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Gideon
won the Battle with 300 People
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2
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The three
companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in
their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to
blow, they shouted, "A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!" While
each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying
out as they fled. When the three hundred trumpets sounded, the LORD caused the
men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords. The army
fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah near
Tabbath. [Judges 7:20~22]
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3
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Midian would harass the
Israelites many times.
God let them harass the
Israelites because of the Israelites¡¯ sins.
When they had realized
their sins the Israelites repented and eagerly prayed to God.
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4
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God listened to the pray
of the Israelites.
God called Gideon, who
was very weak, as a Judge of Israel.
God made him a
courageous leader of Israel because God was with him.
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5
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Gideon gathered soldiers
to blow trumpet for the battle with Midian.
There were about 32,000
Israelite soldiers ready to go into the battle.
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6
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But the Midian soldiers
outnumbered the Israelites by a lot.
It would be very
difficult for the Israelites to win against Midian.
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7
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Yet, God said to Gideon
"Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave." As soon as
Gideon said that to the soldiers, twenty two thousand men left.
And only ten thousand
remained.
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8
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God said "There are
still many men."
And God said, "Take
them down to the water. Separate those who lap the water with their tongues
like a dog from those who kneel down to drink.
And leave those who
kneel down to drink." So Gideon did.
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God said to Gideon
"I will make you win the battle with three hundred men who lapped with
their hands to their mouths." There were only three hundred men and it
seemed impossible for them to win the battle with this number.
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God said to Gideon
"Get up and attack
Midian camp and I will make you win the battle."
Gideon obeyed as God's
command and the remaining three hundred men to battle.
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11
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Gideon divided one
hundred men into three groups.
They held trumpet and
empty jars in the hands.
They hid torches in the
empty jars.
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12
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They got to the edge of
the camp midnight.
The soldiers of Midian were
in a deep sleep and completely unaware of what was happening.
Because they hid the
torches in the empty jars, soldiers of Midian noticed nothing.
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13
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When Gideon and soldiers
were close to Midian's camp,
They blew their trumpets
all together according to their plan.
The sound of three
hundred trumpets shook the heavens and earth at midnight.
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14
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And then they broke the
jars that were in their hands at the same time.
The three hundred
soldiers grasped the torches in their left hands.
They held in their right
hands their trumpet.
Fear was in the eyes of
the Midianites when they saw how many soldiers came to attack them.
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15
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The Midianites who were
ambushed at midnight were so scared.
God made the Midianites
fight each other with their swords.
A lot of the Midianite
soldiers died and many of those who lived ran away.
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Three hundred soldiers
of Gideon defeated the Midianites and won the battle. Although there were
more Midianite soldiers, the Israelite soldiers defeated them. The Midianites
did not dare come to Israel while Gideon still lived.
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17
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What is the best secret
to win the battle with only 300 soldiers?
Because Gideon believed
and obeyed God.
Gideon believed that
everything is up to God.
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People who are obeying
God's words like Gideon will see impossible things become possible. Although you
may be weak and poor now, if you obey God's words with all your heart, you
surely get a victory like that of a miracle.
I hope that all of you
who worship today become a faithful person for God.
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