In the previous blog post, we saw how God commanded Gideon to select 300 men for battle. These chosen men were allowed to stay, and the rest of the people were sent back. The 300 men are mentioned seven times in Judges 7 and 8 (7:6, 7, 8, 16 (2x), 22; 8:4).
Judges 7
7 And the LORD said to Gideon, “With the three hundred men who licked the ground, I will save you, and I will deliver Midian into your hand. Then let all the people go, every man to his place.”
8 The people took provisions in their hands, along with their rams’ horns. He sent all the men of Israel to their tents, but he kept the three hundred men with him. The camp of Midian was in the valley below. 300
The number 300 appears several times in the Bible. When we look at these Scripture passages, we automatically get an idea of its meaning. Three hundred is a multiple of three and commemorates the day of the resurrection. The number three has everything to do with resurrection, new life, and redemption.
Enoch
Enoch is described as having walked with God for three hundred years after he fathered Methuselah (Gen. 5:22). Here, 300 speaks of a walk with God. The similarity with Gideon’s 300 men is that both represent the ecclesia. After all, Enoch was taken by God (Gen. 5:24) and transferred (Heb. 11:5), just as the ecclesia will also be taken (1 Thess. 4:17; Rev. 12:5).
The Ark
The length of the ark was 300 cubits (Gen. 6:15). Noah built the ark to be saved from the judgment that would come upon the world. It speaks of salvation and redemption. If we look at the other dimensions of the ark, we see that its height was 30 cubits, also a multiple of three. And its width was 50 cubits, which speaks of a new creation. After the fullness of 7×7 comes the 50. In Greek, fiftieth is pentekostē, from which the word Pentecost is derived and it relates to the spirit, and therefore to life.
Samson
Samson caught 300 foxes (Judg. 15:4) and released them in pairs with a torch between their tails, setting all the fields of the Philistines on fire. This is a representation of the judgment that would come upon unbelieving Israel. In 70 AD, the temple and the city of Jerusalem were burned down, and the doors were closed to the Jewish people. Salvation was sent to the nations (Acts 28:28).
anointing oil
At the anointing of Jesus in Bethany, Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with a precious oil (John 12:3). This oil has a value of 300 denarii (John 12:5). Here, 300 speaks of the walk of the Anointed One of YAHWEH: the faith of Jesus Christ.
kaphar
The Hebrew word kaphar (כָּפַר) has a numerical value of 300. Kaphar means to cover or shelter. The word is most often used in connection with covering sins (Exodus 29:36; 30:10; 32:30), rendered in translations as “to make atonement for sins.” But sins are not atoned for, enemies are atoned for. Sins are covered or sheltered. The first occurrence of the word refers to the covering of the ark (Gen. 6:14).
on high
Then it says that Gideon kept the 300 men with him, and the Midianite camp lay below him in the valley. Isn’t that a beautiful picture of Christ and the ecclesia, seated on high, in heaven? (Eph. 2:6; Col. 3:1)