Judges 7:18
When 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. When 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.
Gideon ordered his men to blow their trumpets on every side of the Midianite camp when he blew his, and to raise the war-cry declaring that victory belonged to the Lord and to Gideon as His appointed leader. The order was given when Midian with its allies had oppressed Israel for seven years, stripping its harvests and driving its people into towns and caves after divine protection was withdrawn, until God raised up Gideon to deliver them. At the signal his three hundred men in three companies sounded, shattered their pitchers to reveal their torches, and rushed shouting, throwing the sleeping host into panic so that they turned on one another, fled, and were pursued to utter defeat. The triumph came not from numbers but from living faith in following God's unusual directions, showing that His work is carried out according to His own plan rather than human expectation. God made such simple means effective through humble instruments, so that no man could claim the glory but the Lord alone was exalted and His people learned to depend on Him in humble trust and faithful obedience.
Historical Setting and Battle
The command belongs to the seven years when Midian with Amalek oppressed Israel after Israel did evil and the protecting hand of God was withdrawn. The Midianites had been nearly destroyed in the days of Moses, but they had increased greatly and become numerous and powerful and thirsted for revenge. With the Amalekites from the south of Canaan and from the eastern border and the deserts beyond, they fell first lightly on the tribes east of the Jordan and then on the whole land from the Jordan to the Philistine plain. They came as locusts for multitude with flocks and herds as soon as harvests ripened and remained until the last fruits were gathered, stripping fields and robbing and maltreating the inhabitants before returning to the deserts. Israelites in the open country were forced to abandon their homes for walled towns, fortresses, and caves and rocky fastnesses, until in distress the people gave heed to the Lord's reproof and confessed their sins.
God then raised up Gideon as a faithful and valiant helper and deliverer to put down idolatry and free Israel from its enemies. His work stood within the repeated cycle of Israel's backsliding, chastisement, confession, and deliverance. The verse is his direction that when he blew his trumpet, he and all with him, his men were to blow their trumpets also on every side of the camp. They were to rush on with the terrible war-cry, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon, proclaiming that the sword of victory belonged to the Lord and to Gideon as His leader.
At the signal the three hundred were divided into three companies approaching from different directions, each man carrying a trumpet and a torch hidden in an earthen pitcher. At the sound of Gideon's horn all sounded their trumpets, broke their pitchers to display the blazing torches, and rushed on shouting while the vast host lay sleeping in the valley like locusts. The sleeping army believed itself at the mercy of an overwhelming force and was thrown into panic-stricken flight with wild alarm, mistaking companions for enemies and slaying one another. Gideon had been encouraged beforehand by overhearing the Midianite dream about the sword and was assured that the Lord had delivered the host into their hand. Pursuit by the three hundred with recalled Israelites and Ephraim captured the leaders and killed not less than one hundred and twenty thousand invaders. Midianite power was so broken that they never again made war on Israel, and terror spread among the surrounding nations at what simple means prevailed when Israel's God fought for His people.
Victory Through Faithful Obedience
Gideon's army in Judges 7:1-25 prevailed not because of numbers but because in living faith they followed God's special directions. That obedience rebukes faithlessness and narrowness of view, and warns that narrow plans accomplish very little. The order to blow on every side and shout was part of the Lord's unusual plan for a force of only three hundred men carrying trumpets and empty pitchers. To those relying on their own methods such a plan could appear inconsistent or unreasonable, yet it teaches that God's work is carried out according to His direction, not human expectations.
The trumpet blast of that small band shows God making simple means effective to overthrow the Midianites. He uses humble instruments to accomplish His work, and the victory is no reason to glorify human ability. Victory came through God's power, not human strength, ingenuity or wisdom, so His people are to depend on Him in humility and trust. No man could claim the glory, for the Lord God of Israel is to be exalted.
The triumph over a powerful army was to be credited to God alone, bringing glory to His name and strengthening Israel's faith. God was Israel's mighty King, though the people wanted His authority visibly embodied in a human ruler. Success rests on God's help working with human effort, and humble trust and faithful obedience are essential in spiritual conflict.
Later Parallel and Application
Saul's attack on the Ammonite camp followed the same pattern, dividing his force into three companies and striking at an early hour when the enemy was least prepared. The breaking of the pitchers so that the light shone out marks the moment for decisive action, when instruction previously held back is brought forward to meet an emergency. The sounding of the trumpets with the announcement of victory, joined to the breaking of the pitchers and the letting of the lamps shine, shows that a message may be kept ready until the right time and then brought forward when the signal comes.