Page 29 - TPA Journal January - February 2019
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angel demonstrated the divine nature of his tongues became the chosen 300.
assignment by causing fire to emanate from a rock
and then by causing fleece to remain dry in a wet During the night that followed God told Gideon
field on one night and then to become wet the next to conduct a reconnaissance mission of the
night while the ground remained dry. However, Midianite camp. When he learned that morale
Gideon was not confidant in his own ability to among the Midianites was low, he instructed the
accept such a position of leadership and soldiers to advance on the Midianite camp with
responsibility. After the angel assured him noise discipline and stealth. He also instructed the
through the three miracles that Gideon and Israel Israelites in a tactic using loud trumpets and
would always prevail as long as they followed torches hidden in clay jars to instill fear among the
divine law and instruction, he fully understood the Midianites. The sudden noise and light resulted in
role for which he had been selected and gained surprise, confusion and terror among the sleeping
confidence that God would support the Israelites Midianites. Instead of remaining at their posts and
with him as their leader. defending their positions, they scattered and fled.
Consequently, the Midianites were no longer a
The first assignment given to Gideon was to cohesive fighting force. In an instant, their
destroy the pagan symbols of Baal and Asherah in discipline had broken down and they had become
the town of Ophrah of the Abiezrites. The purpose a disorganized and fragmented collection of
of this task was to establish Gideon’s earthly individuals whose only thought was self-
authority and God’s ultimate omniscience, preservation and survival.
omnipotence, and benevolence.
In the early sixteenth century Cesare Borgia’s
Gideon was then directed to lead an Israelite limited use of small groups called condottieri
force against the Midianites and the Amalekites (mercenaries) during the various battles of the
who had crossed the Jordan River into the land Papal States reduced the carnage and destruction
promised to the Israelites. After assembling a of property associated with large-scale military
force of approximately 32,000, the Lord said that operations. By using stealth and surprise on
friend and foe alike would later attribute the various occasions, Borgia could deploy small
Israelite victory solely to their overwhelming forces to infiltrate and demoralize his adversaries
numerical superiority instead of through divine and convince them to withdraw with minimal
assistance, guidance, and protection. resistance. Well trained and highly disciplined
Consequently, Gideon released 22,000 to return to mobile, small units have been employed many
their families, farms, and fields where they could more times throughout the history of combat for
fulfill their primary mission and ultimate destiny mission-specific operations.
of expanding the twelve tribes of Israel into a
nation. Gideon was instructed to take the Implications for Police Specialized
remaining 10,000 to the water to drink. Those
Operations
who got on their knees and put their faces into the
Organization
water were dismissed while those who cupped the
Gideon’s use of a smaller but more cohesive,
water with their hands and then lapped it with their
coordinated, and disciplined force was similar to
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