Gideon’s message to the people of Israel brought thirty-two thousand men from different parts of the country to his command. They pitched their camp beside a great spring called the well of Harod, on Mount Gilboa.. The Midianites were camping in the broad valley be-low them.
When Gideon’s army had gathered together, God spoke to their brave leader and said, “You have too many soldiers; for when the Midianites are defeated the people will think they have gained the victory in their own strength. I want them to know surely that I am leading them to the battle.” And God told Gideon to send home every man who was afraid to fight, against the enemy.
Gideon obeyed God’s command, and more than two thirds of his soldiers left the camp and returned; to their homes. They were cowards, and cowards never can act bravely when dangers come. No doubt Gideon and the ten thousand men who remained were glad because the cowards had gone away before the battle started.
Still God was not satisfied with the size of Gideon’s army. He wanted fewer men than these. So he commanded Gideon to take the army down to the water and divide them there. Those who laid aside their weapons and bowed down at the water’s edge to drink God told Gideon to separate from those who held their weapons in one hand and drank water from the other hand. And all the men except three hundred threw their weapons on the grass and knelt down to drink. Perhaps they had grown accustomed to bowing down before idols, and so they bowed down on their knees and drank from the spring. But we know they were not very watchful of the enemy, or else they would not have carelessly laid aside their weapons in a time of danger to satisfy their thirst. By the three hundred watchful men God wished to fright-en the Midianites out of the land. He told Gideon to send the others back to the camp.
Now Gideon’s army looked very small. Indeed, it no longer looked like an army; for only a handful of men remained. But Gideon knew God had promised to help, and he was willing to obey every word God spoke to him.
When darkness came over the valleys and hills, God told Gideon that the time had come to go down and surprize the enemy’s camp. But first he told Gideon to take only one servant and steal quietly through the shadows to the edge of the camp and listen. There he would hear something that would make him braver and stronger for the attack. Again Gideon carefully obeyed the Lord, and when he came near the Midianites” camp he heard one man telling another about a strange dream that he had dreamed. “In my dream I saw a cake. of barley bread come tumbling into our camp, and it overturned one of the tents.” The other man said, “Your dream means that Gideon, the son of Joash, will come against us with his sword and drive us away; for his God has delivered us into his power.’ When Gideon heard these words he thanked God and hurried back to his waiting men.
A busy time was now before them. First Gideon divided the men into three companies, with one hundred men in each company. Next he gave each man a trumpet on which to blow at the time of the attack. And last of all he told every man to carry an empty pitcher with a burning torch hidden inside the pitcher. So with trumpets in one hand and pitchers in the other hand Gideon and his three hundred brave soldiers marched quietly down the mountain-slope toward the enemy’s camp. Here they parted, and very quietly they took their places around the camp. Then they waited for Gideon’s signal.
Now the Midianites, except their watchmen, were all sleeping soundly. At midnight Gideon gave his signal, and when his soldiers heard his trumpet they all blew a loud, long blast. Then they cried aloud on every side of the camp, “The sword of the Lord and of Gideon!” And every one broke his pitcher at the same time. What a glare of light flamed up from the smoking torches around the camp! The sleeping Midianites were awakened with a start. “What can this great excitement mean?” they wondered. Then they thought, “Gideon has come with a great army and has surprized us. He will kill every one of us if we do not run away at once.” So away they ran through the darkness, stumbling over each other, and falling upon each other’s swords. Many of them died from being trampled upon and wounded by their own people. Others hurried away toward the Jordan River, beyond which lay their own country.
Gideon and his brave men followed the fleeing Midianites, and other soldiers of Israel came hurrying out to help drive their enemies away. They killed the two kings of Midian and the princes, and many of their men.
After this time the Midianites did not trouble Israel any more. And the people of Israel wished Gideon would become a king and rule over them. But Gideon said, “I will not rule over you, and neither shall my son rule over you; for God is your King.” And Gideon judged Israel at God’s word for forty years.