And he divided the 300 men into three companies and put trumpets into the hands of all of them and empty jars, with torches inside the jars. Judges 7:16 (ESV)
Gideon had to watch as God whittled the army of Israel from thirty-two thousand down to only three hundred. Firstly, those who were trembling with fear were asked to turn back and leave the scene of battle. Interestingly twenty-two thousand men left. Then God asked Gideon to take the ten thousand men who remained to the water. God said:
“Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink. ” Judges 7:5 (NIV)
Only three hundred men who lapped with their hands to their mouths were selected.
In Judges 7:8, we find that Gideon and his group of three hundred men are about to engage the enemy – the Midianites. Three hundred against 135,000! Impossible odds from man’s perspective. Gideon and his men were outnumbered by their enemies, but they followed God’s directions. The war strategy was very interesting. These three hundred men were handed trumpets and empty jars with torches inside. They would carry only three things: a torch, a jar and a trumpet. Can you imagine Gideon as he was gathering his army of three hundred around him saying, “It’s time to go into battle. Here are your weapons. Here’s your trumpet! Here’s your clay jar. And here’s your torch.” We may not fully understand His plans, but we can fully trust His promises; and it’s faith in Him that gives the victory.
Interestingly, breaking pottery spooks camels. Trumpets were usually blown only by captains, not ordinary soldiers, so Gideon makes it sound as if he has an army of three hundred thousand. In the world of ancient warfare, a commander with a number of troops under him would sound a trumpet to call his men into battle. So when Gideon and each one of his men blew a trumpet, the Midianites thought that each of the three hundred men was a commander of many others, and that a huge army had surrounded them.
Earlier in the night, Gideon had overheard a Midianite soldier interpret his compatriot’s dream to mean that God would employ the “sword of Gideon” to defeat the Midianites. Presumably, word of the dream had spread in the camp. Therefore, the cry, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” inspired fear in the Midianite camp. Waking rapidly, with all that light and noise, would have been terribly disorienting. Without benefit of daylight, the Midianite soldiers, believing themselves to be under attack, turned their swords against what they assumed to be an onrushing army. In so doing, they unwittingly cut each other down. The victory came, not through conventional weapons, but through God’s ways.
Some trust in chariots, and some in horses;
But we will remember the name of the LORD of God. Psalm 20:7 (NKJV)
That’s the key.
The Lord is my Light and my Salvation – whom shall I fear or dread? The Lord is the Refuge and Stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked, even my enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. Though a host encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, [even then] in this will I be confident. Psalm 27:1 (AMPC)
God loves to use ordinary, weak human vessels to do extraordinary things. God loves to use our weakness to show His strength. So let our lives be as trumpets boldly announcing our testimony and declaring who we are in Christ, more than conquerors in Him. Let our lives be as broken clay pots which allow the light of Christ to shine from us. Let boldness, brokenness and brightness define us.