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| 1 And Jerubbaal (he [is] Gideon) riseth early, and all the people who [are] with him, and they encamp by the well of Harod, and the camp of Midian hath been on the south of him, on the height of Moreh, in the valley. |
Gideon – Type of the Lord Jesus. R4082:5, R3686:6
Well of Harod – Harod spring, a little lake which drains off eastward to the Jordan. R5606:3
Harod signifies "Coward." It is assumed that the name was given because of the fear manifested by the 22,000 who went home. R5606:3
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| 2 And Jehovah saith unto Gideon, 'Too many [are] the people who [are] with thee for My giving Midian into their hand, lest Israel beautify itself against Me, saying, My hand hath given salvation to me; |
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| 3 and now, call, I pray thee, in the ears of the people, saying, Whoso [is] afraid and trembling, let him turn back and go early from mount Gilead;' and there turn back of the people twenty and two thousand, and ten thousand have been left. |
Whosoever is fearful – A test of faith. R1876:1
Picturing justified believers who, shunning the hardships, decline to consecrate fully. R1876:4, R5607:4, R4083:2
All the justified ones must first sit down and count the cost. R4083:2
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| 4 And Jehovah saith unto Gideon, 'Yet [are] the people too many; bring them down unto the water, and I refine it for thee there; and it hath been, he of whom I say unto thee, This doth go with thee he doth go with thee; and any of whom I say unto thee, This doth not go with thee he doth not go.' |
Yet too many – Illustrating that God is not dependent upon numbers or ecclesiastical organization. R458:5
Unto the water – Typifying the truth. R4083:3, R5606:6
Shall go with thee – The honor due to the human instruments used was not in their strength and skill in battle, but in their faith in God. R1876:1
So shall it be when the Lord shall again fight for Israel; it will not be by their own power. R1747:1
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| 5 And he bringeth down the people unto the water, and Jehovah saith unto Gideon, 'Every one who lappeth with his tongue of the water as the dog lappeth thou dost set him apart; also every one who boweth on his knees to drink.' |
Lappeth of the water – Signifying alertness and obedience. R5606:6
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| 6 And the number of those lapping with their hand unto their mouth is three hundred men, and all the rest of the people have bowed down on their knees to drink water. |
Putting their hand – Symbol of energy (zeal). R4083:3, R1876:1
To their mouth – Thus maintaining their own erectness of manhood, showing energy and discretion in drinking and lifting up their heads in acknowledgment of the heavenly origin of the truth. R4083:4
300 men – Representing those who are alert in the Master's service, the wiser of the two classes who appreciate the truth. R5606:6, R4082:5
Upon their knees – Typifying those who bow down in the mire of human servility, drinking the water of truth more for their own satisfaction. R4083:4, R5606:6
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| 7 And Jehovah saith unto Gideon, 'By the three hundred men who are lapping I save you, and have given Midian into thy hand, and all the people go, each to his place.' |
Gideon – Representing Christ. R5607:1, R2550:4
300 men – Christ, like Gideon, is called of God to lead a "Little Flock" forth to the conquest of the hosts of sin. OV268:2; R1876:4, R4083:2
Other people go – A portion of the Lord's consecrated who, being less alert, are less used. R5607:4, R5606:6
Picturing those who are weary in well-doing, whose zeal abates, love grows cold and faith declines and who fail to push on to the end. R1876:4
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| 8 And the people take the provision in their hand, and their trumpets, and every man of Israel he hath sent away, each to his tents; and on the three hundred men he hath kept hold, and the camp of Midian hath been by him at the lower part of the valley. |
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| 9 And it cometh to pass, on that night, that Jehovah saith unto him, 'Rise, go down into the camp, for I have given it into thy hand; |
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| 10 and if thou art afraid to go down go down, thou and Phurah thy young man, unto the camp, |
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| 11 and thou hast heard what they speak, and afterwards are thy hands strengthened, and thou hast gone down against the camp.' And he goeth down, he and Phurah his young man, unto the extremity of the fifties who [are] in the camp; |
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| 12 and Midian and Amalek, and all the sons of the east are lying in the valley, as the locust for multitude, and of their camels there is no number, as sand which [is] on the sea-shore for multitude. |
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| 13 And Gideon cometh in, and lo, a man is recounting to his companion a dream, and saith, 'Lo, a dream I have dreamed, and lo, a cake of barley-bread is turning itself over into the camp of Midian, and it cometh in unto the tent, and smiteth it, and it falleth, and turneth it upwards, and the tent hath fallen.' |
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| 14 And his companion answereth and saith, 'This is nothing save the sword of Gideon son of Joash, a man of Israel; God hath given into his hand Midian and all the camp.' |
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| 15 And it cometh to pass, when Gideon heareth the narration of the dream and its interpretation, that he boweth himself, and turneth back unto the camp of Israel, and saith, 'Rise ye, for Jehovah hath given into your hand the camp of Midian.'
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| 16 And he divideth the three hundred men [into] three detachments, and putteth trumpets into the hand of all of them, and empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers. |
A trumpet – Ram's horn trumpet. R5607:1
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| 17 And he saith unto them, 'Look at me, and thus do; and lo, I am coming into the extremity of the camp and it hath been as I do so ye do; |
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| 18 and I have blown with a trumpet I and all who [are] with me, and ye have blown with trumpets, even ye, round about all the camp, and have said, For Jehovah and for Gideon.' |
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| 19 And Gideon cometh and the hundred men who [are] with him into the extremity of the camp, [at] the beginning of the middle watch (it hath only just confirmed the watchmen), and they blow with trumpets dashing in pieces also the pitchers which [are] in their hand; |
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| 20 and the three detachments blow with trumpets, and break the pitchers, and keep hold with their left hand on the lamps, and with their right hand on the trumpets to blow, and they cry, 'The sword of Jehovah and of Gideon.' |
Blew the trumpets – Representing the proclamation of the truth. R4083:5; PD38/48
Jubilee trumpets. R2555:5
Brake the pitchers – Representing our earthen vessels. R4083:5
The lamps – The broken vessels of Gideon's band represent how the Lord's people present their bodies living sacrifices, letting the light shine out and fighting a good fight against the hosts of sin. R5607:5, R4083:5, R2550:5; PD38/48
The Lord's spirit is represented by the light of the lamp shining from the broken vessel. R5607:5
Sword of the LORD – Of Jehovah, our Captain. R4083:5
The sword represented God's Word. PD38/48
And of Gideon – Of Christ. R4083:5
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| 21 And they stand each in his place, round about the camp, and all the camp runneth, and they shout, and flee; |
All the host ran – Picturing the time of trouble. R3686:6
Jehovah fought Israel's ancient battles without being seen, except with the eyes of understanding. R286:3
Cried, and fled – Imagined themselves being surrounded by a great host. R5607:2
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| 22 and the three hundred blow the trumpets, and Jehovah setteth the sword of each against his companion, even through all the camp; and the camp fleeth unto Beth-Shittah, at Zererath, unto the border of Abel-Meholah, by Tabbath. |
Against his fellow – They fought each other, mistaking each other for foes. R5607:2, R4083:4
The climax of the battle will be a temporary reign of anarchy. R5607:5
The hosts of sin, the powers of evil, will fall upon one another for their mutual destruction. R5607:5, R2550:5
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| 23 And the men of Israel are called from Naphtali, and from Asher, and from all Manasseh, and pursue after Midian. |
Men of Israel – Others than the Little Flock will be associated in the work of overthrow. R4083:6
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| 24 And messengers hath sent Gideon into all the hill-country of Ephraim, saying, 'Come down to meet Midian, and capture before them the waters unto Beth-Barah, and the Jordan;' and every man of Ephraim is called, and they capture the waters unto Beth-Barah, and the Jordan, |
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| 25 and they capture two of the heads of Midian, Oreb, and Zeeb, and slay Oreb at the rock of Oreb, and Zeeb they have slain at the wine-vat of Zeeb, and they pursue unto Midian; and the heads of Oreb and Zeeb they have brought in unto Gideon beyond the Jordan. |
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