GIDEON:  A JUDGE AND A MIGHTY MAN OF VALOR

 

The Pursuit by Ephraim

Judges 7:24-25

Lesson #13

Victor M. Eskew

 

INTRODUCTION

 

A.     When Gideon initially sent out the call for battle, he only sent the message to four tribes (Jdg. 6:35).

 

And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who also was gather after him:  and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.

 

B.      After the initial conflict, however, then Ephraim was called to the battle.

 

C.     In this section, we will read about “The Pursuit by Ephraim” (Judges 7:24-25).

 

I.                    THE RALLY CRY TO EPHRAIM (Judges 7:24a)

 

And Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount Ephraim, saying, Come down against the Midianites…

 

A.     The Clan:  Gideon sent messengers throughout all mount Ephraim.

1.       Ephraim was the second child of Joseph (Gen. 41:52).

 

And the name of the second he called Ephraim:  For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.

 

a.       His mother’s name was Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah priest of On (Gen. 41:50).

b.      He was born in Egypt.

2.       When it came time to give land to the Israelites, Joseph received two portions.  One for Manasseh and one for Ephraim. 

a.       NOTE:  Remember, Gideon was from the tribe of Manasseh.

b.      Ephraim was not originally called to the battle by Gideon.

3.       Ephraim grew to be the largest tribe in the northern kingdom.  After the division of the kingdom, the north was sometime referred as Ephraim (Hos. 4:17).

 

Ephraim is joined to idols:  let him alone.

 

B.      The Call:  Come down against the Midianites.

1.       As the largest tribe, they would have an abundance of fighting men who could assist in the battle.

2.       All of Israel was in subjection to the Midianites.  Thus, it would be in Ephraim’s best interest to fight to be free from the oppression.

 

II.                 THE RULES OF ENGAGEMENT (Judges 7:24b)

 

…and take before them the waters unto Beth-bara and Jordan.

 

A.     If the Midianites could pass over a ford or a river, the chances of escaping would be greatly increased.

 

B.      Therefore, the Ephraimites were called upon to “take before them the waters unto Beth-bara and Jordan.”  If they could cut them off, the defeat was almost insured.

 

1.       Beth-bara:  a ford that helped to feed the waters of the Jordan River.

 

 

2.       The Jordan:  A river that ran from the bottom of the Sea of Galilee into the Dead Sea.

 

 

III.              THE RESPONSE OF EPHRAIM (Judges 7:24c)

 

…Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and took the waters unto Beth-bara and Jordan.

 

A.     We do not read of any hesitation on the part of Ephraim to assist in the battle.

 

B.      They carried out their orders and “took the water unto Beth-bara and Jordan.”  Any hope of escape by the Midianites was now cut off.

 

IV.              THE RUIN OF TWO PRINCES (Judges 7:25)

 

A.     The Capture (Jgs. 7:25a)

 

And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb…

 

1.       It happened that as they secured the waters of Beth-bara and Jordan, Ephraim also captured two princes of the Midianites.

2.       Their names were Oreb (the raven) and Zeeb (the wolf).

3.       Their capture would have been a major victory for Israel.  Too, their capture would have been a tremendous demoralizer for the Midianites. 

 

B.      The Casualties (Jgs. 7:25b)

 

…and they slew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they slew at the winepress of Zeeb…

 

1.       Not only were Oreb and Zeeb captured.  They were also put to death.

2.       The places wherein they were put to death took their names.  The “rock of Oreb” and the “winepress of Zeeb” were memorials to Israel of their victory against their oppressors.

3.       NOTE:  We sometimes forget that Israel was not just a spiritual nation, but it was a physical nation as well.  The nation had to fight in order to maintain their freedom and their status in the world at the time.

 

C.     The Chase (Jgs. 7:25c)

 

…and pursued Midian…

1.       In addition to taking the princes, they also pursued Midian.

2.       The army was in disarray.  The surprise attach caught them off guard.  Now, their escape route was cut off.  It was easy to overtake the enemy while they were in flight instead of being organized.

 

D.     The Conferral (Jgs. 7:25c)

 

…and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other side Jordan.

 

1.       The heads of Oreb and Zeeb were trophies of battle.

2.       Bringing them to Gideon did two things:

a.       It proved that these men had been killed in battle.

b.      It manifested the effectiveness of calling Ephraim to the battle.

 

CONCLUSION

 

A.     The battle was going well for Gideon.

1.       The surprise attack went perfectly.

2.       The troops of Manasseh, Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali had the Midianites on the run.

3.       Ephraim had cut off the way of escape and had killed two princes of Midian in the process.

 

B.      Even though Ephraim responded positively to Gideon’s call to arms, they were upset with their leader.  Now that they were in his presence, they would confront him with their problem.