
Assured therefore of success he immediately returned, and prepared for the engagement. His three hundred men he divided into three companies, and put a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers. So he marched, in the midst of the night, to the outside of the camp. The midnight watch had just been changed when Gideon's trumpet shrilled, with three hundred others, on the silent air; and the flash of his lamp, to the noise of the shattered pitchers, with three hundred others, gleamed across the waking camp; mad confusion took hold of captain and common soldier; Midianite and Amalekite, perhaps not too trustful of each other in clear daylight, now followed stark suspicion; and the valley of dreamy silence became the threshing-floor of shrieking Death. Every one drew his sword against every other, and the host fled headlong down the descent to the Jordan.
The motto of these disappearing men was this: “It can't be done.” They must have organized themselves into a society to perpetuate their own idea. If so the society has shown great vitality. Many of its members abide with us until this day. No, probably they did not organize. They did not have enough gumption to. And such a sentiment grows like a weed without any cultivation. I recall a certain town in Ohio where I had gone to talk about an enlargement and revitalizing of the Young Men's Christian Association. Thousands of young men in the place needed just such help as that organization is supposed to provide. I outlined the plan to a clergyman. He said it was a good plan, there was great need the thing should be done; “but,” he said, with an air of settling the thing, “it can't be done in this town.” Among others I talked with a business man. He listened attentively, approved the plans, agreed upon the great need, and then, settling back in his chair with the same air of finality, used exactly the same words, with the same emphasis, “It can't be done in this town.” I got the same reply from several men that day. And I said to myself, “They are right; it can't be done with them, but it can be done without them.” And it was.1 [Note: S. D. Gordon, Quiet Talks on Service, 244.]
Who ordered Gideon forth
To storm the invader's camp,
With arms of little worth,
A pitcher and a lamp?
The trumpets made his coming known,
And all the host was overthrown.
Oh! I have seen the day
When with a single word,
God helping me to say,
“My trust is in the Lord,”
My soul hath quelled a thousand foes,
Fearless of all that could oppose.
But unbelief, self-will,
Self-righteousness and pride,
How often do they steal
My weapon from my side!
Yet David's lord and Gideon's friend
Will help His servant to the end.
ii. The Ephraimites
1. But Gideon's work is but half done. The Midianites are only scattered; they must be exterminated. Their aim was to cross the river at the fords of Beth-barah. It was immediately under the mountains of Ephraim, and to the Ephraimites accordingly messengers were sent to interrupt the passage. The great tribe, roused at last, was not slow to move. By the time that they reached the river, the two greater chiefs had already crossed, and the encounter took place with the two lesser chiefs, Oreb and Zeeb, who were both captured and slain.
2. In the pride of their success, the Ephraimites quarrelled with Gideon for not having called in their assistance earlier. But Gideon appeased their jealousy by a shrewd speech: “Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?” Their remonstrance at not having before been called to take part in the struggle is as characteristic of the growing pride of Ephraim as his answer is of that calm forbearance which places him at the summit of the heroes of this age. The gleaning of Ephraim in the bloody heads of those chieftains, he told them, was better than the full vintage of slaughter in the unknown multitudes by the little family of Abiezer. There was sufficient justice in this remark to appease the anger of Ephraim. Gideon's three hundred men could not have done much towards the slaughter of the Midianites, though he could claim the credit of having dispersed them. The opportune seizing of the fords by Ephraim had been the means of securing the persons of two of the leaders of the Midianitish hordes.
You may almost be sure that a man is wise if you find that he has a cool spirit. When you see a person who cautiously avoids the ground where strife is apt to be excited, and builds his house on a spot where contention is impossible, you instinctively respect him, for you know it betokens wisdom; but when you see a man always getting involved in quarrels, always showing his teeth, you rightly conclude that he is a fool. “A fool uttereth all his anger: but a wise man keepeth it back and stilleth it.” If we are naturally irritable or splenetic, wisdom will incline us to avoid occasions which excite us, and to keep a watchful guard over our spirits where the occasions are inevitable. If we neglect such precautions we shall justly be counted fools, and the consequent outbreaks of passion will lead us into fresh exhibitions of folly, and more completely justify the harsh judgment which has been passed upon us.1 [Note: R. F. Horton, The Book of Proverbs, 205.]
“A soft answer turns away wrath; but a trying word arouses anger.” A scholar thus translates the Hebrew. Now, many words that are not wrathful, not malicious, not exactly offensive, are nevertheless trying. They are pin-pricks that are difficult to define, but often hard to bear. Such a tongue resembles one of those trees known as monkey-puzzles, which lacerate whoever may incautiously come in contact with them. “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life.” Another growth this! We recently read of a tree on which dozens of different fruits had been grafted; so a restrained, healing, sanctified tongue is a tree of paradise on which blooms every heavenly grace. Men are ambitious to possess an eloquent tongue; but a wholesome tongue is far more than a golden mouth. What a great work lies in this direction, the hallowing of my lips, the sanctification of my words: that every utterance may be true, enlightening, kindly, inspiring!1 [Note: W. L. Watkinson.]
iii. The Final Rout
1. We now come to the third part of Gideon's campaign. The flight of the enemy has left the three hundred masters of the field. Will they not now take time to stoop and drink? No, not yet. “And Gideon came to Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men that were with him, faint, yet pursuing.” We see Gideon, after having sent messengers to Ephraim, himself crossing Jordan, and following such as had managed to escape this way, making for the camp where the Midianite kings Zebah and Zalmunna were. Against these he was urged by the sacred duty of blood-revenge, for they had, on some occasion of which we are not told, killed his brothers at Tabor.
Succoth and Penuel, the two scenes of Jacob's early life, on the track of his entrance from the East, as of the Midianites' return towards it, were Gideon's two halting-places. These two towns, when Gideon passed them with his troops, now spent with hunger and weariness, refused to give them even a little bread; and not only so, but when Gideon reminded them that he was engaged in no private enterprise, but that he was pursuing the host of Midian, the townsmen laughed at him, and asked him if Zebah and Zalmunna were already in his hands, that they should reward him with bread for his army. Gideon vowed that when he returned from the pursuit he would teach the men of Succoth, and slay the men of Penuel, and he kept his vow.
At Karkor, far in the desert, beyond the usual range of the nomadic tribes, he fell upon the Arabian host. The Midianites were entirely defeated, and their two leaders, Zebah and Zalmunna, taken. The two kings of Midian, in all the state of royal Arabs, were brought before the conqueror on their richly caparisoned dromedaries. They replied with all the spirit of Arab chiefs to Gideon, who for a moment almost gives way to his gentler feelings at the sight of such fallen grandeur. But the remembrance of his brothers' blood on Mount Tabor steels his heart; and when his boy, Jether, shrinks from the task of slaughter, he takes their lives with his own hand, and gathers up the vast spoils.
These two marauding chiefs of the Midianites, “Oreb and Zeeb,” come before us in the history of the Judge Gideon. They were truly dwellers in the wilds, and came up with their numerous bands to prey upon the harvests and stores of the defenceless Israelite. Such forays have been often made in modern times by the wild tribes of North American Indians, but the natives of the extreme North are at present inoffensive. It may be worth while to notice how well the names of the Midian chiefs would befit a modern Indian brave. Translated, they are “the Raven” and “the Wolf.” The reference is to the feasts provided for birds and beasts of prey by these plundering chieftains, who almost exhibited the same spirit as those greedy animals. Many a modern Indian has a similar appellation. “The Crow” or “the Fox,” and other such names, borrowed from animals, are frequent among present Indian chiefs. Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings or leaders of Midian, had similarly significant names. These may be rendered “Slaughter” and “Wandering Shade.” So a recent Indian chief in the Saskatchewan plain was called “Wandering Spirit,” an idea very similar to that of Zalmunna, both implying the consignment to the shades of death of the victims of their fury. It may be noted also that it is now generally the custom to translate into English the native Indian names, both for the preservation of their significance and for avoiding the uncouth syllables of a barbarous tongue. It might be well if the Hebrew names, which are all significant and appropriate to the occasion of their occurrence, were also translated for a like reason.1 [Note: An Apostle of the North: Memoirs of Bishop W. C. Bompas, 355.]
2. We read that afterwards the land had rest for forty years; and it is most instructive to note that the Midianites, as enemies, are never mentioned again in Scripture. It was the unfaltering persistence of Gideon and his men that secured permanent peace.
Peace may be sought in two ways. One way is as Gideon sought it, when he built his altar in Ophrah, naming it, “God send peace,” yet sought this peace that he loved, as he was ordered to seek it, and the peace was sent, in God's way:-“the country was in quietness forty years in the days of Gideon.” And the other way of seeking peace is as Menahem sought it, when he gave the King of Assyria a thousand talents of silver, that “his hand might be with him.” That is, you may either win your peace, or buy it:-win it, by resistance to evil;-buy it, by compromise with evil.1 [Note: Ruskin, Two Paths, § 195 (Works, xvi. 410).]
