Now we come to the remarkable story in which Gideon has to reduce the army of 32,000 Israelites he has assembled, to a group of 300 men. We saw earlier that the Midianite army was “as numerous as grasshoppers” (6:5), and from what is described later, we know the exact number of the enemy army: 135,000 men (8:10). Even with their army of 32,000 men, Israel already faced a seemingly impossible task.
Judges 7
2 And the LORD said to Gideon, “Your people are too many, and I will give Midian into their hand, so that Israel will not boast against me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’”
3 Now proclaim in the ears of the people, saying: Whoever is afraid and trembling, let him turn back and flee from Mount Gilead. And twenty-two thousand of the people returned, and ten thousand remained.
The battle is God’s
Here we find a description of why the army had to be brought back. God had Gideon do this so that it would be clear that the victory was not achieved by human hands, but by God himself.
At the very beginning of Israel’s history, when the people are trapped between the Egyptian army and the Red Sea, we read the words: The LORD will fight for you, and you, you, shall be silent (Ex. 14:14).
A common thread
This truth is a common thread throughout the Old Testament (Deut. 20:4; Josh. 10:14, 42; 2 Chron. 20:15, 17; Neh. 4:20). Thus, David could approach Goliath with a slingshot and say to him, “…the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands” (1 Sam. 17:47). Earlier, it was the walls of Jericho that fell through God’s intervention (Joshua 6). Even then, the people did not have to fight. And there are many such examples in Scripture.
Gideon as a Type of the Messiah
God gave Israel victory because He gave victory to Gideon, as we will see. This will also be the fate of Israel in the future: they will not have to fight by themselves, for God will fight for them (Zech. 14:3-4; Rev. 20:9). This will happen through the Messiah, who is presented as Warrior and Redeemer (Isa. 63:1-6) and who will subdue all enemies (Ps. 2:9).
This also applies to us. We are not saved by our own works, but by faith of Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:22; Gal. 2:16; Phil. 3:9). We are more than conquerors (Rom. 8:37), thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:57).