DAWN
Daily Arts Web Nucleus

\Home\

Discover the Arts! Each day a different image from the Literary, Performing, or Visual Arts representing a portion of Scripture
plus an explanation with links

2017 August 18



Battle of Gideon Against the Midianites (1625-1626)
Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665)
Classical French Baroque Style
Vatican Museum, Pinacoteca, Vatican, Vatican City, Rome, Italy
Image Source: Wikipaintings


SPECIAL NOTE:

[ I will again be working through the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. I will be adding links, resources, images, and the like, upgrading the former work-through which began with the 2013-10-12 posting which can be found, along with the full Genesis to Revelation postings, in the Archive Page. Postings will be at midnight Eastern Time, as I am able. However, no chapters will be skipped, even though a posting may be late. And all postings will be housed in the Archive Page. ]


     Explanation: In Judges 7 Gideon gathered his troops and set them across from the vast army of the Midianite confederation. And the LORD told Gideon to reduce his numbers, lest the Israelites think that they delivered themselves. So Gideon dismissed twenty-two thousand who were fearful, leaving ten thousand (1-3).
     But the LORD told him to reduce the ranks still further. So Gideon took the troops to drink. He set aside three-hundred men who lapped water like a dog; and the rest, who bowed down to drink, he sent home, as the LORD instructed him (4-8).
     Later that night the LORD sent him and his servant Phurah to the enemy camp where he overheard a soldier describe his dream to a fellow soldier. The dream was of a barley cake that rolled into the camp and flattened a tent. This, said the fellow soldier, was Gideon; and it was a portent of the defeat of Midian and its allies (9-14).
     When Gideon heard this he divided his three-hundred men into three companies and supplied them with pitchers, torches, and trumpets and instructed them to imitate his actions when he gave the signal (15-18).
     He had them surround the camp; and they blew the trumpets, smashed the pitchers, and held the torches aloft, crying, "the sword of the LORD, and of Gideon." The Midianite confederation scattered in disarray; and Gideon and the troops from Naphtali, Asher, and Manasseh pursued them (19-23).
     Gideon also sent for troops from Ephraim. They captured and slew two Midianite princes, Oreb and Zeeb, and brought their heads to Gideon (24-25).
     [ Sermons: William Still. Alistair Begg. Various. ]
     [ Illustration: Today's painting portrays the rout that led to the defeat of Midian by Gideon, as described in today's chapter. ]







RESOURCES

PLEASE NOTE: Use the resources on this and other sites thoughtfully, particularly the commentaries and encyclopedias. I have attempted to list conservative, scholarly resources. However, some providers use liberal or liberal-influenced commentaries such as the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (in Bible Hub). Such commentaries are undoubtedly included by the provider for the wealth of useful information and comments which they provide. By consulting several commentaries, it should be fairly easy to sort out the wheat from the chaff. If, however, you would like personal assistance, write to me at AD LIB ARTS EMAIL.


          [ THEMATICALLY AND CHRONOLOGICALLY RELATED SCRIPTURES: Judges 7:
     [1] Judges 7:3; 1 Samuel 28:5; 2 Samuel 23:25; 1 Samuel 29:1; Psalm 83:10; Genesis 12:6; Deuteronomy 11:30.
     [2] Judges 8:10; Judges 7:4; Deuteronomy 8:17.
     [3] Deuteronomy 20:8; Numbers 26:30; Joshua 17:5-6.
     [4] Isaiah 1:25; Isaiah 48:10.
     [5] 1 Kings 19:18.
     [7] Numbers 24:11.
     [9] Judges 4:14.
     [11] 1 Samuel 14:6; Matthew 3:17; 1 Samuel 28:6-15; Exodus 13:18; Joshua 1:14.
     [12] Judges 6:5; Numbers 22:4-5; Isaiah 60:6; Joshua 11:4; Genesis 22:17; Isaiah 48:19.
     [13] Genesis 41:12; Numbers 12:6; 1 Samuel 28:6; Joel 2:28; John 6:9; 1 Kings 4:28.
     [16] Judges 9:43; Job 1:17; 1 Samuel 11:11; 2 Samuel 18:2; Genesis 14:15.
     [18] Judges 6:20.
     [19] Exodus 14:24; 1 Samuel 11:11; Matthew 14:25; Mark 6:48.
     [22] 2 Chronicles 20:21-22; Isaiah 9:4; Isaiah 10:26; Psalm 83:13-14; Numbers 33:49; Joshua 21; 1 Kings 11:26; Joshua 3:16; 1 Kings 7:46; Genesis 22:17; Exodus 4:30; 1 Kings 19:16; 1 Kings 4:12.
     [24] John 1:28.
     [25] Psalm 73:9-12; Judges 4:16; Judges 5:21; Isaiah 60:4; Isaiah 10:26; Judges 8:4; Joshua 13:22.
     -- From Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers ]

          [ CHRONOLOGY: GENERAL. Patriarchs (Traditional). Judges # 1. Judges # 2. Kings # 1. Kings # 2. Prophets # 1. Prophets # 2. NT # 1. NT # 2. NT # 3. ]

          [ MAPS: Maps # 1. Maps # 2. Maps # 3. Maps # 4. Maps # 5. ]

          [ COMMENTARIES, ETC: GENERAL: Bible Study Tools; Bible Hub: Study Light; Blue Letter Bible // PSALMS: Monergism: Precept Austin: The Treasury of David; John Gill; John Calvin - Volumes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

          [ MUSIC: GENERAL: The Cyber Hymnal // PSALMS: Genevan Psalter (Instrumental). VARIOUS ARTISTS: Micha'el Ben David. Sons of Korah. Fernando Ortega. Janet Isaac Morrison. Music of the Bible Revealed - Suzanne Haik-Vantoura. Dr. David Erb. Gregorian Chants. ]




HARMONY OF THE LAW


John Calvin - CCEL | Analytical Chart - BLB




GOSPEL HARMONIES

Gospel Harmony - Summary | The Harmony of the Gospels - Augustine | Gospel Harmony Chart - Online Bible

Greek Harmony of the Gospels - Robertson - (Downloadable PDF) | Gospel Harmony in English - Robertson - (Downloadable PDF)




HEBREW AND GREEK INTERLINEAR BIBLES


Bible Hub Interlinear Hebrew and Greek Bible


Bible Hub Hebrew Interlinear | Scripture 4 All Hebrew Interlinear


Mounce Interlinear | Bible Hub Greek Interlinear | Scripture 4 All Greek Interlinear Bible





Judges Detailed Outline



Judges 7


Note: The Book of Judges teaches Israel's unfaithfulness. (The previous book, The Book of Joshua, teaches the Lord's faithfulness.)

Note: Some of the Judges may overlap each other chronologically and may have served in only part of the country.


1. The Historical Setting (1:1 - 3:6) - (1390 - 1377 B.C. Israel)

A. The Present Setting [in the Time of the Judges - This is the Second Campaign of Judah] (1:1-7)

B. The Past Setting [in Joshua's Time - First Campaigns of 6 Tribes] (1:8 - 3:6)

2. The History of the Judges (3:7 - 16:31) - (1377 - 1055 B.C. Israel)

Map | Time Line

     1 Then Jerubbaal, who is Gideon, and all the people that were him, rose up early, and pitched beside the well of Harod: so that the host of the Midianites were on the north side of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley. 2 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me. 3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.
     4 And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go. 5 So he bought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink. 6 And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. 7 And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place. 8 So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets: and he sent all the rest of Israel every man unto his tent, and retained those three hundred men: and the host of Midian was beneath him in the valley.
     9 And it came to pass the same night, that the LORD said unto him, Arise, get thee down unto the host; for I have delivered it into thine hand. 10 But if thou fear to go down, go thou with Phurah thy servant down to the host: 11 And thou shalt hear what they say; and afterward shall thine hands be strengthened to go down unto the host. Then went he down with Phurah his servant unto the outside of the armed men that were in the host. 12 And the Midianites and the a Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude. 13 And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned [turned over] it, that the tent lay along. 14 And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.
     15 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. 16 And he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and he put a trumpet in every man's hand, with empty pitchers, and lamps within the pitchers. 17 And he said unto them, Look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when I come to the outside of the camp, it shall be that, as I do, so shall ye do. 18 When I blow with a trumpet, I and all that are with me, then blow ye the trumpets also on every side of all the camp, and say, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.
     19 So Gideon, and the hundred men that were with him, came unto the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch; and they had but newly set [raising they raised] the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that were in their hands. 20 And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon. 21 And they stood every man in his place round about the camp: and all the host ran, and cried, and fled. 22 And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the LORD set every man's sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Bethshittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abelmeholah, unto Tabbath. 23 And the men of Israel gathered themselves together out of Naphtali, and out of Asher, and out of all Manasseh, and pursued after the Midianites.
     24 And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites, and take before them the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the waters unto Bethbarah and Jordan. 25 And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb, and pursued Midian, and bought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan.




Home | DAWN Archive

Tomorrow's Picture: TBA

     ADDITIONAL AD LIB MATERIAL: Prose, Poetry, Writers, Visual Artists, Music, DAWN, and ILLUMINATION. ILLUMINATION features a compact, Illuminated Bible. DAWN, the page you are presently visiting, features a new image and explanation daily.

Please Email Comments and Questions To

AD LIB ARTS EMAIL
copyright 2017, Scott Souza