Judges 7:9-10 "And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand. (10) But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host"
Judges 7:15 "And it was so, when Gideon heard the telling
of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned
into the host of Israel, and said, Arise; for the LORD hath delivered into your
hand the host of Midian."
After a few tests, the time had arrived for Gideon to go against the
MIdianites. He had thrown down the fleece in order to be assured that it was
the Lord who was telling him to fight. He then assembled 32,000 men to go
against the host of the Midianites. That would normally have not been enough
men to fight the assembled army of Midian, but in the sight of God that was too
many. God pared down the number until it was 300 men of Israel against the
"host" of the enemy. You can read how God trimmed that number in
Judges chapter 6. It was the night to fight when God gave Gideon one more
assurance. He told him and his servant to go down to the camp and there Gideon
would hear that blessed assurance that he needed. They slipped up beside one of
the tents and overheard two men talking about a dream. One man dreamed that a
barley cake came rolling down the hill and struck the tent causing it to
overturn. The other man gave the interpretation of that dream: "This is
nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for
into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host." Gideon and
Phurah went back to their own camp with the assurance that victory belonged to
them.
But what I notice about all this is found in the two passages that I used
today. Notice in the first passage (vs. 9) where the Lord used the terminology
that Gideon had been using about the Midianites. "Arise, get thee down
unto the host." Gideon was seeing his small band of men as being way
outnumbered by the "host of the enemy army." But after hearing the
dream and its interpretation, he came back to the camp with a completely
different outlook. Notice what he said: "... when Gideon heard the telling
of the dream, and the interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, and returned
into the host of Israel." Looking through eyes of faith, his
fighting men were no longer a small band; rather, they were the "HOST OF
ISRAEL." That emphasis is mine, but I find it very interesting that we see
ourselves as very small when we look at a situation through our own eyes. But
when we can see, by faith, that battle or struggle quite differently through
the eyes of the Lord.
1 Open my eyes, that I may see glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
place in my hands the wonderful key, that shall unclasp and set me free.
Silently now I wait for Thee, ready, my God, Thy will to see;
open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit divine!
2 Open my ears, that I may hear voices of truth Thou sendest clear;
and while the wave-notes fall on my ear, ev’rything false will disappear.
Silently now I wait for Thee, ready, my God, Thy will to see;
open my ears, illumine me, Spirit divine!
3 Open my mouth, and let me bear gladly the warm truth ev’rywhere;
Open my heart, and let me prepare love with Thy children thus to share.
Silently now I wait for Thee, ready, my God, Thy will to see;
open my mouth, illumine me, Spirit divine!