Judges 7:15-25
Tuesday, 6 October 2020
“The LORD set every man’s sword against his companion throughout the whole camp; and the army fled …” - Judges 7:22
In today’s reading, we see Gideon and his small group of 300 men defeating a vast army. According to the standards of this world, battles are won with the might of an army. But the Bible gives many references of jubilant victories for God’s people, not on the grounds of any powerful army but on account of God Himself. The LORD God alone is our Savior and Deliverer!
God tells us in 2 Corinthians 12:9: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” It is in God’s strength that we can fight our battles. There can be no success against God and no success without God! We read in Proverbs 21:31: “The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but deliverance is of the LORD.” God can save His children without the help of armies but armies cannot save without Him.
The mighty army of Pharaoh consisting of numerous battle horses and chariots were drowned in the Red Sea while pursuing God’s children (Exodus 14: 27-28). No battle was fought for defeating them. The fort of Jericho was brought down – no sort of warfare was applied in that undertaking, except praising God! King Jehoshaphat defeated Moabites and Ammonites without fighting a battle. God said: “Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s” (2 Chronicles 20:15). He continues to say in Judges 7:17 “You will not have to fight this battle… see the deliverance the LORD will give you.” Hence God does not need an army to fight or win a battle for His people.
In our text today, we see that Gideon and his small army had only to watch in faith, the fearful retreat of a vast number of the Midianite army. Not a single man had to draw a sword to fight the enemy. The physical strength and might of 300 people could never drive out such a vast army. Through this incident, once again God proved to the Israelites that victory depends not on human strength but on obedience and commitment to Him!
God always expects us to take up our position and stand firm without fear. Some of our life situations are like battle cries, challenging us. We aren’t to stand perplexed and confused but to call on the Lord and trust Him. Remember our God is supreme and has absolute control over everything! His power is able to deliver and save you! In those times we feel inadequate for a task, we need only remember that God is our strength. He is able to use you and me in spite of our limitations and failures. But we need to align our lives in accordance with His Word!
Here Gideon and his soldiers gained victory by shouting: “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” (Judges 7:20). We read in Revelation 19:21 that enemies of the church are routed by the sword of the mouth of the Lord. Gideon and his men in battle is symbolic of the church fighting our battles in prayer. We are admonished in Ephesians 6:10 to “be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might!” A Christian’s victory is in Christ Jesus!
A Promise: “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57
Listen: ‘The battle belongs to the LORD’