< Judges 7 >

The number of fighting men was greatly reduced, firstly by allowing any who wished to return home to do so and secondly by selecting only those who drank water from a river in a particular way. The result was that only three hundred men were retained by Gideon to overthrow the Midianites. This reminds us of the words of Jesus that “many are called, but few are chosen” Matthew 22:14.Waiting for response for Matthew 22:14 While there does not seem to have been any stigma attached to those who were not included in the three hundred chosen, there does seem to be a representation of the selection of those chosen to be with Christ. Only those with “willing hearts” will be selected, and those who “bow down on their knees” to idols will be emphatically excluded.

By the power of God the wicked of the earth will be overthrown, and God’s people will be delivered as in the day of Midian Isaiah 9:4.Waiting for response for Isaiah 9:4 This will be accomplished by Jesus accompanied by the resurrected saints. In their lifetimes the saints had the light of the LORD but this was hidden from most of the world, just as the light of Gideon and his three hundred hid their light in the empty pitchers. The saints are like the empty pitchers with light within, and when they are made immortal this light of the LORD will shine forth in great brightness. This victory over flesh will be seen to be the LORD’s 2 Corinthians 4:7.Waiting for response for 2 Corinthians 4:7

The method of overthrowing the Midianites also pointed forward to the overthrow of the enemies of the LORD by Jesus and the saints in the future. This overthrow will be sudden, as it was for the Midianites: “When they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them” 1 Thessalonians 5:3.Waiting for response for 1 Thessalonians 5:3 Christ’s intervention likewise will be with the sound of the trumpet: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God”. 1 Thessalonians 4:16.Waiting for response for 1 Thessalonians 4:16 The sudden judgment of God resulted in the Midianites slaying one another, and this will occur in the future also. In particular, the Russian armies, soon to invade Israel and be overthrown by God, will react against each other in this way: “And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man’s sword shall be against his brother” Ezekiel 38:21.Waiting for response for Ezekiel 38:21

The victory was achieved against overwhelming odds, which is what God promised would occur when he aided them. We have examples of this in modern times. The Jews have returned to the Promised Land after 1900 years, according to God’s promise, and they will remain there until the return of Christ. When, however, the State of Israel was established in 1948 the Arabs in the land and the surrounding countries attacked the untrained Jews with efficient and powerful armies. The Jews were outnumbered fifty to one yet they successfully defended themselves and gained double the land they had willingly received by United Nations’ partition. For the next twenty five years the neighbouring Arab states threatened Israel with annihilation, yet she survived. In 1967 the Arabs attacked on three fronts, north, south and east, but Israel successfully defended herself and defeated the might of Egypt, Syria and Jordan in just six days! Thus we can see the hand of God at work in our day, just as we read of it in the Bible.