Divine Assistance

Ερώτησις ΙϚ' Τί δήποτε τοὺς κυνὶ παραπλησίως πεποκότας μόνους ἐκέλευσε παρατάξασθαι; Δεδήλωκε τὴν αἰτίαν αὐτὸς ὁ Δεσπότης Θεός· Πολὺς γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ ὄχλος ὁ μετὰ σοῦ, ὥστε παραδοῦναι με τὴν Μαδιὰμ ἐν χειρὶ αὐτῶν, μήποτε καυχήσηται Ἰσραὴλ ἐπ' ἐμὲ, λέγων· Ἡ χείρ μου ἔσωσέ με. Τῶν πλείστων τοίνυν ἀπολυθέντων, τοὺς ὑπολειφθέντας τῷ ποταμῷ προσαχθῆναι προσέταξεν, εἴτα τῶν πλειόνων εἰς γόνυ κλιθέντων, καὶ πεπωκότων συντόμως· τῶν δὲ τριακοσίων τοῦτο μὲν δι' ὅκνον οὐ πεποιηκότων, τῇ δὲ χειρὶ τὸ νᾶμα προσενεγκόντων τῷ στόματι, τούτους μόνους ἐκέλευσεν, ὡ ἀργοὺς καὶ νωθεῖς, κατὰ τῶν ἀντιπάλων ὁρμῆσαι· ἵνα γένηται δήλη πᾶσιν ἡ θεία ῥοπή. Οὔτω καὶ διὰ δώδεκα ἁλιέων καὶ τελωνῶν, καὶ σκυτοτόμου ἑνὸς, τὴν τῶν δαιμόνων κατέλυσε φάλαγγα, καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὴν φύσιν διέσωσε. Τούτο χάριν ὁ προφήτης Ἡσαῗας τούτοις ἐκεῖνα παρέβαλλεν, καὶ ἔφη· Τὴν γὰρ ῥάβδον τῶν ἀπειθούντων διεσκέδασε Κύροις, ὡς τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἐπὶ Μαδιάμ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐνταῦθα γυμνοῖς ἐχρήσατο στρατιώταις, τῇ μὲν λαιᾷ φέρουσι κεκρυμμένας ἐν ἀμφορεῦσι λαμπάδας· τῇ δεξιᾷ δὲ τὰς σάλπιγγας· οὕτω τοὺς ἵεροὺς ἀποστόους γυμνοὺς εἰς τὴν οἰκουμένην ἀπέστειλε, φέροντας τὴν λαμπάδα τῶν θαυμάτων, καὶ τὴν σάλπιγγα τῶν κηρυγμάτων. Θεοδώρητος Ἐπίσκοπος Κύρρος, Εἰς Τους Κριτάς Source: Migne PG 80.504a-b

Question 16 Why were those who acted like dogs alone sent into battle? The Lord God Himself revealed the reason: 'There are too many men with you that I give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel glory against me, saying, 'My own hand has liberated me.' 1 Then, with the greater part dismissed, He commanded that those who remained should be led to the river, from which the majority, those who swiftly bent the knee to drink, He sent away, and the thirty who through hestiation did not do this, who brought water to the mouth with the hand, these alone, unready and sluggish, He commanded go forth against the enemy, that the Divine aid be apparent to all. 2 Indeed in this way, by the twelve fishermen and tax collectors, and a shoe maker, He scattered the army of demons and saved human nature. Whence the Prophet Isaiah, arranging both together, says: 'The Lord scattered the staff of the faithless as on the day of Midianites.' 3 For as He once used unarmed soldiers, bearing in their left arms torches hid in urns, and in the right trumpets, 4 so He sent out the holy Apostles unarmed into the world, bearing the light of miracles, and the trumpet of preaching. Theodoret of Cyrrhus, Questions On Judges 1 Judges 7.2 2 Judges 7.4-6 3 Isaiah 9.4 4 Judges 7.8