The battle belongs to the Lord (Judg 7:15-23)

If Covid-19 has taught us anything, it is that a pandemic cannot be overcome by an individual alone. Wise leadership is essential, but so is the co-operation of the rank and file. The ongoing mantra of the NZ government has been the need for ‘the team of five million’ (the people of NZ) to work together. Such a communal way of thinking does not come easily to us in the West. Even as Christians, we too often function with a narrow vision of individual concerns. Yet the purpose God has for the church to reach the world with the gospel is contingent on working together. While there are lessons in our reading for dealing with personal difficulties, the focus gradually shifts from the preparation of an individual (Gideon) to the community. What is needed for God’s deliverance and work to be achieved?

First, any ‘battle’ must start with faith and worship. Gideon, who up to now has been uncertain and fearful, has come to the point of conviction that God is sovereign and He can do what He has promised. Thus, worship is an appropriate response (Judg 7:15). This needs to be our starting point, too, an acknowledgement of God’s character, power and trustworthiness. We also have to remind ourselves on an ongoing basis whom we have on our side. When we think of the task that God called us to, it is easy to become disheartened. We may look at the great work of others or be overwhelmed by the needs out there and feel that there is so little that we can contribute, a mere drop in the ocean. Yet what matters is to be faithful in God’s work, even if it is small, because we do it for the Lord and He can use it to fulfil His purposes.

Secondly, deliverance is the result of a concerted effort in many situations, and this is particularly emphatic in our reading. Gideon is no lone ranger, and he stresses to his troops three times with slightly different wording that they should follow his lead and do as he does (Judg 7:17-18). The shout ‘for the LORD and for Gideon’ is another way to engender a sense of unity. Either the meaning is ‘for the sake of…’ or (more likely from the context) ‘belonging to God and Gideon’ implying that Gideon is aligned with God, and the people are committed as one to their divine and human leader.[1] Likewise in the NT, Paul boldly exhorts the Corinthian congregation to follow his example as he follows Christ’s (1 Cor 11:1). A similar sense of unity is expressed in the description of the church as a body, where the gifts of each build up others as they come together under the head, Jesus Christ (Eph 4:11-13). Every Sunday when we meet as church, we fulfil different tasks, preaching, worship, leading, practical jobs (sound, projector, tea/coffee), as well as looking out for new people, pastoral conversations, prayer with others and so on. It is only as we all do our part in the same spirit that comes from the Lord and from our leaders that the church can have a unified and godly witness.

Finally, God’s weapons can be unusual and unexpected. The interpreter of the Midianite dream calls the loaf of bread ‘the sword of Gideon’ (Judg 7:13-14), an odd connection to make. It is echoed by Israel’s cry ‘a sword of/for the LORD and Gideon’ (Judg 7:20), even though all they carry are trumpets and torches. God, of course, helped Israel in many a battle fought with conventional weapons and armies and today too, He often achieves His ends through the mundane, human activities required for a task. Nevertheless, Israel had to be reminded here that victory comes from the Lord. As David said to Goliath at the beginning of his career, ‘You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts’ (1 Sam 17:45). The battle belongs to the Lord, and whether God uses our human effort or not, it is won not by might or power, but by His Spirit (Zech 4:6).

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[1] Suspicious readings see in the addition ‘for Gideon’ an early sign of the man’s arrogance. Although Gideon will later move away from full commitment to God, I am not convinced this is the case here for several reasons. First, Gideon has just bowed in worship and publicly named God as the one who will deliver, which he also stresses later (Judg 7:15; 8:3). Secondly, the emphasis on the importance for the troops to do what Gideon does (as I explain in the post above) aligns well with the shout. The third point relates to the way Gideon is portrayed as a Moses-like figure. Among the similarities that commentators point out are that both are fearful (Judg 6:15; Exod 4:10,13), both receive a sign of fire (Judg 6:21; Exod 3:2), and both need to demonstrate commitment first in their immediate family (Judg 6:25; Exod 4:24-26 – Moses’ son to be circumcised, see my posts on this here, here and here). A further similarity that scholars do not note, however, is the way belief in God and in Moses is linked (Exod 14:31; 19:9) similar to the way God and Gideon are aligned here Judg 7:15).

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