Against the Midianites, also, who, as the book of Judges relates, had filled all places like locusts, Gideon was ordered to lead a few men into battle. It was not that he did not have many in his army, but that he was forbidden to lead many into battle, lest the multitude might claim for itself some share of the victory. Hence, when he had gathered thirty thousand armed fighters, the Lord spoke thus to him: the people with you are too many, and the Midianites shall not be given into their hands.

What happened next? He left only three hundred fighters to the man who was about to fight against countless thousands of barbarians. Indeed, he ordered the line of soldiers to be reduced to the smallest number in order that their fewness would not permit them to realize any credit from the prosecution of the divinely waged war. Why the Lord acted thus, he himself very clearly stated, saying, lest Israel glory against me and say, ‘I am saved by my own strength.’ Let them hear, I say, let all the unjust and the presumptuous hear. Let all the powerful hear what God says when he says, Lest Israel glory against me and say, ‘I am saved by my own strength.’

I say, let them hear, all those who hurl blasphemies and statements contrary to the above, let them who place their hope in human beings hear these things. God says that all who presume they can be liberated by their own strength speak against him.

Does not the leader of our army, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, call out now to his soldiers and say, Whoever is fearful and anxious of heart, let him not come to war with me? For this is also what he says in the Gospels in other words but with the same meaning: Whoever does not take his own cross and come after me is not worthy of me,^[1] and again: Whoever does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.^[2] Is not Christ thus culling out the fearful and anxious and sending them from his camp? . . . But don’t let such a life of warfare turn you away; there really is nothing difficult, nothing arduous or impossible in it.

And they were brought to the river to drink the waters; and whoever drank the waters with bended knees were removed from the struggle of war. For by the waters is designated the doctrine of wisdom, but by the unbended knee righteous conduct. Therefore those who are reported to have bent their knees while drinking the water retired from the strife of battles, having been forbidden because Christ proceeds to battle against the enemies of the faith with those who, when they drink the streams of doctrine, do not distort the uprightness of their actions. For all are said at that time to have drunk the water, but not all [are said] to have stood with unbended knee. And those who bent their knees while they were drinking the waters were rejected because, as the apostle witnesses, It is not the hearers of the law who are just before God, but the doers of the law will be justified.^[1] For since weakness of conduct is, as we have said, signified by this very bending of the knees, it is rightly said again by Paul: Lift up the hands that droop and the feeble knees and make straight steps with your feet.^[2] Therefore those who proceed under Christ as their leader to battle, are those who exhibit in their conduct that which they profess with their mouth, who drink spiritually the streams of doctrine and yet are not carnally distorted by wicked works.

I think it will not be amiss if we consider at greater length this war of the Midianites, which was intentionally introduced by the prophet in comparison with the coming of the Lord.^[1] For in the book of Judges Gideon is described as having fought against the Midianites. . . . Why then is it that such a battle is brought forward by the prophet, and why is victory in that battle compared with the coming of our Redeemer? Did the prophet intend to point out to us that that victorious battle under the command of Gideon was a type of the coming of our Redeemer? Such deeds were doubtless there wrought, which, the more they exceed the usual mode of fighting, are the less removed from the mystery of prophecy. For whoever went forth to battle with pitchers and lamps? Who, when going against arms, ever abandoned his arms? These things would have been truly absurd to us, had they not been terrible to the enemies. But we have learned by the evidence of the victory itself not to regard these things which were done as of little account. Gideon, therefore, coming to battle, signifies to us the coming of our Redeemer, of whom it is written: Lift up, O princes, your gates, and be lifted up you everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty. The Lord mighty in battle.^[2] He prophesied of our Redeemer not only by his doings but also by his name. For Gideon is interpreted going about in the womb. For our Lord embraces all things by the power of his majesty, and yet he came through the grace of the dispensation assuming the nature of a human being in the womb of the Virgin. Who then is he who goes about in the womb except almighty God, redeeming us by his own dispensation, embracing all things by his divinity and taking a human’s nature in the womb? In the womb he was both incarnate and not confined because he was both within the womb by the substance of his infirmity and beyond the world by the power of his majesty.

They go forth therefore to battle with trumpets, with lamps and with pitchers. This, as we have said, was an unusual order of battle. They sounded with the trumpets, and the pitchers were held in their left hands. But lamps were placed within the pitchers; but, when the pitchers were broken, the lamps appeared, and by their flashing light the frightened enemies are put to flight. The trumpets signify, therefore, the loud voice of preachers, the lamps the brightness of their miracles, and the pitchers the frailty of their bodies. For our leader led forth with him to the contest of preaching, so as by making light of their bodily safety would overthrow their enemies by dying and would overcome their swords, not by arms, not by words, but by patience. For our martyrs came armed under their leader to battle, but armed with trumpets, with pitchers, with lamps. And they sounded with their trumpets when preaching. They broke their pitchers when exposing their bodies to dissolution by the swords of the enemy in their suffering. They shone forth with lamps when, after the dissolution of their bodies, they flashed forth with miracles. And their enemies were presently put to flight, because, when they beheld the bodies of dead martyrs glittering with miracles, they were overpowered by the light of truth and believed that which they had impugned. They sounded therefore with the trumpets that the pitchers might be broken; the pitchers were broken that the lamps might appear; the lamps appeared that the enemies might be put to flight. That is, the martyrs preached until their bodies were dissolved in death; their bodies were dissolved in death that they might shine forth with miracles; they shone forth with miracles that they might overthrow their enemies with divine light, so that they might no longer stand up and resist God but fear him and submit to him.

They who were glorying in their army, whose king was the Assyrian and who used to boast I will scale the heavens,^[1] not only fell down to earth but on the ground became dung.

Make their nobles. What nobles? Those who fight against your people. Like Oreb and Zeeb; all their chiefs like Zebah and Zalmunna.^[2] I suppose you have read in the book of Judges the story of Gideon, who is also called Jerubbaal, how he outwitted those four kings while fighting for the people of God and put an end to them. And notice the kind of nobles these Midianites are who abandoned the judgment of God: Oreb and Zeeb; all their chiefs like Zebah and Zalmunna. Who would dream that such words contain mysteries of the Savior? The philosophers read them and smile; the rhetoricians read them and sneer. Not only the rhetoricians, however, but the Jews, too; they have not the key to their treasures, for a veil covers their eyes.^[3] Oreb means a hole in which a snake lurks; Zeeb equals wolf. Mark, now, the names of the chiefs of Christ’s opponents: Zebah, victim or spoil that the wolf will strangle; and Zalmunna, masters of malice. See, then, the divine secrets hidden away in names?