It is very clear from the history of Gideon that God used a man who was little in his own eyes. Then the Lord humbled him further, even to the point where he had to hear himself being compared to a “cake of barley bread” (Judg. 7:1313And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along. (Judges 7:13)). The lessons he learned in the school of God prepared him for service, while at the same time making nothing of Gideon and everything of the Lord. But then the Lord’s strength and glory were paramount; the victory was won, and the Lord got the glory.
We see the results of God’s working with Gideon in the way that he approached the battle. With only three hundred men, he could not hope, by human strength, to gain the victory over the Midianites and Amalekites, who were in the valley “like grasshoppers for multitude.” Accordingly, Gideon does not arm his men in the normal way, with weapons such as spears and swords. No, he recognized the Lord’s power and equipped them with “lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands” (Judg. 7:2020And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon. (Judges 7:20)). Both hands were full; there was no hand with which to hold a weapon. Then they were to blow the trumpets and break the pitchers which covered their lamps, while they cried, “For Jehovah and for Gideon!” (Judg. 7:1818When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon. (Judges 7:18) JND). No mention was made of the sword, for Gideon had learned that it would be the Lord who achieved the victory. So it was, for the enemy destroyed themselves; Gideon’s men did not need to lift a weapon.
The Three Hundred
But then, when the three hundred men followed Gideon’s instructions, we find them saying, “The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon!” (Judg. 7:2020And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon. (Judges 7:20)). I suggest that there are two thoughts here. First of all, Gideon is now a type of Christ—the only One who always acts in perfection. Even the most faithful of His servants does not act with the perfection of his Master. Gideon’s men, faithful as they were and brave soldiers, had not gone through the same training as Gideon. They mentioned the sword, although not told to do so. They had not learned the Lord in the same way that Gideon had.
But was there no use for the sword? Yes indeed, for when the victory was won, there were still enemies to deal with. There were still fifteen thousand left of the host of Midian and others, after whom Gideon needed to pursue. The princes and kings of Midian were still at large, and they needed to be caught and executed. Also, sad to say, there were those of Succoth and Penuel, in Israel, who had refused help to Gideon when he was pursuing the kings of Midian. It was only righteous that judgment be carried out against them. The swords were certainly well used in all these situations.
The Treasure in Earthen Vessels
All this has a lesson for us too. The Christian counterpart to the story of Gideon is found in 2 Corinthians 4:6-76For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 7But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. (2 Corinthians 4:6‑7): “God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.” The treasure is Christ, like the lights carried by Gideon’s army, but it is a light in an earthen vessel—ourselves. Often the Lord must break the earthen vessel in order that the light may shine out. It is not pleasant to have our earthen vessel broken, but it is worth it, for then Christ shines out more brilliantly. Then the power of God is manifested, and He gets the glory.
Our strength is not ours, but the Lord’s, so that we do not get the victory by human means. The light and the trumpet (which announces that God is working) are all that is needed. But then, when the victory has been won, we do have what Scripture calls “the sword of the Spirit” (Eph. 6:1717And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (Ephesians 6:17)), which is the Word of God. More accurately, it is the Word of God which we have read, meditated upon, and walked in. We do use it in spiritual warfare, but recognizing that the victory has already been won for us by our Lord and Master. Then we use the sword to maintain our place in the enjoyment of heavenly things and in conflict with the “spiritual power of wickedness in the heavenlies” (Eph. 6:1212For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesians 6:12) JND).
W. J. Prost