Gideon Defeats the Midianites

After seven years of devastating Midianite raids that reduced Israel to poverty, God called Gideon—a doubting, fearful man threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from raiders. Despite requesting multiple signs (the fleece tests), Gideon assembled an army. God reduced his 32,000 men to just 300, saying the army was too large and Israel might think they won by their own strength.

Armed only with trumpets, torches hidden in clay jars, and the battle cry “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!”, the 300 surrounded the Midianite camp at night. On Gideon’s signal, they smashed the jars, revealing the torches, blew trumpets, and shouted. The Midianites panicked, thinking they were surrounded by a massive army, and in the chaos killed each other. The survivors fled.

Gideon refused hereditary kingship (“The LORD will rule over you”) but made a golden ephod that became a snare. The land had peace for forty years. His legacy was mixed—great faith in trusting God with 300 men, but also creating an object of idolatry and having many wives, leading to his son Abimelech’s brutal reign.