7:1 Gideon, nicknamed Jerubbaal in the previous chapter, is by God able to gather an army of men in preparation against the Midianite's attack. Faith is the only adhesive for this army of men. By defacing the statue of baal, Gideon made himself an outlaw to a violent and merciless nation. Any man standing with Gideon, would only sensibly do so if they had placed their trust in God.
7:2 Gideon is commanded by God to reduce the size of his army. God is going to compassionately claim responsibility for the well-being of the children of Israel once again, but He needs to ensure they understand that their rescue comes not from their own strength or cunning but directly from Him.
Although the men are right to be intimidated by the Midianite army, God has all confidence in His own ability against them. Proverbs 6:23 states that "reproofs of instruction are the way of life." Everything God does, is done intentionally by Him to serve as instruction to His listening children. The manner in which this battle will be won is meant to serve as instruction to the children of Israel: He does not need their power; even with a reduced army He claims the victory. But they need His, for even with a large army, without Him, they will meet inevitable loss.
Generation after generation, humans continue to abandon God. God has perceived that the reason is because of overconfidence in humans' own ability. Every time the Israelites are forced to reexamine their choice to abandon God (made slave by the idols they replaced Him with), they delve back into realized dependency on Him. God's instruction provides a way back under His protective wings.
7:3 Ironically, the army is thickened by the thinning. For those who remain are the faithful. We reign in the strength of God through our faith. Twenty-two thousand men depart. The remaining ten thousand men, however, are more made powerful by their steadfast faith in the midst of what appears to be extreme odds.
7:4-8 But the group is not yet the small size God has in mind. Depending on the way each of the men drink from the water, they will be further winnowed out. The army is reduced from twenty-two thousand to ten thousand to just three hundred.
7:9-12 Gideon finally gets the command from God to proceed. Gideon himself is feeling nervous. The description of the Midianite army is intimidating at the least and overwhelming at most. A band of three hundred men would ordinarily be foolish to oppose such a fierce army.
In this intense moment of Gideon's we can think of our own circumstances, times when we think we are foolish to endeavor against incredible odds. But God is steadfast in confidence and ability and the impossible for us is easy for Him. The unthinkable for us has already been planned and charted by God.
Nevertheless, God tells Gideon that if he feels fear, he should travel down to the enemy camp and spy. While there, Gideon overhears (strategic planning by God!) an enemy soldier recounting a dream he has just had.
7:13 The man has had a dream in which a loaf of barley bread rolls into the Midian army camp and strikes it, causing it to collapse.
7:14-15 The dream is interpreted as prophesy concerning Gideon's triumph over the Midianites. Hearing the interpretation, Gideon's nervous energy is transformed into praise and gratitude for God's promised deliverance.
We can make incredible strides in faith and therefore life when we know how to transform our energy. As we discussed in the previous chapter, God accepts our full personality. Rather than change us, He helps us to channel our passion into productive avenues.
Now, not only does Gideon believe that God will cause him to triumph, the Midianites are beginning to suspect it as well. Gideon's initial trepidation is further confirmation about the type of people God intends to recruit. Jesus says in Mark 2:17 that it is not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick. Gideon serves a symbol of all of us: our faith is often imperfect, "sick" in a sense. But God chose Gideon because Gideon needed God. And God is willing to put in the work of strengthening and teaching a child who needs Him. Our shortcomings do not disqualify us from His attention.
7:16-18 Instead of readying for warfare, Gideon prepares the three hundred to blow their trumpets and shout: The sword of the Lord and of Gideon! The only mode of defense that will be used in this battle is the only necessary one to have: faith. Gideon's army does virtually nothing but believe in God. And such is how we, as individuals, should enter into any of our figurative battles.
7:19-22 The enemy army begins to turn against itself and flee. Matthew 17:20, faith in God the size of a mustard seed is enough to render an individual powerful. A faithful army of just three hundred causes a much better equipped and trained army to flee from them. Incredible things begin to happen as we begin to believe.
And the metaphor in this is that God is willing to work with you at any stage of faith. He's honored by your belief in Him. He does not wait until you reach a certain point to start working things for the good for you, Genesis 50:20. The Israelites were newly apologetic for their actions against God and yet He rescued them with full force as if they had never left Him. Gideon was jumbled mess of nerves but God provided mollification and reassurance. When we put our full effort into faith, God destroys our opposition for us - or as in Gideon's case, has our opposition destroy itself.
7:23-25 The tribes finally gathered together as a family, Father-God at the head, and go after their oppressors.
