Judges 7 - The Light of Truth

"And when they sounded their trumpets in three places round about the camp, and had broken their pitchers, they held their lamps in their left hands, and with their right hands the trumpets which they blew, and they cried out: The sword of the Lord and of Gedeon" (Judges 7:20).

Gedeon's defeat of the Madianites is quite the dramatic scene.  I find it interesting that the Israelites, by God's design, assembled an army of only 300 men.  It calls to mind the 300 Spartans who famously fought against the huge Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae.  There seems to be something about the number 300, and interestingly, as noted in my commentary, some think it holds a symbolic importance, as in Greek the number 300 is represented by the letter T.  And T of course is a cross.  And thus, if we dig through a few layers of meaning, we may see that Gideon's army fought off the enemy whilst representing the cross of Christ!  And then there is the manner in which Gideon defeated the Madianites.  It wasn't through force or strength, but by way of craft.  The small army surrounds the Madianite camp at night and at the signal they sound their trumpets and break the pitchers that were hiding their torches so that instantaneously 300 lights appear around the Madianites.  The effect must have been quite astounding!  The Madianites, for all they know, are suddenly surrounded by a great force, and so, made scared and weak by God, they retreat.  There is symbolism here as well.  For the trumpets are like a blaring truth, just as the Apostles took the Gospel to the ends of the earth and blared its truths like a trumpet blast to all the peoples of the world.  And the torches of the Israelites are like flames of virtue and goodness.  Just as the Apostles' actions were like lights showing the world true goodness and beauty in following Christ's words.  The Israelites again didn't defeat the Madianites through brute strength, and that is not how the world will be won for Christ either.  It will be rather through truth, goodness, and beauty -- like trumpets blasting from the firmament and blazing lights like angels.  Words and actions.  God provides a powerful example through the battle fought by Gideon and his men!