300

Gideon and the chosen men

When God called Gideon to claim back their land that was plundered by the Midianites, he was taken aback as he belonged to the weakest clan and was the youngest in his family. However, he feared God and was willing to obey the call even though the odds against him personally and his people, were grossly unfavourable. When he gathered the men to fight, there were 32,000 of them and it would be against the enemy whose camels alone were numbered as the sands on the seashore. It seemed Gideon was not only on a suicide mission but was doomed to lose.

However, God told Gideon to reduce the number of his men despite the odds. The objective was to show that it is God who will deliver the enemy to their hands and win the battle, not Gideon and not the chosen men. Gideon then followed God’s selection process which caused 22,000 men who trembled with fear and another 9,700 men who had knelt down to drink water from the river, to be removed.

Gideon was left with 300 men who neither trembled with fear nor knelt down to drink water (they were on their feet and drank from their hand). That was all Gideon had to face an enemy that was as numerous as locusts!

Gideon and his 300 men brought a trumpet in one hand and a pitcher with a torch inside, in the other hand. They stood at 3 different parts of the enemy camp and then blew the trumpets, broke the pitchers and held up the torch in unison. God then caused the enemy forces to turn against themselves with their swords and many perished and some fled. It was recorded that 120,000 had fallen in this battle alone not counting the rest who fled and were subsequently captured and destroyed as well.

Source credit : http://rlcfchurch.org/

Clearly, the battle and glory belongs to God, not Gideon or the 300 men, and certainly not Hollywood.

– Judges, Chapters 6 to 8