One morning during the Paschal Octave I woke up with the name “Gideon“ on my mind. I knew that Gideon is a man whose story is recorded in the book of Judges – but I did not remember the story. So I opened my Bible and read it.
The oppression of Midian
“The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and the LORD gave them into the hand of Midian seven years. The hand of Midian prevailed over Israel; and because of Midian the Israelites provided for themselves hiding places in the mountains, caves and strongholds. For whenever the Israelites put in seed, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the east would come up against them. They would encamp against them and destroy the produce of the land, as far as the neighborhood of Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel, and no sheep or ox or donkey. For they and their livestock would come up, and they would even bring their tents, as thick as locusts; neither they nor their camels could be counted; so they wasted the land as they came in. Thus Israel was greatly impoverished because of Midian; and the Israelites cried out to the LORD for help.“
Judges 6: 1-6
That in itself is an interesting opening to the story involving the man Gideon: Whenever Israel sows seeds, Midian “encamp(s) against them“, and „destroy(s) the produce of the land“ (Judges 6: 4), coming up against Israel “as thick as locusts“ (Judges 6: 5).
When I read this, I have to think of all the parables in which Jesus compares the kingdom of God to seed that is sown, and of a verse in the book of the prophet Joel where God promises restoration after the oppression suffered by the army of locusts which has eaten up the harvest…
“‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”
Matthew 13: 24-30
“Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples approached him, saying, ‘Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.‘ He answered, ‘The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man; the field is the world, and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; the weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen!‘“
Matthew 13: 36-43
“I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent against you.“
Joel 2: 25
There is a conflict going on between Israel and Midian: Israel is sowing seed, and Midian is ruining their harvest like locusts would…
Gideon‘s calling
“Now the angel of the LORD came and sat under the oak at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites. The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, ‘The LORD is with you, you mighty warrior.‘ Gideon answered him, ‘But sir, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our ancestors recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has cast us off, and given us into the hand of Midian.‘ Then the LORD turned to him and said, ‘Go in this might of yours and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian; I hereby commission you.‘ He responded, “But sir, how can I deliver Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” The LORD said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike down the Midianites, every one of them.”
Judges 6: 11-16
Gideon is full of doubts about God’s presence and faithfulness. Has God abandoned Israel? It must be so, otherwise the wonderful deeds, the miracles of the days of their forefathers would still happen! After the angel has called him to defeat the Midianites, to deliver Israel from the hands of Midian, Gideon is sure that he is not the right man for it – his “clan is the weakest in Manasseh“, and he is “the least in (his) family“ (Judges 6: 15).
But the truth is: The merciful God has heard Israel‘s cry for help – despite their sins. The seven years of oppression will be followed by forty years of “rest“ (cf. Judges 6: 1 and 8: 28). That is why the angel is sent to Gideon to commission him for battle against Midian. God is present and active. And in the eyes of God – or rather: as one being clothed in God‘s power („I will be with you“ (Judges 6: 16); “the spirit of the Lord took possession of Gideon“ (Judges 6: 34)) – little Gideon is a “mighty warrior“ (Judges 6: 12). The Hebrew name Gideon, by the way, actually means “great warrior“…
And so he “sounded the trumpet“ (Judges 6: 34). He is issuing a call: Who wants to come along with him and free Israel from the oppression of Midian?
Gideon‘s small troop of “dogs“
“Then Jerubbaal (that is, Gideon) and all the troops that were with him rose early and encamped beside the spring of Harod; and the camp of Midian was north of them, below the hill of Moreh, in the valley.
Judges 7: 1-7
The LORD said to Gideon, ‘The troops with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand. Israel would only take the credit away from me, saying, ‘My own hand has delivered me.’ Now therefore proclaim this in the hearing of the troops, ‘Whoever is fearful and trembling, let him return home.’‘ Thus Gideon sifted them out; twenty-two thousand returned, and ten thousand remained.
Then the LORD said to Gideon, ‘The troops are still too many; take them down to the water and I will sift them out for you there. When I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go with you; and when I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go.‘ So he brought the troops down to the water; and the LORD said to Gideon, ‘All those who lap the water with their tongues, as a dog laps, you shall put to one side; all those who kneel down to drink, putting their hands to their mouths, you shall put to the other side.‘ The number of those that lapped was three hundred; but all the rest of the troops knelt down to drink water. Then the LORD said to Gideon, ‘With the three hundred that lapped I will deliver you, and give the Midianites into your hand. Let all the others go to their homes.‘“
An army of 32 000 men is reduced to 300! But why? So that the victory may be God‘s and not Israel‘s glory.
The army is scaled down by two tests: In the first round everyone who is not really willing to fight returns home. That already reduces Gideon’s army significantly. In the second round those that “knelt down to drink water“ (Judges 7: 6) are sent home by the LORD and by Gideon. What is that about?
Out of 10 000 men only 300 drink water “with their tongues, as a dog laps“ (Judges 7: 5). They are the ones chosen for fighting against Midian. But why them?
So far I used as the biblical translation quoted here the Catholic Edition of the New Revised Standard Version (NRSVCE). In the Tree of Life Bible which I usually read at home, it being a leftover from my days as an evangelical Christian, verses 5-6 of this passage are rendered a bit differently:
“So he brought the troops down to the water, and ADONAI said to Gideon, ‘You are to set apart everyone who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, and everyone who bows down on his knees to drink.‘ Now the number of those who lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, was 300 men, but all the rest of the people bowed down on their knees to drink water.“
Judges 7: 5-6 (Tree of Life)
Did you notice the difference? In the Tree of Life Bible it says that it was “those who lapped“ who were “putting their hand to their mouth“ (Judges 7: 6) while the NRSVCE ascribes this gesture to those who knelt. Which translation is correct? One thoroughly Catholic translation which many people often recommend as old and reliable is the Douay-Rheims Bible. What does it say there?
“And when the people were come down to the waters, the LORD said to Gedeon: 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. And the number of them that had lapped water, casting it with the hand to their mouth, was three hundred men: and all the rest of the multitude had drunk kneeling.“
Judges 7: 6-7 (Douay-Rheims)
In his article Gideon‘s Doglike Lappers from April 2018, Jonathan Lipnick, dean of the faculty of Holy Land Studies at the Israel Institute of Biblical Studies, explains that the version we find in many translations, including the Douay-Rheims and the Tree of Life Bible, is the correct one compared with the original Hebrew text. His article also explicates why God chose the “doglike“ men for Gideon‘s army:
“Regardless of which translation you choose to follow, I think that the phrase ‘lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps‘ is not meant to be taken literally. The ‘lappers‘ are not actually drinking in the same way that dogs drink. They do not insert their mouths directly into the water, as this is very inefficient – even impossible – way for human beings to drink (try doing this without inhaling water through your nose!). Physiologically, humans do not have the ability to drink water exactly like a dog because their tongues function totally differently. A dog sticks his long tongue into a pool of water and curls it back and up to form a small cup. He then uses this ‘tongue cup’ to scoop up a portion of water which is then flicked backwards into the mouth. (…) Human tongues simply cannot accomplish this feat, and the dog reference in verse 5 is therefore meant to be understood metaphorically. The ‘lappers‘ use a single cupped hand in the same way that a dog uses his tongue: to scoop up a portion of water and to flick it into their mouths quickly. Much water is lost in the process, but it is quick and easy. This would mean that the ‘lappers‘ are not lying on their bellies but rather crouching down, still standing on their feet. They remain alert and unexposed, which is crucial on the battlefield. The ‘kneelers‘, by contrast, are fully prostrated, down on their knees beside the spring. They too drink by using their hands but in a different way: their two hands are joined to form a bowl from which they can comfortably sip. Although this is a better, less wasteful method of getting water into one’s mouth, the kneeling position leaves the soldier vulnerable to attack because he has his face to the ground. Gideon needed an elite force of 300 alert soldiers who would not endanger themselves by taking long water breaks. So insofar as they are dog-like, the ‘lappers‘ were not chosen because they were more vicious or vulgar than the ‘kneelers‘ but because they were less self-indulgent. Ultimately, however, the ‘lappers‘ were selected because they were the minority. From the outset, God indicates that he favors a small army of a few hundred instead of a few thousand to emphasize that the victory is due to divine providence, not human achievement.“
Jonathan Lipnick: Gideon‘s Godlike Lappers, published on the 11th April 2018 on: https://blog.israelbiblicalstudies.com/holy-land-studies/gideons-doglike-lappers/
God wants Gideon to fight against Midian with a really small army, He wants to give Israel victory through an obvious divine miracle that is far beyond human capacity, and those who are to come along with Gideon into the battlefield are those who are quick, alert, ready to be on the move, “doglike“ in that sense, nomads and not settlers, ready to make sacrifices and not prone to inertia or the most comfortable route.
How Gideon‘s army is fighting and winning “at night“
“That same night the LORD said to him, ‘Get up, attack the camp; for I have given it into your hand. But if you fear to attack, go down to the camp with your servant Purah; and you shall hear what they say, and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to attack the camp.‘ Then he went down with his servant Purah to the outposts of the armed men that were in the camp. The Midianites and the Amalekites and all the people of the east lay along the valley as thick as locusts; and their camels were without number, countless as the sand on the seashore. When Gideon arrived, there was a man telling a dream to his comrade; and he said, ‘I had a dream, and in it a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian, and came to the tent, and struck it so that it fell; it turned upside down, and the tent collapsed.‘ And his comrade answered, ‘This is no other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, a man of Israel; into his hand God has given Midian and all the army.‘ When Gideon heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation, he worshipped; and he returned to the camp of Israel, and said, ‘Get up; for the LORD has given the army of Midian into your hand.‘
Judges 7: 9-23
After he divided the three hundred men into three companies, and put trumpets into the hands of all of them, and empty jars, with torches inside the jars, he said to them, ‘Look at me, and do the same; when I come to the outskirts of the camp, do as I do. When I blow the trumpet, I and all who are with me, then you also blow the trumpets around the whole camp, and shout, ‘For the LORD and for Gideon!’‘
So Gideon and the hundred who were with him came to the outskirts of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, when they had just set the watch; and they blew the trumpets and smashed the jars that were in their hands. So the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars, holding in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow; and they cried, ‘A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!‘ Every man stood in his place all around the camp, and all the men in camp ran; they cried out and fled. When they blew the three hundred trumpets, the LORD set every man’s sword against his fellow and against all the army; and the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath. And the men of Israel were called out from Naphtali and from Asher and from all Manasseh, and they pursued after the Midianites.“
God calls upon Israel to attack Midian “at night“. It is “at the beginning of the middle watch“ of night – in the deepest night – that they march forward and are victorious.
Before Gideon and his men attack, they receive confirmation of the God-given victory that will be achieved by means of a strange dream that is given along with its interpretation: “a cake of barley bread tumbled into the camp of Midian, and came to the tent, and struck it so that it fell; it turned upside down, and the tent collapsed“ (Judges 7: 13)… A cake of barley bread? This – the bread that makes the camp of Midian tumble and fall – is “the sword of Gideon son of Joash, a man of Israel“ (Judges 7: 14)…
Interesting: The weapon – the “sword“ – of the “mighty warrior“ – of Gideon – is presented to us in the image of “bread“… Now does bread not always make us think of Christ, the “Bread of Life“? But there is even a bit more to it. Before we take a closer look at the imagery of the barley bread, let us keep track here for a moment, as we were just speaking about weapons.
What is the equipment of Gideon‘s army like? We read that each man holds in one hand a trumpet, a shofar, that is a ram‘s horn, and in the other hand a jar with a torch inside… Quite unusual weapons for warfare. At the moment of battle the men blow their shofars and break the jars so that the torches come forth. And what happens? The Israelites do not have to use any violence against the Midianites. As they blow their trumpets, the Midian camp gets into utter confusion, flees, and while running around in chaos they attack and kill one another. What a story!
But what might all of this mean? The barley bread, the trumpets in their right hands, the torches in their left hands?
The symbolism of the barley bread
As mentioned before, we can see the barley bread as signifying Christ – but maybe it is necessary to explain this connection a bit more. Because usually we identify unleavened bread (made of wheat flour) with Christ. This is the bread that is used in the Eucharistic Sacrifice, since Christ used this kind of bread, matzah, when he instituted the Eucharist on the night before his crucifixion. But here we encounter “a cake of barley bread“, which sounds like it was leavened bread, bread with “hametz“, made of sourdough.
Now the second spring festival the people of Israel were commanded to observe after Pesach and the Feast of Unleavened Bread was the Offering of the Firstfruits (called Bikkurim in Hebrew) and the festival of Shavuot, which is Pentecost. I will now quote from the Tree of Life translation:
“ADONAI spoke to Moses saying: ‘Speak to Bnei-Yisrael and tell them: When you have come into the land which I give to you, and reap its harvest, then you are to bring the omer (footnote says: about 6 pints of barley flour) of the firstfruits of your harvest to the kohen. He is to wave the omer before ADONAI, to be accepted for you. On the morrow after the Shabbat, the kohen is to wave it. On the day when you wave the omer you are to offer a male lamb without blemish, one year old, as a burnt offering to ADONAI. The grain offering with it shall be two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil – an offering made by fire to ADONAI for a soothing aroma. Its drink offering with it shall be a quarter of a gallon of wine. You are not to eat bread, roasted grain, or fresh grain until this same day – until you have brought the offering of your God. It is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. Then you are to count from the morrow after the Shabbat, from the day that you brought the omer of the wave offering, seven complete Shabbatot. Until the morrow after the seventh Shabbat you are to count fifty days, and then present a new grain offering to ADONAI. You are to bring out of your houses two loaves of bread for a wave offering, made of two tenths of an ephah of fine flour. They are to be baked with hametz as firstfruits to ADONAI.“
Leviticus 23: 9-17 (Tree of Life)
The passage continues with the description of some more offerings that are to be made. But surely you noticed that barley flour and bread play some sort of role here. The barley harvest takes place around that very time of the year, so it is barley flour that is offered up as the “firstfruits“ of the first harvest of the year.
This “wave offering“ of the firstfruits is taking place on the morning after the Shabbat during the Feast of Matzot, of Unleavened Bread, which in turn begins right after, or we can say with, the night of Pesach and lasts for seven days. Seven weeks – or “seven complete Shabbatot“ (Leviticus 23: 15) – or fifty days after this first wave offering the feast of Shavuot (“shavuot“ simply is the Hebrew word for “weeks“) or Pentecost (which is Greek for “fiftieth day“) is observed.
This is why we always celebrate Pentecost seven weeks – or fifty days – after Paschal Sunday. Because in the year when Jesus was crucified and raised from the dead, the first festival Shabbat during the Feast of Unleavened Bread was the Shabbat on which he slept in death in the tomb, and the morning after this Shabbat, the first day of the week and the day of His resurrection, was actually the day of the Offering of the Firstfruits. In the gospel of Saint John we read concerning the Friday of Christ‘s cruxifixion:
“It was the Day of Preparation, and the next day was a festival Shabbat. So that the bodies should not remain on the execution stake during Shabbat, the Judean leaders asked Pilate to have the legs broken and to have the bodies taken away.“
John 19: 31
When you encounter the expression “Day of Preparation“, simply translate it for yourself as “Friday“, as every Friday is a “day of preparation“ for the following Shabbat. The day of rest, on which work is forbidden, needs to be prepared every week. But this Shabbat was even a special one – the festival Shabbat during the Feast of Unleavened Bread which had begun with the night of Pesach, the night when Jesus had eaten the Pesach seder with His apostles.
So in that year, Pentecost was observed, just as it must be done according to the Torah of Moses, seven weeks after this Sunday of Christ‘s resurrection, which had been the day of Bikkurim, of the Firstfruits. I am sure it is now easier to understand the following lines which Saint Paul the Apostle wrote to the Church at Corinth and to the Church at Rome:
“But now Messiah has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.“
1 Corinthians 15: 20 (Tree of Life)
“For we know that the whole creation groans together and suffers birth pains until now – and not only creation, but even ourselves. We ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Ruach, groan inwardly as we eagerly wait for adoption – the redemption of our body.“
Romans 8: 22-23 (Tree of Life)
Now let us look at the passage from Leviticus describing the different offerings yet again: We have learned that there is the wave offering of the firstfruits – and that is the risen Christ on Paschal Sunday – , and then on the feast of Shavuot, seven weeks later, there is to be a “a new grain offering to ADONAI“ (Leviticus 23: 16) with actual baked barley bread.
So a “cake of barley bread“, made of barley flour and olive oil and “with hametz“ (Leviticus 23: 17) and baked, roasted in fire, like the one in the strange dream that comes tumbling into the camp of Midian and destroys it, is actually most closely related to the day of Pentecost on which the Holy Spirit descends on the apostles in “tongues, as of fire“ (Acts 2: 3). Thus, we can say, that the barley bread of this dream not only points to Christ but also to the Holy Spirit – or even to the Holy Apostles and the Church as “the new grain offering“ baked by the Spirit‘s fire, which is completing, after seven weeks, the “Offering of the Firstfruits“ that began with the risen Christ as the “wave offering“, as “the firstborn among many brothers and sisters“ (Romans 8: 29)…
Remember how it says that this cake of barley bread is the “sword“, the weapon of Gideon? This weapon of Gideon that tears down Midian is both the risen Christ, the Word of God made flesh and alive forever, and the Holy Spirit – and even, in a way, the saints empowered and sanctified by the Spirit. But the association of the “sword“ with Christ and the Spirit appears in several books of the New Testament:
“Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.“
Ephesians 6: 17
“Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.“
Hebrews 4: 12
“Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstands I saw one like the Son of Man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash across his chest. His head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and from his mouth came a sharp, two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining with full force.“
Revelation 1: 12-16
The symbolism of the torches in jars
The torches of fire, hidden in jars at first, in the hands of Gideon’s men shine brightly in the middle of the night… And the imagery reminds one of a verse in Saint Paul the Apostle‘s second letter to the Church at Corinth:
“For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness‘, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies.“
2 Corinthians 4: 5-10
In this passage, it seems as if the “treasure“ equals “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ“ (2 Cor 4: 6), while the clay jars could represent the affliction, perplexion, persecution, and “death“ the disciples of Christ experience.
And so we could understand the jars in the Gideon story in the same way: These jars, that are hiding the light, might symbolize the oppression experienced by the hands of Midian, by the dark army of locusts destroying the harvest of the sown seed, swallowing up life in death – but at the moment of attack and victory the jars are “broken“ and the lights shine forth, “so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible“ (2 Cor 4: 10). It is a light too strong for the darkness of Midian.
In a similar vein, we could understand our mortal bodies, built from the dust of the earth, as “jars of clay“ – housing the light of Christ and the treasure of the Holy Spirit inside the earthy temples of our bodies. Fire, for sure, is a symbol we immediately associate with the Holy Spirit due to the events of the first Pentecost after Christ‘s resurrection and ascension which we have just recalled.
Whether we understand the jars of clay as a symbol of oppression and of afflictions, or as a metaphor for our mortal bodies, (or more positively: as mortifications), the point is always the same: the torches of light may remind us, just like the barley bread, of both Christ and the Holy Spirit. In the Paschal Vigil, after forty days of mortifications, the Paschal fire and the Paschal candle were lit – Lumen Christi. Then, on Pentecost, the fiery light of the Spirit comes down on us.
But we can add one more thing: Think about the role fire played in Israel‘s worship. Many offerings presented to God on the altar were fire offerings. Also on the day of Pentecost there was to be “a burnt offering to ADONAI“ (Leviticus 23: 18). Hence we can also see a connection between fire and offering or sacrifice, and one step further between fire and prayer, as prayers are spiritual offerings or sacrifices we make.
“Let them praise ADONAI for His mercy, and His wonders for the children of men. Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of His works with joyful singing.“
Psalm 107: 21-22 (Tree of Life)
“May my prayer be set before You like incense. May the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.“
Psalm 141: 2 (Tree of Life)
The symbolism of the shofar, the ram‘s horn
If you look up the symbolism of the shofar – every time you read “trumpet“ in a biblical book, think “shofar“, which is the Hebrew word for a trumpet made of the horn of a ram – on the website My Jewish Learning, the article will tell you about ten symbolic meanings of the ram‘s horn, among them the following:
“The shofar is reminiscent of God’s revelation at Sinai, which was accompanied by the sounding of a shofar. It thus reminds us of our destiny — to be a people of Torah, to pursue its study and to practice its commandments. (…) The sound of the shofar is reminiscent of the exhortations of the prophets whose voices rang out like a shofar in denouncing their people’s wrongdoing, and in calling them to the service of God and man. (…) The shofar, which is a ram’s horn, reminds us of the ram that Abraham offered as a sacrifice in place of his son Isaac. (…) The shofar is a reminder of the Day of the Final Judgment, calling upon all people and all nations to prepare for God’s scrutiny of their deeds. (…) The shofar foreshadows the jubilant proclamation of freedom, when Israel’s exiled and homeless are to return to the Holy Land. It calls us to believe in Israel’s deliverance at all times and under all circumstances. (…) The shofar foreshadows the end of the present world order and the inauguration of God’s reign of righteousness throughout the world (…).“
Quotations taken from: 10 Things the Shofar Symbolizes, published on: https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/decoding-the-shofar/
We see that the shofar has many connotations coming from all the various scriptures in which it plays its part. The blow of the trumpet is, for example, a “wake-up call“ and “a battle cry“ – as can be seen in this very story from Judges that we are discussing here as well as in multiple other stories – , but it is also a call to “repentance“, a “prophetic call“.
One of the associations given above sticks out the most, though, in my opinion: the link of the “ram’s horn“ with the sacrifice of Abraham on Mount Moriah…
“After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, ‘Abraham!‘ And he said, ‘Here I am.‘ He said, ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.‘ So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. Then Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.‘ Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. Isaac said to his father Abraham, ‘Father!‘ And he said, ‘Here I am, my son.‘ He said, ‘The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?‘ Abraham said, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.‘ So the two of them walked on together. When they came to the place that God had shown him, Abraham built an altar there and laid the wood in order. He bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!‘ And he said, ‘Here I am.‘ He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.‘ And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place ‘The LORD will provide‘; as it is said to this day, ‘On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.‘“
Genesis 22: 1-14
Christologically read, Isaac, the son of the father, can be seen as a type of Christ. But also the ram – the male lamb – that is sacrificed in place of Isaac is a prefiguration of Christ, the “Lamb of God“, the true Passover Lamb that takes our sin and our death upon Himself. And therefore, there is a symbolic link between the shofar and Christ crucified…
Let us sum it up: Gideon rises up against the oppression of Midian with a small army of 300 alert soldiers, willing to fight and make sacrifices, in the middle of the night, in the hour of the darkest darkness. His “sword“ is like a barley bread, is like the power of the risen Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Actual swords his men do not carry. Instead they hold a ram‘s horn, Christ crucified, in their right hand, and in their left hand a torch, symbolizing the Holy Spirit or prayer, or better yet: praying in the fire of the Holy Spirit (“pray in the Ruach on every occasion“ (Ephesians 6: 18); “praying in the Ruach ha-Kodesh“ (Jude v. 20)). And the men shout as they attack, referring to their “swords“ of the ram‘s horn and the torch with the words “a sword for ADONAI and for Gideon!“ (Judges 7: 20)
Saint Louis de Montfort‘s prophetic words about the “great men who are to come“
During the very same week of the Paschal Octave I also re-read parts of Saint Louis de Montfort‘s Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin. I think the last time I studied it was in the fall of 2019.
As I was working on this article about the story of Gideon‘s army, trying to figure out its symbolic and spiritual meaning, I suddenly remembered the exact words Saint Louis de Montfort chooses to describe “the great men who are to come“ (ibid. par. 59). We will get to it in just a moment.
This French priest lived in the late 17th and early 18th century. He tries to line out in his treatise why devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary is good and necessary, and what kind of spiritual fruits it will produce in the devotees.
“God the Son wishes to form himself, and, in a manner of speaking, become incarnate every day in his members through his dear Mother. (…)“
Saint Louis de Montfort: Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, paragraphs 31, 34, 35, 36
“God the Holy Spirit wishes to fashion his chosen ones in and through Mary. (…)“
“When Mary has taken root in a soul she produces in it wonders of grace which only she can produce; for she alone is the fruitful virgin who never had and never will have her equal in purity and fruitfulness. Together with the Holy Spirit Mary produced the greatest thing that ever was or ever will be: a God-man. She will consequently produce the marvels which will be seen in the latter times. The formation and the education of the great saints who will come at the end of the world are reserved to her, for only this singular and wondrous virgin can produce in union with the Holy Spirit singular and wondrous things.“
“When the Holy Spirit, her spouse, finds Mary in a soul, he hastens there and enters fully into it. He gives himself generously to that soul according to the place it has given to its spouse. One of the main reasons why the Holy Spirit does not work striking wonders in souls is that he fails to find in them a sufficiently close union with his faithful and inseperable spouse. I say ‘inseperable spouse‘, for from the moment the substantial love of the Father and the Son espoused Mary to form Jesus, the head of the elect, and Jesus in the elect, he has never disowned her, for she has always been faithful and fruitful.“
On several occasions de Montfort talks about the “latter times“ and the “great saints“ which will appear in these “latter times“. Now, the expression of the “latter times“ is a curious one. It makes one think of the “latter rain“ in the prophecy of Joel:
“So be glad, children of Zion, and rejoice in ADONAI, your God. For He gives you the early rain for prosperity, Yes, He will bring down rain for you, the early and latter rain as before. The treshing floors will be full of grain and the vats will overflow with new wine and fresh oil. ‘I shall restore to you the years that the locust, the swarming locust, the canker-worm and the caterpillar have eaten – My great army that I sent among you.‘ You will surely eat and be satisfied, and praise the Name of ADONAI your God, who has dealt wondrously with you. Never again will My people be shamed.“
Joel 2: 23-26 (Tree of Life)
The locusts again… Feels like we have heard about them already, doesn‘t it? What is the “early rain“ and “the latter rain“? A footnote in my Tree of Life Bible explains that the term “early rain“ refers to the rain in spring, while the “latter rain“ is the rain in autumn. In Israel there is no rain at all during summer, but before summer, in spring, the rain comes to moisture the seeds, and to support the growing plants with water for the dry period, and then in autumn, before the final harvest, it rains again, giving final nourishment to what is almost ripe and full.
The “Pentecostal“ and “Charismatic“ movement has made a whole theology out of this passage in Joel, as he is also the prophet who prophecied about the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (“I will pour out my Ruach on all fresh“ (Joel 3: 1)). Therefore, many who follow the theology of the “Pentecostal“ movement associate the “early rain“ with this first outpouring of the Spirit on the apostles during the spring festival of Pentecost, and the “latter rain“ with a new abundant outpouring of the Spirit in the last days before the “harvest“, before Christ‘s coming. We have, in the beginning of this article, seen how Jesus likens the Day of Judgment, when the angels will seperate the “wheat“ from the “weeds“, to a harvest, in keeping with the imagery of the kingdom of God growing from seeds sown by the Son of Man.
It is interesting to see Saint Louis de Montfort speak of the “latter times“, while, at the same time, he strongly establishes the link between the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Holy Spirit as “spouses“ who belong together. And not only that. He expects that in those “latter times“ – not in his own time, but later – great saints will be fashioned by Mary and the Holy Spirit. Almost as if he were one of those “Pentecostal“ or “Charismatic“ people who always expect a new “outpouring“ of the Spirit… If you wonder by now what all of this has to do with the story of Gideon‘s army, do not worry: We are getting there…
“I said that this will happen especially towards the end of the world, and indeed soon, because Almighty God and his holy Mother are to raise up great saints who will surpass in holiness most other saints as much as the cedars of Lebanon tower above little shrubs. (…).“
Saint Louis de Montfort: Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, paragraph 48
“These great souls filled with grace and zeal will be chosen to oppose the enemies of God who are raging on all sides. They will be exceptionally devoted to the Blessed Virgin. Illumined by her light, strengthened by her food, guided by her spirit, supported by her arm, sheltered under her protection, they will fight with one hand and build with the other. With one hand they will give battle, overthrowing and crushing heretics and their heresies, schismatics and their schisms, idolaters and their idolatries, sinners and their wickedness. With the other hand they will build the temple of the true Solomon and the mystical city of God, namely, the Blessed Virgin, who is called by the Fathers of the Church the Temple of Solomon and the City of God. By word and example they will draw all men to a true devotion to her and though this will make many enemies, it will also bring about many victories and much glory to God alone. This is what God revealed to St. Vincent Ferrer, that outstanding apostle of his day, as he has amply shown in one of his works. (….)“
The man Saint Vincent Ferrer mentioned here was a member of the order of the Dominicans in the late 14th and early 15th century, so he was a spiritual son of Saint Dominic de Guzmán through whom the Marian devotion of the prayer of the Holy Rosary was given to us.
In case you have read the book of Nehemiah recently, you might have noticed the scriptural allusion Saint Louis de Montfort includes in this passage: When the Judeans who have returned from exile in Babylon to Jerusalem start rebuilding the wall of their beloved city “Sanballat, Tobiah, the Arabians, the Ammonites, and the people of Ashdod“ (Nehemiah 4: 1) “conspired together to come and fight against Jerusalem, and to stir up trouble against it“ (Nehemiah 4: 2). This is how the Jews react:
“From that day on, half of my men were doing the work, while half of them took hold of the spears, shields, bows and breastplates, and the leaders were behind the entire house of Judah. Those building the wall and those bearing heavy burdens kept one hand on the work and the other holding a weapon. So each of the builders had his sword strapped to his side while they were building, and the shofar blower was beside me.“
Nehemiah 4: 10-12 (Tree of Life)
One hand is building, one hand is fighting or always ready to fight – just like it is in Saint Louis de Montfort‘s description of the saints of the “latter times“ when the enemies of the Church will be “raging on all sides“. These saints are ardent devotees of the Blessed Virgin Mary, spreading devotion to her more and more and fighting successfully against heresies, schisms, idolatry, and wickedness. Then, Saint Louis de Montfort goes on to say the following about Mary‘s role in the “latter times“:
“(…) In these latter times Mary must shine forth more than ever in mercy, power and grace; in mercy, to bring back and welcome lovingly the poor sinners and wanderers who are to be converted and return to the Catholic Church; in power, to combat the enemies of God who will rise up menacingly to seduce and crush by promises and threats all those who oppose them; finally, she must shine forth in grace to inspire and support the valiant soldiers and loyal servants of Jesus Christ who are fighting for his cause.
Saint Louis de Montfort: Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, paragraphs 50, 54, 55
(…) Lastly, Mary must become terrible as an army in battle array to the devil and his followers, especially in these latter times. For Satan, knowing that he has little time – even less now than ever – to destroy souls, intensifies his efforts and his onslaughts every day. He will not hesitate to stir up savage persecutions and set treacherous snares for Mary‘s faithful servants and children whom he finds more difficult to overcome than others.“
“(…) But Mary‘s power over the evil spirits will escpecially shine forth in the latter times, when Satan will lie in wait for her heel, that is, for her humble servants and her poor children whom she will rouse to fight against him. (…) so strongly will they be supported by divine assistance that, in union with Mary, they will crush the head of Satan with their heel, that is, their humility, and bring victory to Jesus Christ.“
“(…) In all circumstances they will have recourse to her as their advocate and mediatrix with Jesus Christ. They will see clearly that she is the safest, easiest, shortest and most perfect way of approaching Jesus and will surrender themselves to her, body and soul, without reserve in order to belong entirely to Jesus.“
Finally, he describes the great men, the great saints, the “children of Mary“ (par. 56) whom he expects to come – in the “latter times“:
“(…) They will be ministers of the Lord who, like a flaming fire, will enkindle everywhere the fires of divine love. They will become, in Mary‘s powerful hands, like sharp arrows, with which she will transfix her enemies.
Saint Louis de Montfort: Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, paragraphs 56, 57, 58, 59
They will be as the children of Levi, thoroughly purified by the fire of great tribulations and closely joined to God. They will carry the gold of love in their heart, the frankincense of prayer in their mind and the myrrh of mortification in their body. They will bring to the poor and lowly everywhere the sweet fragrance of Jesus, but they will bring the odour of death to the great, the rich and the proud of this world.“
“They will be like thunder-clouds flying through the air at the slightest breath of the Holy Spirit. Attached to nothing, surprised at nothing, troubled at nothing, they will shower down the rain of God‘s word and of eternal life. They will thunder against sin, they will storm against the world, they will strike down the devil and his followers and for life and for death, they will pierce through and through with the two-edged sword of God‘s word all those against whom they are sent by Almighty God.“
“They will be true apostles of the latter times to whom the Lord of Hosts will give eloquence and strength to work wonders and carry off glorious spoils from his enemies. They will sleep without gold or silver and, more important still, without concern in the midst of other priests, ecclesiastics and clerics. Yet they will have the silver wings of the dove enabling them to go wherever the Holy Spirit calls them, filled as they are with the resolve to seek the glory of God and the salvation of souls. Wherever they preach, they will leave behind them nothing but the gold of love, which is the fulfillment of the whole law.“
“Lastly, we know they will be true disciples of Jesus Christ, imitating his poverty, his humility, his contempt of the world and his love. They will point out the narrow way to God in pure truth according to the holy Gospel, and not according to the maxims of the world. (…)“
There is, in all these excerpts quoted so far, a lot of military metaphors in Saint Louis de Montfort‘s language. He is talking about an “army“ – about Mary‘s army – and a sort of successful “spiritual crusade“.
At one point he seems to liken the “great saints“ of the “latter times“ to the prophet Elijah who, through his prayer, made rain fall down on Israel after a long drought:
“The effective prayer of a righteous person is very powerful. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain. And it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. He prayed again, and the sky gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.“
James 5: 16-18 (Tree of Life)
“Attached to nothing, surprised at nothing, troubled at nothing, they will shower down the rain of God‘s word and of eternal life.“
Saint Louis de Montfort: Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, paragraph 57
The rain these “great saints“ make fall upon the earth and its inhabitants is, according to Saint Louis de Montfort, the “rain of God‘s word and of eternal life“, the rain of God‘s grace. And once again, one is reminded of the imagery of the “latter rain“…
Now, finally, look at these lines of paragraph 59 in his treatise and ask yourself: Could this be an allusion to the story of Gideon‘s army, just like before there was made an allusion to the story in the book of Nehemiah that relates the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem?
“They will have the two-edged sword of the word of God in their mouths and the blood-stained standard of the Cross on their shoulders. They will carry the crucifix in their right hand and the rosary in their left, and the holy names of Jesus and Mary on their heart. The simplicity and self-sacrifice of Jesus will be reflected in their whole behavior.“
Saint Louis de Montfort: Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, paragraphs 31, 34, 35, 36
“So the three companies blew the trumpets and broke the jars, holding in their left hands the torches, and in their right hands the trumpets to blow; and they cried, ‘A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!‘“
Judges 7: 20 (Tree of Life)
Ram‘s horns – symbolic, we said, of Christ crucified, of Christ‘s sacrifice – in their right hand – or “the crucifix in their right hand“ (St Louis de Montfort); torches – symbolic, we said, of the Holy Spirit and of the “fire offering“ of prayer – in their left hand – or “the rosary in their left“ (St Louis de Montfort), the prayerful devotion to the “inseperable spouse“ of the Holy Spirit…
As if Gideon‘s army were Mary‘s army in the “latter times“, an army rising up against the oppression of the Midianites, who “invade like a multitude of locusts“ to “ruin“ the land (Judges 6: 5), to “destroy the produce of the land“ (Judges 6: 4) “whenever Israel had done their sowing“ (Judges 6: 3), an army of three hundred “girded (…) with strength“ (Ps 18: 32), with swift feet “like the feet of a deer“ (Ps 18: 33) and with hands “train(ed) (…) for war“ (Ps 18: 34) who are rising up against Midian “at the beginning of the middle watch“ (Judges 7: 19) of the night – “Arise!“ (Judges 7: 9), the LORD says to Gideon, and “Arise!“ (Judges 7: 15), Gideon says to his troop of soldiers…
And so they break their jars of clay, and they raise their torches, and they blow their trumpets, as if offering up prayers and proclaiming Christ crucified – “Behold, the Cross of the Lord! Begone, all evil powers! The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered! Alleluia!“ (Saint Anthony of Padua) – in the power of the “sword of Gideon“ (Judges 7: 14), the barley bread, in the power of the Risen One and of the Holy Spirit…
“(…) But when and how will this come about? Only God knows. For our part we must yearn and wait for it in silence and in prayer (…).“
Saint Louis de Montfort: Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, paragraph 59
But, actually, such nights where we can and shall “arise“ and break the bonds of oppression are given to us again and again. The Paschal Vigil is such a night, and the Vigil of Pentecost is just ahead…
Saint Louis de Montfort, pray for us!
Post scriptum: The “Hounds of the Lord“
Saint Louis de Montfort was a member of the Third Order of the Friars Preachers founded by Saint Dominic de Guzmán. The Dominicans are at times nicknamed “the hounds of the Lord“, the “Lord‘s dogs“. One can spot the dog appearing here and then as a Dominican symbol. Why?
Well, Saint Dominic‘s name is very similar to the Latin expression “Domini canis“ meaning “dog / hound of the Lord“. His mother had a vision before his birth in which she saw him come forth from her womb in the form of a dog who is running with a blazing torch in his mouth across a darkened world, setting it on fire…
From beginning to end, the establishment of the Order of Preachers by Saint Dominic de Guzmán was under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and its present and future still is.
And so Gideon‘s “doglike“ men with the wake-up call, the battle cry, the prophetic shaking of the ram‘s horn and the blazing torches, illumination from on high and fire offerings in the Holy Spirit, or Mary‘s “doglike“ men preaching Christ crucified with rosaries on their left side, ready to be unsheathed like a sword: are they not all “Dominicans“?
