Day 91 – Judges 6-7

We’ve seen a few judges already. Ehud killed Eglon in a sneaky way, freeing Israel from the Moabites. Some of the details of his escapade are not filled in. Ehud approached Eglon in his rooftop quarters. After sinking his dagger all the way into the hefty king, Ehud needed an escape route; the most likely route was through the septic drain of the upstairs privy.
Jael rescued Israel from Jabin and the Canaanites. Capitalizing on her families friendly relationship with Sisera, captain of the Canaanite armies, Jael offers some cover and rest. While Sisera sleeps Jael drives a tent stake through his head. With their commander gone, Canaan is easily defeated by Israel and, Deborah serves as a competent judge for 40 years of peace.
Next, God brings Gideon to free Israel from Midian. His campaign interests many. It is another unusual victory for Israel. If Ehud was a spy similar to Bond, Gideon emerges as an agent of psychological operations. He successfully raises a force of over 30,000 to battle Midian, but this is too strong a force for God. He wants Israel to know it is he, not Gideon or their own military prowess, which rescues his people. So God whittles the army to a mere 300. In the late night, or maybe early morning hours, the small army surrounded the camp of their enemy and launched a surprise attack. Their numbers hidden by the darkness and the surprise, the many trumpets causing confusion, and the torches enhancing it all, the Midianites don’t know what to do. In their confusion and fear, they even begin killing one another. Military tacticians should be studying this battle, and praying God would work on their behalf as he did for Gideon.