Escape to Beer

From Judges 7-9:

This encompasses the story of Gideon defeating the Midianites, a relatively well-known story if you had regularly attended Sunday school as a child. It is nice to look at it again though, and review the details.

1. I cannot imagine 300 soldiers defeating a group of the size that is mentioned here. It seems preposterous, but that is exactly why God did it this way - so there would be no mistaking that it was Him.

2. It is interesting that the people in the camp that Gideon went to spy on spoke about the dream at that time. First of all, the dream was unusual and the fact that they were talking about it. But the most amazing thing was that the other person after hearing the dream stated that it meant that Gideon son of Joash was going to conquer them. How did these guys even know of Gideon son of Joash? Was the guy making a prophecy, and he did not even know Gideon, or had he known Gideon, or was it that the scouts for the Midianites and Amalekites already knew that Gideon had amassed troops somewhere nearby?

3. The Ephraimites were upset with Gideon that he had not invited them to the rout. However, I am surprised that he did not invite them. I wonder why, if they were so willing to fight with them. Though Gideon was very wise in his response to them when they complained.

4. It talks about how Gideon used an old route used by the nomads to reach the force of fifteen thousand men with Zalmunna and Zebah. I wonder if this was unknown to them, and how Gideon knew about it. I also wonder why he had to take that way. Was he afraid of attacking them directly, or was it a very strong, fortified position, or what?

5. Gideon wasn't so smart in making the ephod. One would think that after having seen all that God did for him, he would have been a little more concerned for following God.

6. Abimelech was a loose cannon. He almost sounds like an outlaw, terrorizing and killing the residents of the area and just raising trouble. Thank goodness for millstones! Though it would have made a much better story if Jotham had finally gotten revenge for all of his other siblings. On the other hand, it would illustrate that revenge is okay, which is not true.

7. The bible records that Jotham escaped and lived in Beer. I detect a possible joke here. I mean, I have met a number of people who had family issues and escaped via "Beer". (I do realize that is the name of a location, but it still sounds funny.)