What Happened at Bethbarah?
by Pastor Don Elmore
July 20, 2014
Scripture Reading: Judges 7:24, 25
This scripture reading tells of the victory that Israel had over the Midianites when they slew the two princes of that nation. Remember that God had told Gideon 32,000 troops that Israel had, they would vaunt themselves against their God, saying, “Mine own hand hath saved me” (Judges 7:2). So God instructed Gideon to eliminate 31,700 of the 32,000 troops: Israel only had 300 soldiers left to fight the battle against the Midianites and Amalekites (Judges 7:6). That is lowering the number of Israel’s army by over 99%!
The army of Israel was cut by over 99+%. First, all those who were afraid were let go; that was 22,000. Then 9700 men were let go who drank from the pond by putting their mouth in the water. This left only 300 to fight against an army of over 135,000! It lowered the odds from 1 to 5 to around 1 to 500.The soldiers of Gideon, which included men (no women) from the tribes of Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, Naphtali and later Ephraim pursued after the Midianites and destroyed the enemy leaders named Zebah and Zalmunna and over 135,000 soldiers of the Midianites. He was so successful that the “men of Israel said unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy son, and thy son’s son also; for thou hast delivered us, from the hand of Midian” (Judges 8:22). Gideon answered: “I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you; the LORD shall rule over you” (Judges 8:23).
Gideon dwelt in his own house for the last forty years of his life. And he died when he was a good old age. And it followed that after he was dead, that the children of Israel turned again, and played the harlot with Baalim, and made Baal-berith their god.
In Psalm 83, both of these nations, the Amalekites (verse 7) and Midianites (verse 9) are mentioned as being enemies of Israel. This victory of Gideon is reflected in this Psalm when King David longed for the victory over Israel’s future enemies. “Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb: yea, all the princes as Zebah, and as Zalmunna, (verse 11).” It looked forward to a time when their adversaries would be confounded forever (verse 18).