Judges 7:20
And 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. And 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.
At night Gideon's chosen three hundred divided into three companies surrounded the sleeping Midianite camp from different directions, and at his signal each man blew his trumpet, broke his earthen pitcher to reveal his blazing torch held in the left hand with the trumpet in the right, and raised the shout that the sword belonged to the Lord and to Gideon. The sudden blaze of light and sound on every side threw the vast army into panic-stricken flight and confusion, so that they mistook companions for enemies and turned their swords against one another. God delivered Midian by this small force He chose so Israel could not claim the victory as its own, making clear the deliverance came from divine power and not from human wisdom, strength, or numbers, so that He alone would receive the glory. The victory came through God's power by simple means entered upon with humility and faith, proving success does not depend on numbers but on humble people obeying His special directions while distrusting their own strength. Humble trust and faithful obedience are as essential to the Christian in spiritual warfare as they were to Gideon in battle, for God is just as willing now to accomplish great things through weak instrumentalities, and the broken pitchers letting the lamps shine out picture prepared messages brought forward clearly and decisively in a crisis to make the issue plain.
Setting and Night Attack
The verse belongs to the deliverance that followed Israel doing evil, when the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian for seven years. The Midianites came with the Amalekites and the peoples of the desert in locust-like multitude with flocks and herds, spreading from the Jordan to the Philistine plain. They stripped the harvests and robbed the people, driving those in the open country into walled towns, fortresses, caves and rocky fastnesses, with the tribes east of the Jordan suffering first. When the distressed people gave heed to the Lord's reproof and confessed their sins, God raised up a helper for them.
The raising of Gideon to deliver Israel from its enemies is an example of the deliverance repeatedly given when God raised up faithful and valiant leaders to oppose idolatry and rescue the people. By divine direction the three hundred were divided into three companies and approached the sleeping camp at night from different directions. Each man carried a trumpet and a torch hidden in an earthen pitcher. At Gideon's signal they blew the trumpets and broke the pitchers to reveal blazing torches, holding the lamps in the left hand and the trumpets in the right hand to blow with, and rushed upon the enemy with the terrible war-cry that the sword belonged to the Lord and to Gideon, so that signal, light and sound surrounded the camp on every side.
The sudden light on every side and sound in every direction threw the sleeping Midianite army into panic-stricken flight and confusion. They fled before the three companies and, mistaking companions for enemies, turned their swords against one another and slew one another.
Victory Through Divine Power
God delivered Midian through the small force He had chosen so that Israel could not claim the victory as its own. The deliverance was made to come plainly from divine power and not from human wisdom or strength or from visible human agencies, so that God alone would receive the glory as Israel's mighty King, even though the people wanted that kingly authority visibly embodied in a human ruler.
The three hundred prevailed not because of numbers but because in living faith they followed God's special directions. Their success proves that success does not depend on numbers but on God working through weak instrumentalities when humble men obey in faith, while faithlessness and narrow views and narrow plans accomplish very little. The victory came through God's power by simple means such as the trumpet blast, and not by human strength or skill or clever methods. God's counsels exceed human understanding, human plans fail apart from His power and wisdom, and the most unpromising methods succeed when divinely appointed and entered upon with humility and faith.
In dependence on God His servants must distrust their own strength, so that conscious weakness leads them to seek His help and their strength comes from Him. God can use humble instruments and simple means to give His warning and overthrow opposing powers, so those He uses must not exalt themselves or seek praise.
Symbol and Spiritual Application
The breaking of the pitchers so that the lamps inside could shine out pictures messages prepared beforehand and held back inside until the right moment. When a crisis or emergency arrives that makes them useful, they are brought forward clearly and forcefully and decisively. The shining light is instruction that makes the issue plain so that people can see where they stand and choose their position.
The flight of Midian's armies before Gideon and his three hundred was wrought by supernatural terror and stands as a manifestation of divine power. A host of brave and warlike men, trained and equipped for battle, fled without a blow being struck before the defenders of a small and hitherto feeble nation. In that rout God stretched out His hand to wither the power of the oppressor. The same working was repeated when vast crusading armies broke and scattered in panic before the Bohemians.
The three hundred put the Midianite forces to flight because Gideon went into battle strong in faith in God. By that strength of faith he stands in contrast to Saul, who felt alone and defenseless because God had forsaken him.
The victory over Midian through such simple means shows that success comes from God working with human effort and not from human wisdom or skill. The simple trumpet blast of Gideon's little band around the Midianites was made effectual through the power of God to overthrow the might of His enemies. Human plans fail apart from God's power and wisdom, while the most unpromising methods succeed when divinely appointed and entered upon with humility and faith. Humble trust and faithful obedience are therefore as essential to the Christian in spiritual warfare as they were to Gideon and his companions in battle. God is just as willing now to work with His people's efforts and to accomplish great things through weak instrumentalities.