Judges series - Judges 18 - State of disregard, of things of the LORD

The way to read this article is that the orange underlined texts are the verses of the Bible (NIV, unless otherwise stated). The black texts following the Bible verses (and enclosed by square brackets) are my commentaries. At the end of these Bible texts and commentaries, I have inserted a section on "Points to take note/What we have learnt/can learn".
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Judges 18

Danites Settle in Laish

1 In those days Israel had no king.
And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking a place of their own where they might settle, because they had not yet come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. 2 So the Danites sent five warriors from Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out the land and explore it. These men represented all their clans. They told them, "Go, explore the land."
The men entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night. 3 When they were near Micah's house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; so they turned in there and asked him, "Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?"
4 He told them what Micah had done for him, and said, "He has hired me and I am his priest." [This is a continuation of the story started in Judges 17. Here the Dan tribe was introduced. From what was said, the time period was not late into the Judges period because the Dan tribe had not been given their territorial land allocation (Some believed that by this time they could have fought the local Amorites who proved too strong for them {Judges 1:34}). The Danites were still scouting for good land to occupy in the Promised Land, and had sent out 5 warriors to spy out the land. The men came to Micah’s house and the Levite priest told them how he became a priest for Micah {given in chapter 17}.]
5 Then they said to him, "Please inquire of God to learn whether our journey will be successful."
6 The priest answered them, "Go in peace. Your journey has the LORD's approval." [The 5 men asked the Levite priest to inquire of God about their journey, and the Levite reported back that their journey had God’s approval.]
7 So the five men left and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living in safety, like the Sidonians, unsuspecting and secure. And since their land lacked nothing, they were prosperous. Also, they lived a long way from the Sidonians and had no relationship with anyone else.
8 When they returned to Zorah and Eshtaol, their brothers asked them, "How did you find things?"
9 They answered, "Come on, let's attack them! We have seen that the land is very good. Aren't you going to do something? Don't hesitate to go there and take it over. 10 When you get there, you will find an unsuspecting people and a spacious land that God has put into your hands, a land that lacks nothing whatever."
11 Then six hundred men from the clan of the Danites, armed for battle, set out from Zorah and Eshtaol. 12 On their way they set up camp near Kiriath Jearim in Judah. This is why the place west of Kiriath Jearim is called Mahaneh Dan to this day. 13 From there they went on to the hill country of Ephraim and came to Micah's house. [The 5 men left the Levite, and came to a city called Laish, a very good land, lacked nothing and without “link” to other inhabitants of the lands – ideal for take-over. 600 men were sent, and these men again reached Micah’s house.]
14 Then the five men who had spied out the land of Laish said to their brothers, "Do you know that one of these houses has an ephod, other household gods, a carved image and a cast idol? Now you know what to do." 15 So they turned in there and went to the house of the young Levite at Micah's place and greeted him. 16 The six hundred Danites, armed for battle, stood at the entrance to the gate. 17 The five men who had spied out the land went inside and took the carved image, the ephod, the other household gods and the cast idol while the priest and the six hundred armed men stood at the entrance to the gate.
18 When these men went into Micah's house and took the carved image, the ephod, the other household gods and the cast idol, the priest said to them, "What are you doing?"
19 They answered him, "Be quiet! Don't say a word. Come with us, and be our father and priest. Isn't it better that you serve a tribe and clan in Israel as priest rather than just one man's household?" 20 Then the priest was glad. He took the ephod, the other household gods and the carved image and went along with the people. 21 Putting their little children, their livestock and their possessions in front of them, they turned away and left. [One can’t help but remark this, “Like that also can, meh!”. The Danites thought nothing about plucking out “the house of the LORD” from Micah, complete with the Levite priest, and the Levite priest also played along since he was glad to hear that he would made be the priest for the Dan tribe.]
22 When they had gone some distance from Micah's house, the men who lived near Micah were called together and overtook the Danites. 23 As they shouted after them, the Danites turned and said to Micah, "What's the matter with you that you called out your men to fight?"
24 He replied, "You took the gods I made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have? How can you ask, 'What's the matter with you?' "
25 The Danites answered, "Don't argue with us, or some hot-tempered men will attack you, and you and your family will lose your lives." 26 So the Danites went their way, and Micah, seeing that they were too strong for him, turned around and went back home. [Micah got some neighbors and gave chase but eventually came back empty-handed, because the Danites were too strong for him to fight.]
27 Then they took what Micah had made, and his priest, and went on to Laish, against a peaceful and unsuspecting people. They attacked them with the sword and burned down their city. 28 There was no one to rescue them because they lived a long way from Sidon and had no relationship with anyone else. The city was in a valley near Beth Rehob. The Danites rebuilt the city and settled there. 29 They named it Dan after their forefather Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city used to be called Laish. [The Danite men, together with the Levite priest went on to Laish, attacked it and burned it to the ground, rebuilt it, and renamed it as Dan.]
30 There the Danites set up for themselves the idols, and Jonathan son of Gershom, the son of Moses, and his sons were priests for the tribe of Dan until the time of the captivity of the land. 31 They continued to use the idols Micah had made, all the time the house of God was in Shiloh. [At this city, the Danites set up their own house of the LORD, complete with the idols from Micah’s house. According to verse 30 here, Jonathan, the grandson of Moses became the priest for them, and Jonathan’s sons did the same.
The state of affair was really bad, the grandchildren of Moses ministering here using the idols Micah made when The House of the LORD was in Shiloh, The Levitical City of the Israelites, then. Again, this showed the complacency and the lack of governance of the Levi tribe – a mockery to God.]

What we can learn here:

This is a continuation from chapter 17, and it continued to show the level of spiritual complacency and lack of governance during the Judges period, which was the period following the death of a strong leader, Joshua who took over the leadership baton from Moses. The story again showed idolatry, complacency, and presumptuousness, even lack of governance. For completeness, I repeat the matters which we should take note of (leaving out curses which was confined to chapter 17 verses 1 & 2):

1. All forms of idolatry are unacceptable, and are detestable to God

2. Spiritual adultery, even the slightest, is not acceptable to God. We are to have the LORD as the only God, He and He alone shall we worship and turn to. We cannot have another god, beside Him.

3. We are not to be complacent with the things of the LORD, and this includes His ways, His Words, which include His instructions, laws, commands, and precepts, and sensitivity to His Holy Spirit.

4. We are also to be careful that we do not act presumptuously.

5. To avoid the pitfalls of ignorance, complacency, presumptuousness, we must make an effort to be diligent in the things of the LORD.

6. It is our responsibility to ensure our spiritual heritage gets passed down the generations.



Anthony Chia – Lord, I pray that more and more of your children would take an interest in safeguarding the legacy of your truths, in the light of rampant mis-interpretations of your core scriptures in the Word. Amen.

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Judges series - Judges 13

The way to read this article is that the orange underlined texts are the verses of the Bible (NIV, unless otherwise stated). The black texts following the Bible verses (and enclosed by square brackets) are my commentaries. At the end of these Bible texts and commentaries, I have inserted a section on "Points to take note/What we have learnt/can learn".
{For full listing of all articles in this series, click here}

The Birth of Samson

1 Again the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the LORD, so the LORD delivered them into the hands of the Philistines for forty years. [History repeated itself, the Israelites did evil again, and so the Lord continued to give them over, and this time to a great enemy, the Philistines, who subjected them for 40 years. A great enemy would require an exceptional deliverer/judge.]
2 A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was sterile and remained childless. 3 The angel of the LORD appeared to her and said, "You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son. 4 Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean, 5 because you will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines." 6 Then the woman went to her husband and told him, "A man of God came to me. He looked like an angel of God, very awesome. I didn't ask him where he came from, and he didn't tell me his name. 7 But he said to me, 'You will conceive and give birth to a son. Now then, drink no wine or other fermented drink and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite of God from birth until the day of his death.' " [Samson is the name of the deliverer. His father was a Danite, so Samson was from the Dan tribe. An angel announced his coming birth, and said he was set apart to God from birth, and no razor was to be used on his head. Wow! This brought to mind, Jesus and John the Baptist – so special!] 8 Then Manoah prayed to the LORD : "O LORD, I beg you, let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born." [Ah! The father knew, his son to come was special, and he prayed for visitation of the angel again, who had previously appeared to his wife, so that he could get instructions for the upbringing of the child.] 9 God heard Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman while she was out in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her. 10 The woman hurried to tell her husband, "He's here! The man who appeared to me the other day!" 11 Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he said, "Are you the one who talked to my wife?" "I am," he said. 12 So Manoah asked him, "When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule for the boy's life and work?" 13 The angel of the LORD answered, "Your wife must do all that I have told her. 14 She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, nor drink any wine or other fermented drink nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her." [Indeed the angel came again, and repeated the instructions previously given to Samson’s mother.

Notice that Manoah asked the angel for the rules for the boy’s life and work, but the angel only revealed what the mother of Samson must do. What does this tell us? Or is it supposed to tell anything at all? Maybe, the Lord is telling us that he reveals only what he considers necessary, and we are to lay hold and obey what we have received as the revelation from the Lord. Maybe, the Lord is trying to teach us that we should concentrate on the part that we are to play, and not dictate another’s life and work, when the Lord has become decisively the one’s Master. Maybe, the Lord will like the individual to personally seek the Lord for the will of the Lord for his life and work. Even so, it can also mean that certain things are meant to be kept sealed for a period of time or even eternity. This brought to mind, Deu 29:29 - The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law. Of course, it is not to say that we cannot continue to seek or ask, but that we have to accept God’s sovereignty, wisdom, and, that we are to be submissive, for Pro 25:2 still exhorts us, princes and princesses, to seek out a matter: It is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings.]
15 Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, "We would like you to stay until we prepare a young goat for you." 16 The angel of the LORD replied, "Even though you detain me, I will not eat any of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the LORD." (Manoah did not realize that it was the angel of the LORD.) 17 Then Manoah inquired of the angel of the LORD, "What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes true?" 18 He replied, "Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding." [Here we see an example of an ordinary man seeing and having a conversation with a “heavenly being”. This account is very interesting to me. It implies that at times, really, a man does not know the one who appeared to him is an angel or the Lord himself. When it happens, sometimes the man genuinely does not know what to think. The mother of Samson, based on what she saw, in the first instance, told Manoah, Samson’s father that, the being looked like an angel. Maybe, Manoah thought that the heavenly being was the Lord. He wanted to prepare an offering, a young goat, to the heavenly being. This was the same thing Gideon wanted to do when the Lord appeared to him. Gideon, for his encounter, asked for the heavenly being to stay while he went to prepare the offering, as a sign for him (Gideon) that, indeed it was the Lord who was talking to him. Maybe, Manoah knew about the encounter that Gideon had with the Lord, i.e. the testimonies of Gideon got passed down the generations and Manoah took pain to know and remember the dealings God had with man. In this regard, I encourage people to tell and record their testimonies (encounters with God or experiences of God’s supernatural works), and at the same time, get to know what God was and is doing in our midst. For this reason, the reading, understanding and remembering of the Old Testament are of significance. I believe it pleases the Lord to know that an individual takes the trouble to know Him and his dealings with man.

The reply of the heavenly being is interesting. There are 3 things to learn or should know: Firstly, angels dare not and will not have man bow to them, worship them or receive offerings from man. If any angel does that, he must be a fallen angel, one from the Satan’s camp. Secondly, the phrase, “angel of the Lord”, sometimes was interpreted as the Lord by some Bible scholars, sometimes not, by other Bible scholars. This was one instance that the Lord had taken the “form” of an angel. You will read later on, that this was indeed the case, although at this point, He was talking like any angel would talk. In some other encounters in the Bible, the angel of the Lord was, I believe, really just an angel. Thirdly, the Lord does come incognito, and in this particular case, as an angel of the Lord. Want another instance – read the story of the 2 men on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). By the way, angels do come in disguise, too.]

19 Then Manoah took a young goat, together with the grain offering, and sacrificed it on a rock to the LORD. And the LORD did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched: 20 As the flame blazed up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell with their faces to the ground. 21 When the angel of the LORD did not show himself again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it was the angel of the LORD. 22 "We are doomed to die!" he said to his wife. "We have seen God!" [Part of the reasons for us to study the Word of God is to know the ways of the Lord, to be attentive and know to do the right things when we experience heavenly visitations. I believe also that in the “minor” spiritual encounters with the supernatural, we are to learn through those experiences how to be attentive to God. God is teaching us through those experiences, we can learn from our experiences as well as the experiences of others. When we are in love, we are attentive to our partner, we even try to anticipate what he/she will do, not just his/her likes and dislikes, or what will please him/her. Many of us say we love God, yet we are not at all attentive to God. Sad to say that when I thought about what Manoah did, I realize that I would have missed it; I wouldn’t have done the offering, I would have thought to myself like this, ‘Ok, he (the heavenly being) is not the Lord, and he does not really want to reveal his name. Let’s move on.’ Manoah paid attention and heeded the words of the “angel”, he made that offering. God honored him and his wife by revealing the true identity of the angel of the Lord whom He originally concealed from the couple. Manoah quickly remembered the words that God had spoken to Moses that no one could see God face to face and still live (Ex33:20). I believe they have spoken to God face to face, incognito.] 23 But his wife answered, "If the LORD had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things or now told us this." [Manoah’s wife was correct. But I believe it was also true that because God appeared to them incognito that they did not need to die. It was recorded in verse 21 that the angel of the Lord, on consuming the offering did not appear before the couple again. The reason was simple, if the couple saw the Lord again, this time, having known who the angel of the Lord was, it would have necessitated the fulfillment of Ex 33:20, that they must die.]

24 The woman gave birth to a boy and named him Samson. He grew and the LORD blessed him, 25 and the Spirit of the LORD began to stir him while he was in Mahaneh Dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol. [As told by the Lord, Samson was born. As he grew, the Lord blessed him. At a certain place, Mahaneh Dan, the Spirit of the Lord began a stirring in the heart of Samson. For what? We shall see in the next chapter!]

What we can learn here:

1. Again, as in the earlier times in the Judges period, the Israelites again did evil in the eyes of the Lord, and they were given over to a powerful enemy, the Philistines. By the time Judge Samson came on, the Israelites were already oppressed by the Philistines for 40 years, and that was for a long time, as long as the time of wondering in the desert before they came into the Promised land. It is therefore, possible that if we continue in our wayward ways, the Lord would continue with his harsh disciplining.

2. Concerning Judge Samson, 4 chapters were devoted to him, Gideon, only had 3, and lady judge Deborah, 2 (without consideration of length). At the end of chapter 16, we will learn that he led the Israelites for 20 years, both Gideon and Deborah, 40 years each. I would regard him as a major judge, along with Gideon, Deborah, etc. Do not dismiss the account of Samson, there are much to learn.

3. In terms of his introduction, he came in the likes of great prophets like Jeremiah who was called even when he was in his mother’s womb, John, The Baptist, and even Jesus, the latter 2, births of which were fore-told. He was among those who were set apart from birth, for the Lord. I believe such class of people, has so special a calling in their lives that often than not, their lives might come out, in some aspects, extraordinary or unorthodox or even strange. Theirs were lives already set apart for the Lord, right from the beginning. While many and many of us do not fall under this category, we are not to envy or be upset. In any case, as vessels, we all have our destinies to fulfill. More is given, more is expected, and the more special is the calling, the more special can be the expectation! At the same time, we are to remind ourselves that there are things we can do in our walk in the faith, regardless that we have not been set apart in like situations like that of Samson. As a believer, we have all been set apart for the Lord. As a New Testament believer, we are to serve God in righteousness, and in the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17-18). Many people are being taught now to just bask in grace, and just to adopt the attitude of “being”, to throw to the wind, all “should” or “ought”; I believe that is not what the believers’ walks are all about.

4. As I have said, because of the special calling on his life even before he was conceived, Samson’s life, as we will come to learn more, in later chapters, was somewhat strange or unorthodox, and somewhat not easily understood. Despite the difficulty, I do not think he should be regarded as a minor judge whom we just casually gloss over or judge that he, Samson, “wasted’ all that the Lord had given as potentials for him to be. In the subsequent chapters, we will learn of some of his shortcomings, who had none (except the Lord); even Gideon was not with none. I believe it is incorrect to say that right from the start, Samson did wrong; the stirring that this chapter ended with, which we will look at, in the next chapter, is of the Lord, not of Samson’s own.

5. The side lesson, which I also have pointed out in earlier expositions of the Book of Judges, is the need to know our faith heritage, know of how God has dealt with men, and the ways of God. And the sub-lessons are gleaned from the (purposely?) given long text, and my accompanying commentary of how the parents of Samson came to know they are going to have Samson.

6. On the subject of Nazirite, let me say that Numbers 6:1-21 are about one making a Nazirite vow, but here, the state was decided for him by God. As to whether or not, Samson had to fulfill all the commandments concerning Nazirite vow is questionable, the only one command specifically stated by God for Samson is that he must not allow his hair to be cut.

7. Rather than writing off Samson as being the outright irresponsible judge, and consider nothing much to learn from him, we are to understand that for certain people there can be so special a calling and consecration demanded of them, that they do not get to live their own lives, but live their lives according to the strict consecration demanded upon them, which can be, not easy.



Anthony Chia – Lord, help me to walk in your will for my life, no matter how insignificant, men might think it to be; Lord, may I always bear in mind that when it is important to you, it has to be important to me.

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Judges series - Judges 7

The way to read this article is that the orange underlined texts are the verses of the Bible (NIV, unless otherwise stated). The black texts following the Bible verses (and enclosed by square brackets) are my commentaries. At the end of these Bible texts and commentaries, I have inserted a section on "Points to take note".
{For full listing of all articles in this series, click here}

Judges 7

Gideon Defeats the Midianites

1 Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. 2 The LORD said to Gideon, "You have too many men for me to deliver Midian into their hands. In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her, 3 announce now to the people, 'Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.' "So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained. 4 But the LORD said to Gideon, "There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will sift them for you there. If I say, 'This one shall go with you,' he shall go; but if I say, 'This one shall not go with you,' he shall not go." 5 So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the LORD told him, "Separate those who lap the water with their tongues like a dog from those who kneel down to drink." 6 Three hundred men lapped with their hands to their mouths. All the rest got down on their knees to drink. 7 The LORD said to Gideon, "With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the other men go, each to his own place." 8 So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites to their tents but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others. [“In order that Israel may not boast against me that her own strength has saved her” – for this, God reduced Gideon’s army from 32,000 to 300 men! Sometimes, I would daydream about God. I would think if only God would directly tell me what to do, then I would surely do what is requested without questioning. Many a time, I thought about why God did not just tell me what do to, surely I would obey. But would I really obey without questioning? Yes, God spoke to Gideon directly, but He also reduced the resource from 30,000 men to 300 men, to a mere 1%. From here we can see the faith of Gideon because he protested not.]
Now the camp of Midian lay below him in the valley. 9 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. 10 If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah 11 and listen to what they are saying. Afterward, you will be encouraged to attack the camp." So he and Purah his servant went down to the outposts of the camp. 12 The Midianites, the Amalekites and all the other eastern peoples had settled in the valley, thick as locusts. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore. [Although it was a figure of speech, all the same, the understanding is that the enemy’s army was really huge (more than 135,000 – see Judges 8:10). It is very interesting to note here that God voluntarily gave Gideon a sign despite having given a direct instruction to attack the enemy’s camp, and the assurance that the enemies would be delivered into his hands. God knew Gideon was afraid, who wouldn’t be, at the thought of fighting a battle with only 1% of the original strength. Yet we can say that Gideon was courageous.
I believe the courage, in the Bible, was about doing what was right despite being afraid. In Deu 31:6, Moses commanded Joshua to be courageous before passing the leadership baton to Joshua to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land, to fight the “giants”, and to claim the land the Lord had promised.

- Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. (Deu 31:6)

After the death of Moses, we read in Joshua 1:6-7, these words of God to Joshua –

6 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. ]

13 Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. "I had a dream," he was saying. "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." 14 His friend responded, "This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands." [I am not (yet) knowledgeable to tell you how to know that God has indicated a sign to you, but I say we must try not to miss the signs that God gives us. If I put myself in Gideon’s shoes, honestly I probably missed the sign. I tell you why: God said, “If you are afraid to attack, go down to the camp ……” I might have put up a bold front and denied that I was afraid and not go down to the camp! Gideon was both humble before God and honest with himself.]
15 When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped God. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, "Get up! The LORD has given the Midianite camp into your hands." 16 Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside. [Like I said, I am no expert (yet), but do you just brush aside probable signs or are you like Gideon, acknowledge them, receive them and thank God for them, and swing into action consistent with the signs? Previously, we have read (see Judges 6:39-40) that Gideon having gotten one sign, asked for another. In this case, he did not ask for another. So how? Perhaps, his experiences with God guided him. He grew with his experiences with God, he was “learning the ways” of his Lord.]
17 "Watch me," he told them. "Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. 18 When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets, then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, 'For the LORD and for Gideon.' " 19 Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands. 20 The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, "A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!" 21 While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled. [Have you wondered why Gideon did the things he did here, I mean attacking the enemy camp that way? Strange thing to do, or was it not so strange? The more I dwell on this Bible character, Gideon, the more I realized that there is much to learn. Here again, what this is showing to me is that, again Gideon had been one who studied and got to know the ways of the Lord, including how the Lord dealt with the people and individuals in the past. I am suggesting to you that Gideon did not randomly decide to do something and ended up doing the thing that he did. Firstly, we did not read that God told him what to do except to attack the camp with mere 300 men. So why did he go to the camp to blow trumpets and shouted. I believe Gideon from his studies in the faith heritage, knew the significance of trumpet blowing and shouting that went along with it. In Numbers 10, God gave Moses instructions about trumpets. Separately, you can read all about them, if you like. Relevant to this act of Gideon is this:

When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets. Then you will be remembered by the LORD your God and rescued from your enemies. (Num 10:9)

On top of this, being a warrior he must have learnt and remembered exactly how Joshua conquered Jericho on entry into the Promised Land. This is what is written in Joshua 6:5 –

When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have all the people give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the people will go up, every man straight in." (Joshua 6:5)

What about the jars with the torches inside? What was the significance? What did Joshua bring with him to go round Jericho 7 times together with the trumpets? The Ark of the Lord. What did the Ark represent? The presence of God. There, do you see it? Gideon was symbolically bringing the Spirit of God with him to attack the enemy camp. The Spirit of God was represented by the fire of the torches. The torches in the jars were like fire in the cloud (over the tabernacle/tent) (Ex 40:38).

Not too long ago, I did a prophetic painting for myself, I drew a jar, and I sensed that the Lord was saying I was like the jar to hold and pour out water and fire. Water and fire are both symbols of the Spirit of God. You read in the next verse what happened when the trumpets were blown, and the men shouted and broke the jars, letting out the torches of fire. The Spirit of the Lord confused the enemies, causing them to turn on each other with their swords. 300 men were enough because they did not even have to exchange sword strokes with the vast enemy!

Before I leave this part of the commentary, let us learn something here, this is not just a nice story of victory. I receive conviction that we should learn as much as we can concerning the things of the faith, the faith heritage, how God dealt with the people, and individuals in the Bible, the ways of the Lord, how people reacted, how God reacted and acted, both in the ancient past and the not so distant past. Of course, we do not necessarily blow trumpets anymore, but there were many more recent ways of how the Lord was working in the world, we should learn about them, be open to them, and maybe even apply them in our own circumstances – be like Gideon.]
22 When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the LORD caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. 23 Israelites from Naphtali, Asher and all Manasseh were called out, and they pursued the Midianites. 24 Gideon sent messengers throughout the hill country of Ephraim, saying, "Come down against the Midianites and seize the waters of the Jordan ahead of them as far as Beth Barah."
So all the men of Ephraim were called out and they took the waters of the Jordan as far as Beth Barah. 25 They also captured two of the Midianite leaders, Oreb and Zeeb. They killed Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb at the winepress of Zeeb. They pursued the Midianites and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon, who was by the Jordan. [Sweet victory. Great victory. Through Gideon. Just to refresh, the many names mentioned here included some of the tribes of Israel - Naphtali, Asher, Manasseh, Ephraim (the latter 2 are part of the house of Joseph), and of course, Gideon himself was from the weakest clan in the Manasseh tribe. I find that knowing the 12 tribes of Israel makes it easier to relate to some of the stories in the Old Testament. You can always go back to my commentary for Judges 1:2 for the complete list]

Points to take note/learn:

1. In service for Lord, one must be attentive to God
This was the attitude of Gideon. Even after a double confirmation (with unmistakable signs of the fleece) from the Lord to fight the powerful Midianites and her alliances, with the promise of the Lord going with him, Gideon was still attentive to God, to what God wanted him to do to accomplish his mission. Remember I talked about “catering to God” in my points to learn in Judges 6. I talked about the hypothetical example of the one working with Billy Graham would cater to Billy; what more if it were God? Gideon was working with God; he catered to God. That is what we must also do, cater to God. Many church liturgies leave no room for this, sad to say!

2. Victory is meant to glorify God, and God alone
Whether we meant it or not, it is best for us not to use the word, glory on ourselves. I feel it is wrong for some preachers, even well-known ones to encourage people to use the word glory on themselves. Glory, presently, belongs solely to the Lord. All must be ascribed to the Lord; no one is allowed to take any of it for himself. You may want to read my separate article on “Reserve glory and worship for God, practice honor, and grow in favor with God”. God reduced Gideon’s army strength to 1% so that all glory might be ascribed to Him and Him alone.

3. Without faith you cannot glorify God
The Scriptures directly said without faith it is impossible to please God. I believe without faith you cannot glorify God, too. The Scriptures does, in fact, talk about doing things without element of faith at all as sin; and if it is sin it obviously cannot glorify God. Going to battle with 1% army strength really required faith, in absolute numbers it was 300 men against 135,000!

4. It is ok to be afraid but we must be courageous
God knew Gideon was afraid, who wouldn’t be, at the thought of fighting a battle with only 1% of the original strength. Yet we can say that Gideon was courageous. I believe the courage, in the Bible, was about doing what was right despite being afraid.

5. Be humble and be humble
In the last Chapter we have already discovered that Gideon was humble, and that was a likeable trait by God. We see here again Gibeon was humble before the Lord; had he not being humble and admit that he was afraid, and had he put up a bold front before God, he would have missed the sign given by God through the dream of one of enemy’s men about the loaf of barley bread crashing the enemy at her camp.

6. Know our faith heritage to know what to do
This again is a repeat of one of the points to take note of, in the previous chapter of this Book of Judges. It is just that I paraphrased it differently. Gideon knew what to do, to get to the enemy’s camp, to blow the trumpets, to shout, and to smash the jars to let the fires of the torches to come forth, all because he probably knew the significances of the available resources from his understanding of the faith heritage (as explained in the main body of the exposition).

7. Faith must be followed by actions consistent with the faith
Faith without action is dead; the Book of James tells us that. Gideon acted consistent with his faith in God. God said to take only 1% of the army strength and to go into the enemy’s camp of 135,000, he acted on it! Do we really believe God is good, God is in control, and He has our interest at heart, too? If we do, there should not be lack of actions consistent with that faith in our lives.



Anthony Chia – God, help me not to be a NATO member – No Action Talk Only.

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