Gideon was facing a fight that didn’t make any sense. He was looking down at a valley filled with Midianites that looked like “grasshoppers for multitude.” They had camels without number and a massive army, while Gideon was standing there with a tiny group of men, no weapons, and zero chance of winning on his own.
Judges 7:12, “And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the east lay along in the valley like grasshoppers for multitude; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the sea side for multitude.”
To make matters worse, God had intentionally reduced Gideon’s numbers. He started with 32,000 men, but God whittled them down to just 300.
Judges 7:2, “And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that are with thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.”
The Strange Dream in the Enemy Camp
While Gideon was still nervous about the battle, God sent him down to the edge of the enemy camp to listen. He overheard a soldier telling a dream about a cake of barley bread that rolled into the camp and knocked over a tent.
Judges 7:13, “And when Gideon was come, behold, there was a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and said, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread tumbled into the host of Midian, and came unto a tent, and smote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along.”
Barley bread was the food of the poor. Think top ramen, government cheese or expired bread. It was cheap, low value, and completely overlooked. It was the last thing anyone would expect to cause a disaster. Yet, the enemy interpreted it as Gideon bringing total destruction.
Judges 7:14, “And his fellow answered and said, This is nothing else save the sword of Gideon the son of Joash, a man of Israel: for into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the host.”
We Are the Barley Cake
That dream is a picture of us. In ourselves, we are just like that barley cake; nothing impressive, no natural strength, and no standing before God on our own. The world measures value by power, money, and status, but God sees things differently. He takes the weak things to show off His own strength.
1 Corinthians 1:27, “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;”
If you feel weak today, you are in a perfect position for God to use you. Paul learned this lesson the hard way. He realized that God’s power doesn’t show up when we are strong; it shows up when we admit we are weak.
2 Corinthians 12:9, “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
Without Christ, we can do absolutely nothing (John 15:5). We are just a dry piece of bread rolling down a hill until God puts His power behind us.
Our Value Comes From the Creator
The world might overlook you, but God does not. Your value isn’t based on what you can do for God; it’s based on what God has done for you. He didn’t wait for you to get strong before He loved you.
Isaiah 43:4, “Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.”
If you are saved, you are part of a “chosen generation, a royal priesthood” (1 Peter 2:9). And the ultimate proof of your value is the cross. God didn’t save us because we were “mighty” or “impressive.” He saved us while we were still in sin.
Romans 5:8, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
How God Uses the Insignificant
God loves to take what man overlooks and use it for His glory. He chooses weak vessels so that the victory is clearly His and not ours. When 300 men with lamps and pitchers defeat a massive army, nobody can walk away saying, “Look what we did.” They have to say, “Look what God did.”
Judges 7:20, “And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow withal: and they cried, The sword of the LORD, and of Gideon.”
The Outcome When God Is on Our Side
When God is involved, impossible situations become certain victories. It doesn’t matter how many “Midianites” are in your valley or how much you feel like a “barley cake.” The battle does not belong to the strength of man.
1 Samuel 17:47, “And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands.”
God turns your weakness into a testimony of His power. If you are willing to be the small, insignificant tool in His hand, He will do things through you that you could never do on your own.
