whatchamacallme: I wrote this for School, you peoples might think it kinda stupid. The reference is in Judges when Gideon is leading Israel.
Well, not much to say, except: The Bible is God inspired, there is no posible way I could have written it, because I was not alive Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back then.
For God's Glory!
Gideon's Soldiers
How stupid can we, the Israelites, be? Yahweh gives us a leader, He helps us defeat our enemies, and we serve the Him while the leader lives. But as soon as he dies, we desert the Lord and serve other gods. Then the Lord hands us over to our enemies and we cry out. He gives us a leader, He helps us overcome our enemies, and we serve Him while that leader lives. After the leader dies, we forsake Yahweh, He gives us into the hands of our enemies, we cry out, He gives us a leader, He triumphs over our enemies, and we serve Him until the leader dies. Then He gives us to our enemies again. What a vicious unending cycle! Aren't we supposed to be the righteous, God-fearing, chosen people of The I AM? Then why are we acting as if we are the unrighteous, idol-worshiping pagans that the Lord commanded us to destroy? I for one am glad to say I stayed faithful to the Lord my God. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for my husband.
Well, we have strayed from the path that the Lord commanded us to take. Actually, some of us have stayed faithful, but there aren't many. As the consequence of our misdeeds, we have been given over to the Midianites, Amlekites, and other eastern people. Once again, we have cried out to the Lord for help. And once again, He has raised up for us a leader, Gideon, also called Jerub-Baal. And He will yet again save us from the hands of our enemies, or at least, I assume so.
I am the Rebecca wife of Janna the son of Matthias, who is the son of Addi of the half-tribe of Manasseh. My husband has fallen for the lies of those around us. He has married several of their daughters, while some of his Israelite wives have died in childbirth. I am now the only Israelite wife he has, it scares me, for his Moabitess, and Hivite wives hate me. What also scares me is that my husband and my beloved Jacob are going to be in the battle that Gideon will lead.
Janna thinks the battle plan is crazy. The plan is that they will go to the Midianite camp in three companies carrying a trumpet and an empty jar with fire inside. When they reach the encampment. They will smash the jars and yell 'For the Lord and for Gideon!' then they will blow their trumpets. Janna and Jacob are leaving this afternoon to go to the meeting place, but neither of them will tell me where that is. Actually, they are leaving in a few hours; the morning has gone by quickly. I will miss my son, may the merciful Lord watch over him.
The few hours that precede their leaving are filled with checking their supplies and placing the bundles on the mules. Jacob is alive with excitement and zeal for the Lord.
They mount their horses and ride off. And as they turn their backs to our tent, I hear Jacob whispering a blessing and a prayer. With Jacob, I raised my own prayer, Ah, Sovereign Lord, look after your army, and bring your hand against our enemies.
One of Janna's Hivite wives heard me and took her hand to my head. For none of the wives like it when I pray or sing to, or even talk about Yahweh. Normally, when they hear me I receive a hard lash across my hands or my back with a whip. Thankfully, only Homma, one of the less influential wives, heard me.
Several days later, I saw Janna upon his horse a little way off. I rushed inside and shouted the news to the other wives and their children. On hearing me, they all hurried out to the front where Janna was tying up his horse.
The children and wives were bubbling with questions. But Janna wasn't answering any; he just strode into the tent and sat grumpily on a cushion. The wives hastily shooed the children away, then sat in a confused group across from Janna.
I brought Janna a wineskin, which he accepted with gratitude. Then I set about preparing a meal, for Janna must've been hungry after his long journey. After it was done, I carried it out to my husband.
Then I sat down near him and I asked him only one question while he ate: What happened?
He looked at me a while, then he replied. He and Jacob made it safely to the place, the spring of Harod. They were there only an hour when an order came, that anyone who trembles with fear may turn around and leave Mount Gilead. Then an hour after that, another order came, they were to go down to the river to drink, one tribe at a time. So, one by one the tribes went down to the river to drink. Then Gideon started to separate the men in no apparent pattern. When it was Janna's time, he kneeled down to take a drink. Gideon sent him to the right. After Janna was Jacob, who lapped the water with his tongue like a dog, Gideon sent him to the left. After all the men took a drink from the river, Gideon sent all those who had knelt home. With the men that lapped, he gave trumpets and other provisions.
This is why Janna was frustrated. He knew how to fight, even better than Jacob did, so why did he get sent away, while Jacob stayed to fight the Midianites.
After Janna's meal, he was a great deal happier than when he arrived. While the other wives entertained Janna, I went out of the tent and walked a ways under the open sky.
The sky was so big it was sprinkled with stars. I started talking out loud to the Lord.
I asked him why Jacob, Janna's first-born and my only child, had to fight; he didn't have any fighting experience besides beating off beasts. I spoke all my worries to him, even if he wasn't listening to me, a mere woman, I felt better just expressing them. After my worries passed, I started to sing praises. I came upon the idea that Yahweh wouldn't let any of the Israelites die in battle so long as they obeyed him. A foolish thought, I know, because it's a war, people die, even on the side that has the almighty God behind them. I sighed as I heard the Moabitess calling my name. I stood docilely under her loud ranting, that stopped quickly when Janna heard what she was doing.
I am the head of the household, for I was married first to Janna, I am also his favorite, which comes in handy occasionally.
After the Moabite wife's reproving from Janna, he pulled me aside. He told me that the fight was to take place that night. And if all went well, we could expect Jacob home in several weeks.
True to Janna prediction, Jacob came home five weeks later. He looked very tired but happy. They had killed Oreb and Zeeb, the two Midianite leaders. They had chased the two all the way to the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. I didn't care where they had gone, I only cared that Yahweh answered my prayers, and that my only child was back home safely.
Written in Jesus name.
--whatchamacallme