A Warrior
Next, we begin to see Gideon as a warrior.
Chapter 7 of Judges begins with Gideon and his force camped south of the Midianites on ground that was above the enemy. Gideon was in a good tactical position to attack. Leaders of military forces, like Grant and Sherman, would have given their eye teeth for just such a position.
Could it be that Gideon was ready to attack? The answer is again, not quite.
God told Gideon in verse 2,
o “The Lord said to Gideon, ‘You have too many people for Me to hand the Midianites over to you, or else Israel might brag: ‘I did it myself.’’” (Judges 7:2, HCSB).
This is not vanity on God’s part. God was going to show His people that He was the One who deserves the credit for rescuing the nation of Israel. Through two separate tests, God pared down the army. Gideon’s force went down in number from 22,000 to 10,000 to just 300 men. Gideon was outnumbered.
But, he was still on the high ground, within sight of the enemy.
Next Week: Ready for battle
Mark Riser - Apologist 