Judges 7:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: As soon as Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshiped. And he returned to the camp of Israel and said, "Arise, for the Lord has given the host of Midian into your hand."

NIV: When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, "Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands."

NASB: When Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. Then he returned to the camp of Israel and said, 'Arise, for the Lord has handed over to you the camp of Midian!'

CSB: When Gideon heard the account of the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship. He returned to Israel’s camp and said, "Get up, for the Lord has handed the Midianite camp over to you."

NLT: When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed in worship before the Lord. Then he returned to the Israelite camp and shouted, 'Get up! For the Lord has given you victory over the Midianite hordes!'

KJV: 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.

NKJV: And so it was, when Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, that he worshiped. He returned to the camp of Israel, and said, “Arise, for the Lord has delivered the camp of Midian into your hand.”

God didn't owe Gideon a scenario to bolster His chosen deliverer's faith and confidence. Gideon has already been given an outsized portion of God's miraculous evidence (Judges 6:22; 36–40). The Lord could have accomplished exactly what He wanted to through Gideon without engineering this latest series of events. Still, these moments were designed specifically to strengthen Gideon's faith in God and His plan.

In His grace and mercy for Gideon, the Lord caused a man in the Midianite camp to have to dream and to tell that dream to his friend at the exact moment Gideon was there to overhear the dream (Judges 7:9–13). The Lord then enabled the man's friend to interpret the dream exactly. It was no coincidence. God sent Gideon to the camp to hear these exact words coming from the lips of one of the feared Midianite fighters:

"This is no other than the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel; God has given into his hand Midian and all the camp." (Judges 7:14)."

Gideon's response is the proper reaction. He worships God. He likely fell face down on the ground and prostrated himself before the Lord in a combination of humility and celebration. God knew exactly what it would take for Gideon to be convinced that God was able to save Israel through him. This moment marks something of a change in the once-hesitant man (Judges 6:15, 17). He will immediately return to the 300 men God has selected for the battle. He tells them the Lord has given the host of Midian into their hands. They will attack immediately.

Judges 7:1–18 begins with Gideon and his large company of Israelite volunteers setting up camp in the hills just a few miles from the Midianite camp in the valley below. God gives Gideon two tests to reduce the number of his troops until only 300 are left. God tells Gideon to spy on the Midianite camp, where he overhears a conversation which bolsters his faith. Gideon returns to his camp and prepares for the attack that night. He gives his men torches concealed in clay jars, as well as trumpets.

Gideon and his 32,000–man army of volunteer Israelites camp in the hills above the Midianite invaders in the valley. The Lord tells Gideon to reduce his troops until only 300 remain. God allows Gideon to overhear the interpretation of a Midianite dream, an event that strengthens his faith. Gideon and his 300 men take positions around the Midianite camp and blow trumpets, hold up torches, and shout battle cries. Those in the camp panic and begin attacking each other. The survivors flee toward the Jordan but are eventually cut off.

Despite a miraculous calling from God, and success in his first actions, Gideon still expressed doubt (Judges 6). After seeing two custom-requested miracles, Gideon prepares to attack the Midianite invaders. He winnows his army down to only 300 men and overhears an encouraging conversation. Gideon and his men surprise the enemy after nightfall with trumpets and torches, sparking a panic. This begins a rout of the enemy. In the next chapter, Gideon succeeds further despite stubbornness from his own people (Judges 8).

The Book of Judges describes Israel's history from the death of Joshua to shortly before Israel's first king, Saul. Israel fails to complete God's command to purge the wicked Canaanites from the land (Deuteronomy 7:1–5; 9:4). This results in a centuries-long cycle where Israel falls into sin and is oppressed by local enemies. After each oppression, God sends a civil-military leader, labeled using a Hebrew word loosely translated into English as "judge." These appointed rescuers would free Israel from enemy control and govern for a certain time. After each judge's death, the cycle of sin and oppression begins again. This continues until the people of Israel choose a king, during the ministry of the prophet-and-judge Samuel (1 Samuel 1—7).