Zaphenath-Paneah
20th January 2004, 09:18 AM
We’re right on the eve of battle here in Judges chapter seven, and General Gideon has reason to be just a little bit discouraged. Most military leaders don’t appreciate going through a 99% cutback in their ground forces one day before marching as to war, but that’s exactly what happened to his army. It went from 32,000 men down to a ragtag 300 in two fell swoops, at God’s specific direction. He had told Gideon: “I want this to be My victory, not your army’s,” and by the time He was done thinning out the ranks, Gideon’s entire army could fit into one Humvee.
But now in verse 8 and following, God brings His own spy forces into play. Here’s the military transcript:
“Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. During that night the Lord said to Gideon, ‘Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.’”
All right, so these two Israelite soldiers, quaking in their sandals, get past the sentries and tiptoe to the edge of the enemy encampment. And what do they see there?
“The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern people had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.” Here’s verse 13: “Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. ‘I had a dream,’ he said. ‘A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.’ His friend responded, ‘This can be none other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.’”
Wouldn’t that be a confidence-builder? You discover that not only is the fix in – that God has already pre-ordained your victory – but at least some in the enemy camp know it too! They know they’re beat before the first shots are fired.
It’s interesting that this dream story has a loaf of barley bread in it, when the entire Gideon tale seems to turn on wheat instead. Remember that Gideon was threshing wheat in his winepress, and the annual invasion from Midian were about foraging their wheat crops. But as the New International Version scholars point out:
“Since barley was considered an inferior grain and only one-half the value of wheat, it is a fitting symbol for Israel, which was inferior in numbers.”
Of course, this isn’t the only time that barley beat wheat in these Old Testament war sagas. If you thumb on down to the book of Second Kings, we find that an enemy King Aram has an “intel” problem of his own. Listen:
“Now the king of Aram was at war with Israel. After conferring with his officers, he said, ‘I will set up my camp at such and such place.’” “I want an ambush set,” says another version. “The man of God [the prophet Elisha] sent word to the king of Israel: ‘Beware of passing that place, because the Arameans are going down there.’ So the king of Israel checked on the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places.”
Well, the king of Aram got kind of tired of missing his quarry all the time, and began to think he had more leaks going on than in the Nixon White House. “What we need around here are some ‘plumbers,’” he fumed to his counselors. “Which one of you is calling the Washington Post every time my back is turned? How can we pull off a sneak attack when Israel seems to have a hotline right to our Situation Room? Huh?” Here’s verse 11:
“‘Will you not tell me which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?’ ‘None of us, my lord the king,’ said one of his officers, ‘but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel THE VERY WORDS YOU SPEAK IN YOUR BEDROOM.’”
Isn’t that a great line? Maybe you remember the quirky character, “Radar,” in the war story, M*A*S*H. And in the original story, not the TV version, the soldier, played in both genres by Gary Burghoff, had the uncanny ability to “see” things before they happened. Hence the nickname “Radar.” And in a climactic football game between the 4077th and the rival medical outfit, the 325th Evac, every time the opposing quarterback calls a play in their huddle, Radar intercepts it for his team’s defensive unit. The halfback takes the ball . . . and runs into 11 red shirts. On the next play, which Radar correctly guesses again, the same thing happens. The guy with the ball plows into the Red Army, 11 men strong. And here in the Bible, which is a much more inspiring source of spiritual encouragement, we find that God’s armies have this marvelous advantage: God knows what is going on! He reveals the enemy’s plans even as He initiates His own. Friend, that’s good news for you and it’s good news for me.
But now in verse 8 and following, God brings His own spy forces into play. Here’s the military transcript:
“Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. During that night the Lord said to Gideon, ‘Get up, go down against the camp, because I am going to give it into your hands. If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp.’”
All right, so these two Israelite soldiers, quaking in their sandals, get past the sentries and tiptoe to the edge of the enemy encampment. And what do they see there?
“The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern people had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.” Here’s verse 13: “Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. ‘I had a dream,’ he said. ‘A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed.’ His friend responded, ‘This can be none other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands.’”
Wouldn’t that be a confidence-builder? You discover that not only is the fix in – that God has already pre-ordained your victory – but at least some in the enemy camp know it too! They know they’re beat before the first shots are fired.
It’s interesting that this dream story has a loaf of barley bread in it, when the entire Gideon tale seems to turn on wheat instead. Remember that Gideon was threshing wheat in his winepress, and the annual invasion from Midian were about foraging their wheat crops. But as the New International Version scholars point out:
“Since barley was considered an inferior grain and only one-half the value of wheat, it is a fitting symbol for Israel, which was inferior in numbers.”
Of course, this isn’t the only time that barley beat wheat in these Old Testament war sagas. If you thumb on down to the book of Second Kings, we find that an enemy King Aram has an “intel” problem of his own. Listen:
“Now the king of Aram was at war with Israel. After conferring with his officers, he said, ‘I will set up my camp at such and such place.’” “I want an ambush set,” says another version. “The man of God [the prophet Elisha] sent word to the king of Israel: ‘Beware of passing that place, because the Arameans are going down there.’ So the king of Israel checked on the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places.”
Well, the king of Aram got kind of tired of missing his quarry all the time, and began to think he had more leaks going on than in the Nixon White House. “What we need around here are some ‘plumbers,’” he fumed to his counselors. “Which one of you is calling the Washington Post every time my back is turned? How can we pull off a sneak attack when Israel seems to have a hotline right to our Situation Room? Huh?” Here’s verse 11:
“‘Will you not tell me which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?’ ‘None of us, my lord the king,’ said one of his officers, ‘but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel THE VERY WORDS YOU SPEAK IN YOUR BEDROOM.’”
Isn’t that a great line? Maybe you remember the quirky character, “Radar,” in the war story, M*A*S*H. And in the original story, not the TV version, the soldier, played in both genres by Gary Burghoff, had the uncanny ability to “see” things before they happened. Hence the nickname “Radar.” And in a climactic football game between the 4077th and the rival medical outfit, the 325th Evac, every time the opposing quarterback calls a play in their huddle, Radar intercepts it for his team’s defensive unit. The halfback takes the ball . . . and runs into 11 red shirts. On the next play, which Radar correctly guesses again, the same thing happens. The guy with the ball plows into the Red Army, 11 men strong. And here in the Bible, which is a much more inspiring source of spiritual encouragement, we find that God’s armies have this marvelous advantage: God knows what is going on! He reveals the enemy’s plans even as He initiates His own. Friend, that’s good news for you and it’s good news for me.