Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord and the Lord delivered them into the hands of the Medianites. The Medianites, Amalekites, and children of the east came up against Israel and destroyed their crops and took away their cattle leaving no sustenance for the people of God. And Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Medianites.

The Devil was behind these enemies of Israel. He had invented another evil thing to hinder the advent of the Seed of the Woman.

But God had a man in His plan at this juncture. Gideon.

Gideon belonged to the tribe of Manasseh. He was a poor man among his relatives. He was threshing wheat stealthily to avoid being sighted by the Midianites. The Lord appeared to him and spoke to him about how He would deliver Israel through this “mighty man of valor”. The Lord said, “Go in this might of yours and you shall smite the Midianites as you would one man”. Gideon was apprehensive and so asked the Lord for a sign (and another and another, later on). The Lord confirmed His word through a sign of fire out of the rock that consumed Gideon’s offering. Gideon named the place Jehovah Shalom – Peace be unto you by the Lord God. “As-Salaamu Alaykum”. “Wa alaiykum As-Salaam”.

The Lord knows the age of animals too! Strangely enough, the Lord commanded Gideon to offer a burnt sacrifice of “the second of your father’s bullocks of seven years old” after bringing down Baal’s altar. And the wood for the sacrifice would be derived from the grove (Ashera / Phallus – the symbol of fertility. Lingam?). Gideon, fearing his father’s men, executed this at night time with the help of ten of his servants. The next morning all hell broke out! The men of the city summoned Gideon’s father Joash, brought a case against him, and demanded the death of Gideon. Joash said, “Will you plead for Baal? Will you save him? …if Baal be a god, let him plead for himself because one hath cast down his altar”.

The Midianites had gathered against Israel in the valley along with the Amalekites and the children of the east as a swarm of grasshoppers with their camels as the sand of the seashore. The Lord delivered Israel from their hands that very night by sending Gideon and just three hundred simple men (not warriors) out of thirty-two thousand select men and that, through a strange act to perform – they had to break a pot (a pitcher) each, hold a torch in the left hand, blow a trumpet in their right hand and shout, “The sword of the Lord, the sword of Gideon”.

Jerubbaal! Let Baal contend! Let the Devil fight!

The believing line was saved from hunger and death by the Lord’s hand. His plan was progressing as intended. Satan was at tenterhooks! Could he use another nation to suppress the Seed of the Woman?