Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/239

 But the  Lord  spoke  to  Gedeon  and  told  him  that  his  army was too  great,  and  that  the  Madianites  should  not  thus  be  delivered into  his  hands,  lest  the  children  of  Israel  should  glory, and say  that  they  conquered  by  their  own  strength.

And the  Lord  commanded  Gedeon  to  speak  to  the  people and proclaim  in  the  hearing  of  all  that  whosoever  was  fearsome or timorous  should  return  home. And the  army  hearing  this, twenty-two thousand  men  retired  from  the  field,  leaving  only  ten thousand to  meet  the  enemy. The Lord  spoke  again  to  Gedeon, telling him  that  there  were  still  too  many  soldiers. “Bring them to the  waters”,  He  said,  “and  there  I will  try  them.”

He then  told  Gedeon  to  observe  how  the  men  would  drink when they  came  to  the  water. “They that  shall  lap  the  water with their  tongues,  as  dogs  are  wont  to  lap,  thou  shalt  set  apart by themselves; but  they  that  shall  drink,  bowing  down  their  knees, shall be  on  the  other  side.”  The  number  of  those  who  had  lapped the water  from  the  hollow  of  their  hand,  in  order  to  save  time, was three  hundred  men ;  all  the  rest  of  the  multitude  had  knelt down to  drink  at  their  ease.

Gedeon kept  with  him  only  the  three  hundred  who  drank the water  from  the  hollow  of  their  hand:  the  rest  he  sent  to their  homes. He then  divided  the  three  hundred  men  into  three companies, and  gave  them  trumpets  in  their  hands,  and  empty pitchers, and  lamps  within  the  pitchers. And he  said  to  them: “What you  shall  see  me  do,  do  you  the  same;  I will  go  into one part  of  the  camp,  and  do  you  as  I shall  do.”

Gedeon and  the  three  hundred  men  who  were  with  him approached the  enemy’s  camp  at  the  midnight-watch,  and  entering in, began  to  sound  their  trumpets  and  to  strike  the  pitchers  one against the  other,  dazzling  the  bewildered  enemy  with  the  sudden light of  the  concealed  lamps. At the  same  time  the  Israelites cried out  with  a loud  voice:  “The  sword  of  the  Lord  and  of Gedeon.”